Worlds Hidden in Plain Sight: The Evolving Idea of Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute, 1984–2019


David C. KrakauerJennifer Dunne - 2019
     Ignoring the boundaries of disciplines and schools and searching for novel fundamental ideas, theories, and practices, this international community integrates the full range of scientific inquiries that will help us to understand and survive on a complex planet. This volume collects essays from the past thirty years of research, in which contributors explain in clear and accessible language many of the deepest challenges and insights of complexity science. Explore the evolution of complex systems science with chapters from Nobel Laureates Murray Gell-Mann and Kenneth Arrow, as well as numerous pioneering complexity researchers, including John Holland, Brian Arthur, Robert May, Richard Lewontin, Jennifer Dunne, and Geoffrey West.

A World Without Time: The Forgotten Legacy of Gödel And Einstein


Palle Yourgrau - 2004
    By 1949, Godel had produced a remarkable proof: In any universe described by the Theory of Relativity, time cannot exist. Einstein endorsed this result reluctantly but he could find no way to refute it, since then, neither has anyone else. Yet cosmologists and philosophers alike have proceeded as if this discovery was never made. In A World Without Time, Palle Yourgrau sets out to restore Godel to his rightful place in history, telling the story of two magnificent minds put on the shelf by the scientific fashions of their day, and attempts to rescue the brilliant work they did together.

Multivariable Calculus


James Stewart - 1991
    In the Fourth Edition CALCULUS, EARLY TRANSCENDENTALS these functions are introduced in the first chapter and their limits and derivatives are found in Chapters 2 and 3 at the same time as polynomials and other elementary functions. In this Fourth Edition, Stewart retains the focus on problem solving, the meticulous accuracy, the patient explanations, and the carefully graded problems that have made these texts word so well for a wide range of students. All new and unique features in CALCULUS, FOURTH EDITION have been incorporated into these revisions also.

Shriver & Atkins' Inorganic Chemistry


Peter Atkins - 2009
    Its unique 'Frontiers' chapters cover materials science, nanotechnology, catalysis, and biological inorganic chemistry, and have been fully updated to reflect advances in these key areas of contemporary research and industrial application.

Before the Big Bang


John Gribbin - 2015
    Before the Big Bang, there was a tiny fraction of a second during which a process called inflation expanded a seed much smaller than the nucleus of an atom into a fireball the size of a basketball -- the Big Bang itself. From this fireball, the Universe as we know it developed. The origin of the seed from which the Universe began is not known with certainty, but as John Gribbin explains the most likely explanation is that it was a fluctuation of quantum energy in an eternal sea of cosmic energy. And that means that other seeds must surely have inflated to become other universes, bubbles in the cosmic sea. It is even possible that a collision between our universe and another bubble on the sea of eternity may have left an imprint on the cosmic background radiation, the echo of the Big Bang itself. John Gribbin is an award winning science writer best known for his book In Search of Schrodinger's Cat. He studied astrophysics under Fred Hoyle in Cambridge, and is now a Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.

Alpha and Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe


Charles Seife - 2003
    Today we are at the brink of discoveries that should soon reveal the deepest secrets of the universe.Alpha and Omega is a dispatch from the front lines of the cosmological revolution that is being waged at observatories and laboratories around the world-in Europe, in America, and even in Antarctica--where scientists are actually peering into both the cradle of the universe and its grave. Scientists--including galaxy hunters and microwave eavesdroppers, gravity theorists and atom smashers, all of whom are on the trail of dark matter, dark energy, and the growing inhabitants of the particle zoo-now know how the universe will end and are on the brink of understanding its beginning. Their findings will be among the greatest triumphs of science, even towering above the deciphering of the human genome.This is the book you need to help understand the frequent front-page headlines heralding dramatic cosmological discoveries. It makes cutting-edge science both crystal clear and wonderfully exciting.

Astronomy


Ian Ridpath - 1976
    The book traces the history of astronomy, from the earliest human civilizations to the present day, plus a description of what the interested person can see in the night sky.

Fearful Symmetry: The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics


A. Zee - 1986
    A. Zee, a distinguished physicist and skillful expositor, tells the exciting story of how today's theoretical physicists are following Einstein in their search for the beauty and simplicity of Nature. Animated by a sense of reverence and whimsy, the book describes the majestic sweep and accomplishments of twentieth-century physics. In the end, we stand in awe before the grand vision of modern physics--one of the greatest chapters in the intellectual history of humankind.

Lectures on Quantum Mechanics


Paul A.M. Dirac - 1964
    The remaining lectures build on that idea, examining the possibility of building a relativistic quantum theory on curved surfaces or flat surfaces.

