When Things Grow Many

Description

An accessible and interdisciplinary introduction to the applications of statistical mechanics across the sciences. The book contains a discussion of the methods of statistical physics and includes mathematical explanations alongside guidance to enable the reader to translate theory into practice.

• Interdisciplinary textbook spanning chemistry, biology, linguistics, economics, sociology and more
• Contains practical examples, for example using MATLAB_TM alongside theoretical considerations
• Extensive footnotes and appendices provide further background and explanations of the mathematical content

About the Author(s)

Lawrence Schulman, Professor of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York

Since completing his PhD at Princeton University, Lawrence S. Schulman has taught at Indiana University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and is currently a Professor of Physics at Clarkson University. His research interests span statistical physics, condensed matter physics, quantum mechanics and cosmology. He has contributed to diverse areas from galactic morphology to the arrow of time and has authored two books and numerous articles in these fields. He is fascinated by the miracle of statistical mechanics.

Table of Contents

1:Introduction
2:Ideal Gas
3:Rubber Bands
4:Percolitis
5:Ferromagnetism
6:Maximum Entropy Methods
7:Power Laws
8:Universality, Renormalization and Critical Phenomena
9:Social Sciences
10:Biological Sciences
11:Physical Sciences

Reviews

"This book has a good mix of interesting topics and shows the breadth of application of the statistical mechanics concepts." - Robert M. Ziff, University of Michigan

"The book's subject is one which is of great interest and impacts many areas both within and outside physics. I am not aware of any other textbook which includes engaging mathematical content alongside a wide range of accessible applications, so this text has the potential to appeal to both the lay person and the technical expert." - Peter Richmond, Trinity College Dublin

"Explores statistical mechanics at its glorious best, in the form of practical applications of collective behaviors found in the real world. Schulman is refreshingly honest in his approach, helping to stake out the frontiers of the field, posing problems that will inspire and direct future generations of scientists." - Daniel Sheehan, University of San Diego

"I think that the book's collection of topics and its unique style make it a useful addition to the more standard textbook offering. Moreover, given the more colloquial style of the book, I imagine that it may be suitable for an audience that is interested in the physics of emergence and complexity that goes beyond the popular science literature." - Stefan Kirchner, Zhejiang University