Reviews (16)

If you must choose one book to learn from, choose this one.
Never mind that this book was published in the mid '60s (before I was even born); if you must choose one book to learn from, choose this one. It is so concise, so well thought out that I have yet to encounter a more instructive text on the subject. It contains a fabulous overview of statistical and thermal physics, and -even though the book contains quite a lot of material- I regret that the author (quote) "resisted the tempation to include applications of Onsager's reciprocity relations" and other irreversible phenomena. I used to teach physics and chemistry, and I must say that books of this quality just don't seem to be written these days. Given the inherent subtlety of its subject matter and the problems many students have grasping it I therefore strongly recommend using this book to study from.

Formal and Relatively Complete
An excellent introduction to Stastisical Mechanics . This book is complete in mathematical rigor (with respect to an undergraduate text) and demonstrates rather beautifully the intimate connections between classical and quantum statistics and their large scale manifestations (otherwise known as Thermodynamics). Upon revision it would be nice to see more detail with regards to the link between the Hamiltonian and phase space, as well as as a more in depth conversation pertaining to the history of the development of Thermodynamics, Stat Mechanics, and Quantum Theory. Recommended prereqs. to future readers: upper level undergrauate course in Classical Mechanics, as well as a course in Probability Theory.

A great book for a thinking man. Not for novices.
One thing that distinguishes this book from the rest on stat mech is its emphasis on the physical content behind the equations. The author takes great pain to develop and elucidate, at every turn, a coherent physical picture for the edifice of statistical mechanics, in much the same style as the classic book by Tolman. However, if you are learning stat mech/thermo for the first time, you probably will be too busy familiarizing yourself with the equations to be able to appreciate the value of his explanations and motivations, which may just seem pointless rants. So, simply, if you are a newbie, try one of the more mediocre textbooks on stat mech, to learn the subject at a superficial level. Once you've mastered the more superficial stuff, you will come around to love this book, assuming that you are a reflective person.

Poor wording (and plenty of it)
I am trying to tech myself this subject and have found this book to be very difficult to follow. The author tries to explain the topics in many different ways at once, jumping back and forth between them and leaving the student trying to guess which analogy is being referenced. If N = number of ambiguous paths in the poor explanations, then amount learned L = 1/N!

N is a large number here. Avoid this book.

one of the worst textbooks ever written
I suspect the text was actually designed to inefficiently convey ideas. I cant believe someone has not written a student guide to fill in the holes for all the subtle leaps, overwhich students are expected to understand and apply. ... Read more

Book Description

Presented at a relatively elementary level, this introduction to the study of dissipative dynamical systems is addressed to an audience which is scientifically cultivated but not specialized in this discipline. Encompasses the analysis of all time-dependent phenomena, treating the major types of behavior or of evolution without direct reference to the material aspects. Focuses on physics and chemistry and avoids mathematical treatment. In a panorama which is coherent and accessible, it describes concretely the important dynamical phenomena and the way in which they appear in experimental reality. Covers basic vocabulary and regular periodic behavior, and goes on to apply them in analytical methods. ... Read more

Book Description

The second volume covers diverse topics, including strong coupling expansions and their analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, two-dimensional conformal field theory, and simple disordered systems.The book concludes with a chapter on random geometry and the Polyakov model of random surfaces, which illustrates the relations between string theory and statistical physics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Advanced subjects in Statistical Field theory
This second volume, of a set of two, contains much material relevant to researchers either entering into statistical field theory itself, or into particular methodologies that have proven useful in that field. For example, a chapter on strong coupling behaviors clarifies mean field theory, diagrammatica for high / low temperature expansions and more; so is excellent reading for any beginning graduate student. On the other hand, the chapter on Monte Carlo simulation is a must read for *any* researcher who finds herself anywhere near monte carlo algorithms, while the same can be said for both the chapter devoted to conformal field theory and the chapter covering random matrices / lattices / potentials. While the subject of random surfaces has changed considerably since this monograph was published, the final chapter on that subject remains relevant as a segue into that research area; although it should be understood when reading this chapter that the field has evolved since publication.

