A mind-bending excursion to the limits of science and mathematics
Are some scientific problems insoluble? In Beyond Reason, internationally acclaimed math and science author A. K. Dewdney answers this question by examining eight insurmountable mathematical and scientific roadblocks that have stumped thinkers across the centuries, from ancient mathematical conundrums such as "squaring the circle," first attempted by the Pythagoreans, to G?del's vexing theorem, from perpetual motion to the upredictable behavior of chaotic systems such as the weather.
A. K. Dewdney, PhD (Ontario, Canada), was the author of Scientific American's "Computer Recreations" column for eight years. He has written several critically acclaimed popular math and science books, including A Mathematical Mystery Tour (0-471-40734-8); Yes, We Have No Neutrons (0-471-29586-8); and 200% of Nothing (0-471-14574-2).

This book deals with the practice of Optical Radiation Measurements with introductory material to introduce the topics discussed. It will be most useful for students, scientists and engineers working in any academic, industrial or governmental projects related to optical radiation. The book contains chapters that treat in detail the procedures and techniques for the characterization of both sources and detectors to the highest degree of accuracy and reliability. It has a chapter devoted specifically to optical measurements of laser sources and fiberoptics for communication and a chapter devoted to uncertainty in measurement and its treatment with real examples of optical measurements. The book contains introductory materials that will allow a newcomer to radiometry to develop the expertise to perform exacting and accurate measurement. The authors stress the various causes of uncertainty in each phase of a measurement and thus allow for users to arrive at a correct assessment of their uncertainty of measurement in their particular circumstance.
. Authors are from the Standards laboratories of AUSTRALIA, CANADA, ENGLAND, GERMANY and the USA.
. Latest techniques and practice of laboratory measurements to achieve the highest accuracy in the use of sources or detectors.
. Unique illustrations of the apparatus and measurement techniques.
. Practical measurement examples of calibration with full uncertainty analysis.
. Comprehensive treatment of optical standards such as sources, detectors and radiometers.
. A complete chapter on laser power measurements and standards for fiber optic measurements
. A complete chapter on correlations in radiometry and practical examples.
. A chapter devoted to diffraction effects in radiometry"

This is the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Theoretical, Applied and Experimental Mechanics that was held in Corfu, Greece, June 23-26, 2019. It presents papers focusing on all aspects of theoretical, applied and experimental mechanics, including biomechanics, composite materials, computational mechanics, constitutive modeling of materials, dynamics, elasticity, experimental mechanics, fracture, mechanical properties of materials, micromechanics, nanomechanics, plasticity, stress analysis, structures, wave propagation. The papers update the latest research in their field, carried out since the last conference in 2018. This book is suitable for engineers, students and researchers who want to obtain an up-to-date view of the recent advances in the area of mechanics.

This book discusses fundamentally new biomedical imaging methods, such as holography, holographic and resonant interferometry, and speckle optics. It focuses on the development of holographic interference microscopy and its use in the study of phase objects such as nerve and muscle fibers subjected to the influence of laser radiation, magnetic fields, and hyperbaric conditions. The book shows how the myelin sheath and even the axon itself exhibit waveguide properties, enabling a fresh new look at the mechanisms of information transmission in the human body. The book presents theoretically and experimentally tested holographic and speckle-optical methods and devices used for investigating complex, diffusely scattering surfaces such as skin and muscle tissue. Additionally, it gives broad discussion of the authors' own original fundamental and applied research dedicated to helping physicians introduce new contact-less methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems into medical practice. The book is aimed at a broad spectrum of scientific specialists in the fields of speckle optics, holography, laser physics, morphology and cytochemistry, as well as medical professionals such as physiologists, neuropathologists, neurosurgeons, cardiologists and dentists.

