The word 'infinity' usually elicits feelings of awe, wonder, and admiration; the concept infinity has fascinated philosophers and theologians. The author shows how professional mathematicians tame this unwieldy concept, come to terms with it, and use its various aspects as their most powerful tools of the trade. The early chapters are descriptive and intuitive, full of examples that not only illustrate some infinite processes, but that are worth studying for their own sake. Many questions are raised in the beginning, partially answered in various contexts throughout the book, and finally treated with the precision necessary to give the reader an excellent grasp of the fundamental notions used in the calculus as well as in virtually all other mathematical disciplines. The text is peppered with challenging problems whose solutions appear at the end of the book. |