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Four families live in a beautiful stretch of English countryside in magnificent listed houses, built for the old aristocracy. They are the new aristocracy and the elite of their village: financiers, business tycoons, lawyers, doctors, magistrates. They leave their rural idyll only to commute first-class to London for meetings, deals and theatre outings or Heathrow flights to winter sun or half-term skiing. They and their children are protected by investments, pensions and expensive security systems. But the money is running out in Britain, and as tensions and relationships develop within the group of friends, finally, deep in the English winter, an unthinkable act of violence destroys these dream lives and demonstrates that the biggest threat may come from unexpected places. This horrific act happens on the first pages but Lawson provides dramatic twists and false turns and it is only by the end of the book that we discover who the victims are and who committed the crime. Mark Lawson’s first novel in eight years is his most ambitious yet. Combining ingenious plotting with forensic social comedy, this is a dark and brilliant novel of life in twenty-first-century England.
On the morning after he has celebrated his 60th birthday party at a celebrity-filled party, Ned Marriott is in bed with his partner, Emma, when there's a knock on the door. Detectives from the London police force's 'Operation Millpond' have come to arrest him over an allegation of sexual assault. Ned is one of the country's best-known historians - teaching at a leading university, advising governments and making top-rating TV documentaries - but this 'historic' claim from someone the cops insist on calling 'the victim' threatens him with personal and professional ruin and potential imprisonment. Professor Marriott would normally turn for support to Tom Pimm, his closest friend at the univers...
Beginning in Timaru, reputedly the most activity-challenged place in New Zealand, Lawson travels through Australia and Canada, where he learns to be especially wary of any place named after Queen Victoria or her close relatives. After dropping in on Normal, Illinois and Dead Horse, Alaska – place names in the quiet world are sometimes disarmingly honest – he travels through soothing Switzerland, Milton Keynes, and Belgium, before his journey’s end in EuroDisney, Expo ’92, and Center Parcs: territories of Somewhere, the new tourist continent where, in a reversal of the usual rules of travel, countries come to you.
Modular construction can dramatically improve efficiency in construction, through factory production of pre-engineered building units and their delivery to the site either as entire buildings or as substantial elements. The required technology and application are developing rapidly, but design is still in its infancy. Good design requires a knowledge of modular production, installation and interface issues and also an understanding of the economics and client-related benefits which influence design decisions. Looking at eight recent projects, along with background information, this guide gives you coverage of: generic types of module and their application vertical loading, stability and robustness dimensional and spacial planning hybrid construction cladding, services and building physics fire safety and thermal and acoustic performance logistical aspects – such as transport, tolerances and safe installation. A valuable guide for professionals and a thorough introduction for advanced students.
Algebra & Geometry: An Introduction to University Mathematics provides a bridge between high school and undergraduate mathematics courses on algebra and geometry. The author shows students how mathematics is more than a collection of methods by presenting important ideas and their historical origins throughout the text. He incorporates a hands-on approach to proofs and connects algebra and geometry to various applications. The text focuses on linear equations, polynomial equations, and quadratic forms. The first several chapters cover foundational topics, including the importance of proofs and properties commonly encountered when studying algebra. The remaining chapters form the mathematical core of the book. These chapters explain the solution of different kinds of algebraic equations, the nature of the solutions, and the interplay between geometry and algebra
Interest in finite automata theory continues to grow, not only because of its applications in computer science, but also because of more recent applications in mathematics, particularly group theory and symbolic dynamics. The subject itself lies on the boundaries of mathematics and computer science, and with a balanced approach that does justice to both aspects, this book provides a well-motivated introduction to the mathematical theory of finite automata. The first half of Finite Automata focuses on the computer science side of the theory and culminates in Kleene's Theorem, which the author proves in a variety of ways to suit both computer scientists and mathematicians. In the second half, ...
Steelwork offers the opportunity for architectural expression, as well as being structurally versatile and adaptable material. Good detailing is vital because it affects structural performance, costs, buildability and, perhaps most importantly, appearance. Whilst the choice of the structural form is often the province of the structural engineer, architects should have a broad appreciation of the factors leading to the selection of the structure and its details. Traditionally, most detailing of connections is the responsibility of the steelwork fabricator, but for exposed steelwork, detailing is of much more interest to the architect, as it impacts on the aesthetics of the structure. In this ...
Symmetry is one of the most important organising principles in the natural sciences. The mathematical theory of symmetry has long been associated with group theory, but it is a basic premise of this book that there are aspects of symmetry which are more faithfully represented by a generalization of groups called inverse semigroups. The theory of inverse semigroups is described from its origins in the foundations of differential geometry through to its most recent applications in combinatorial group theory, and the theory tilings.
A First Course in Logic is an introduction to first-order logic suitable for first and second year mathematicians and computer scientists. There are three components to this course: propositional logic; Boolean algebras; and predicate/first-order, logic. Logic is the basis of proofs in mathematics — how do we know what we say is true? — and also of computer science — how do I know this program will do what I think it will? Surprisingly little mathematics is needed to learn and understand logic (this course doesn't involve any calculus). The real mathematical prerequisite is an ability to manipulate symbols: in other words, basic algebra. Anyone who can write programs should have this ability.
“GRIPPING . . . the kind of book you simply don’t want to stop reading.”—Neil Gaiman He calls himself Halloween. He is a unique student attending a most prestigious boarding school—the Idlewild Immersive Virtual Reality Academy. While his body sleeps, his mind interacts with those of his fellow students under the tutelage of the enigmatic artificial intelligence known as Maestro. An inexplicable energy surge has damaged the IVR and fragmented Halloween’s mind. Convinced this anomaly was deliberately triggered to kill him, Halloween is desperate to recover his memories—only to discover a devastating revelation about his true existence. “Idlewild builds, not just in tension but in what it demands from the reader, ending up as a dark exploration of hidden realities.”—The Guardian “Sagan provides plenty of suspense and perfectly captures the angry adolescent solipsism that makes kids into hackers and superheroes.”—Entertainment Weekly