A Course of Modern Analysis

"A Course of Modern Analysis", often called Whittaker and Watson, is a famous textbook about advanced mathematical analysis. It was written by Edmund T. Whittaker and George N. Watson and first published by Cambridge University Press in 1915. The book helps readers understand complex ideas like infinite processes and analytic functions, which are important in many areas of mathematics and science.

The first edition of the book was written only by Whittaker, but later editions included Watson as a co-author. It explains many important mathematical functions, known as transcendental functions, in a clear and detailed way. Because of its clear explanations and thorough coverage, the book remains a valuable resource for students and experts in mathematics even today.

History

The book was first published in 1902, with later editions coming out in 1915, 1920, and 1927. It has been reprinted many times and is still available today. A new version was published in 2021.

Many famous mathematicians, including those from Cambridge University, used this book to learn important math ideas. It was also recommended for students at universities around the world.

Notable features

The book includes interesting exercises that come from an older version of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos. It was also one of the first books to use decimal numbering for its sections, a new idea at the time that the authors credited to Giuseppe Peano.

Contents

Below are the contents of the fourth edition:

Part I. The Process of Analysis

Part II. The Transcendental Functions

Reception

The book received positive feedback from mathematicians and scientists. George B. Mathews praised the book for its clear explanations of important ideas in analysis, such as infinite series and complex integration. Arthur S. Hathaway highlighted how the book brings together many advanced mathematical concepts useful for studying physics and chemistry.

Maxime Bôcher noted that while the book wasn't as rigorous as some European works, it was still a significant step forward for English-language mathematics. He pointed out that the book covered many topics that weren't available in English before.