This concisely written book gives an elementary introduction to a
classical area of mathematics--approximation theory--in a way that
naturally leads to the modern field of wavelets. The exposition, driven
by ideas rather than technical details and proofs, demonstrates the
dynamic nature of mathematics and the influence of classical disciplines
on many areas of modern mathematics and applications. Included are
classical, illustrative examples and constructions, exercises, and a
discussion of the role of wavelets to areas such as digital signal
processing and data compression.
One of the few books to describe wavelets in words rather than
mathematical symbols, the work will be an excellent textbook or
self-study reference for advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate
students and instructors in pure and applied mathematics, mathematical
physics, and engineering. Readers will find motivation and background
material pointing toward advanced literature and research topics in pure
and applied harmonic analysis and related areas.