Book Description

Many complex systems--from immensely complicated ecosystems to minute assemblages of molecules--surprise us with their simple behavior. Consider, for instance, the snowflake, in which a great number of water molecules arrange themselves in patterns with six-way symmetry. How is it that molecules moving seemingly at random become organized according to the simple, six-fold rule? How do the comings, goings, meetings, and eatings of individual animals add up to the simple dynamics of ecosystem populations? More generally, how does complex and seemingly capricious microbehavior generate stable, predictable macrobehavior?

In this book, Michael Strevens aims to explain how simplicity can coexist with, indeed be caused by, the tangled interconnections between a complex system's many parts. At the center of Strevens's explanation is the notion of probability and, more particularly, probabilistic independence. By examining the foundations of statistical reasoning about complex systems such as gases, ecosystems, and certain social systems, Strevens provides an understanding of how simplicity emerges from complexity. Along the way, he draws lessons concerning the low-level explanation of high-level phenomena and the basis for introducing probabilistic concepts into physical theory. ... Read more

Book Description

We are surrounded by order that-until now-physics has been unable to explain.

The spread of veins in the back of our hands mirrors the spread of branches on a tree; fern fronds bear a resemblance to the outline of fjords; the best-loved classical music echoes the patterns of our heartbeats.

The theory of Universality is using fractal patterns to explain much of the world around us.Could it be that the same laws that govern systems in their critical states also govern some of the most unpredictable events such as earthquakes, avalanches, the growth of cities and stock market crashes-even the way businesses are run and the way fashions come and go?Is there a common principle, a universal affinity that binds us to the forces of nature?

A consensus is emerging on how complex structures grow and sustain themselves; phenomena that were once thought to be unique now appear to have a great deal in common.Mark Ward examines these theories, explores how they fit into an age-long quest to discover how the universe works, delves into their possible limitations and asks what we can do with this new knowledge.

While identifying patterns does not mean that we can always predict what will happen next, some of the trends scientists are noticing prove that life is not a series of random events.Universality deepens our understanding of natural phenomena and our place in the physical world.

We are surrounded by order that-until now-physics has been unable to explain.

The spread of veins in the back of our hands mirrors the spread of branches on a tree; fern fronds bear a resemblance to the outline of fjords; the best-loved classical music echoes the patterns of our heartbeats.

The theory of Universality is using fractal patterns to explain much of the world around us.Could it be that the same laws that govern systems in their critical states also govern some of the most unpredictable events such as earthquakes, avalanches, the growth of cities and stock market crashes-even the way businesses are run and the way fashions come and go?Is there a common principle, a universal affinity that binds us to the forces of nature?

A consensus is emerging on how complex structures grow and sustain themselves; phenomena that were once thought to be unique now appear to have a great deal in common.Mark Ward examines these theories, explores how they fit into an age-long quest to discover how the universe works, delves into their possible limitations and asks what we can do with this new knowledge.

While identifying patterns does not mean that we can always predict what will happen next, some of the trends scientists are noticing prove that life is not a series of random events.Universality deepens our understanding of natural phenomena and our place in the physical world.
... Read more

Reviews (7)

Irritating and pointless
After reading the first three pages of the introduction, I thought "this must get better". I skipped to chapter 1 and read two more pages of vague, disconnected repetition. So I turned to Amazon reviews to see if it was worth my while to persist. It isn't. On to the next book...

Lots of speculation, no substance
The book is disjointed and speculative so that it is hard to take any of the arguments seriously. It is strange to find this in a book about science, but then perhaps it is not a science book! Some remarks comparing scientific research today with demonology several hundred years ago make you wonder. It is almost as bad as 'The Web of Life' by Fritjof Capra (conversely if you liked that book, you will like this one too). Oddly enough, although the book claims not to be about Chaos but about 'Universality', it is Chaos that appears in the title. I am fairly familiar with the research into chaos theory, but having read this book I still cannot really tell you what 'Universality' is, other than that it seems to involve everything (!). In any case, the book presents even the better data on the subject poorly.

On a general note, in thinking of fractals (discussed extensively but loosely in the book) I wonder if we are not over-interpreting the data. After all, mathematicians have known all along that mathematical models can represent a variety of natural processes and yet have no causal relation to them. Similarly, when we see fractals in a wide variety of biological structures and processes, is it because fractals are fundamental to them, or because, as I suspect, a fractal can be used to model anything? Is it the chicken or the egg?

