A Swann Page

Howard Swann's Home Page

Howard Swann studied applied mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, during the Free Speech days of the sixties; he received his Ph.D. in September, 1968. He spent a couple of years at Antioch College in Ohio and then returned to California. He has been at San Jose State University since 1970. He worked for many years in collaboration with cartoonist John Johnson on Prof. E. McSquared's Original and Highly Edifying Calculus Primer to produce the world's first Calculus Comic Book, now translated into Spanish and Japanese. The third edition - the Expanded Intergalactic Version - came out in 1989. His current research is concerned with contriving new computer algorithms for approximating solutions to partial differential equations and then persuading computers to perform as well as his theory says that they should. He is now retired from teaching and spends a good deal of time bicycling around the Santa Cruz Mountains.

TEXTBOOK:

H. Swann and J. Johnson,
Prof. E. McSquared's Calculus Primer, CLICK HERE!!
William Kaufmann, Inc., Part I, 1975; Part II, 1976; Second Edition; 1978; Spanish Edition, 1981; Japanese Edition, 1982; Expanded Intergalactic Version, Janson Publications, 1989; Reprinted by Dyer & Swann Publications, 2002.

See McSquared's New Web Site!

To order books, send e-mail to Prof. McSquared or call 831-335-5792. Copies are $24.95 + $3.00 shipping; 3 or more copies are shipped free. ISBN 097146240-2

REVIEWS:

>From Alan Sherlock, The Times (London) Educational Supplement:

Incredible! was my first, disbelieving, reaction to this unique book. Having read it through again, I repeat - incredible...Throughout the authors have lavishly spread their humor...the mathematics ideas are extremely well and accurately presented...the main achievement is in the exceptionally understandable treatment matching the rigorous mathematics. Highly recommended.

>From the American Mathematical Monthly:

An energized fantasy world...not just for those who have been educated on a diet of cartoons, but for any beginning student who needs help dramatizing mathematical arguments...it will delight both young and old. Calculus will just never be the same again.

>From Martin Gardner, Author of the `Mathematical Games' column for the "Scientific American" as well as many books on Science, Mathematics Criticism and Philosophy:

The calculus book looks great. There has never been anything like it. Lots of non-mathematicians and non-scientists would like some insight into calculus... and wouldn't be frightened by this book the way they are by the usual calculus text.

PUBLICATIONS:

Howard Swann, A mathematical model for retrospective impression formation of small group interaction , Mathematical Social SciencesV.55, March (2008), pp. 235-254.

Howard Swann, On solenoidal high-degree polynomial approximations to solutions of the stationary Navier-Stokes equations, The Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, V. 164-165 (2004) pp. 691-706.

Howard Swann, On approximating the solution of the non-stationary Stokes equations using the cell discretization algorithm, The Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, V. 140 (1-2), March, 2002, pp. 727-750.

Howard Swann, On solenoidal high degree polynomial approximations to solutions of the stationary Stokes equations, Numer. Meth. for Partial Differential Equations, V. 16, No. 5, (2000), pp. 480-493.

Howard Swann, The Cell Discretization Algorithm; An Overview, in Discontinuous Galerkin Methods: Theory, Computation and Applications, Lecture Notes in Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 11, Cockburn, Karniadakis and Shu, Editors, Springer Verlag, March, 2000, pp. 433-438.

Howard Swann, On using the Cell discretization algorithm for mixed boundary value problems and domain decomposition, The Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, V. 115, Issue 1-2, March 2000, pp. 519-534.

Howard Swann, Getting Nature's Number, book review of A Mathematical Mystery Tour; Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Cosmos by A.K. Dewdney, IEEE Spectrum, October, 1999.

Howard Swann, A Mathematical Messiah, book review of two biographies of Paul Erdos: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman, and My Brain is Open, by Bruce Schechter, IEEE Spectrum, December, 1998, pp 10-12.

Howard Swann, Life's complex math, book review of Ian Stewart's Life's Other Secret: The New Mathematics of the Living World, IEEE Spectrum, September, 1998, pp 14-16.

Gary Hui and Howard Swann, On Orthogonal Polynomial Bases for Triangles and Tetrahedra Invariant under the Symmetric Group, Contemporary Mathematics, (AMS), V. 218, (1998), 438-446.

Howard Swann, The Unnumbered Charms of Math, book review of K. C. Cole's The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty, IEEE Spectrum, May, 1998, p. 10

Howard Swann,Error estimates using the cell discretization method for steady state convection - diffusion equations, Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics (82),389-405, 1997.

Howard Swann, On error estimates showing convergence of the cell discretization algorithm for second order hyperbolic equations, Numer. Methods Partial Differential Equations, 13, 531-548, 1997.

Howard Swann, Commentary on Rethinking rigor in calculus: the role of the Mean Value Theorem, The American Mathematical Monthly, March, 1997, 241-245.

Howard Swann, Error estimates using the cell discretization method for some parabolic problems, Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, v. 66, (1996) 497-514.

Howard Swann, Book review for A Tour of the Calculus by David Berlinski, IEEE Spectrum, November, 1996.

Howard Swann, with L. Foster and M. Cayco,On the convergence rate of the cell discretization algorithm for solving elliptic problems, Mathematics of Computation, Vol. 64, no. 212, Oct. 1995, pp 1397-1419.

Howard Swann, On the use of Lagrange multipliers in domain decomposition for solving elliptic problems, Mathematics of Computation, vol. 60, no. 201, Jan. 1993, pp. 49-78.

Howard Swann and R. Polley, On Forming Impressions from Observed Behavior: Two Postulates and Five Parameters, International J. of Small Group Research, V1., No. 2, 1985, 206-214

Howard Swann and R. Polley, Methods for Aggregating SYMLOG Interaction Scores for the Construction of Field Diagrams and Time Plots, In SYMLOG , by R. F. Bales and S. Cohen, The Free Press, New York, 1979, 456-478.

H.S.G. Swann, The existence and uniqueness of non-stationary ideal incompressible flow in bounded domains in R³ , Transactions of Am. Math. Soc., V. 179, May 1973, pp. 167-180.

H.S.G. Swann, The convergence with vanishing viscosity of non-stationary Navier-Stokes flow to ideal flow in R³, Trans. Am. Math. Soc., V. 157, June, 1971, pp. 373-397.

H. Swann, C. P. Atkinson, and B. L. Dhoopar, The generalization of modal subspaces in the complex domain, Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc. (1969), 65, 731-740.

H. Swann and C. P. Atkinson, Modal Subspaces in the Complex Domain, Recent Advances in Engineering Science, Vol. III (1968), 243-254, Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, Ltd.

REFEREE AND REVIEWER:

Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics
International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering.
Communications in Applied Numerical Methods.
Mathematics Reviews.
Editorial Board, International Journal of Small Group Research.
American Mathematical Monthly.

GRANTS:

IBM Almaden Research Center, 1987-88.
IBM Almaden Research Center and IBM Palo Alto Scientific Research Center, 1986-1987.
IBM Special Educational Support Programs, 1985-1986.