As with the first volume of the set, the presentation of this monograph is exceptional: The prose is very readable, material is adequately motivated, rigor is appropriate, and excercises and examples, while well worth the effort, truly compliment and clarify the reading. ... Read more

Book Description

The book gives a streamlined introduction to quantum mechanics, while describing the basic mathematical structures underpinning this discipline. Starting with the description of key physical experiments illustrating the origin of the physical foundations, the book proceeds to a description of the basic notions of quantum mechanics and their mathematical content. It then makes its way to topics of current interest, specifically those in which mathematics plays an important role. The topics presented include spectral theory, many-body theory, positive temperatures, path integrals and quasiclassical asymptotics, the theory of resonances, an introduction to quantum field theory and the theory of radiation. The book can serve as a text for an intermediate course in quantum mechanics, or a more advanced topics course. ... Read more

Book Description

This important reference--based on the proceedings of the Special Session on Geometry and Physics held over a six month period at the University of Aarhus, Denmark and on articles from the Summer school held at Odense University, Denmark--offers new contributions on a host of topics that involve physics, geometry, and topology. ... Read more

Book Description

Certain noises, many aspects of turbulence, and almost all aspects of finance exhibit a level of temporal and spatial variability whose "wildness" impressed itself vividly upon the author, Benoit Mandelbrot, in the early 1960's. He soon realized that those phenomena cannot be described by simply adapting the statistical techniques of earlier physics, or even extending those techniques slightly. It appeared that the study of finance and turbulence could not move forward without the recognition that those phenomena represented a new second stage of indeterminism. Altogether new mathematical tools were needed. The papers in this Selecta volume reflect that realization and the work that Dr. Mandelbrot did toward the development of those new tools. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Clay
M. is a great man in (large) part because of what he has written, including these papers. And yes they are challenging. I find them nearly self-contained though.

No One Can Duplicate The Cover
I went and asked K. G. Monks for help. Even with his direction I only got a bad approximation.
The rest of the book is less readable than that. It is a collection of Dr. Mandelbrot's
old articles. I interviewed Dr. Mandelbrot several years ago before a lecture of his
at U. C. Riverside. He is not a very friendly or communicative man. His
articles in general are very hard to read and without adequate history and definitions.
It is , thus, incredible that his original book was such a success. Looking at
his work, I would call him a "noise" specialist and not a fractalist at all.
This book is really a book about very hard parts of noise theory.
In my mind Dr. Mandelbrot is very wrong in many of his conclusions ,
but he has some very nice results here. Don't
waste your money if you don't have a graduate degree in mathematics
with a specialization in noise, chaos and dynamics. Most of his recent
articles have been on multifractals applied to stock market theory.
He is one of the great men of our age
and these articles are his feet of clay. ... Read more

Book Description

This incisive text, directed to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics, physics and engineering, deftly combines both theory and practical example to introduce and explore Fourier series and orthogonal functions and applications of the Fourier method to the solution of boundary-value problems. 570 exercises.
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Reviews (2)

Rigor and intuition -- a classic
I learned Fourier analysis on my own, and mostly from this book. Its intuitive content is excellent, but it is a rigorous math text, approaching the subject form an algrbraic viewpoint. He treats convergence issies in detail and in a well-motivated fashion. "Read Who is Fourier" for an intro, and read this for the math behind the intuition.

FOURIER SERIES, THE SOLUTION TO ALL ENGRG PROBLEMS.
During the course of my studying the book, i discovered that the book goes indepth in making the concept of fourier series analysis simplified. As an engineer i make use of fourier series applications often both in my research work and in the teaching of my students to a great extent i have found this book extremely useful in that it aids the level of understanding. I have also realised that even to a novice that picks up this book will find it very interesting to a large extent.As it is known that fourier series is very usefu in engineering study , especially in the area of solving heat condition problems and for specific applications in engineering design. The book has taken a more comprehensive form which makes reading very easy . I prefer this book because it follows a progressive sequence of explanation.The introduction of fourier integral into the fourier series solution has brought to a great extent the use of partial differential equations in eral life engineering problems . The book has also made the engineering concepts defined practicable, by demonstration of a straight forward attempt aimed at pionting out the extent to which engineerig is usefuk in our everyday lives. This book should be recomended in schools as the true book avalaible in the understanding of the concept of fourier series. Orthogonal function study has also been made in such a way that a first time reader will find it easy in terms of the concept and context. ... Read more

