This visually stunning book takes a unique approach to geometric transformations, using over 500 illustrations to build intuition and understanding. Written by Dr. Ewa Majewska, one of Poland's leading experts on visualization in mathematics education.
Geometric Transformations Illustrated offers a refreshing visual approach to understanding transformations in different geometric spaces. Rather than beginning with abstract definitions and theorems, Dr. Majewska introduces each concept through carefully designed illustrations that build intuition and geometric understanding.
The book starts with familiar transformations in the Euclidean plane—reflections, rotations, translations, and dilations—before exploring how these concepts extend to other spaces. Each transformation is presented first through its visual effect, then through its mathematical formulation, and finally through its applications. This multi-layered approach accommodates different learning styles and levels of mathematical sophistication.
What sets this book apart is its innovative use of visualization techniques. Full-color diagrams show both the action of individual transformations and their compositions. QR codes throughout the book link to online animations that demonstrate dynamic aspects of transformations that static images cannot capture. These digital resources make the book especially valuable for self-study and distance learning.
The applications sections connect abstract theory to real-world contexts, showing how transformations are used in diverse fields including computer graphics, crystallography, art, architecture, and physics. Historical notes provide context about the mathematicians who developed transformation theory and how their insights have evolved over time.
This new edition includes expanded coverage of non-Euclidean transformations and their applications in modern physics and computer science, as well as new sections on transformations in higher dimensions and their visualization techniques.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Paperback | 428 pages, full color |
| Publisher | Wrocław Visual Mathematics Press |
| Edition | 3rd Edition (2023) |
| ISBN | 978-83-9462-187-2 |
| Dimensions | 21 × 26 cm (large format) |
As an art teacher who has always struggled with abstract mathematics, this book has been a revelation. Dr. Majewska's visual approach makes concepts that I previously found impenetrable completely intuitive. The connections to art and design are especially valuable for my students. The animations accessed through the QR codes are brilliant and add another dimension to the learning experience.
I've been teaching undergraduate geometry for 15 years, and this book has completely transformed my approach. The visualizations are extraordinary and help students grasp concepts in minutes that previously took weeks of lectures. I particularly value the sections on non-Euclidean transformations, which are notoriously difficult to explain without good visual aids. This should be required reading for all mathematics educators.
The content and illustrations in this book are stunning, and I've learned a great deal from it. However, I've encountered several QR codes that lead to broken links, which is frustrating when trying to access the animations. Also, some of the more advanced sections could benefit from additional explanation for readers without a strong mathematics background. Despite these issues, it's still a valuable resource.
