"Spherical soap bubbles", isometric minimal immersions of round spheres into round spheres, or spherical immersions for short, belong to a fast growing and fascinating area between algebra and geometry. In this accessible book, the author traces the development of the study of spherical minimal immersions over the past 30 plus years, including a valuable selection of exercises.
The purpose of Glimpses of Algebra and Geometry is to fill a gap between undergraduate and graduate mathematics studies. It is one of the few undergraduate texts to explore the subtle and sometimes puzzling connections between number theory, classical geometry, and modern algebra in a clear and easily understandable style. Over 160 computer-generated images, accessible to readers via the World Wide Web, facilitate an understanding of mathematical concepts and proofs even further. Glimpses will appeal to students who wish to learn modern mathematics, but have few prerequisite courses, and to high school teachers who always had a keen interest in mathematics, but seldom the time to pursue background technicalities. Even postgraduate mathematicians will enjoy being able to browse through a number of mathematical disciplines in one sitting.