Book Description

Presenting a comprehensive introduction to the propagation of high-frequency body-waves in elastodynamics, this volume develops the theory of seismic wave propagation in acoustic, elastic and anisotropic media to allow seismic waves to be modelled in complex, realistic three-dimensional Earth models. The book is a text for graduate courses in theoretical seismology, and a reference for all academic and industrial seismologists using numerical modelling methods. Exercises and suggestions for further reading are included in each chapter. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Analysis palatable for physicists
The book besides covering a broad material on classical analysis(with a modern touch), exposes the basic core of analysis expected from a mathematics or physics student without making use of a pedantic formalism. The author emphasizes the connection of important ideas via examples more than insisting in specific and patological examples.It has plenty of physical examples(following the tradition of the russian school : teaching mathematics emphasizing links with other areas). We can't forget to mention the many geometrical insights provided. Moreover the book is "filled" w/ good exercises that really colaborates for the mathematical education of someone and has also a detailed appendix where an instructor can find some very interesting and challenging problems for a seminar discussion or final exams. Undoubtly an worth reading! ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a collection of problems with detailed solutions which will prove valuable to students and research workers in mathematics, physics, engineering and other sciences. The topics range in difficulty from elementary to advanced level. Almost all the problems are solved in detail and most of them are self-contained. All relevant definitions are given. Students can learn important principles and strategies required for problem solving. Teachers will find this text useful as a supplement, since important concepts and techniques are developed through the problems. The material has been tested in the author's lectures given around the world.

The book is divided into two volumes. Volume I presents the introductory problems, for undergraduate and advanced undergraduate students. In Volume II, the more advanced problems, together with detailed solutions, are collected, to meet the needs of graduate students and researchers. The problems included cover most of the new fields in theoretical and mathematical physics, such as Lax representation, Bäcklund transformation, soliton equations, Lie-algebra-valued differential forms, the Hirota technique, the Painlevé test, the Bethe ansatz, the Yang–Baxter relation, chaos, fractals, complexity, etc. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Some of this Material is Undergrad Level but the rest! WHEW!
Table of Contents follows:

Volume 2: Advanced/Graduate Level
1 Lax Representations in Classical Mechanics
2 Kronecker and Tensor Products
3 Nambu Mechanics
4 Gateaux and Frechet Derivatives
5 Stability and Bifurcations
6 Nonlinear Ordinary Difference Equations
7 Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations
8 Groups
9 Generalized Functions
10 Linear Partial Differential Equations
11 Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations
12 Group Theoretical Reductions
13 Backland Transformations
14 Soliton Equations
15 Lax Pairs for Partial Differential Equations
16 Hirota Technique
17 Painleve Test
18 Lie Algebras
19 Differential Forms
20 Lie Derivative
21 Metric Tensor Fields
22 Killing Vector Fields
23 Inequalities
24 Ising Model and Heisenberg Model
25 Number Theory
26 Combinatorial Problems
27 Fermi Operators
28 Bose Operators
29 Lax Representations and Bethe Ansatz
30 Gauge Transformations
31 Chaos, Fractals and Complexity ... Read more

Book Description

Complex behavior can occur in any system made up of large numbers of interacting constituents, be they atoms in a solid, cells in a living organism, or consumers in a national economy. Analysis of this behavior often involves making important assumptions and approximations, the exact nature of which vary from subject to subject. Foundations of Complex-system Theoriesbegins with a description of the general features of complexity and then examines a range of important concepts, such as theories of composite systems, collective phenomena, emergent properties, and stochastic processes. Each topic is discussed with reference to the fields of statistical physics, evolutionary biology, and economics, thereby highlighting recurrent themes in the study of complex systems. This detailed yet nontechnical book will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about complex systems and their behavior. It will also be of great interest to specialists studying complexity in the physical, biological, and social sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a fascinating book -- recommended to philosophers
Philosophers of science need to read this book: the hands-on
account of how three sciences work is a healthy
corrective to the usual practice of writing philosophy of science
without actually knowing how the science is done.

A Professional work
This is an amazing work. Sunny Auyang has written an easily comprehenedible book on applications of complexity theories to economics, biology and physics. It is a professional writing to professionals in different fields.One needs college level maths and some physics to fully grasp it but she has made minimum use of mathematical symbols. Her writing flows, the examples are clear, some illuminate important issues in the applied fields, some are just homey bits that convey an idea insightfully. A lot of depth in her philosophical explorations of the complexity ideas. I consider this to be a must for any person studying or instructing in system thinking. ... Read more

