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This wide-ranging and accessible book serves as a fascinating guide to the strategies and concepts that help us understand the boundaries between physics, on the one hand, and sociology, economics, and biology on the other. From cooperation and criticality to flock dynamics and fractals, the author addresses many of the topics belonging to the broad theme of complexity. He chooses excellent examples (requiring no prior mathematical knowledge) to illuminate these ideas and their implications. The lively style and clear description of the relevant models will appeal both to novices and those with an existing knowledge of the field.
List of contents
A glance at the method.- The automata.- Chaotic and noisy.- Critical worlds.- Chance and necessity.- Size does not always matter.- Living things.- Interacting humans.- Epilogue.
About the author
Currently on the faculty of Granada University, Joaquin Marro earned a Ph.D. in theoretical physics (Barcelona, 1972) and a second one in computational physics (New York, 1975). He has authored or coauthored several books and near 200 research papers on statistical physics and on the creative use of computers, and has served in several international committees. He cofounded the Institute “Carlos I” for Theoretical and Computational Physics, and founded the biennial conference “Granada Seminar”.
Summary
This wide-ranging and accessible book serves as a fascinating guide to the strategies and concepts that help us understand the boundaries between physics, on the one hand, and sociology, economics, and biology on the other. From cooperation and criticality to flock dynamics and fractals, the author addresses many of the topics belonging to the broad theme of complexity. He chooses excellent examples (requiring no prior mathematical knowledge) to illuminate these ideas and their implications. The lively style and clear description of the relevant models will appeal both to novices and those with an existing knowledge of the field.
Additional text
From the book reviews:
“This book, part of ‘The Frontiers Collection’ series, is a perfect introductory guide to the complex behaviors occurring throughout the world. Marro (Univ. of Granada, Spain) writes in an engaging manner, providing clear discussions about topics such as social networks, living systems, altruism, financial investment, percolation, risk taking, avalanches, consciousness, etc., and their relationship to each other. … Summing Up: Recommended. All academic library collections.” (F. Potter, Choice, Vol. 51 (11), July, 2014)
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From the book reviews:
"This book, part of 'The Frontiers Collection' series, is a perfect introductory guide to the complex behaviors occurring throughout the world. Marro (Univ. of Granada, Spain) writes in an engaging manner, providing clear discussions about topics such as social networks, living systems, altruism, financial investment, percolation, risk taking, avalanches, consciousness, etc., and their relationship to each other. ... Summing Up: Recommended. All academic library collections." (F. Potter, Choice, Vol. 51 (11), July, 2014)
