Surface Topology

This updated and revised edition of a widely acclaimed and successful text for undergraduates examines topology of recent compact surfaces through the development of simple ideas in plane geometry. Containing over 171 diagrams, the approach allows for a straightforward treatment of its subject area. It is particularly attractive for its wealth of applications and variety of interactions with branches of mathematics, linked with surface topology, graph theory, group theory, vector field theory, and plane Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry.

• Examines topology of recent compact surfaces through the development of simple ideas in plane geometry
• Contains a wealth of applications and a variety of interactions with branches of mathematics, linked with surface topology, graph theory, group theory, vector field theory, and plane Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry

Undergraduate students

Intuitive ideas; Plane models of surfaces; Surfaces as plane diagrams; Distinguishing surfaces; Patterns on surfaces; Maps and graphs; Vector fields on surfaces; Plane tessellation representations of compact surfaces; Some applications of tessellation representations; Introducing the fundamental group; Surfaces with boundaries; Topology, graphs and groups; Tutorial solutions to exercises; Further reading; References and index.