Book Description

Monte Carlo Simulation in Statistical Physics deals with the computer simulation of many-body systems in condensed-matter physics and related fields of physics, chemistry and beyond, to traffic flows, stock market fluctuations, etc.). Using random numbers generated by a computer, probability distributions are calculated, allowing the estimation of the thermodynamic properties of various systems. This book describes the theoretical background to several variants of these Monte Carlo methods and gives a systematic presentation from which newcomers can learn to perform such simulations and to analyze their results. This fourth edition has been updated and a new chapter on Monte Carlo simulation of quantum-mechanical problems has been added.Prof. Binder was the winner of the Berni J. Alder CECAM Award for Computational Physics 2001. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a first course on quantum mechanics and describes simple applications to physical phenomena that are of immediate and everyday interest.The first five chapters introduce the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and are followed by a quiz so readers can test themselves. The remaining chapters describe applications, including the physics of lasers, molecular binding, simple properties of crystalline solids arising from their band structure, and the operation of junction transistors. This new expanded edition now includes a chapter on the theory of spin and its application to magnetic resonance imaging, as well as a description of the WKB approximation and its application to alpha decay.Ideal either as a course text or a self-study text, the book contains nearly 100 exercises and hints to their solution. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

an easy introduction
As the editorial says it is a first course introduction to Quantum Physics book. It is not a narrative book about Quantum Physics, it has Mathematical formulas and problems as well as some practical applications yet you do not need to know more than a good calculus to understand what is goung on. It starts with Schrodinger's equation and shows few applications and solutions and than Quantum Physical practical applications such as lasers etc. Although it is relatively easy to follow the book, a lot of logical steps and physical foundations of Quantum Physics are introduces as set of postulates without any hint of reasons for it. Unless you know those things from other sources it is not easy to catch those that authors have between the lines. I recommend it as an easy work book but not necessairly the one that takes you from Classical Physics and leads into Quantum Physics. The book fails to show the short comings of the Classical Physics and efforts of Quantum Physics to respond to problems. Suddenly we have the Schrodinger's equations and solves all your problems just like that.

This is the best bookof the elemental quantum physics .
It is very concise, easy reading and clear. It is valuable for any student just touching the quantum physics ... Read more

Book Description

From the acclaimed author of over 20 popular books, Sex, Drugs, Einstein, and Elves serves up a smorgasbord of subjects designed to bend reality and stretch the reader's mind. Musing over everything from humanity’s place in the universe to movie closing credits, Clifford A. Pickover contemplates such topics as fugu sushi, zombies, French writer Marcel Proust (not to mention cartoon guides to Proust), parallel universes, hallucinogenic worms, religious states, uncommon psychiatric disorders, Albert Einstein, shamanist Terence McKenna, Burning Man, the business of book publishing (including famous rejected books), quantum theory, and the humming toadfish, whose incessant underwater droning at a perfect A-flat was a mystery for years. Complete with illustrations, Pickover's book entertains, informs, and invites his readers — old and new — to test their powers of lateral thinking and to see the world in a fresh way. ... Read more

Book Description

"SCIENCE JOURNALISM AT ITS BEST. . . An impeccably researched, amazingly up-to-date, crisply written and well-illustrated survey."
--Nature
At the cutting edge of the sciences, a dynamic new concept is emerging: complexity. In this groundbreaking new book, Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield explore how complexity in mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and even the social sciences is transforming not only the way we think about the universe, but also the very assumptions that underlie conventional science.
Complexity is a watchword for a new way of thinking about the behavior of interacting units, whether they are atoms, ants in a colony, or neurons firing in a human brain. The rise of the electronic computer provided both the key and the catalyst to our exploration of complexity.
A new generation of computers that runs on light and exploits the bizarre properties of quantum mechanics promises to deepen our understanding still further. The advances we have already witnessed are spectacular. The authors take us inside laboratories where scientists are evolving the genetic molecules that enabled life to emerge on earth and generating universes teeming with virtual creatures in cyber-space. We witness the utterly realistic behavior of a school of virtual fish--computer-generated replicas that have been trained to swim gracefully, hunt for food, and scatter at the approach of a leopard shark.
Compelling in its clarity, far-reaching in its implications, vibrant with the excitement of new discovery, Frontiers of Complexity is an arresting account of how far science has come in the past fifty years and an essential guide to the rapidly approaching future.
"[A] MARVELOUS AND COMPREHENSIVE WORK . . . Virtually any scientist or interested lay reader will find this book engrossing, edifying and inspiring."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
... Read more

Reviews (5)

Frontiers of Complexity
Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield, coauthors of The Arrow of Time: A voyage through science to solve time's greatest mystery, performed comprehensive work explaining the evolution of the science of complexity.

The authors examined the concept of complexity in such scientific disciplines as mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics.

