Mathematics in Nature

Modeling Patterns in the Natural World

John A. Adam

360 pages, parution le 29/09/2006

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Résumé

From rainbows, river meanders, and shadows to spider webs, honeycombs, and the markings on animal coats, the visible world is full of patterns that can be described mathematically. Examining such readily observable phenomena, this book introduces readers to the beauty of nature as revealed by mathematics and the beauty of mathematics as revealed in nature.

Generously illustrated, written in an informal style, and replete with examples from everyday life, Mathematics in Nature is an excellent and undaunting introduction to the ideas and methods of mathematical modeling. It illustrates how mathematics can be used to formulate and solve puzzles observed in nature and to interpret the solutions. In the process, it teaches such topics as the art of estimation and the effects of scale, particularly what happens as things get bigger. Readers will develop an understanding of the symbiosis that exists between basic scientific principles and their mathematical expressions as well as a deeper appreciation for such natural phenomena as cloud formations, halos and glories, tree heights and leaf patterns, butterfly and moth wings, and even puddles and mud cracks.

Developed out of a university course, this book makes an ideal supplemental text for courses in applied mathematics and mathematical modeling. It will also appeal to mathematics educators and enthusiasts at all levels, and is designed so that it can be dipped into at leisure.

L'auteur - John A. Adam

John A. Adam is Professor of Mathematics at Old Dominion University, coeditor of A Survey of Models for Tumor-Immune System Dynamics, and a regular contributor to leading journals in applied mathematics.

Sommaire

Preface to the Paperback Edition
Preface: The motivation for the book; Acknowledgments; Credits
Prologue: Why I Might Never Have Written This Book
The Confluence of Nature and Mathematical Modeling
Estimation: The Power of Arithmetic in Solving Fermi Problems
Shape, Size, and Similarity: The Problem of Scale
Meteorological Optics I: Shadows, Crepuscular Rays, and Related Optical Phenomena
Meteorological Optics II: A "Calculus I" Approach to Rainbows, Halos, and Glories
Clouds, Sand Dunes, and Hurricanes
(Linear) Waves o. A.I Kinds
Stability
Bores and Nonlinear Waves
The Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio (τ)
Bees, Honeycombs, Bubbles, and Mud Cracks
River Meanders, Branching Patterns, and Trees
Bird Flight
How Did the Leopard Get Its Spots?
Appendix: Fractals: An Appetite Whetter...
Bibliography
Index

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Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Princeton University Press
Auteur(s)	John A. Adam
Parution	29/09/2006
Nb. de pages	360
Format	15,5 x 23,5
Couverture	Broché
Poids	718g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780691127965
ISBN13	978-0-691-12796-5