Can anyone give me some ideas for some beginner books for Chaos Theory?
2007-06-14 10:26:24 · 3 answers · asked by Z 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
"Chaos" by James Gleick is a good popular introduction. It's about 15 bucks. Otherwise, if you're a professional, pick up one of the many fine textbooks on "nonlinear dynamics" around 80 to 150 dollars.
2007-06-14 13:13:12 · answer #1 · answered by supastremph 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In mathematics and physics, chaos theory describes the behavior of certain nonlinear dynamical systems that under specific conditions exhibit dynamics that are sensitive to initial conditions (popularly referred to as the butterfly effect). As a result of this sensitivity, the behavior of chaotic systems appears to be random, because of an exponential growth of errors in the initial conditions. This happens even though these systems are deterministic in the sense that their future dynamics are well defined by their initial conditions, and there are no random elements involved. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply chaos.
Chaotic behavior has been observed in the laboratory in a variety of systems including electrical circuits, lasers, oscillating chemical reactions, fluid dynamics, mechanical and magneto-mechanical devices. Observations of chaotic behaviour in nature include the dynamics of satellites in the solar system, the time evolution of the magnetic field of celestial bodies, population growth in ecology, the dynamics of the action potentials in neurons, and molecular vibrations. Everyday examples of chaotic systems include weather and climate.[1] There is some controversy over the existence of chaotic dynamics in the plate tectonics and in economics.[2][3][4]
Systems that exhibit mathematical chaos are deterministic and thus orderly in some sense; this technical use of the word chaos is at odds with common parlance, which suggests complete disorder. (See the article on mythological chaos for a discussion of the origin of the word in mythology, and other uses.) A related field of physics called quantum chaos theory studies non-deterministic systems that follow the laws of quantum mechanics.
As well as being orderly in the sense of being deterministic, chaotic systems usually have well defined statistics. For example, the Lorenz system pictured is chaotic, but has a clearly defined structure.
2007-06-15 10:45:50 · answer #2 · answered by B 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danelewki....
2007-06-16 01:17:50 · answer #3 · answered by I AM AWSOME 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