Synopsis:
This classic in the field is a compact introduction to some of the basic topics of mathematical logic. Major changes in this edition include a new section on semantic trees; an expanded chapter on Axiomatic Set Theory; and full coverage of effective computability, where Turing computability is now the central notion and diagrams (flow-charts) are used to construct Turing machines. Recursion theory is covered in more detail, including the s-m-n theorem, the recursion theorem and Rice's Theorem. New sections on register machines and random access machines will be of special interest to computer science students. The proofs of the incompleteness theorems are now based on the Diagonalization Lemma and the text also covers Lob's Theorem and its connections with Godel's Second Theorem. This edition contains many new examples and the notation has been updated throughout. This book should be of interest to introductory courses for students of mathematics, philosophy, computer science and electrical engineering.
Review:
"Nearly forty years after it was published (1964), Elliot Mendelson's Introduction to Mathematical Logic still remains the best textbook on the principle topics of this subjectI have used Mendelson's book to teach a one-semester course to advanced undergraduate and graduate students with great success." - Alan Berger "In my work as a math teacher, researcher, author and journal editor, I often encounter problems with a logical component. When that need arises, my first choice of reference is always this book. It is the most concise and readable introductory text I have ever encountered and it is a rare occasion when I fail to find the background material needed to solve the problem. It is also an excellent source of problems and I have pulled the ideas for many test questions from it over the years." -Charles Ashbacher "I was sufficiently fortunate to have taken Professor Emeritus Mendelson's famous logic course at Queens College, the City University of New York, just two semesters before his retirement. I was, and continue to be, astonished by Dr. Mendelson's precise yet easy style, and the beautifully efficient organization of the subjects. Everything from the expository prose to the system of notational conventions has been carefully thought through so as to make the book both very substantive and very readable. In my opinion, it's the best introduction to serious mathematical logic currently on the market, and thanks to the genius of its author, it is likely to remain so for a long time. The buyer will not be disappointed." -Joseph Jay Stern
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