A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research
eBook - PDF

A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research

  1. 456 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research

About this book

Political science and sociology increasingly rely on mathematical modeling and sophisticated data analysis, and many graduate programs in these fields now require students to take a "math camp" or a semester-long or yearlong course to acquire the necessary skills. Available textbooks are written for mathematics or economics majors, and fail to convey to students of political science and sociology the reasons for learning often-abstract mathematical concepts. A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research fills this gap, providing both a primer for math novices in the social sciences and a handy reference for seasoned researchers.


The book begins with the fundamental building blocks of mathematics and basic algebra, then goes on to cover essential subjects such as calculus in one and more than one variable, including optimization, constrained optimization, and implicit functions; linear algebra, including Markov chains and eigenvectors; and probability. It describes the intermediate steps most other textbooks leave out, features numerous exercises throughout, and grounds all concepts by illustrating their use and importance in political science and sociology.


  • Uniquely designed and ideal for students and researchers in political science and sociology

  • Uses practical examples from political science and sociology

  • Features "Why Do I Care?" sections that explain why concepts are useful

  • Includes numerous exercises

  • Complete online solutions manual (available only to professors, email david.siegel at duke.edu, subject line "Solution Set")

  • Selected solutions available online to students

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Yes, you can access A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research by Will H. Moore,David A. Siegel in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Mathematics General. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. List of Figures
  7. List of Tables
  8. Preface
  9. I Building Blocks
  10. II Calculus in One Dimension
  11. III Probability
  12. IV Linear Algebra
  13. V Multivariate Calculus and Optimization
  14. Bibliography
  15. Index