Overview

It has been suggested that the big questions of science are answered – that science has entered a “twilight age” where all the important knowledge is known and only the details need mopping up. And yet, the unprecedented progress in science and technology in the twentieth century has raised qu- tions that weren’t conceived of a century ago. This book argues that, far from being nearlycomplete, the storyof sciencehas many morechapters,yet unwritten. With the perspective of the century’s advance, it’s as if we have climbed a mountain and can see just how much broader the story is. Instead of asking how an apple falls from a tree, as Isaac Newton did in the17thcentury,wecannowask:Whatisthefundamentalnatureofanapple (matter)? How does an apple (biological organism) form and grow? Whence came the breeze that blew it loose (meteorology)? What in a physical sense (synaptic ?rings) was the idea that Newton had, and how did it form? A new approach to science that can answer such questions has sprung up in the past 30 years. This approach – known as nonlinear science–ismore than a new ?eld. Put simply, it is the recognition that throughout nature, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Unexpected things happen.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alwyn C. Scott
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Edition:   Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2007
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.581kg
ISBN:  

9783642070570

ISBN 10:   3642070574
Pages:   364
Publication Date:   22 November 2010
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Reviews

From the reviews: The book begins with an engaging outline of the history of nonlinear science, followed by chapters on its main aspects, namely, chaos, solitons, and reaction-diffusion systems. ... The book charms with historical and personal vignettes. The bibliography contains 1,087, mostly referenced, entries. ... it is a must read for anyone in or near nonlinear science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. (J. Mayer, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (9), 2008) Alwyn Scott (1931-2007) completed this summary of his life's study in December 2006 ... . This history book wonderfully summarizes ideas that were so important to him in a way that is largely accessible to 'general readers who would understand science and for university undergraduates who would become researchers in or teachers of science.' It also displays his humanity, charm, and broad-reaching interests and knowledge. (Robert E. O'Malley, SIAM Review, Vol. 50 (2), 2008)

From the reviews: The book begins with an engaging outline of the history of nonlinear science, followed by chapters on its main aspects, namely, chaos, solitons, and reaction-diffusion systems. ... The book charms with historical and personal vignettes. The bibliography contains 1,087, mostly referenced, entries. ... it is a must read for anyone in or near nonlinear science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. (J. Mayer, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (9), 2008) Alwyn Scott (1931-2007) completed this summary of his life,s study in December 2006 ... . This history book wonderfully summarizes ideas that were so important to him in a way that is largely accessible to 'general readers who would understand science and for university undergraduates who would become researchers in or teachers of science., It also displays his humanity, charm, and broad-reaching interests and knowledge. (Robert E. O,Malley, SIAM Review, Vol. 50 (2), 2008)

From the reviews: The book begins with an engaging outline of the history of nonlinear science, followed by chapters on its main aspects, namely, chaos, solitons, and reaction-diffusion systems. ! The book charms with historical and personal vignettes. The bibliography contains 1,087, mostly referenced, entries. ! it is a must read for anyone in or near nonlinear science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. (J. Mayer, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (9), 2008) Alwyn Scott (1931-2007) completed this summary of his life's study in December 2006 ! . This history book wonderfully summarizes ideas that were so important to him in a way that is largely accessible to 'general readers who would understand science and for university undergraduates who would become researchers in or teachers of science.' It also displays his humanity, charm, and broad-reaching interests and knowledge. (Robert E. O'Malley, SIAM Review, Vol. 50 (2), 2008)

Aus den Rezensionen: ! 'The Nonlinear Universe' ist vom deterministischen Chaos gepragt ! Und dessen Grundlagen, Vorkommen und Anwendungen werden ausfuhrlich beschrieben ! Scott macht Komplexitat im Universum erst verstandlich - und reduziert diese doch auch in der Erklarung und Entdeckung durch Ordnung (also auch Regeln) im Chaos. (in: The Science Fiction Jahr 2008, 2008, S. 784)

Author Information

One of the pioneers in the area, Alwyn Scott entered nonlinear science as a teacher and researcher after completing his doctoral work at MIT in the late 1950s. His research, both experimental and theoretical, has addressed a wide range of topics from nonlinear laser optics to neuroscience. In 1981, Scott was selected as the founding director of the Center for Nonlinear Studies at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was also a founding editor of Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, the first journal devoted exclusively to the area. His other books include Neuroscience: A Mathematical Primer (Springer, New York) and Nonlinear Science: Emergence and Dynamics of Coherent Structures (Oxford University Press) and he served as editor of the recently published Encyclopedia of Nonlinear Science (Routledge). He completed 'The Nonlinear Universe' shortly before his untimely death in January 2007.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions