|
|
Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics
This book describes modern techniques for reducing the level of
airborne noise through the introduction of sound radiated by
additional secondary sources, bringing together the results of
contemporary research in this area. It is the combination of the
physical properties of sound fields and modern digital signal
processing technology that has made the active control of sound a
practical proposition in a number of important applications. The
book covers both these aspects of the subject, initially at a
fundamental level, and then in detail in later chapters. The
structure of the book is such that it should be suitable for both
those seeking a basic understanding of the subject and as a
reference for researchers in the field. One of the key features of
the work is thus the unified presentation of material from the two
disciplines of acoustics and signal processing.
The subject of geomathematics focuses on the interpretation and
classification of data from geoscientific and satellite sources,
reducing information to a comprehensible form and allowing the
testing of concepts. Sphere oriented mathematics plays an important
part in this study and this book provides the necessary foundation
for graduate students and researchers interested in any of the
diverse topics of constructive approximation in this area. This
book bridges the existing gap between monographs on special
functions of mathematical physics and constructive approximation in
Euclidean spaces. The primary objective is to provide readers with
an understanding of aspects of approximation by spherical
harmonics, such as spherical splines and wavelets, as well as
indicating future directions of research. Scalar, vectorial, and
tensorial methods are each considered in turn. The concentration on
spherical splines and wavelets allows a double simplification; not
only is the number of independent variables reduced resulting in a
lower dimensional problem, but also radial basis function
techniques become applicable. When applied to geomathematics this
leads to new structures and methods by which sophisticated
measurements and observations can be handled more efficiently, thus
reducing time and costs.
Dalton's theory of the atom is generally considered to be what made
the atom a scientifically fruitful concept in chemistry. To be
sure, by Dalton's time the atom had already had a two-millenium
history as a philosophical idea, and corpuscular thought had long
been viable in natural philosophy (that is, in what we would today
call physics).
Atoms in Chemistry will examine episodes in the evolution of the
concept of the atom, particularly in chemistry, from Dalton's day
to our own. It begins with an overview of scientific atomic
theories from the 17th through 20th centuries that analyzes
corpuscular theories of matter proposed or entertained by natural
philosophers in the 17th century. Chapters will focus on
philosophical and religious conceptions of matter, 19th-century
organic structural theories, the debate surrounding the truth of
the atomic-molecular theory, and physical evidence accumulated in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries that suggested that atoms
were actually real, even if they were not exactly as Dalton
envisioned them. The final chapter of this book takes the reader
beyond the atom itself to some of the places associated with the
history of scientific atomism. As a whole, this volume will serve
as a passport to important episodes from the more than 200-year
history of atoms in chemistry.
This book presents the SPH method (Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics)
for fluid modelling from a theoretical and applied viewpoint. It
comprises two parts that refer to each other. The first one,
dealing with the fundamentals of Hydraulics, is based on the
elementary principles of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics. The
specific laws governing a system of macroscopic particles are
built, before large systems involving dissipative processes are
explained. The continua are discussed, and a fairly exhaustive
account of turbulence is given. The second part discloses the bases
of the SPH Lagrangian numerical method from the continuous
equations, as well as from discrete variational principles, setting
out the method's specific properties of conservativity and
invariance. Various numerical schemes are compared, permanently
referring to the physics as dealt with in the first part.
Applications to schematic instances are discussed, and, ultimately,
practical applications to the dimensioning of coastal and fluvial
structures are considered.
Despite the rapid growth in the SPH field, this book is the first
to present the method in a comprehensive way for fluids. It should
serve as a rigorous introduction to SPH and a reference for
fundamental mathematical fluid dynamics. This book is intended for
scientists, doctoral students, teachers, and engineers, who want to
enjoy a rather unified approach to the theoretical bases of
Hydraulics or who want to improve their skills using the SPH
method. It will inspire the reader with a feeling of unity,
answering many questions without any detrimental formalism.
|
|