Know it's place
Understanding why you're reading this book makes all the difference. I used this book as a carefree nightly read around an interesting topic, and it worked! Using this book to solve problems would be a mistake. There's not enough detail and it won't work.
The author approached Universality from enough angles to brighten my world to possible unexplored connections. Unfortunately, the author's light dimmed a bit when he didn't stay "on-message" 15% of the time, wherein I skipped forward some pages. Hense, the 3 stars.
Overall, read this book as an intro, and lighten up!

Long, empty, boring, not worth the time
One would think that 300 pages discussing science theory would have some substance but this book could have been edited down to an eight page magazine article with little loss of content. And not a "heavy" magazine for scientists but a "popular" type magazine. I forced myself to stay with it hoping that the author would eventually get serious but the book stayed chatty and anecdotal to the end. According to the bio Mr. Ward is a science writer for the BBC and I did get the feeling of a TV narration purposely kept light in order not to scare off any viewers.

I found myself rereading series of pages because I had the feeling that I had missed something and then finding that I hadn't missed a thing, there was simply no content to retain. This happened repeatedly and made this book a real chore to finish and ultimately unrewarding. A shame too because the premises Mr. Ward teases the reader with are intriguing but the book fails miserably to live up to the promises made on the dust cover. Budding authors should seek out his agent however, that individual is well worth his fee!

Muddled, inaccurate, overblown, and poorly written
British journalist Mark Ward's exposition of the theory of Universality and self-organized criticality (SOC) is little more than breathless hype purporting to show that fractal patterns and SOC are present in virtually every aspect of the biological and physical world. While this may or may not be true, Ward's largely anecdotal presentation, with its at times almost-mystical (although nonreligious) tone, unfortunately arouses the suspicion that the theory rests on a shaky scientific foundation. It should also not be too much to expect that a book devoted to the theory of Universality actually give an explicit definition of Universality, which Ward consistently fails to do. The book is introductory and nontechnical, so it is perhaps unfair to expect him to give a solid theoretical foundation to the theory, but the reader is left with an uneasy feeling that the gentleman "doth protest too much." Those interested in chaos theory, emergent phenomona, and SOC would do much better to read the books of Stuart Kauffmann and John Holland or the older nontechnical classic "Chaos: Making a New Science" by James Gleick.

The book is also plagued with numerous factual errors. (His reference to Beethoven's Eroica Symphony as a late work, produced in the same general period as the Ninth Symphony and the Diabelli Variations, has been cited in another review.) Additionally, Mr. Ward's writing style and his many lapses in grammar, syntax, and punctuation make the book irritating to read and make one wish that a good editor had taken the manuscript firmly in hand. Awkward shifts in tense within a single sentence, lack of subject-verb agreement, and Mr. Ward's apparent disdain for commas make what is actually a simple book a chore to read. ... Read more

Book Description

This book, written by the creators of SIMAN, provides an introduction to simulation modeling using the SIMAN simulation language. Basic modeling concepts and various simulation methodologies are discussed to highlight practical applications of simulation and SIMAN. The second edition has been updated to include the latest version of this simulation program, including the Cinema platform and Arena. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

best to learn SIMAN
Even if SIMAN is not used generally in todays world as a simulation tool, companies prefer ARENA. If you think to be well in ARENA, you may want to learn its real phenomenia under this program, which is called as SIMAN, simulation programming languages. I especially recommend this book as an introductory level. (senior in BS or pre-graduate)

A nice user guide for SIMAN, a reasonable book for getting t
Systems Modeling produced this book to learn people more about simulation and SIMAN in particular. The general introduction to simulation seems to be included to hide the commercial goal of the book. The book is a nice form of a user guide for the out dated language SIMAN, but the first three chapters try to hard to add any generic value. A much better book is 'Simulation with Arena' by Kelton. The goal of that book is exactly the same (enlarge sales), but the generic part is of more value also for the not Arena user

Good for SIMAN, not so good for Simulation
Here is the book that we used in Simulation undergrad class. As the title said, using Siman. To me, it's ok for "using SIMAN", but not enough for simulation concept. If you want to use SIMAN, buy this book. If you want to know simulation in details, get "Simulation Modeling and Analysis"(ISBN 0070366985). SIMAN becomes Arena interface now. If you "just" want to use Simulation for your problem using Siman with Arena interface, grasp this book "0075612593". Kelton wrote it with lots of tutorial! ... Read more

Book Description

The "Dictionary of Power Engineering and Automation" is a standard work for all those requiring a comprehensive and reliable compilation of terms from the fields of power generation, transmission and distribution, drive engineering, switchgear and installation engineering, power electronics, measurement, analysis and test engineering as well as automation engineering. Together with the great number of basic electrotechnical terms, it comprehensively covers large fields of industrially applied electrical engineering.
Current technical literature, national and international regulations and standards (DIN VDE, IEC, EN, BS, ANSI, CEE, ISO) and the database of the Language Service of Siemens AG were used as an important source for generating the dictionary. Regulations and standards are indicated with the appropriate terms and specialized fields in those cases where a term or translation is closely connected with these.
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Book Description