This book introduces readers to the characteristic features of electromagnetic phenomena in superconductivity. It first demonstrates not only that the diamagnetism in the superconductivity complies with Maxwell's theory, which was formulated before the discovery of superconductivity, but also that the dominant E-B analogy in the electromagnetism loses perfection without the superconductivity. The book then explores flux pinning, which is responsible for the non-dissipative current in DC, leading to irreversibility in AC. Drawing on Maxwell's work, it also proves theoretically that if there is no energy dissipation in the superconductivity caused by the break in time reversal symmetry, it contradicts the thermodynamic principle of energy conservation - something that had previously only been proved experimentally. Lastly, the book addresses the longitudinal magnetic field effect, and explains how this phenomenon leads to a new development of Maxwell's theory. Featuring numerous appendices to help readers understand the methods of derivation of equations, this book offers students and young scientists an introduction to applied superconductivity, especially in the context of power applications. Presenting the characteristic features of electromagnetic phenomena in superconductivity from basic to advanced topics for applications, the book offers a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers studying superconductivity as well as engineers working in electric utility industry.

This book explains the physics behind seismic ground motions and seismic waves to graduate and upper undergraduate students as well as to professionals. Both seismic ground motions and seismic waves are terms for "shaking" due to earthquakes, but it is common that shaking in the near-field of an earthquake source is called seismic ground motion and in the far-field is called seismic waves. Seismic ground motion is often described by the tensor formula based on the representation theorem, but in this book explicit formulation is emphasized beginning with Augustus Edward Hough Love (1863 - 1940). The book also explains in depth the equations and methods used for analysis and computation of shaking close to an earthquake source. In addition, it provides in detail information and knowledge related to teleseismic body waves, which are frequently used in the analysis of the source of an earthquake.

This book highlights a novel and holistic approach to multiscaled PVA bionanocomposite films used for electrical sensing, medical and packaging applications. With a combination of material characterization and modeling to understand the effect of nanoparticle size and shape, as well as 3D interphase properties and features such as interphase modulus and nanoscale dimensions, this book substantiates how excellent mechanical and thermal properties of these materials are achieved. Also it addresses the importance of using economical and ecofriendly bionanocomposites as potential green materials to support the goal of environmental sustainability with multifunctional properties.

In two volumes, this book presents a detailed, systematic treatment of electromagnetics with application to the propagation of transient electromagnetic fields (including ultrawideband signals and ultrashort pulses) in dispersive attenuative media. The development in this expanded, updated, and reorganized new edition is mathematically rigorous, progressing from classical theory to the asymptotic description of pulsed wave fields in Debye and Lorentz model dielectrics, Drude model conductors, and composite model semiconductors. It will be of use to researchers as a resource on electromagnetic radiation and wave propagation theory with applications to ground and foliage penetrating radar, medical imaging, communications, and safety issues associated with ultrawideband pulsed fields. With meaningful exercises, and an authoritative selection of topics, it can also be used as a textbook to prepare graduate students for research. Volume 2 presents a detailed asymptotic description of plane wave pulse propagation in dielectric, conducting, and semiconducting materials as described by the classical Lorentz model of dielectric resonance, the Rocard-Powles-Debye model of orientational polarization, and the Drude model of metals. The rigorous description of the signal velocity of a pulse in a dispersive material is presented in connection with the question of superluminal pulse propagation. The second edition contains new material on the effects of spatial dispersion on precursor formation, and pulse transmission into a dispersive half space and into multilayered media. Volume 1 covers spectral representations in temporally dispersive media.

This thesis presents the first successful realization of a compact, low-noise, and few-cycle light source in the mid-infrared wavelength region. By developing the technology of pumping femtosecond chromium-doped II-VI laser oscillators directly with the emission of broad-stripe single-emitter laser diodes, coherent light was generated with exceptionally low amplitude noise - crucial for numerous applications including spectroscopy at high sensitivities. Other key parameters of the oscillator's output, such as pulse duration and output power, matched and even surpassed previous state-of-the-art systems. As a demonstration of its unique capabilities, the oscillator's powerful output was used to drive - without further amplification - the nonlinear generation of coherent mid-infrared light spanning multiple octaves. The resulting table-top system uniquely combines high brilliance and ultrabroad spectral bandwidth in the important mid-infrared spectral range. The rapid development of this technology is comprehensively and lucidly documented in this PhD thesis. Together with a thorough review of literature and applications, and an extensive analysis of the theoretical foundations behind ultrafast laser oscillators, the thesis will serve as a valuable reference for the construction of a new generation of mid-infrared light sources.

