Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art developed based on the laws of nature, emphasises how 'to conquer the unyielding with the yielding.' The recent observation of star formation shows that stars result from the interaction between gravity, turbulence and magnetic fields. This interaction again follows the natural rules that inspired Tai Chi. For example, if self-gravity is the force that dominates, the molecular cloud will collapse isotropically, which compresses magnetic field lines. The density of the yielding field lines increases until magnetic pressure reaches the critical value to support the cloud against the gravitational force in directions perpendicular to the field lines (Lorentz force). Then gravity gives way to Lorentz force, accumulating gas only along the field lines till the gas density achieves the critical value to again compress the field lines. The Tai Chi goes on in a self similar way.

In addition to expanding and clarifying a number of sections of the first edition, it generalizes the analysis that eliminates the noncausal pre-acceleration so that it applies to removing any pre-deceleration as well. It also introduces a robust power series solution to the equation of motion that produces an extremely accurate solution to problems such as the motion of electrons in uniform magnetic fields.

The need for sustainable sources of energy has become more prevalent in an effort to conserve natural resources, as well as optimize the performance of wireless networks in daily life. Renewable sources of energy also help to cut costs while still providing a reliable power sources. Biologically-Inspired Energy Harvesting through Wireless Sensor Technologies highlights emerging research in the areas of sustainable energy management and transmission technologies. Featuring technological advancements in green technology, energy harvesting, sustainability, networking, and autonomic computing, as well as bio-inspired algorithms and solutions utilized in energy management, this publication is an essential reference source for researchers, academicians, and students interested in renewable or sustained energy in wireless networks.

Reliability, Risk and Safety: Back to the Future covers topics on reliability, risk and safety issues, including risk and reliability analysis methods, maintenance optimization, human factors, and risk management. The application areas range from nuclear engineering, oil and gas industry, electrical and civil engineering to information technology and communication, security, transportation, health and medicine or critical infrastructures. Significant attention is paid to societal factors influencing the use of reliability and risk assessment methods, and to combinatorial analysis, which has found its way into the analysis of probabilities and risk, from which quantified risk analysis developed. Integral demonstrations of the use of risk analysis and safety assessment are provided in many practical applications concerning major technological systems and structures. Reliability, Risk and Safety: Back to the Future will be of interest to academics and engineers interested in nuclear engineering, oil and gas engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, information technology, communication, and infrastructure.

Instant Physics pulls together all the pivotal physics knowledge and thought into one concise volume. Each page contains a discrete 'cheat sheet', which tells you the most important facts in bite-sized chunks, meaning you can become an expert in an instant. From black holes to black body radiation, telescopes to microscopes, quantum mechanics to general relativity, every key figure, discovery or idea is explained with succinct and lively text and graphics. Perfect for the knowledge hungry and time poor, this collection of graphic-led lessons makes psychology interesting and accessible. Everything you need to know is here.

Since the earliest days of human existence, the clash of thunder and trembling of the hills has struck fear into the hearts of seasoned warriors and tribal villagers alike. Great gods, demi-gods, and heroes were created to explain the awesome, mysterious, and incomprehensibly powerful forces of Nature in a feeble attempt to make sense of the world around them. To our advanced scientific minds today, these explanations seem childish and ridiculous; however, the power to flatten thousands of square miles of ancient forest, create massive holes in the Earth itself, and cause mountains to tremble to their very roots are more than enough reason to believe. Indeed, perhaps our scientific advancement has caused us to not fully or completely appreciate the awesome scale and power that Nature can wield against us. The study of shock wave formation and dynamics begins with a study of waves themselves. Simple harmonic motion is used to analyze the physical mechanisms of wave generation and propagation, and the principle of superposition is used to mathematically generate constructive and destructive interference. Further development leads to the shock singularity where a single wave of immense magnitude propagates and decays through various media. Correlations with the fields of thermodynamics, meteorology, crater formation, and acoustics are made, as well as a few special applications. Direct correlation is made to events in Arizona, Siberia, and others. The mathematical requirement for this text includes trigonometry, differential equations, and large series summations, which should be accessible to most beginning and advanced university students. This text should serve well as supplementary material in a course covering discrete wave dynamics, applied thermodynamics, or extreme acoustics.

'The authors deliver a highly readable text which should assure a continued supply of practitioners of classical mechanics and its applications.'Contemporary PhysicsThis is a book on intermediate classical mechanics. In this book, classical mechanics is presented as a useful tool to analyze the physical universe and also as the base on which the whole pyramid of modern physics has been erected. Various mechanical concepts are developed in a highly logical manner, with relatively thorough treatments on mathematical procedures and many physically interesting applications. Connections to more modern theoretical developments (including statistical physics, relativity, and quantum mechanics) are emphasized.

This book provides a comprehensive yet concise presentation of the analysis methods of lightweight engineering in the context of the statics of beam structures and is divided into four sections. Starting from very general remarks on the fundamentals of elasticity theory, the first section also addresses plane problems as well as strength criteria of isotropic materials. The second section is devoted to the analytical treatment of the statics of beam structures, addressing beams under bending, shear and torsion. The third section deals with the work and energy methods in lightweight construction, spanning classical methods and modern computational methods such as the finite element method. Finally, the fourth section addresses more advanced beam models, discussing hybrid structures as well as laminated and sandwich beams, in addition to shear field beams and shear deformable beams. This book is intended for students at technical colleges and universities, as well as for engineers in practice and researchers in engineering.

This book covers different topics of nonlinear mechanics in complex structures, such as the appearance of new nonlinear phenomena and the behavior of finite-dimensional and distributed nonlinear systems, including numerous systems directly connected with important technological problems.

This book is based on a set of 18 class-tested lectures delivered to fourth-year physics undergraduates at Grifi th University in Brisbane, and the book presents new discoveries by the Nobel-prize winning LIGO collaboration. The author begins with a review of special relativity and tensors and then develops the basic elements of general relativity (a beautiful theory that unifies special relativity and gravitation via geometry) with applications to the gravitational deflection of light, global positioning systems, black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology. The book provides readers with a solid understanding of the underlying physical concepts; an ability to appreciate and in many cases derive important applications of the theory; and a solid grounding for those wishing to pursue their studies further. General Relativity: An Introduction to Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, and Cosmology also connects general relativity with broader topics. There is no doubt that general relativity is an active and exciting field of physics, and this book successfully transmits that excitement to readers.

Despite the urgent need for action, there is a widespread lack of understanding of the benefits of using green energy sources for not only reducing carbon emissions and climate change, but also for growing a sustainable economy and society. Future citizens of the world face increasing sustainability issues and need to be better prepared for energy transformation and sustainable future economic development. Cases on Green Energy and Sustainable Development is a critical research book that focuses on the important role renewable energy and energy efficiency play in energy transition and sustainable development and covers economic and promotion policies of major renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as economics, energy storage, and transportation technologies, this book is ideal for environmentalists, academicians, researchers, engineers, policymakers, and students.