Book Description

This book defines and develops a unifying principle of physics, that of 'extreme physical information'. The information in question is, perhaps surprisingly, not Shannon or Boltzmann entropy but, rather, Fisher information, a simple concept little known to physicists. Both statistical and physical properties of Fisher information are developed. This information is shown to be a physical measure of disorder, sharing with entropy the property of monotonic change with time. The information concept is applied 'phenomenally' to derive most known physics, from statistical mechanics and thermodynamics to quantum mechanics, the Einstein field equations, and quantum gravity. Many new physical relations and concepts are developed, including new definitions of disorder, time and temperature. The information principle is based upon a new theory of measurement, one which incorporates the observer into the phenomenon that he/she observes. The 'request' for data creates the law that, ultimately, gives rise to the data. The observer creates his or her local reality. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Clarifying physics
"Physics from Fisher Information" is a unification, indeed. The author derives the physical laws for such different fields as quantum mechanics, classical electromechanics, general relativity and statistical mechanics from the single powerful principle of Extreme Physical Information (EPI). This principle probably goes deeper than merely a mathematical similarity between the laws, which as such already helps to grasp the full picture of physics. Personally, I think it's a pity this clarifying book was not written yet when I was a student of physics. To miss this book, is to miss something essential.

Well-written and important, but keep math texts handy
This is a compilation of Roy Frieden's work in major physics journals over the last decade deriving the basic laws of physics - relativistic quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, gravitation, statistical thermodynamics - from a quantity (used by mathematical statisticians and by hardly anyone else) called Fisher Information. He derives the Klein-Gordon equation, Schroedinger wave equations, Maxwell's equations, DeWitt-Wheeler law of quantum gravity, and various statistical thermodynamics laws. Whew. Basically, while folks have focused in the past on Shannon information and entropy (all global measures), Frieden's worked on Fisher information which is a local measure (e.g. based on a derivative). Optimization of functionals of Fisher information gives differential equations as results, which become laws of physics. Cute.

Anyone with a Bachelors in Engineering would have been exposed to enough physics to understand what Frieden has done. The mathematics is at senior-level math/grad level engineering level. Well-written and not at all cryptic, Frieden goes out of his way to motivate his arguments. In fact, Roy spends 100 pages in preparation and discussion before he even gets to his first real derivation.

Operations Researchers (like me), Applied Mathematicians, EE Control Theory types and Statisticians will find the mathematics pretty comfortable...even if we don't understand all the physics implications. Philosophical types with strong math backgrounds can profitably wade through the text just to get a flavor of his arguments.

Cambridge *really* wanted to publish this textbook. They even included Frieden's umm..errr...interesting pencil sketches of himself and other luminaries. Check out the New Scientist archives for an article in January 1999 on Frieden's work.

One warning. This is *not* light reading. Those looking for the "Tao of Fisher Information" will have to wait for some of us to write a pop sci version of his work. If you want to get a feeling for Frieden's work before you buy the book, read the articles "Estimation of distribution laws, and physical laws, by a principle of extremized physical information", Physica A, 198 (1993) 262-338 or "Lagrangians of physics and the game of Fisher-information transfer", Phys Rev E, 52(3), Sept 1995, 2274-2286.

Fisher knowledge is the only knowledge
With my advanced copy of this wonderful book, I can truly say that all physics ends here. I foresee every field of science laying down their texts and proclaiming this one as the end all be all. A must read for anyone. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive and authoritative dictionary provides clear definitions of units, prefixes, and styles of weights and measures within the Systeme International (SI), as well as traditional, and industry-specific units. It also includes general historical and scientific background, covering the development of the sequential definitions and sizing of units. This new reference work will prove invaluable to professional scientists, engineers, technicians as well as to students and the general user. ... Read more

Book Description

This monograph provides a careful review of the major statistical techniques used to analyze regression data with nonconstant variability and skewness. The authors have developed statistical techniques--such as formal fitting methods and less formal graphical techniques-- that can be applied to many problems across a range of disciplines, including pharmacokinetics, econometrics, biochemical assays, and fisheries research.While the main focus of the book in on data transformation and weighting, it also draws upon ideas from diverse fields such as influence diagnostics, robustness, bootstrapping, nonparametric data smoothing, quasi-likelihood methods, errors-in-variables, and random coefficients. The authors discuss the computation of estimates and give numerous examples using real data. The book also includes an extensive treatment of estimating variance functions in regression. ... Read more

Book Description

The object of this book is to provide a comprehensive treatment of the principal issues in modern instrumentation, but without attempting an encyclopedic reference. It thus discusses the basic theory and physical principles underlying the operation of the various sensors as well as the practical aspects of their operation and their incorporation into larger systems. The intent is to cover the most important topics in electronics, sensors, measurements, and acquisition systems, always keeping in mind the needs of practicing scientists and engineers. The presentation focuses on systems controlled by desktop personal computers running a high-level program and operating through internal cards or an external bus connected to instruments, rather than the specialized microprocessors discussed in older texts.