The presentation of a coherent methodology for the estimation of the parameters of mathematical models from experimental data is examined in this volume. Many topics are covered including the choice of the structure of the mathematical model, the choice of a performance criterion to compare models, the optimization of this performance criterion, the evaluation of the uncertainty in the estimated parameters, the design of experiments so as to get the most relevant data and the critical analysis of results. There are also several features unique to the work such as an up-to-date presentation of the methodology for testing models for identifiability and distinguishability and a comprehensive treatment of parametric optimization which includes greater consider ation of numerical aspects and which examines recursive and non-recursive methods for linear and nonlinear models. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides an interdisciplinary presentation of the current knowledge of patternformation in complex system, with sufficiently many details, tools, and concrete examples tobe useful for the graduate student or scientist entering this area of research. ... Read more

Book Description

Incorporating recent developments in control and systems research, Linear Control Theory provides the fundamental theoretical background needed to fully exploit control system design software. This logically-structured text opens with a detailed treatment of the relevant aspects of the state space analysis of linear systems. End-of-chapter problems facilitate the learning process by encouraging the student to put his or her skills into practice. Features include:

• The use of an easy to understand matrix variational technique to develop the time-invariant quadratic and LQG controllers
• A step-by-step introduction to essential mathematical ideas as they are needed, motivating the reader to venture beyond basic concepts
• The examination of linear system theory as it relates to control theory
• The use of the PBH test to characterize eigenvalues in the state feedback and observer problems rather than its usual role as a test for controllability or observability
• The development of model reduction via balanced realization
• The employment of the L₂ gain as a basis for the development of the H_??? controller for the design of controllers in the presence of plant model uncertainty

Book Description

This book describes recent advances in the application of chaos theory to classical scattering and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics generally, and to transport by deterministic diffusion in particular.The author presents the basic tools of dynamical systems theory, such as dynamical instability, topological analysis, periodic-orbit methods, Liouvillian dynamics, dynamical randomness and large-deviation formalism. These tools are applied to chaotic scattering and to transport in systems near equilibrium and maintained out of equilibrium. This book will be bought by researchers interested in chaos, dynamical systems, chaotic scattering, and statistical mechanics in theoretical, computational and mathematical physics and also in theoretical chemistry. ... Read more

Book Description

Computer simulation is increasingly used in physics and engineering to predict the probable outcome of experiments and to aid in their interpretation. This text for undergraduates illustrates the basic techniques with numerous simple programs and problems drawn from a wide range of disciplines. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Technical examples of interesting physical experiments
For every mathematician working with complex physic tests and a limited budget, this book can be useful. Unfortunately I am just a modeler of simple discrete event simulations, so for me this book was not very useful. Except for the first chapter that tells a little about different simulationmethods, the book mainly contains very technical examples of interestingphysical experiments.Through the whole of the book, lots of functions areincluded, which seem generic for any kind of proof with atoms or lightdifferentiation. But in my opinion, the book does not add any value topersons that want to know how they can improve their tests using computersimulation in general. ... Read more

Book Description

A revision of a professional text on the phenomena of chaotic vibrations in fluids and solids. Major changes reflect the latest developments in this fast-moving topic, the introduction of problems to every chapter, additional mathematics and applications, more coverage of fractals, numerous computer and physical experiments. Contains eight pages of 4-color pictures. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fractal, Chaos, IFS
I want some more information about the book ... Read more

Book Description

Information previously available only in journal articles and research papers has been brought together in this outstanding text. Uses the unifying theme of monotone structure to transcend the two-perspective approach to DES—one stressing logical/qualitative issues and the other temporal/quantitative analysis—to encompass elements from both. Features notes and references at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive treatment of "Linear Systems Analysis" applied to dynamic systems as an approach to interdisciplinary system design beyond the related area of Electrical Engineering. The text gives an interpretation of mechanical vibrations based on the Theory of Dynamic Systems. The central aim is to bridge the gap between existing theoretical methods in different engineering disciplines and to enable advanced students or professionals to model dynamic and vibrating systems with reference to communication and control processes. Emphasizing the theory it presents a balanced coverage of analytical principles and applications to vibrations with regard to mechatronic problems. ... Read more

