This book presents the topology of smooth 4-manifolds in an intuitive self-contained way, developed over a number of years by Professor Akbulut. The text is aimed at graduate students and focuses on the teaching and learning of the subject, giving a direct approach to constructions and theorems which are supplemented by exercises to help the reader work through the details not covered in the proofs. The book contains a hundred colour illustrations to demonstrate the ideas rather than providing long-winded and potentially unclear explanations. Key results have been selected that relate to the material discussed and the author has provided examples of how to analyse them with the techniques developed in earlier chapters.

About the Author
Selman Akbulut is a Turkish mathematician and a Professor at Michigan State University. His research is in topology and he has specifically worked on handlebody theory, low-dimensional manifolds, symplectic topology and G2 manifolds with success in developing 4-dimensional handlebody techniques, settling conjectures and solving problems.

Reviews
This book is about the art of proving theorems about 4-manifolds by mental visualization and direct interaction with their depictions. Its existence is justifed by the need for an updated treatment...and the need to set out a unifed presentation of the tools and knowledge which have proved most useful over the relatively unique research history of its author. * Jonathan D. Williams, MathSciNet *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198784869
Author Selman Akbulut
Format Hardback
Page Count 276
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 164mm * 22mm