Do the movements of animals, including humans, follow patterns that can be described quantitatively by simple laws of motion? If so, then why? These questions have attracted the attention of scientists in many disciplines, and stimulated debates ranging from ecological matters to queries such as 'how can there be free will if one follows a law of motion?' This is the first book on this rapidly evolving subject, introducing random searches and foraging in a way that can be understood by readers without a previous background on the subject. It reviews theory as well as experiment, addresses open problems and perspectives, and discusses applications ranging from the colonization of Madagascar by Austronesians to the diffusion of genetically modified crops. The book will interest physicists working in the field of anomalous diffusion and movement ecology as well as ecologists already familiar with the concepts and methods of statistical physics.
Stanley Fish's Surprised by Sin argues here that Paradise Lost is a poem about how its readers came to be the way they are and therefore the fact of their divided responses makes perfect sense.
A consideration of the ideological gridlock paralyzing academic and political exchange in the nineties. The author dissects the controversies over multiculturalism, affirmative action, canon revision, hate speech, and legal reform, and takes both the left and the right equally to task.
In a succession of provocative and wide-ranging chapters, Stanley Fish explores the rational basis of our literary, legal, and phsychoanalytic interpretations.
From Newton to Mandelbrot takes the student on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, and, the most modern and exciting of all, the physics of fractals. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, and short computer programs, numerous problems, and beautiful color illustrations round off this unusual textbook. Ideally suited for a one-year course in theoretical physics it will also prove useful in preparing and revising for exams. This edition is corrected and includes a new appendix on elementary particle physics, answers to all short questions, and a diskette where a selection of executable programs exploring the fractal concept can be found.
This textbook takes the reader on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, as well as the most modern and exciting of all: elementary particles and the physics of fractals. The second edition has been supplemented with a new chapter devoted to concise though complete presentation of dynamical systems, bifurcations and chaos theory. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, presenting all the central concepts and equations at an accessible level. Chapters 1 to 4 contain the standard material of courses in theoretical physics and are supposed to accompany lectures at the university; thus they are rather condensed. They are supposed to fill one year of teaching. Chapters 5 and 6, in contrast, are written less condensed since this material may not be part of standard lectures and thus could be studied without the help of a university teacher. An appendix on elementary particles lies somewhere in between: It could be a summary of a much more detailed course, or studied without such a course. Illustrations and numerous problems round off this unusual textbook. It will ideally accompany the students all along their course in theoretical physics and prove indispensable in preparing and revising the exams. It is also suited as a reference for teachers or scientists from other disciplines who are interested in the topic.
From Newton to Mandelbrot takes the student on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, and, the most modern and exciting of all, the physics of fractals. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, and short computer programs, numerous problems, and beautiful colour illustrations round off this unusual textbook. Ideally suited for a one-year course in theoretical physics it will prove indispensable in preparing and revising for exams.
From Newton to Mandelbrot. A Primer in Theoretical Physics with Fractals for the Personal Computer" takes the student on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, and, the most modern and exciting of all, the physics of fractals. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, and short computer programs, numerous problems, and beautiful color illustrations round off this unusual textbook. Ideally suited for a one-year course in theoretical physics it will also prove useful in preparing and revising for exams. This edition is corrected and includes a new appendix on elementary particle physics, answers to all short questions and a MS-DOS diskette where a selection of executable programs exploring the fractal concept can be found. The Diskette The programs included on a 3 1/2" MS-DOS diskette runs on any IBM or compatible computer. System requirements: EGA or VGA graphics card, 16 colors and 1 MB RAM, MS-DOS 3.30 or higher; 386 processor or higher: - Fractal coastline - Gasket - Forest fire - Aggregation - Diffusion-limited aggregation
This book concerns the use of concepts from statistical physics in the description of financial systems. The authors illustrate the scaling concepts used in probability theory, critical phenomena, and fully developed turbulent fluids. These concepts are then applied to financial time series. The authors also present a stochastic model that displays several of the statistical properties observed in empirical data. Statistical physics concepts such as stochastic dynamics, short- and long-range correlations, self-similarity and scaling permit an understanding of the global behaviour of economic systems without first having to work out a detailed microscopic description of the system. Physicists will find the application of statistical physics concepts to economic systems interesting. Economists and workers in the financial world will find useful the presentation of empirical analysis methods and well-formulated theoretical tools that might help describe systems composed of a huge number of interacting subsystems.
Stanley Fish's finest published work is brought together here with brand new material on Milton and on other authors and topics in early modern literature. Lucid, provocative, direct and inimitable, this book is required reading for anyone teaching or studying Milton and early modern literary studies.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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