James Montaldi is Reader in Mathematics at University of Manchester. He has worked both in theoretical aspects of singularity theory as well as applications to dynamical systems, and co-edited the books: Geometric Mechanics and Symmetry: The Peyresq Lectures (Cambridge, 2005), Peyresq Lectures in Nonlinear Systems (2000), and Singularity Theory and its Applications Part 1 (1991).

• Preface; 1. What's It All About?; Part I. Catastrophe Theory; 2. Families of Functions; 3. The Ring of Germs of Smooth Functions; 4. Right Equivalence; 5. Finite Determinacy; 6. Classification of the Elementary Catastrophes; 7. Unfoldings and Catastrophes; 8. Singularities of Plane Curves; 9. Even Functions; Part II. Singularity Theory; 10. Families of Maps and Bifurcations; 11. Contact Equivalence; 12. Tangent Spaces; 13. Classification for Contact Equivalence; 14. Contact Equivalence and Unfoldings; 15. Geometric Applications; 16. Preparation Theorem; 17. Left-Right Equivalence; Part III. Bifurcation Theory; 18. Bifurcation Problems and Paths; 19. Vector Fields Tangent to a Variety; 20. Kv-equivalence; 21. Classification of Paths; 22. Loose Ends; 23. Constrained Bifurcation Problems; Part IV. Appendices; A. Calculus of Several Variables; B. Local Geometry of Regular Maps; C. Differential Equations and Flows; D. Rings, Ideals and Modules; E. Solutions to Selected Problems.

'This beautiful book is in fact a course which can be viewed as addressed to undergraduate and graduate students, to junior and senior researchers, to the teaching staff (faculty), and to other people interested in the field.' Vladimir Răsvan, European Mathematical Society

James Montaldi is Reader in Mathematics at University of Manchester. He has worked both in theoretical aspects of singularity theory as well as applications to dynamical systems, and co-edited the books: Geometric Mechanics and Symmetry: The Peyresq Lectures (Cambridge, 2005), Peyresq Lectures in Nonlinear Systems (2000), and Singularity Theory and its Applications Part 1 (1991).

• Preface; 1. What's It All About?; Part I. Catastrophe Theory; 2. Families of Functions; 3. The Ring of Germs of Smooth Functions; 4. Right Equivalence; 5. Finite Determinacy; 6. Classification of the Elementary Catastrophes; 7. Unfoldings and Catastrophes; 8. Singularities of Plane Curves; 9. Even Functions; Part II. Singularity Theory; 10. Families of Maps and Bifurcations; 11. Contact Equivalence; 12. Tangent Spaces; 13. Classification for Contact Equivalence; 14. Contact Equivalence and Unfoldings; 15. Geometric Applications; 16. Preparation Theorem; 17. Left-Right Equivalence; Part III. Bifurcation Theory; 18. Bifurcation Problems and Paths; 19. Vector Fields Tangent to a Variety; 20. Kv-equivalence; 21. Classification of Paths; 22. Loose Ends; 23. Constrained Bifurcation Problems; Part IV. Appendices; A. Calculus of Several Variables; B. Local Geometry of Regular Maps; C. Differential Equations and Flows; D. Rings, Ideals and Modules; E. Solutions to Selected Problems.

'This beautiful book is in fact a course which can be viewed as addressed to undergraduate and graduate students, to junior and senior researchers, to the teaching staff (faculty), and to other people interested in the field.' Vladimir Răsvan, European Mathematical Society

James Montaldi is Reader in Mathematics at University of Manchester. He has worked both in theoretical aspects of singularity theory as well as applications to dynamical systems, and co-edited the books: Geometric Mechanics and Symmetry: The Peyresq Lectures (Cambridge, 2005), Peyresq Lectures in Nonlinear Systems (2000), and Singularity Theory and its Applications Part 1 (1991).

• Preface; 1. What's It All About?; Part I. Catastrophe Theory; 2. Families of Functions; 3. The Ring of Germs of Smooth Functions; 4. Right Equivalence; 5. Finite Determinacy; 6. Classification of the Elementary Catastrophes; 7. Unfoldings and Catastrophes; 8. Singularities of Plane Curves; 9. Even Functions; Part II. Singularity Theory; 10. Families of Maps and Bifurcations; 11. Contact Equivalence; 12. Tangent Spaces; 13. Classification for Contact Equivalence; 14. Contact Equivalence and Unfoldings; 15. Geometric Applications; 16. Preparation Theorem; 17. Left-Right Equivalence; Part III. Bifurcation Theory; 18. Bifurcation Problems and Paths; 19. Vector Fields Tangent to a Variety; 20. Kv-equivalence; 21. Classification of Paths; 22. Loose Ends; 23. Constrained Bifurcation Problems; Part IV. Appendices; A. Calculus of Several Variables; B. Local Geometry of Regular Maps; C. Differential Equations and Flows; D. Rings, Ideals and Modules; E. Solutions to Selected Problems.

'This beautiful book is in fact a course which can be viewed as addressed to undergraduate and graduate students, to junior and senior researchers, to the teaching staff (faculty), and to other people interested in the field.' Vladimir Răsvan, European Mathematical Society