Chance and Chaos | 
 enlarge | Author: David Ruelle
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $1.49
You Save: $18.46 (93%)
New (17) Used (29) from $1.49
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 854626
Media: Paperback
Pages: 214
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 0691021007
Dewey Decimal Number: 519.2
EAN: 9780691021003
Publication Date: April 5, 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
How do scientists look at chance, or randomness, and chaos in physical systems? In answering this question for a general audience, Ruelle writes in the best French tradition: he has produced an authoritative and elegant book--a model of clarity, succinctness, and a humor bordering at times on the sardonic.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Ruelle's Chance and Chaos April 1, 2000
Osher Doctorow, Ph.D. (Culver City, CA United States)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is the best popular book on chaos, dynamic systems, and entropy that I have ever read, by one of the pioneers of this field. I have remarked in my reviews of Gribbin, Kaku, and others that Creative Geniuses in science (unlike Ingenious Followers who are so abundant) inspire others and themselves often by popularizing science in ordinary English. It is a good sign if they do this often, but sometimes they only do it seldom or never. Ruelle, as far as I know, only did it once, in this book, and the reader who loses the opportunity to obtain this book has lost a classic. Ruelle inspired me at an important place in my career (my fields are related to the probability-logic-entropy-physics interface). I am especially fond of recalling his description of how extremely new creations or inventions are typically received in science: journal reviewers will usually contradict each other in their haste to oust the newcomer. There are still journals which do not touch chaos, entropy, dynamic systems, fractals, not to mention my own field of logic-based probability.
simple, elegant, and witty insights and explanations August 5, 1997
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
David Ruelle provides the reader of any level with an extremely readable overview of his pursuits of chaos theory. As a student of sociology, I found his study of physics captivating, especially with his connections between physical theory and sociology, economics, astrology, theology, and, well, sex. It's a quick and easy read, very understandable with little physics/math background. I recommend it to anyone who likes to think about new ways of viewing and understanding the world
A vivid, lively presentation on Chaos Theory September 13, 1999
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I used this audiotape as a supplement to a doctoral seminar in applied mathematics which I taught to business students. Most of them already had some background in Chaos and Complexity Theory and the level of the tape is really just a notch above the layman's understanding. However, it is very entertaining as well as informative for the more sophisticated audience. Basically we played a side of each of the two tapes in each class session. It was very much like having a Nobel Laureate as a guest lecturer (except that there is no Nobel in mathematics because Nobel's wife apparently had an affair with a mathematician!). Thoroughly enjoyable.
Good introduction to chaos theory November 5, 1999
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
It's nice to be hearing how a physicist places chaos theory in its place amongst possible explanations for natural phenomena. He doesn't oversell chaos, and doesn't undersell it. Not too big a tome -- a good read.
a bit chaotic after all January 20, 1998
Sergio B. Volchan(volchan@saci.mat.puc-rio.br) (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Interesting book but it tries to cover too much material some of which cannot be adequately grasped without the maths (though some of the explanatory notes help). It also ends with some worn out admonitions about the future of humanity and such stuff which plagues science popularization books.
|
|
|
