Michael Spivak
Encyclopedia
Michael David Spivak is a mathematician
specializing in differential geometry, an expositor of mathematics
, and the founder of Publish-or-Perish Press. He is the author of the five-volume Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry. He received a Ph.D.
from Princeton University
under the supervision of John Milnor
in 1964.
His book Calculus takes a very rigorous and theoretical approach to introductory calculus
. It is used in calculus courses, particularly those with a pure mathematics emphasis, at many universities.
Spivak has also written The Joy of TeX: A Gourmet Guide to Typesetting With the AMS-TeX Macro Package and The Hitchhiker's Guide to Calculus
. The famous book Morse Theory
, by John Milnor
, was based on lecture notes by Spivak and Robert Wells. Spivak's book Calculus on Manifolds (often referred to as little Spivak) is also rather infamous as being one of the most difficult undergraduate mathematics textbooks.
Spivak has lectured on elementary physics. His most recent book, Physics for Mathematicians: Mechanics I, which contains the material that these lectures stemmed from and more, was published on December 6, 2010.
In each of his books Spivak has hidden references to yellow pigs, an idea he apparently came up with at a bar while drinking with David C. Kelly
.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
specializing in differential geometry, an expositor of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, and the founder of Publish-or-Perish Press. He is the author of the five-volume Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry. He received a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
under the supervision of John Milnor
John Milnor
John Willard Milnor is an American mathematician known for his work in differential topology, K-theory and dynamical systems. He won the Fields Medal in 1962, the Wolf Prize in 1989, and the Abel Prize in 2011. Milnor is a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University...
in 1964.
His book Calculus takes a very rigorous and theoretical approach to introductory calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
. It is used in calculus courses, particularly those with a pure mathematics emphasis, at many universities.
Spivak has also written The Joy of TeX: A Gourmet Guide to Typesetting With the AMS-TeX Macro Package and The Hitchhiker's Guide to Calculus
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Calculus
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Calculus is a 122-page mathematics book by Michael Spivak, published in 1995. Much less analytical than his previously published Calculus, it is a very quick and basic text designed to teach the elementary principles of calculus to people who were not familiar with the...
. The famous book Morse Theory
Morse theory
In differential topology, the techniques of Morse theory give a very direct way of analyzing the topology of a manifold by studying differentiable functions on that manifold. According to the basic insights of Marston Morse, a differentiable function on a manifold will, in a typical case, reflect...
, by John Milnor
John Milnor
John Willard Milnor is an American mathematician known for his work in differential topology, K-theory and dynamical systems. He won the Fields Medal in 1962, the Wolf Prize in 1989, and the Abel Prize in 2011. Milnor is a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University...
, was based on lecture notes by Spivak and Robert Wells. Spivak's book Calculus on Manifolds (often referred to as little Spivak) is also rather infamous as being one of the most difficult undergraduate mathematics textbooks.
Spivak has lectured on elementary physics. His most recent book, Physics for Mathematicians: Mechanics I, which contains the material that these lectures stemmed from and more, was published on December 6, 2010.
In each of his books Spivak has hidden references to yellow pigs, an idea he apparently came up with at a bar while drinking with David C. Kelly
David Kelly (mathematician)
David C. Kelly is an associate professor of mathematics at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He directs the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, and has been involved in the organization of "Yellow Pig's Day," an annual celebration of mathematics...
.
External links
- Publish or Perish, Inc., company owned by Spivak
- 17 (Seventeen) and Yellow Pigs
- Michael Spivak @ Everything2.com