The past decade has seen numerous major mathematical breakthroughs for topics such as the finite field Kakeya conjecture, the cap set conjecture, Erdos's distinct distances problem, the joints problem, as well as others, thanks to the introduction of new polynomial methods. There has also been significant progress on a variety of problems from additive combinatorics, discrete geometry, and more. This book gives a detailed yet accessible introduction to these new polynomial methods and their applications, with a focus on incidence theory. Based on the author's own teaching experience, the text requires a minimal background, allowing graduate and advanced undergraduate students to get to grips with an active and exciting research front. The techniques are presented gradually and in detail, with many examples, warm-up proofs, and exercises included. An appendix provides a quick reminder of basic results and ideas.

A thorough yet accessible introduction to the mathematical breakthroughs achieved by using new polynomial methods in the past decade.

About the Author
Adam Sheffer is Mathematics Professor at CUNY's Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology. Sheffer's research work is focused on polynomial methods, discrete geometry, and additive combinatorics.

Reviews
'This book gives a very nice introduction to the areas of incidence geometry and the polynomial method ... Since this area of mathematics is still rather young, the book contains many open problems - this helps to bring the reader to the front of research. Furthermore, each chapter is followed by a generous amount of exercises.' Audie Warren, zbMATH Open



Book Information
ISBN 9781108832496
Author Adam Sheffer
Format Hardback
Page Count 260
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 540g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 157mm * 22mm