Chaos - Making a New Science

Zusatztext “Fascinating . . . almost every paragraph contains a jolt.”  — The New York Times “Taut and exciting . . . a fascinating illustration of how the pattern of science changes.”  — The New York Times Book Review “Highly entertaining . . . a startling look at newly discovered universal laws.” — Chicago Tribune “An awe-inspiring book. Reading it gave me that sensation that someone had just found the light switch.”  —Douglas Adams! author of  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “ Chaos  is a feast.”  — The Washington Post Book World Informationen zum Autor James Gleick was born in New York City in 1954. He worked for ten years as an editor and reporter for The New York Times , founded an early Internet portal, the Pipeline, and has written several books of popular science, including The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood , which won the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and  Time Travel: A History.  He lives in Key West and New York. Klappentext The million-copy bestseller by National Book Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist James Gleick-the author of Time Travel: A History-that reveals the science behind chaos theory A work of popular science in the tradition of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, this 20th-anniversary edition of James Gleick's groundbreaking bestseller Chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory, one of the most significant waves of scientific knowledge in our time. From Edward Lorenz's discovery of the Butterfly Effect, to Mitchell Feigenbaum's calculation of a universal constant, to Benoit Mandelbrot's concept of fractals, which created a new geometry of nature, Gleick's engaging narrative focuses on the key figures whose genius converged to chart an innovative direction for science. In Chaos, Gleick makes the story of chaos theory not only fascinating but also accessible to beginners, and opens our eyes to a surprising new view of the universe. Zusammenfassung The million-copy New York Times bestseller and finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award that reveals the science behind chaos theory A work of popular science in the tradition of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, this 20th-anniversary edition of James Gleick’s groundbreaking bestseller Chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory, one of the most significant waves of scientific knowledge in our time. From Edward Lorenz’s discovery of the Butterfly Effect, to Mitchell Feigenbaum’s calculation of a universal constant, to Benoit Mandelbrot’s concept of fractals, which created a new geometry of nature, Gleick’s engaging narrative focuses on the key figures whose genius converged to chart an innovative direction for science. In Chaos , Gleick makes the story of chaos theory not only fascinating but also accessible to beginners, and opens our eyes to a surprising new view of the universe. Inhaltsverzeichnis Chaos Prologue The Butterfly Effect Edward Lorenz and his toy weather. The computer misbehaves. Long-range forecasting is doomed. Order masquerading as randomness. A world of nonlinearity. "We completely missed the point." Revolution A revolution in seeing. Pendulum clocks, space balls, and playground swings. The invention of the horseshoe. A mystery solved: Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Life's Ups and Downs Modeling wildlife populations. Nonlinear science, "the study of non-elephant animals." Pitchfork bifurcations and a ride on the Spree. A movie of chaos and a messianic appeal. A Geometry of Nature A discovery about cotton prices. A refugee from Bourbaki. Transmission errors and jagged shores. New dimensions. The monsters of fractal geometry. Quakes in the schizosphere. From clouds to blood vessel...

Product details

• Authors: James Gleick
• Publisher: Penguin Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 26.08.2008
• EAN: 9780143113454
• ISBN: 978-0-14-311345-4
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 138 mm x 212 mm x 23 mm
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Mathematics > Miscellaneous