Mathematics for computer graphics (Q5925224)

This book is undoubtedly a very well written book. The chapters are short, easy to follow and understand. Some of the content is useful for graphics, others are basic math and some others are not covered at all such as Fourier analysis or convolution. Nevertheless, it is a neatly compiled book that many math enthusiasts may want to have on their bookshelves. The question remains as to who is this book really aimed at, other than math enthusiasts? It is published in the undergraduate topics series so this reviewer assumes that the book is for undergraduates. As the author points out, it is not for math undergrads. Is it then for computer science undergraduates? Not likely as their math requirements are deeper then what is covered in the book. How about for students who study computer graphics? Well, most graphics texts are fairly comprehensive regarding the needed math, in fact, many have appendixes that are dedicated to additional material should the need arise for more math coverage. This leaves the graphics professionals such as animators, designers, etc. This group may be the beneficiary of the text, however, due to the proliferation of on-line content, they may opt to search for the material online (and find very comprehensive material with algorithms attached). The Internet has not been kind to a lot of professionals, including textbook writers. Very few people these days read books to find basic information; as we work on the computer, we open another window and ask Mr. Google to deliver the results by the time we hit enter. What we have here is a really good book both technically as well as pedagogically. Putting it on-line with an excellent search capability would make it a valuable resource.