The Nature of Chaos (Oxford Science Publications)

Chaos and complexity theory have emerged as extremely popular new conceptual approaches in scientific understanding. They have served to elucidate fields long considered resistant to meticulous study--such as those involving large numbers of random patterns-- while capturing the public imagination as well through a series of best-selling books like James Gleick's Chaos and M. Mitchell Waldrop's Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos. Time magazine put it this way in a recent feature article: "The new field of complexity may explain mysteries from the stock market to the emergence of . . . life, the universe and everything." This new book brings together a group of acknowledged experts who capture the excitement of working at the forefront of this new area of scientific research. In addition to giving simple expositions of the fundamental ideas, their chapters cover ongoing work in chemistry, physics, meteorology, biology, quantum mechanics, and engineering--detailing the latest developments and applications of chaos theory. The text is accessible to nonspecialists, but includes technical details that are often skipped over in popular treatments of the subject. It will be read with interest by a wide range of scientific professionals as well as general readers seeking information on some of the most imaginative research taking place today.