This textbook is an introduction to the theory of Hilbert spaces and its applications. The notion of a Hilbert space is a central idea in functional analysis and can be used in numerous branches of pure and applied mathematics. Dr. Young stresses these applications particularly for the solution of partial differential equations in mathematical physics and to the approximation of functions in complex analysis. Some basic familiarity with real analysis, linear algebra and metric spaces is assumed, but otherwise the book is self-contained. The book is based on courses given at the University of Glasgow and contains numerous examples and exercises (many with solutions). The book will make an excellent first course in Hilbert space theory at either undergraduate or graduate level and will also be of interest to electrical engineers and physicists, particularly those involved in control theory and filter design.
