Product Description

Mathematics for Economists, a new text for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in economics, is a thoroughly modern treatment of the mathematics that underlies economic theory. An abundance of applications to current economic analysis, illustrative diagrams, thought-provoking exercises, careful proofs, and a flexible organization-these are the advantages that Mathematics for Economists brings to today’s classroom. .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57430 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 954 pages

About the Author
Lawrence Blume is professor of economics at Cornell University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, the University of Michigan, and the University of Tel Aviv.

Carl Simon is professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of North Carolina. He is the recipient of many awards for teaching, including the University of Michigan Faculty Recognition Award and the Excellence in Education Award.

Customer Reviews

One of the best
This is indeed an excellent book. I like it because it is not "dumbed" to fit students with a weak background in mathematics and it is not a definition-proof-theorem-and-try-to-understand-if-you-can book as many advanced books in mathematics. It is well balanced between precise definitions and good explanations, using standard notation. I have used it for self-study and helped me to learn the definitions and theorems needed to jump to more advanced books (yes, to those skinny books with only definitions, theorems and so on). Other books on mathematics for economists are either too hard to understand the first time or they hid the difficults parts.

Not just for economists!
This is a marvellous introduction to many of the important areas of applied mathematics. The authors do a truly spectacular job of conveying the intuitive principles and pragmatic relevence of each topic, without falling into the "cookbook" trap to which many applied math texts succumb.

But my real point is that it is almost a shame that title specifies "for economists" - because this book will be extremely useful to people looking to improve their applied mathematics background for use in any number of fields. I'm a population biologist myself, and I turn to this book first when I need to brush up on a vaguely familiar subject or delve in to a new topic. Many of the examples are inded drawn from economics, but this is not hindrance - they are well-enough explained and defined that no economics background is required. The economics examples are so well-presented, in fact, that the relevence to problems in other fields will be very clear to even a moderately careful reader.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

IF you are doing /have done maths, read this book
This book is beautiful.
clear simple explinations built up in a clear way.
1) explicitly defined Theorems
2) proofs with clear starts and ends.
3) starts at level that should be within the grasp of able A-level students
i.e. not much knowledge assumed.
4) contains goods maths followed by economic examples that use it.
5) A wellcome counterpoint to economic books and lectures that use bad maths
i) theorems with out showing the conditions are met
ii) use floating 'dx's
6)goes to a level beyond undergraduate level to give a strong powerbase.
7)Mathematics is the language of economics.
Until you are master of the relevant sections, understanding economics
will for you be like reading the Ancient Bible and not knowing hebrew.
Therefore even if yours economics degree includes maths techniques
modules, you will find yourself using maths, you have not been taught yet.
So buy this book and get on top of the maths in your course.
8)get it before you go, read it before you get to uni and then you can
spend the first few weeks partying instead of reading maths to keep on
top of your course.
9)read this book and feel like a million dollars.
10) if you have NO INTEREST IN ECONOMICS, and are doing maths get this
book and it will be a good primer on a whole heap of modules from
Linear Algebra to Analysis.