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From the point of view of strict logic, a rigorous course on real analysis should precede a course on calculus. Strict logic, is, however, overruled by both history and practicality. Historically, calculus, with its origins in the 17th century, came first, and made rapid progress on the basis of informal intuition. Not until well through the 19th century was it possible to claim that the edifice was constructed on sound logical foundations. As for practicality, every university teacher knows that students are not ready for even a semi-rigorous course on analysis until they have acquired the intuitions and the sheer technical skills that come from a traditional calculus course. 1 Real analysis, I have always thought, is the pons asinorv.m of modern mathematics. This shows, I suppose, how much progress we have made in two thousand years, for it is a great deal more sophisticated than the Theorem of Pythagoras, which once received that title. All who have taught the subject know how patient one has to be, for the ideas take root gradually, even in students of good ability. This is not too surprising, since it took more than two centuries for calculus to evolve into what we now call analysis, and even a gifted student, guided by an expert teacher, cannot be expected to grasp all of the issues immediately.
List of contents
1. Introductory Ideas.- 1.1 Foreword for the Student: Is Analysis Necessary?.- 1.2 The Concept of Number.- 1.3 The Language of Set Theory.- 1.4 Real Numbers.- 1.5 Induction.- 1.6 Inequalities.- 2. Sequences and Series.- 2.1 Sequences.- 2.2 Sums, Products and Quotients.- 2.3 Monotonie Sequences.- 2.4 Cauchy Sequences.- 2.5 Series.- 2.6 The Comparison Test.- 2.7 Series of Positive and Negative Terms.- 3. Functions and Continuity.- 3.1 Functions, Graphs.- 3.2 Sums, Products, Compositions; Polynomial and Rational Functions.- 3.3 Circular Functions.- 3.4 Limits.- 3.5 Continuity.- 3.6 Uniform Continuity.- 3.7 Inverse Functions.- 4. Differentiation.- 4.1 The Derivative.- 4.2 The Mean Value Theorems.- 4.3 Inverse Functions.- 4.4 Higher Derivatives.- 4.5 Taylor's Theorem.- 5. Integration.- 5.1 The Riemann Integral.- 5.2 Classes of Integrable Functions.- 5.3 Properties of Integrals.- 5.4 The Fundamental Theorem.- 5.5 Techniques of Integration.- 5.6 Improper Integrals of the First Kind.- 5.7 Improper Integrals of the Second Kind.- 6. The Logarithmic and Exponential Functions.- 6.1 A Function Defined by an Integral.- 6.2 The Inverse Function.- 6.3 Further Properties of the Exponential and Logarithmic Functions.- Sequences and Series of Functions.- 7.1 Uniform Convergence.- 7.2 Uniform Convergence of Series.- 7.3 Power Series.- 8. The Circular Functions.- 8.1 Definitions and Elementary Properties.- 8.2 Length.- 9. Miscellaneous Examples.- 9.1 Wallis's Formula.- 9.2 Stirling's Formula.- 9.3 A Continuous, Nowhere Differentiable Function.- Solutions to Exercises.- The Greek Alphabet.
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Summary
From the point of view of strict logic, a rigorous course on real analysis should precede a course on calculus. Strict logic, is, however, overruled by both history and practicality. Historically, calculus, with its origins in the 17th century, came first, and made rapid progress on the basis of informal intuition. Not until well through the 19th century was it possible to claim that the edifice was constructed on sound logical foundations. As for practicality, every university teacher knows that students are not ready for even a semi-rigorous course on analysis until they have acquired the intuitions and the sheer technical skills that come from a traditional calculus course. 1 Real analysis, I have always thought, is the pons asinorv.m of modern mathematics. This shows, I suppose, how much progress we have made in two thousand years, for it is a great deal more sophisticated than the Theorem of Pythagoras, which once received that title. All who have taught the subject know how patient one has to be, for the ideas take root gradually, even in students of good ability. This is not too surprising, since it took more than two centuries for calculus to evolve into what we now call analysis, and even a gifted student, guided by an expert teacher, cannot be expected to grasp all of the issues immediately.
Additional text
Vol.
85 (504), 2001)
"The book is a clear and structured introduction to real analysis. ... Fully worked out examples and exercises with solutions extend and illustrate the theory. Written in an easy-to-read style, combining informality and precision, the book is ideal for self-study or as a course textbook for first- and second-year undergraduates." (I. Rasa, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 969, 2001)
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Vol.
85 (504), 2001)
"The book is a clear and structured introduction to real analysis. ... Fully worked out examples and exercises with solutions extend and illustrate the theory. Written in an easy-to-read style, combining informality and precision, the book is ideal for self-study or as a course textbook for first- and second-year undergraduates." (I. Rasa, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 969, 2001)
