Chaos and Dynamical Systems

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Chaos and Dynamical Systems
Authors and Contributors      By (author) David Feldman
SeriesPrimers in Complex Systems
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:264
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
Category/GenreMathematics
ISBN/Barcode 9780691161525
ClassificationsDewey:514.742
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 84 b/w illus.

Publishing Details

Publisher Princeton University Press
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publication Date 6 August 2019
Publication Country United States

Description

Chaos and Dynamical Systems presents an accessible, clear introduction to dynamical systems and chaos theory, important and exciting areas that have shaped many scientific fields. While the rules governing dynamical systems are well-specified and simple, the behavior of many dynamical systems is remarkably complex. Of particular note, simple deterministic dynamical systems produce output that appears random and for which long-term prediction is impossible. Using little math beyond basic algebra, David Feldman gives readers a grounded, concrete, and concise overview. In initial chapters, Feldman introduces iterated functions and differential equations. He then surveys the key concepts and results to emerge from dynamical systems: chaos and the butterfly effect, deterministic randomness, bifurcations, universality, phase space, and strange attractors. Throughout, Feldman examines possible scientific implications of these phenomena for the study of complex systems, highlighting the relationships between simplicity and complexity, order and disorder. Filling the gap between popular accounts of dynamical systems and chaos and textbooks aimed at physicists and mathematicians, Chaos and Dynamical Systems will be highly useful not only to students at the undergraduate and advanced levels, but also to researchers in the natural, social, and biological sciences.

Author Biography

David P. Feldman is professor of physics and mathematics at the College of the Atlantic. He is the author of Chaos and Fractals: An Elementary Introduction.

Reviews

"Feldman succeeds in introducing the reader to the world of dynamic systems and the, almost mythical, chaos that they can produce."---Adhemar Bultheel, European Mathematical Society "[A] gentle and loving introduction to dynamical systems. . . . Chaos and Dynamical Systems is a book for everyone from the layman to the expert."---David S. Mazel, MAA Reviews