Euclidean Distance Geometry

This textbook on distance geometry covers some relevant theory with several algorithms presented in Mathematica. The slim volume of not much more than one hundred pages of core material represents about one semester of content. The central core is the Distance Geometry Problem (DGP): the characterization and study of sets of points based only on given values of the distances between member pairs. The featured problems explore graph visualization, sensor networks, molecule topology and more.

Beginning graduate students and researchers with a suitable foundation in graph, vector, and matrix theory as well as linear algebra will gain from the modeling explorations here. (There is appendix material briefly reviewing the basics in prerequisite subjects.) The authors’ experience teaching the topic to BSc, MSc, and PhD candidates serves as a basis for this textbook. Indeed, the assertion here is that this is “the first (teaching oriented) textbook on Euclidean Distance Geometry.” The text contains exercises and a solutions manual is available to instructors on springer.com. All readers can access errata, additional material, and fifteen Mathematica code files at an author’s web page.

Tom Schulte has spent two decades designing and supporting integration platforms for SaaS ERP provider Plex Systems.