I've only read the first few chapters, but enjoy the approach: it is a readable (but mathematical) introduction to error-correcting codes.

I think it is bridge between formal, theoretical mathematics and a how-to, computer book. (This is not a computer book.)

The author used the book as an undergraduate textbook.

From the Preface: "For students who have been trained in traditional pure mathematics...This book is not for them. It is more for that much larger population of students who find themselves in an educational system driven by an 'application' philosophy....which regards pure mathematics foundations as an expensive luxery, in spite of all accumulated experience that such a system is short-sighted and self-defeating."

The author motivates the subject well. If you send a computer message, how do you know the bits received at the other end are what you sent? How does the receipent know he/she rec'd the correct message? He works through simple ideas and possible ways to improve accuracy.

This is an introduction to some of the mathematics behind this. It includes an introductin to basic number theory, linear algebra. It is readable, but importatn results are stated as Theorems and proven. He assumes little formal mathematics preparation, but some college math will probably help.

If you want a practical, computer guide to error correcting codes, this is probably not the right book for you.

But if you want to go a little deeper and see the mathematics and mathematical ideas at work, this could be a thoroughly enjoyable book for you.

Before borrowing this book from the school library, I was completely lost in the coding class. I can understand the equations in some other book but I can't understand why they are so. I lacked the physical meaning behind these equations and I lacked the bigger picture as well. I borrowed this book from the library hoping to fix my problems before the upcoming the mid-term, and indeed the book proved the most helpful. Don't be fooled by the small size of the book or the "a mathematical introduction" in the title. This books addresses intuition before delving into the math. The solutions of the exercises are also available in the book making this book a great tool for self-learning. Anyhow, I returned the book to the library and ordered it from Amazon. To make a long story short, HAVE THIS BOOK in your personal library.

Baylis has scored big with this book. His forward states that he wanted to produce a book for non-mathematicians, and he succeeded in every respect. I was interested principally in forward error correction - block coding - and the topic is very well presented. (There is more material, of course, but I focused only on the area I needed to understand.) In addition to examples, there are exercises at the end of every chapter, with answers listed in the back.

I don't read math books unless there is no other way - I usually turn to a PhD friend who whips through this stuff like it was comic books, and is REALLY good at explaining things. I had a couple questions because I was lazy (or dense) but there were very few places where I didn't understand Baylis. I recommend this for anyone getting involved in wireless commmunications or wired high-speed data transport.

Not to bad. It's a bit difficult to follow, but goes into pretty good detail.

This book helped me understand my initial international relations module at college. It is concise, informative and provides detailed analysis of key issues, and sets out typologies on how best to understand international issues.

I'm a master degree student from Colombia. I was searching an international relations book focused in globalization matters and I found it. It is very clear, easy to understand. I'm very happy to pourchased it. I recommend you !

This introductory textbook of strategic studies covers four main themes: the enduring issues of strategy, the evolution of joint warfare, twentieth-century theories, and contemporary issues of grand strategy. The book is written from the perspective of 'Western security interests', but even so, studying strategy helps us to think clearly about the ways in which states and others use organised force for political ends.
The writers all refute technological determinism: new weapons - artillery in World War One, tanks in World War Two, guided missiles in the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, precision bombing and superior ground force technology in the Gulf War - were none of them unbeatable. They show that the basic principles of conducting land warfare have hardly changed in the last hundred years. Armies need to combine their arms, defend in depth, keep large reserves, use cover and concealment, and integrate movement and suppressive fire. In particular, Stephen Biddle shows that, contrary to many claims, the USAF air war in the Gulf did not destroy all the Iraqi armour. Possibly 4,100 armoured vehicles later fought the US ground forces, but they did not fight according to the basic principles, so they were beaten.
However, the editors err in dividing what they call '20th-century theories' - deterrence, arms control, terrorism and 'irregular warfare' (national liberation struggles) - from the 'contemporary issues' of technology, weapons of mass destruction, and humanitarian intervention. These are all still live issues. Further, the editors could have presented them in the livelier form of debates.
As with any collection of pieces by many hands, the quality is uneven, but generally the better essays are more grounded in the realities of 20th-century military history. The worse ones try to discuss, for instance, the causes of war in terms of biology or psychology. As a rule, strikingly individual expressions of one person's views, like Colin Gray's Modern Strategy, or Bernard Brodie's War and Politics, provoke more thought than compilation textbooks