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to physics for undergraduate students in the life sciences, including those majoring in all branches of biology, biochemistry, and psychology and students working on pre-professional programs such as pre-medical, pre-dental, and physical therapy. The text is geared for the algebra-based physics course, often named College Physics in the United States. The order of topics studied are such that most of the problems in the text can be solved with the methods of Statics or Dynamics. That is, they require a free body diagram, the application of Newton’s Laws, and any necessary kinematics. Constructing the text with a standardized problem-solving methodology, simplifies this aspect of the course and allows students to focus on the application of physics to the study of biological systems. Along the way, students apply these techniques to find the tension in a tendon, the sedimentation rate of red blood cells in haemoglobin, the torques and forces on a bacterium employing a flagellum to propel itself through a viscous fluid, and the terminal velocity of a protein moving in a Gel Electrophoresis device. This is part one of a two-volume set; volume 2 introduces students to the conserved-quantities and applies these problem-solving techniques to topics in Thermodynamics, Electrical Circuits, Optics, and Atomic and Nuclear Physics always with continued focus on biological applications.

Planning is an important function of the management of any business, providing knowledge of future prospects and enabling prudent and appropriate decision-making. Planning is especially critical for power systems, since electricity is a fundamental part of modern societies and many conventional electrical energy resources currently in use are limited. Power System Planning Technologies and Applications: Concepts, Solutions and Management focuses on the technical planning of power systems, taking into account technological evolutions in equipment as well as the economic, financial, and societal factors that drive supply and demand and have implications for technical planning at the micro level. With this book, researchers, practicing engineers, regulators, policy makers, and investors will have a better understanding of the intricacies of power system planning and, therefore, improve their decisions about the future.

The Boussinesq equation is the first model of surface waves in shallow water that considers the nonlinearity and the dispersion and their interaction as a reason for wave stability known as the Boussinesq paradigm. This balance bears solitary waves that behave like quasi-particles. At present, there are some Boussinesq-like equations. The prevalent part of the known analytical and numerical solutions, however, relates to the 1d case while for multidimensional cases, almost nothing is known so far. An exclusion is the solutions of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation. The difficulties originate from the lack of known analytic initial conditions and the nonintegrability in the multidimensional case. Another problem is which kind of nonlinearity will keep the temporal stability of localized solutions. The system of coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations known as well as the vector Schroedinger equation is a soliton supporting dynamical system. It is considered as a model of light propagation in Kerr isotropic media. Along with that, the phenomenology of the equation opens a prospect of investigating the quasi-particle behavior of the interacting solitons. The initial polarization of the vector Schroedinger equation and its evolution evolves from the vector nature of the model. The existence of exact (analytical) solutions usually is rendered to simpler models, while for the vector Schroedinger equation such solutions are not known. This determines the role of the numerical schemes and approaches. The vector Schroedinger equation is a spring-board for combining the reduced integrability and conservation laws in a discrete level. The experimental observation and measurement of ultrashort pulses in waveguides is a hard job and this is the reason and stimulus to create mathematical models for computer simulations, as well as reliable algorithms for treating the governing equations. Along with the nonintegrability, one more problem appears here - the multidimensionality and necessity to split and linearize the operators in the appropriate way.

This book gathers contributions on a variety of flowing collective systems. While primarily focusing on pedestrian dynamics, they also reflect the latest developments in areas such as vehicular traffic and granular flows and address related emerging topics such as self-propelled particles, data transport, swarm behavior, intercellular transport, and collective dynamics of biological systems. Combining fundamental research and practical applications in the various fields discussed, the book offers a valuable asset for researchers and practitioners alike.

This thesis presents a revolutionary technique for modelling the dynamics of a quantum system that is strongly coupled to its immediate environment. This is a challenging but timely problem. In particular it is relevant for modelling decoherence in devices such as quantum information processors, and how quantum information moves between spatially separated parts of a quantum system. The key feature of this work is a novel way to represent the dynamics of general open quantum systems as tensor networks, a result which has connections with the Feynman operator calculus and process tensor approaches to quantum mechanics. The tensor network methodology developed here has proven to be extremely powerful: For many situations it may be the most efficient way of calculating open quantum dynamics. This work is abounds with new ideas and invention, and is likely to have a very significant impact on future generations of physicists.

