Overview

This book is a compilation of the review papers, expositions, and some of the technical works of Leo Kadanoff, who is a theoretical physicist. The idea is to put together a group of not-too-technical writing in which he discusses some issues in condensed matter physics, hydrodynamics, applied mathematics and national policy. The first section contains review papers on hydrodynamics, condensed matter physics and field theory. Next, is a selection of papers on scaling and universality, particularly applied to phase changes. A change of pace is provided by a series of papers on the critical analysis of simulation models of urban economic and social development. The book concludes with a series of recent papers on turbulence and chaos. Each major section is introduced in a section designed to tie the work together and to provide perspective on the subject matter.

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9789810211981

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Reviews

World Scientific has made available a collection of Leo's reviews, essays columns and commentaries which is a feast in several senses: the strategy and tactics of science, the science itself, the history of several important developments in science, and as a bonus a beautifully illustrated collection of essays on computational science. The average reader may find this, the final section of the book, most interesting, but for me the account of his discovery of scaling, for which, inexplicably, he did not receive the Nobel prize, is most intriguing. Leo's combination of verve, frankness and insight makes this a very good read. P W Anderson Princeton Univ. Publication of this volume will be very useful, especially for young readers. The papers disseminated over many journals acquire a new quality by being collected together. Readers not only can see a result in its final form, but also can trace its evolution. J Fluid Mechanics, 1994 The book is an invaluable source of information and inspiration on a variety of important problems in modern physics. EMS, 1999

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