Pons’ textbook introduces college students to basics of real analysis

Matthew Pons, North Central College associate professor of mathematics, published his book, titled “Real Analysis for the Undergraduate: With an Invitation to Functional Analysis” (Springer, 2014).

This undergraduate textbook introduces students to the basics of real analysis, provides an introduction to more advanced topics, including measure theory and Lebesgue integration, and offers an invitation to functional analysis. While these advanced topics are not typically encountered until graduate study, the text is designed for the beginner and written in a style that’s approachable.

Key features include examples to reinforce theory; thorough explanations preceding definitions, theorems and formal proofs; illustrations to support intuition; and more than 450 exercises to develop connections between the concrete and abstract.

Pons joined North Central’s faculty in 2007. He earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.