Overview
and acknowledgments Self-organized criticality is a new way of viewing nature. The basic picture is one where nature is perpetually out of balance, but organized in a poised state-the critical state-where anything can happen within well-defined statistical laws. The aim of the science of self-organized criticality is to yield insight into the fundamental question of why nature is complex, not simple, as the laws of physics imply. Self-organized criticality explains some ubiquitous patterns existing in nature that we view as complex. Fractal structure and catastrophic events are among those regularities. Applications range from the study of pulsars and black holes to earthquakes and the evolution of life. One intriguing conse quence of the theory is that catastrophes can occur for no reason whatsoever. Mass extinctions may take place without any external triggering mechanism such as a volcanic eruption or a meteorite hitting the earth (although the the ory of course cannot rule out that this has in fact occurred). xu How Nature Works Since we first proposed the idea in 1987, more than 2,ooo papers have been written on self-organized criticality, making ours the most cited paper in physics during that period. How Nature Works is the first book to deal with the subject. The basic idea is simple, and most of the mathematical models that have been used in the implementation of the theory are not complicated.
Full Product Details
Author: Per Bak
Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Imprint: Copernicus Books
Edition: 1996 ed.
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.574kg
ISBN: 9780387947914
ISBN 10: 0387947914
Pages: 212
Publication Date: 29 August 1996
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
... written with panache. The style is brisk, the content stimulating. I recommend it as a bracing experience. - New Scientist<br> This lively book, the title of which is admittedly provocative, is full of anecdotes about how science is being made and its style reflects the strong personality of its author. - Endeavour
... written with panache. The style is brisk, the content stimulating. I recommend it as a bracing experience. - New Scientist This lively book, the title of which is admittedly provocative, is full of anecdotes about how science is being made and its style reflects the strong personality of its author. - Endeavour