Book Description

Imagine being able to "walk" into your computer and interact with any program you create. It sounds like science fiction, but it's science fact. Surgeons now rehearse operations on computer-generated "virtual" patients, and architects "walk through" virtual buildings while the actual structures are still in blueprints. In Virtual Reality, Howard Rheingold takes us to the front lines of this revolutionary new technology that creates computer-generated worlds complete with the sensations of touch and motion, and explores its impact on everything from entertainment to particle physics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sacred and Scary Reflections on Neo-Biologicial Civilization

First published in 1991, this is a gem that should be one of the first readings of anyone contemplated the sacred and the scary aspects of how humans, machines, and software are being changed by emerging information technologies. While there is a lot of focus on "cool tools" and all the paraphenalia of "virtual reality" qua artificial sensation and perception, the rock bottom foundation of this book can be found in Howard reflections on what it all means for the transformation of humans, business, and society in general. ... Read more

Book Description

Chaos theory is a revolutionary approach to understanding and forecasting the behavior of complex systems. The theory, which utilizes nonlinear mathematics to identify the underlying rules of evolving systems, provides extraordinary insights into the dynamics of the financial markets. In so doing, Dr. Chorafas explores a variety of new approaches that provide an entirely new perspective on financial market analysis and forecasting. Topics include: the concepts and mathematics of chaos theory; using nonlinear equations and fractals to forecast the currency market; genetic algorithms and neural networks. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Don't waste your time.
A much better title for this book would have been "Interesting Financial Concepts That Hopefully Some Other Book Will Teach You"

As an engineer, I saw this as a very shallow treatment of Chaos Theory that will do NOTHING for those who actually wish to apply it to financial markets. Chapter after chapter poses questions to the reader but fails do deliver the answers. One can only assume that the few diagrams and examples presented are not explained because the author just does not fully understand them.

The reviewer who claims that the book was a good starting point may have been partially right. It asks so many questions that now I must find a text with at least one or two answers.

worthless, overpriced
Although math is mentioned in the desciption, you won't find any in this book. This book is written for junior high school economics students who have never heard the terms chaos or fuzzy logic before. With a background in non-linear dynamics, I found this text insulting for its price. Application of the current trendy concepts to any market whatsoever was completely lacking. It is essentially a 300+ page version of Webster's dictionary definition of chaos. For the amount of information present in this book, it should be priced in the five to ten dollar range.

Compendium of Slide Projector Chapters
Something of a disappointment. There is almost nothing of a truly technical nature. A lot of chalk board drawings but nothing you can feed to a computer to test any ideas. It would have been worth the price if it had included a few real world models, perhaps implemented as spreadsheets. Otherwise, it's just a b-r-o-a-d overview.

Excellent base for developing profitable market strategies.
Apparently a book's value is in the eyes of the beholder. The Oregonian writer of the negative comments about the Chorafas book reached a far different conclusion than I did. I think that person must have been looking for an elementary cookbook that would make him rich by following a few simple rules and not having any work to do. Personally, the Chorafas book was exactly the launching point I needed, and I used my engineering background to develop Chorafas' concepts and apply them directly to the stock market, and I am making a lot of money.

Good with the broad brush, weak on the details
This is the book to read if you want to sound like an expert on modern, non-traditional methods of financial analysis. By the time you've finished this 371-page volume, you'll know all the buzzwords, the names of the important researchers and research centers, and even the names of early Greeks (Democritos and Pythagoras, for example) who laid some of the groundwork for Chaos Theory.

As the broad historical sweep suggests, this is a book that paints in very broad strokes -- covering not only a wide range of research areas (chaos, complexity, artificial intelligence, computer simulation), but also a dizzying range of disciplines (physics, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, economics) and historical perspective.

What this book does not do, unfortunately, is teach you how to practice any of this stuff. In its quest to present a conceptual picture, it glosses over the science and engineering in ways that border on heresy. Consider this novel explanation of Einstein's special and general theories of relativity:

"If Newton's laws of motion put an end to the idea of absolute position in space, Einstein's theory of relativity gets rid of absolute time. What Albert Einstein established is that

" - There is no unique absolute time.

" - Instead, each person has her or his own personal measure of time.

"This measure of time depends on where that person is and how he or she is moving. With these two contributions, space and time have become dynamic entities. When a body moves or a force acts, it affects the curvature of space and time. Something similar can be stated about behavior in the financial markets."

This is neither science nor economics; it's conceptual handwaving (although I cannot resist the image of traders careening around the exchange floor at velocities approaching the speed of light :-). If you speak this sort of language, you'll like the book. If, on the other hand, you're a technical reader who wants to learn how to practice -- consider the other book I purchased at the same time: Robert Trippi's "Chaos & Nonlinear Dynamics in the Financial Markets" -- a combination of introductory articles and real papers by real researchers, and much better on the technical details. ... Read more