Variational Principles of Topology: Multidimensional Minimal Surface Theory (Mathematics and its Applications, 42)

One service mathematics has rendered the 'Eot moi, ... , si j'avait JU comment en revenir. human race. h has put common sense back je n'y serais point aUe:' Jules Verne where it belongs, 011 the topmost shelf nen to the dusty canister labeUed 'discarded non- The series is divergent; therefore we may be sense'. able to do something with it. Eric T. Bell O. H es viside Mathematics is a tool for thought. A highly necessary tool in a world where both feedback and non­ linearities abound. Similarly, all kinds of parts of mathematics serve as tools for other pans and for other sciences. Applying a simple rewriting rule to the quote on the right above one finds such statements as: 'One service topology has rendered mathematical physics .. .'; 'One service logic has rendered com­ puter science .. .'; 'One service category theory has rendered mathematics .. .'. All arguably true. And all statements obtainable this way form part of the raison d'etre of this series.