The authors traced and illustrated the evolution (from reductionism) of complexity in the works of such scientists as:

Charles Babbage - English mathematician, a celebrated icon in the prehistory of computing. Invented Difference Engine No. 1. The Charles Babbage Institute is an historical archive and research center of the University of Minnesota.
George Boole - Better known for the algebras named after him, and as one of the pioneers of modern logic.
Kurt Godel - First to demonstrate that certain mathematical statements can neither be proved or disproved.
Richard Feynmann - Nobel laureate, introduced "universal quantum simulator".
Stuart Kauffman - Author of At Home in the Universe: The search for the Las of Self-Organization and Complexity.

The authors also emphasized the beginnings and advances in computing through the pioneering works of:

John von Neumann - Invented a self-reproducing automation to show how machine could perform the most basic function of life - reproduction. He is known as the "father of artificial life."
Allan Turing - His work on computers and their relationship with brains made him the "Father of Artificial Intelligence."
John Hopfield - Showed that there is a mathematical mapping of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin-glass model onto a simple type of fully connected neural network model called Hopfield network.

What I got from this book:

Nothing interests me more than artificial intelligence in my brief exposure to the science of complexity. This book dealt with neural networks so much, I just loved it. On the other hand, its too little - just enough to keep me craving for more!

The foreword by Baruch Blumberg, Nobel laureate, left me with a robust and distinct message that I would like to share with you, and I quote: "Each time an experiment is performed to test a hypothesis, more questions are revealed; there is no limit to the mysteries of nature and to our desire to understand them. The study of complexity offers an opportunity to stand back and consider the global interactions of fundamental units - atoms, elementary particles, genes - to create a synthesis that crosses the borders of scientific disciplines, to see a grand vision of nature.

Response to other reviews
Alright, seeing "this book should be on the shelf next to Roger Penrose's 'The Emperor's New Mind' and James Gleick's 'Chaos'", and another review saying that the book denies Godel's Theorom, confused me for a while. Then I realized that the latter refered to nueral nets. Assuming that the nets referred to are analog, there is no contradiction. Godel's Theorom proved the incompleteness of formal language systems, a.k.a. digital systems, which constitute a smaller information set than analog systems. Mathematically, analog systems do not meet the neccessary conditions for Godel's Proof to apply. However, the claim to 'completeness', if it be made, is ungrounded. Analog systems simply represent a higher information dimension, not an infinite information dimension.

Excellent Primer on Complexity
This book will give you some genuine insight into the emerging (no pun intended) field of Complexity. It presents historical and current research in a way that allows both the researcher and informed layman to get a good grasp on the concepts presented. Both provocative and educational its only flaw is a perhaps too doctrinaire belief that Complexity is the "next step" in science instead of another branch. If you want a good in-depth view of the current state of Chaos and Complexity theories without having to learn all the math this book will give you what you need. It belongs on the shelf next ot Roger Penrose' "The Emperors New Mind" and Gleick's, "Chaos".

Good beginning, iffy second half.
This book starts off well enough, with a fascinating chapter on the limits of mathematics, focusing on Godel's refutation of formalism (the idea that the whole of mathematics can be derived from a set of logical statements), followed by a brief history of computers and the computation. But once the authors begin their explanation of complexity, they come off as smug and overzealous about their field. They seem to take every opportunity to belittle other fields of science, and try to convince us that complexity will provide the ultimate explanaion of every facet of the universe, from biology to physics to chemistry to social sciences.

This may sound like an exaggeration, but it really isn't: at the beginning of their chapter on complexity in chemical reactions, they dismiss the idea that chemistry (and by extension, biochemistry) can be explanied by quantum physics because the calculations it requires are too complicated. I understand that it is difficult to use quantum physics, and that its effects are only significant on the atomic level, but that does not mean that quantum effects do not exist! The chapter on chemistry marks the end of any reasonable explanation of complexity, and by end of the book complexity is almost completely forgotten, as the writing gushes on about neural networks and aritficial life.