The book will thus be useful to students in a wide variety of experimental sciences and engineering disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mechanical, nuclear, and electrical engineering, experimental psychology, biology, and geophysics. ... Read more

Book Description

The scope of this book is to guide advanced students and scientists to successful experiments and applications of modern electroanalytical techniques. It is written for chemists, biochemists, biologists, environmental and material scientists, physicists, medical scientists, and, most importantly, students of all branches of science. The book does not require any specialization in electrochemistry. A basic knowledge of chemistry and physics is sufficient. Electroanalytical techniques give access to a variety of most important information on chemical, biochemical and physical systems. This book provides the necessary theoretical background of electrochemistry and the most frequently measuring techniques. Special attention is given to experimental details and data evaluation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The development of modern science, beginning in the late Middle Ages, required the development of accurate tools for measuring such things as distance, weight, luminosity, temperature, and time.

The earliest such instruments, writes University of London historian Gerard L'E Turner, were multifaceted: "An astrolabe which incorporates a means for measuring the elevation angles of stars or the Sun, as well as a stereographic representation of the Earth, can be used equally well for telling the time, for finding the latitude, and for collecting data to cast a horoscope." With the passage of time, they became more specialized, yielding such fine devices as binocular telescopes and stereoscopic viewers. (The latter, Turner writes, became internationally popular in the mid-19th century after Queen Victoria expressed amusement at one displayed at a London fair.)

Turner's well-illustrated catalog of scientific instruments is organized along the old instrument-makers' categories of mathematical, optical, and philosophical tools. Accompanying the photographs are thoughtful essays on the growth of science in the second half of the second millennium, along with notes on how owners can take care of pieces in their collections as well as determine the authenticity and origins of those pieces. The book makes for a pleasing introduction to the history of modern science, and it is an especially useful reference for collectors of clocks, stereopticons, and other antique scientific instruments. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Wonderful intro to networking
This book provided me with much more knowledge than I expected when I bought it. It covers networking and internet basics and explains technologies such as TCP, IP, and UDP for a beginner a well as the various networking tools provided by LabVIEW in detail. It is a perfect mix of background and general info with LabVIEW detail. This is definitely a great book to get into networked apps with.

An Excellent and Compact source of information
With 10+ years of LabVIEW programming experience I found Jeff's book to be an excellent and compact source of internet and network applications in LabVIEW. The background was excellent and not overly in depth. The sample programs on the CD consumed hours of my time examining all the great examples it contained. My copy is littered with underlines, highlights and post-it notes marking the good spots! (he should have simply printed the pages in yellow paper!)

For LabVIEW programmers it's an excellent timesaver for internet info and apps in LabVIEW.

A Must have for Network and Internet LabVIEW Coders
With 10+ years programming in LabVIEW this book was very useful and on the mark with explaining internet technologies. Well worth the money in time you'd spend looking for this info all over the net.

I needed to control my labview vis over the web
this book is dense and packed with more information than you probably will use, but i gave it five stars because it does have everything you need, theory and examples, for controlling your vis over the web. you learn to use java and activex, step-by-step.

with the software and examples in this book, i was able to set up a web browser control of my chemistry lab.

Clears up many questions about Internet technology
This book filled in the gap for me on many questions I had about Web servers, security, Web pages, etc. Great resource. ... Read more

Book Description

An analysis of the optical revolution in the context of early 19th century Britain. Far from merely involving the replacement of one optical theory by another, the revolution also involved substantial changes in instruments and the practices that surrounded them. People's judgements about classification, explanation and evaluation were affected by the way they used such optical instruments as spectroscopes, telescopes, polarisers, photometers, gratings, prisms and apertures. There were two instrumental traditions in this historical period, each of which nurtured a body of practice that exemplified how optical instruments should be operated, and especially how the eye should be used. These traditions functioned just like paradigms, shaping perspectives and even world views.Readership: Scholars and graduate students in the history of science, history of instrument, philosophy of science and science studies. Can also be used as a textbook in graduate courses on 19th century physics. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume promotes order within the confusion of the many systems of units in existence. After establishing a clearer picture of science today, it examines the articulated language science by defining the units and their systems, and by offering a quick method to convert from one unit to another. Concise and to the point, it allows the reader to go from generalities to specifics-and vice versa-in a matter of minutes. ... Read more

