In the summer semester of 1897 David Hilbert (1862-1943) gave an introductory course in Invariant Theory at the University of Gottingen. This book is an English translation of the handwritten notes taken from this course by Hilbert's student Sophus Marxen. The year 1897 was the perfect time for Hilbert to present an introduction to invariant theory as his research in the subject had been completed. His famous finiteness theorem had been proved and published in two papers that changed the course of invariant theory dramatically and that laid the foundation for modern commutative algebra. Thus these lectures take into account both the old approach of his predecessors and his newer ideas. This bridge from nineteenth- to twentieth-century mathematics makes these lecture notes a special and fascinating account of invariant theory. Hilbert's course was given at a level accessible to graduate students in mathematics, requiring only a familiarity with linear algebra and the basics of ring and group theory.

An English translation of the notes from David Hilbert's course in 1897 on Invariant Theory at the University of Gottingen taken by his student Sophus Marxen.
Reviews
"...Highly recommended for college libraries, undergraduate through faculty..." D.V. Feldman, Choice
"...a skillful, readable, coherent presentation, with a contemporary flavor..." The American Mathematical Monthly



Book Information
ISBN 9780521449038
Author David Hilbert
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 288g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 153mm * 13mm