An Introduction to Mathematics

An Introduction to Mathematics for Economics introduces quantitative methods to students of economics and finance in a succinct and accessible style. The introductory nature of this textbook means a background in economics is not essential, as it aims to help students appreciate that learning mathematics is relevant to their overall understanding of the subject.

"The object of the following chapters is not to teach mathematics, but to enable students from the very beginning of their course to know what the science is about, and why it is necessarily the foundation of exact thought as applied to natural phenomena." Thus begins this volume by the prominent English philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead, a concise statement on the nature and meaning of mathematics for the general student. Expertly written and abounding in insights, the book presents a lively exposition of mathematical concepts, the history of their development, and their applications to the physical world.

This two-volume book is a modern introduction to the theory of numbers, emphasizing its connections with other branches of mathematics. Part A is accessible to first-year undergraduates and deals with elementary number theory. Part B is more advanced and gives the reader an idea of the scope of mathematics today. The connecting theme is the theory of numbers. By exploring its many connections with other branches a broad picture is obtained.