It is these later chapters on life and aritificial life that are the most poorly written. The authors commonly say things like "It is becoming clear that obstacles to creating aritfical consciousness may not be as formidable as we had thought", yet provide little proof of this. They basically claim that neural networks are only a few innovations away from becoming fully funcitoning human brains, but they provide a one-sided explanation of their usefulness and fail to mention their failings, especially in cognitive science (which is the study of the brain, of all things). They strongly hint that current ALife programs are creating new life, when they are pretty must just clever programs that manipulate computer memory according to a set of rules. They just don't seem to realize that simulating certain aspects of life with computers and life itself are very different things! We are not even certain that neurons are the basic building block of the brain, yet they are claiming that we now know enough about the brain to create a computerized one in no time. Their argument is very smug and one-sided: the only time they ever mention a criticism to current ALife and AI practices is when they present Roger Penrose's very reasonable hypothesis about how computers cannot simulate intelligence in large part due to their reliance on mathematical logic, which, as Godel proved, can sometimes break down. Yet they quickly dismiss this view, seeming to think that Godel's theorems are nothing more than irrelevant parlor tricks. Their claim that a neural network can be taught to do anything, and therfore can overcome Godel's theorems, is especially poor: we could never teach a human brain to fly, for example, because it (and the body it is in) are not equipped to do this. So why do they think that our arcane artificial neural networks are equipped to create consciousness?

Despite this heavy criticism, however, this book is still quite interesting if you are new to complexity, chaos, and artificial life. The author's overexcitement about their field seems to be common when new branches of science emerge, like when AI was first getting off the ground. If you read this book, just realize that its bold claims may be grounded in false hope.

An introduction to complexity for the intelligent reader
Complexity is a new field that touches on almost every one of the sciences, and delivering a solid overview without being superficial is an exceedingingly difficult task; authors Coveny and Highfield have created a book that manages just that. They cover the physical, computational, biological and cognitive sciences, in each case with enough detail to really convey the essence of the field while still remaining very readable to the non-specialist reader. (There's a very detailed- and entertaining- annotated bibliography for those looking for more detail.)

While there are currently a number of very good non-technical introductions to complexity theory by such skilled authors as John Casti, Mitchell Feigenbaum and others, this particular volume may well be the best of an excellent lot. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a a non-rigorous, but non-trivial, introduction to the field. ... Read more

Book Description

Thorough, advanced-undergraduate to graduate-level treatment of problems leading to partial differential equations. Hyperbolic, parabolic, elliptic equations; wave propagation in space, heat conduction in space, special functions, more. Emphasis on mathematical formulation of problems, rigorous solutions, physical interpretation of results obtained. Problems. Appendixes. Tables.
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Book Description

The material presented in this invaluable textbook has been tested in two courses. One of these is a graduate-level survey of statistical physics; the other, a rather personal perspective on critical behavior. Thus, this book defines a progression starting at the book-learning part of graduate education and ending in the midst of topics at the research level. To supplement the research-level side the book includes some research papers. Several of these are classics in the field, including a suite of six works on self-organized criticality and complexity, a pair on diffusion-limited aggregation, some papers on correlations near critical points, a few of the basic sources on the development of the real-space renormalization group, and several papers on magnetic behavior in a plain geometry. In addition, the author has included a few of his own papers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Charting the right direction.
I would never, ever call this book a 'solid basis' for statistical mechanics--that's Landau, or Sommerfeld.

What Kadanoff does do, like other great theorists, is make the field seem real. For instance, Feynman's diagrams don't add anything new to the mathematics, but they set the idea into focus in a way that makes you think differently about the real world. Before Gell-Mann, chromodynamics was just a mathematical idea: reading him makes you think there's really particles. And who really understood polarization until reading Dirac?

Kadanoff does that for critical phenomena. Even when he covers the material in a uselessly glossy way, he sets the theory on its feet and opens up the idea for more work. I've gotten tons of ideas from reading him.

Perhaps to be inproved in subsequent editions
This book is a solid basis for a course in statistical mechanics. Since it was a first edition, there were many typographical errors that made some of the reading a little sketchy in parts. IF you have the patientence to sit down and derive some of the more important results that Kadanoff glosses over, you will greatly benefit from the book. It is a solid book, complete in it's presentation of the material. At time his notation can be a bit unorthordox and can take getting used to, especially for those who are more strict in their "mathematical hygene." One very nice features of the book is that the level of the problems lends themselves very well to a course. In other words an instructor won't have to make up his/her own pwoblems for the most part. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Clear, complete, and well-organized
Maxwell's Demon 2 is one of the best books I've found in the field - the authors address key issues in a clear and engaging manner. This is an excellent and well-organized reference book and includes any number of original papers which are difficult to find through other sources. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

A completely revised and updated edition of this classic text, covering important new methods and many recently discovered solutions. This edition contains new chapters on generation methods and their application, classification of metrics by invariants, and treatments of homothetic motions and methods from dynamical systems theory. It also includes colliding waves, inhomogeneous cosmological solutions, and spacetimes containing special subspaces. ... Read more