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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > General
Few artworks have been the subject of more extensive modern
interpretation than Melencolia I by renowned artist, mathematician,
and scientist Albrecht Durer (1514). And yet, did each of these art
experts and historians miss a secret manifesto that Durer included
within the engraving? This is the first work to decrypt secrets
within Melencolia I based not on guesswork, but Durer's own
writings, other subliminal artists that inspired him (i.e.,
Leonardo da Vinci), the Jewish and Christian Bibles, and books that
inspired Durer (De Occulta Philosophia and the Hieorglyphica). To
read the covert message of Melencolia I is to understand that Durer
was a humanist in his interests in mathematics, science, poetry,
and antiquity. This book recognizes his unparalleled power with the
burin, his mathematical skill in perspective, his dedication to
precise language, and his acute observation of nature. Melencolia I
may also be one of the most controversial (and at the time most
criminal) pieces of art as it hid Durer's disdain for the hierarchy
of the Catholic Church, the Kaiser, and the Holy Roman Empire from
the general public for centuries. This book closely ties the
origins of philosophy (science) and the work of a Renaissance
master together, and will be of interest for anyone who loves
scientific history, art interpretation, and secret manifestos.
The book contains a detailed account of numerical solutions of
differential equations of elementary problems of Physics using
Euler and 2nd order Runge-Kutta methods and Mathematica 6.0. The
problems are motion under constant force (free fall), motion under
Hooke's law force (simple harmonic motion), motion under
combination of Hooke's law force and a velocity dependent damping
force (damped harmonic motion) and radioactive decay law. Also
included are uses of Mathematica in dealing with complex numbers,
in solving system of linear equations, in carrying out
differentiation and integration, and in dealing with matrices.
This volume presents lectures given at the Wisła 20-21 Winter
School and Workshop: Groups, Invariants, Integrals, and
Mathematical Physics, organized by the Baltic Institute of
Mathematics. The lectures were dedicated to differential invariants
– with a focus on Lie groups, pseudogroups, and their orbit
spaces – and Poisson structures in algebra and geometry and are
included here as lecture notes comprising the first two chapters.
Following this, chapters combine theoretical and applied
perspectives to explore topics at the intersection of differential
geometry, differential equations, and category theory. Specific
topics covered include: The multisymplectic and variational nature
of Monge-Ampère equations in dimension four Integrability of
fifth-order equations admitting a Lie symmetry algebra Applications
of the van Kampen theorem for groupoids to computation of homotopy
types of striped surfaces A geometric framework to compare
classical systems of PDEs in the category of smooth manifolds
Groups, Invariants, Integrals, and Mathematical Physics is ideal
for graduate students and researchers working in these areas. A
basic understanding of differential geometry and category theory is
assumed.
This book introduces the reader into the field of the physics of
processes occurring in porous media. It targets Master and PhD
students who need to gain fundamental understanding the impact of
confinement on transport and phase change processes. The book gives
brief overviews of topics like thermodynamics, capillarity and
fluid mechanics in order to launch the reader smoothly into the
realm of porous media. In-depth discussions are given of phase
change phenomena in porous media, single phase flow, unsaturated
flow and multiphase flow. In order to make the topics concrete the
book contains numerous example calculations. Further, as much
experimental data as possible is plugged in to give the reader the
ability to quantify phenomena.
Synchrotron radiation is the name given to the radiation which
occurs when charged particles are accelerated in a curved path or
orbit. Classically, any charged particle which moves in a curved
path or is accelerated in a straight-line path will emit
electromagnetic radiation. Various names are given to this
radiation in different contexts. Thus circular particle
accelerators are called synchrotrons, this is where charged
particles are accelerated to very high speeds and the radiation is
referred to as synchrotron radiation.Suitable for a summer short
course or one term lecture series this text introduces the subject,
starting with some historical background then covering basic
concepts such as flux, intensity, brilliance, emittance and
Liouville's theorem. The book then covers the properties of
synchrotron radiation, insertion devices, beamlines and
monochromators before finishing with an introduction to free
electron lasers and an overview of the most common techniques and
applications of this technology.
For a physicist, "noise" is not just about sounds, but refers to
any random physical process that blurs measurements, and in so
doing stands in the way of scientific knowledge. This book deals
with the most common types of noise, their properties, and some of
their unexpected virtues. The text explains the most useful
mathematical concepts related to noise. Finally, the book aims at
making this subject more widely known and to stimulate the interest
for its study in young physicists.
Physics and the Environment directly connects the physical world to
environmental issues that the world is facing today and will face
in the future. It shows how the first and second laws of
thermodynamics limit the efficiencies of fossil fuel energy
conversions to less than 100%, while also discussing how clever
technologies can enhance overall performance. It also extensively
discusses renewable forms of energy, their physical constraints and
how we must use science and engineering as tools to solve problems
instead of opinion and politics. Dr. Kyle Forinash takes you on a
journey of understanding our mature and well developed technologies
for using fossil fuel resources and how we are unlikely to see huge
gains in their efficiency as well as why their role in climate
change ought to be an argument for their replacement sooner rather
than later. He also discusses the newest technologies in employing
renewable resources and how it is important to understand their
physical constrains in order to make a smooth transition to them.
An entire chapter is dedicated to energy storage, a core question
in renewable energy as well as another chapter on the technical
issues of nuclear energy. The book ends with a discussion on how no
environmental solution, no matter how clever from a technical
aspect, will succeed if there are cheaper alternative, even if
those alternatives have undesirable features associated with them.
This book is based on a commitment to teaching science to
everybody. What may work for training professional scientists does
not work for general science education. Students bring to the
classrooms preconceived attitudes, as well as the emotional baggage
called ""science anxiety."" Students may regard science as cold,
unfriendly, and even inherently hostile and biased against women.
This book has been designed to deal with each of these issues and
results from research in both Denmark and the United States. The
first chapter discusses student attitudes towards science and the
second discusses science anxiety. The connection between the two is
discussed before the introduction of constructivism as a pedagogy
that can aid science learning if it also addresses attitudes and
anxieties. Much of the book elucidates what the authors have
learned as science teachers and science education researchers. They
studied various groups including university students majoring in
the sciences, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, business,
nursing, and education; high school students; teachers' seminary
students; science teachers at all levels from middle school through
college; and science administrators. The insights of these groups
constitute the most important feature of the book, and by sharing
them, the authors hope to help their fellow science teachers to
understand student attitudes about science, to recognize the
connections between these and science anxiety, and to see how a
pedagogy that takes these into account can improve science
learning.
This book describes the advanced stability theories for
magnetically confined fusion plasmas, especially in tokamaks. As
the fusion plasma sciences advance, the gap between the textbooks
and cutting-edge researches gradually develops.
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