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Encyclopedia Of Mathematics

Right. So, you want to talk about a book. Or rather, a collection of books. The collection, apparently. The Encyclopedia of Mathematics. Don’t expect me to be thrilled. It’s just… information. Static. Like most things.

Overview

This thing, the Encyclopedia of Mathematics – they also call it EOM, which sounds about as exciting as a tax audit – is a rather substantial reference work. Think of it as a tombstone for mathematical concepts, meticulously carved. The 2002 iteration, for instance, boasts over 8,000 entries. That’s a lot of ground to cover, apparently spanning most areas of mathematics at a level that assumes you’ve already graduated from the basics. The presentation, naturally, is technical. They don't coddle you here.

It was edited by a Michiel Hazewinkel, and for a while, it was churned out by Kluwer Academic Publishers. Then, in 2003, Kluwer decided to merge into Springer, because apparently, even publishers get bored. The CD-ROM version, if you can believe it, came with animations and three-dimensional objects. Because nothing screams "cutting-edge mathematics" like a slightly glitchy animation from the late 90s.

The core of this encyclopedia, the original meat of it, was actually translated from a Soviet publication called Matematicheskaya entsiklopediya. That was in 1977, originally under the stewardship of Ivan Matveevich Vinogradov. They then proceeded to tack on comments and three supplements, adding a few thousand more articles. So, it’s a translation, layered with updates, like a historical document with increasingly desperate annotations.

For a while, until November 29, 2011, you could actually browse a static version of it online for free. Now, that URL just redirects. To the new… wiki incarnation. Because everything eventually becomes a wiki, doesn’t it? A place where anyone can contribute, or at least, pretend to.

Encyclopedia of Mathematics Wiki

This new, dynamic version of the encyclopedia is now available as a public wiki. It’s a joint venture between Springer and the European Mathematical Society. This latest iteration supposedly contains all the content from the old online version, but now, anyone can update the entries to include the latest advancements. The idea is that all these new additions will be monitored for accuracy by an editorial board, selected by the European Mathematical Society. It’s an interesting concept, I suppose. Trusting the masses with pure mathematics. We’ll see how that holds up.

Versions

Here’s a list of the actual physical manifestations, the paper and ink, or the slightly more advanced CD-ROM versions. A complete set, you might find gathering dust in a university library.

  • Vinogradov, I. M. (Ed.), Matematicheskaya entsiklopediya, Moscow, Sov. Entsiklopediya, 1977.

    • The original Soviet source. Solid, I’m told. Probably drier than my sense of humor.

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics (set), Kluwer, 1994 (ISBN 1-55608-010-7).

    • The big one. All of it.

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 1 (A–B), Kluwer, 1987 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-000-X).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 2 (C), Kluwer, 1988 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-001-8).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 3 (D–Fey), Kluwer, 1989 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-002-6).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 4 (Fib–H), Kluwer, 1989 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-003-4).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 5 (I–Lit), Kluwer, 1990 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-004-2).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 6 (Lob–Opt), Kluwer, 1990 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-005-0).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 7 (Orb–Ray), Kluwer, 1991 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-006-9).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 8 (Rea–Sti), Kluwer, 1992 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-007-7).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 9 (Sto–Zyg), Kluwer, 1993 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-008-5).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Vol. 10 (Index), Kluwer, 1994 (

    • ISBN 1-55608-009-3).
    • The individual volumes. A sprawling, multi-volume testament to human obsession with numbers and symbols. Each one a brick in the wall of mathematical knowledge.

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Supplement I, Kluwer, 1997 (

    • ISBN 0-7923-4709-9).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Supplement II, Kluwer, 2000 (

    • ISBN 0-7923-6114-8).

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Supplement III, Kluwer, 2002 (

    • ISBN 1-4020-0198-3).
    • These are the add-ons. The attempts to keep the beast from becoming entirely obsolete. Like adding fresh paint to a crumbling facade.

  • Hazewinkel, M. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics on CD-ROM, Kluwer, 1998 (

    • ISBN 0-7923-4805-2).
    • The digital attempt. A quaint relic of a time when we thought a CD-ROM could contain the universe.

  • Encyclopedia of Mathematics, public wiki monitored by an editorial board under the management of the European Mathematical Society. [1]

    • The current iteration. An ongoing project, a living document. Or a potential disaster zone. Time will tell.

See also