Book Description

Offers a thorough grounding in the theory of engineering measurements and measurement system performance. Combines measurement science and instrumentation with the design of measurement systems, emphasizing test plan design. Integrates the statistical nature of measured variables and uncertainty analysis and features numerous examples. This revised edition contains a new chapter on sampling concepts and data acquisition systems plus substantial additions on force, torque and power measurements. Includes refined sections on statistics and experimental design as well as a glossary of new terms. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Test engineers need this one
I used the 2nd edition of this book while in engineering labs at Clemson and now use the 2nd and now 3rd edition in my test engineering work. I find myself being able to go into it and pulling out enough information to get me going on a new test design project. The stuff on uncertainty cannot be found elsewhere and useful. One of the better real-world texts.

This book is not good!
Don't invest your money. The content of this book is very intermittent. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The sizesaurus is supersaurus
The Siazesaurus is awesome! I am a teacher and it allows me to bring very complex subjects down to my fourth grade students in an amuzing and educational way. The book itself is extremely interesting. Pick up The Sizesaurus you will not be disappointed.

Witty, yes. Accurate, no-to-barely.
The essays at the first part of the book are both witty and clever. However, I also purchased the book for (I thought) some factual information as well, and regret to report that the bulk of the book, containing relationships among units, is dreadful. As an example, a "stone" is given as a unit of mass, when its definition (14 pounds) makes it clear that it is a unit of weight. The definition of "barn" refers to a "barn door", but I believe it was originally a reference to "the side of a barn".

Too bad; it could have been an excellent book as well as a fun one. ... Read more

Book Description

Neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy is the highest energy resolution neutron scattering technique available for examining a large area (in time and space) in condensed matter physics. This broad dynamic and spatial range is extensively exploited in the study of a wide range of scientific problems ranging from the dynamics of glasses, polymers melts, complex fluids and microemulsions to the elementary excitations in superfluid 4He and to ferromagnets and spin glasses. This book reviews the current status and future prospects in NSE spectroscopy describing the method, latest instrumentation and also the use of NSE in fundamental, hard and soft matter science. The book provides first-hand information for researchers working in the fields touched by NSE. In addition, young researchers, PhD students and graduates interested in the method will obtain a comprehensive overview and guidelines to implementing the NSE technique. ... Read more

Book Description

The book deals with lock-in thermography as a new variant of the well known IR thermography for all applications where the heat of the sample can be pulsed. The lock-in mode enables a much improved signal/noise ratio (up to 1000x) and a far better lateral resolution. Thus, it replaces hot spot measurements previously carried out using liquid crystals or Fluorescent Microthermal Imaging. Various experimental approaches to lock-in thermography are reviewed with special emphasis on the lock-in IR thermography realised by the authors themselves. Thus, the book provides a useful introduction to this technique and a helpful guide for scientists and engineers working in this field. A detailed theoretical treatment of the propagation of thermal waves is presented as a basis of various applications to, e.g. integrated devices, MOS structures, solar cells and solar modules, concludes the book. ... Read more

Book Description

***Book is published and available as of 6/03!!!

Doebelin's MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS: APPLICATION & DESIGN 5/e provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of measurement, instrumentation and experimentation for engineering students. The book is also an invaluable resource for engineering professionals.

MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS retains its original organization, with coverage of general concepts (Part I), measuring devices (Part II), and the manipulation, transmission and recording of data (Part III). The 5/e is updated throughout; it features expanded coverage of sensors, and the use of computer tools in measurement & data acquisition. Measurement techniques related to micro- and nano-technologies are also discussed, reflecting the growing importance of these technologies,

The newest computer methods are covered, and Doebelin has added a significant commercial software connection for users of the book. Specific coverage of MATLAB, SIMULINK, and the lab simulation package DASYLab are provided with the book. In addition, the DASYLab v.7 Student Edition is offered free to purchasers of the text through its website, located at www.McGrawHillEngineeringCS.com; this provides an easy-to-use tool for virtual instrumentation and data acquisition. ... Read more