Introduction to Superstrings and M-Theory


Michio Kaku - 1989
    Called by some, "the theory of everything," superstrings may solve a problem that has eluded physicists for the past 50 years, the final unification of the two great theories of the twentieth century, general relativity and quantum field theory. Now, here is a thoroughly revised, second edition of a course-tested comprehensive introductory graduate text on superstrings which stresses the most current areas of interest, not covered in other presentations, including: - Four-dimensional superstrings - Kac-Moody algebras - Teichm�ller spaces and Calabi-Yau manifolds - M-theory Membranes and D-branes - Duality and BPS relations - Matrix models The book begins with a simple discussion of point particle theory, and uses Feynman path integrals to unify the presentation of superstrings. It has been updated throughout, and three new chapters on M-theory have been added. Prerequisites are an acquaintance with quantum mechanics and relativity.

Great Formulas Explained - Physics, Mathematics, Economics


Metin Bektas - 2013
    Each formula is explained gently and in great detail, including a discussion of all the quanitites involved and examples that will make clear how and where to apply it. On top of that, there are plenty of illustrations that support the explanations and make the reading experience even more vivid.The book covers a wide range of diverse topics: acoustics, explosions, hurricanes, pipe flow, car traffic, gravity, satellites, roller coasters, flight, conservation laws, trigonometry, equations, inflation, loans, and many more. From the author of "Statistical Snacks" and "Business Math Basics - Practical and Simple".

Astronomy


Andrew Fraknoi - 2012
    The book begins with relevant scientific fundamentals and progresses through an exploration of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. The Astronomy textbook builds student understanding through the use of relevant analogies, clear and non-technical explanations, and rich illustrations. Mathematics is included in a flexible manner to meet the needs of individual instructors.

High Tide: The Truth About Our Climate Crisis


Mark Lynas - 2004
    Come with me--see what I have seen--and try to understand what global warming really means for us and for our children. Leave Washington and travel to the places I have visited..."--From the PrefaceA glacier disappears high in the Peruvian Andes. Floodwaters surge across the English countryside. Ten thousand Pacific Islanders begin to evacuate their homeland. A dust storm turns day into night across the Inner Mongolian plains. These events may seem unrelated, but they are not. Even as scientists and other experts debate the specifics, climate crisis is already affecting the lives of millions.In this ground-breaking book, Mark Lynas reveals the first evidence--collected during an epic three-year journey across five continents--about how global warming is hitting people's lives all around the world. From American hurricane chasers to Mongolian herders, from Alaskan Eskimos to South Sea islanders, Lynas's encounters and discoveries give us a stark warning about the even worse dangers that lie ahead if nothing is done.High Tide's message is urgent and its revelations are at once shocking and inspiring--shocking as so few of us yet realize the magnitude of what's happening, and inspiring as there is still time to avert much greater catastrophe. No one who reads this book will be able to look their children in the eyes and say "I didn't know."As global temperatures soar to record levels, Lynas bears witness to:- CRIPPLING DROUGHT: China's Yellow River no longer reaches the sea for half the year, and villages across the north of the country are disappearing under advancing sand dunes- BAKED ALASKA: Permafrost is melting, leaving houses, roads and whole forests sucked into the thawing ground. Winter is in retreat, leaving animals confused and Native Alaskan people without a livelihood- DISAPPEARING GLACIERS: Every glaciated mountain range on Earth is experiencing massive ice losses. Montana's Glacier National Park has lost 100 glaciers in the last century; only 50 remain. Water supplies to hundreds of millions of people--from Peru to Pakistan--are threatened- HIGH TIDES: Islanders on the tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvalu are already leaving their homeland as rising sea levels engulf their atolls. Today 70 percent of the world's sandy shorelines are retreating; up to 90 percent of the beaches on the Eastern U.S. seaboard are eroding fast- CATASTROPHIC FLOODS: English villagers now talk about a "wet season" rather than a winter. Heavier rainfall is now falling across the global mid-latitudes, from the continental U.S. to Russia, sparking devastating floods on an ever more frequent basis.

Course of Theoretical Physics: Vol. 1, Mechanics


L.D. Landau - 1969
    The exposition is simple and leads to the most complete direct means of solving problems in mechanics. The final sections on adiabatic invariants have been revised and augmented. In addition a short biography of L D Landau has been inserted.

Discarded Science: Ideas That Seemed Good at the Time...


John Grant - 2006
    Take a fun journey through the history of science as it transforms from a field of wild speculation into a powerful tool of understanding. Explore the world in upheaval as Earth changed from center of the universe to a smallish planet orbiting an average star. Find out about hidden races and unknown creatures (like Yetis); early and bizarre thoughts on evolution; ancient astronauts and UFO crazes; the music of the spheres; the acquisition of virtues through cannibalism, and much more!