This book presents the results of a European-Chinese collaborative research project, Manipulation of Reynolds Stress for Separation Control and Drag Reduction (MARS), including an analysis and discussion of the effects of a number of active flow control devices on the discrete dynamic components of the turbulent shear layers and Reynolds stress. From an application point of view, it provides a positive and necessary step to control individual structures that are larger in scale and lower in frequency compared to the richness of the temporal and spatial scales in turbulent separated flows.

This book presents a collection of essays that explore the life and works of Tatjana Afanassjewa (1876-1964), a Russian-Dutch physicist-mathematician. Readers will discover a scientist whose work on the foundations of thermodynamics significantly influenced the field itself as well as the philosophy of physics. This book highlights the philosophical consequences of her work in physics and mathematics and discusses historical aspects of her writings on the foundations of physics. In addition, it features English translations and critical reviews of key selections from her texts. First and foremost, the book highlights the numerous contributions that Afanassjewa made to the field. In particular, the authors examine her work on the foundations of thermodynamics and statistical physics, starting in the 1920s and extending to 1956, well after the untimely death of her husband in 1933. They also explore her almost entirely forgotten work on the didactics of mathematics. In addition, they discuss her influential collaboration with her husband, the Austrian physicist Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933). The portrait that emerges is that of a highly original physicist and mathematician, whose legacy continues to influence scientists and philosophers today and whose lesser-known works deserve more attention than they have received. Readers will find a rich body of work that continues to this day to yield insights into the foundations of physics and mathematics.

This thesis demonstrates a technology that enables pipetting-free high-throughput screening (HTS) on a miniaturized platform, eliminating the need for thousands of one-by-one pipetting and conventional liquid handling systems. This platform enhances accessibility to HTS and enables HTS to be used in small-to-medium scale laboratories. In addition, it allows large-scale combinatorial screening with a small number of valuable cells, such as patients' primary cancer cells. This technique will have a high impact for widespread use of HTS in the era of personalized medicine. In this thesis, the author firstly describes the need and concept of 'partipetting' for pipetting-free HTS platform. It is realized by the one-step pipetting and self-assembly of encoded drug-laden microparticles (DLPs) on the microwells. Next, the technical implementations required for the platform demonstration are described. It includes preparation of encoded DLPs, plastic chip fabrication, and realization of automated system. Lastly, screening of sequential drug combinations using this platform is demonstrated. This shows the potential of the proposed technology for various applications.

This is an overview of single molecule physics, the study of both equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties at the single molecule level. It begins with an introduction to this fascinating science and includes a chapter on how to build the most popular instrument for single molecule biophysics, the total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope. It concludes with the Poisson process approach to statistical mechanics, explaining how to relate the process to diverse areas and see how data analysis and error bars are integral parts of science.

This book examines the origins and dynamical characteristics of atmospheric inertia-gravity waves in the Antarctic mesosphere. Gravity waves are relatively small-scale atmospheric waves with a restoring force of buoyancy that can transport momentum upward from the troposphere to the middle atmosphere. In previous studies, the dynamical characteristics of mesospheric gravity waves have not been fully examined using numerical simulations, since performing a numerical simulation with a high resolution and a high model-top requires considerable computational power. However, recent advances in computational capabilities have allowed us to perform numerical simulations using atmospheric general circulation models, which cover the troposphere to the mesosphere with a sufficiently fine horizontal resolution to resolve small-scale gravity waves. The book first describes the simulation of mesospheric gravity waves using a high-resolution non-hydrostatic atmospheric model with a high model top. The accuracy of the numerical results was confirmed by the first Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere/Incoherent Scattering (MST/IS) radar observation in the Antarctic. It also depicts the origins and propagation processes of mesospheric gravity waves on the basis of the results of the high-resolution numerical model. The behaviors of mesospheric gravity waves can be clearly explained using both fundamental and cutting-edge theories of fluid dynamics