Choice Review

In a world that is increasingly complicated, attempts at quantification inherently include a degree of uncertainty in the underlying information. Still, to understand the dynamics of the systems being analyzed, one must have tools to manipulate this fuzzy information. The concept of fuzzy sets was introduced in 1965 to provide a systematic formulation of such tools. The study of this concept has matured considerably since then, but it probably cannot be considered to be a central area of mathematical research. Fuzzy arithmetic is a domain of fuzzy set theory. Kaufmann and Gupta's book is the first attempt to present a complete and self-contained presentation of fuzzy numbers and their application. Many of the concepts described are original and appear in the literature for the first time. The bibliography gives a good survey of the literature. Particularly recommended for libraries that serve quantitatively oriented social science departments or mathematics departments with a strong applications orientation. Appropriate for upper-division undergraduates.-D.Z. Spicer, Dartmouth College