Our world is composed of systems within systems-the machines we build, the information we share, the organizations we form, and elements of nature that surround us. Therefore, nearly every field of study and practice embodies behaviors stemming from system dynamics. Yet the study of systems has remained somewhat fragmented based on philosophies, methodologies, and intentions. Many methodologies for analyzing complex systems extend far beyond the traditional framework of deduction evaluation and may, thus, appear mysterious to the uninitiated. This book seeks to dispel the mysteries of systems analysis by holistically explaining the philosophies, methodologies, and intentions in the context of understanding how all types of systems in our world form and how these systems break. This presentation is made at the level of conceptual understanding, with plenty of figures but no mathematical formulas, for the beginning student and interested readers new to studying systems. Through the conceptual understanding provided, students are given a powerful capability to see the hidden behaviors and unexplained consequences in the world around us.

The need for tsunami research and analysis has grown dramatically following the devastating tsunami of December 2004, which affected Southern Asia. This book pursues a detailed theoretical and mathematical analysis of the fundamentals of tsunamis, especially the evolution and dynamics of tsunamis and other great waves. Of course, it includes specific measurement results from the 2004 tsunami, but the emphasis is on the nature of the waves themselves and their links to nonlinear phenomena.

From the reviews: "The book is excellent, and covers a very broad area (usually treated as separate topics) from a unified perspective. [ ] It will be very useful for both mathematicians and physicists." EMS Newsletter

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research and Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic and its social, political, and economic implications had confirmed that a more thorough debate on these issues and topics was needed. For this reason, the Rii Forum 2021 was devoted to the broadly defined question of the short- and long-term impact of the pandemic on our societies. This volume serves as an essential resource to understand the diverse ways in which Covid-19 impacted our societies, including the capacity to innovate, advances in technology, the evolution of the healthcare systems, business model innovation, the prospects of growth, the stability of political systems, and the future of education.

Statistical mechanics deals with systems in which chaos and randomness reign supreme. The current theory is therefore firmly based on the equations of classical mechanics and the postulates of probability theory. This volume seeks to present a unified account of classical mechanical statistics, rather than a collection of unconnected reviews on recent results. To help achieve this, one element is emphasised which integrates various parts of the prevailing theory into a coherent whole. This is the hierarchy of the BBGKY equations, which enables a relationship to be established between the Gibbs theory, the liquid theory, and the theory of nonequilibrium phenomena. As the main focus is on the complex theoretical subject matter, attention to applications is kept to a minimum. The book is divided into three parts. The first part describes the fundamentals of the theory, embracing chaos in dynamic systems and distribution functions of dynamic systems. Thermodynamic equilibrium, dealing with Gibbs statistical mechanics and the statistical mechanics of liquids, forms the second part. Lastly, the third part concentrates on kinetics, and the theory of nonequilibrium gases and liquids in particular. Audience: This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers whose work involves thermophysics, theory of surface phenomena, theory of chemical reactions, physical chemistry and biophysics.

Using examples from finance and modern warfare to the flocking of birds and the swarming of bacteria, the collected research in this volume demonstrates the common methodological approaches and tools for modeling and simulating collective behavior.

Thetopics presented point toward new and challenging frontiers of applied mathematics, making the volume a useful referencetext forapplied mathematicians, physicists, biologists, and economists involved in the modeling of socio-economic systems."

The papers collected in this volume address all aspects related to thermofluidynamic processses in Diesel engines, from basic studies aiming to obtain a better understanding of the physical processes underlying diesel engine operation, to the real day-to-day problems associated with engine development. The topics covered comprise: Air management, injection systems, spray development and air interaction, combustion and pollutant formation, emission control strategies, and new concepts.

Discover the many facets of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The first part of this book describes the current thermodynamic formalism recognized as the classical theory. The second part focuses on different approaches. Throughout the presentation, the emphasis is on problem-solving applications. To help build your understanding, some problems have been analyzed using several formalisms to underscore their differences and their similarities.

This thesis introduces readers to the Standard Model, the top quark and its properties, before explaining the concept of spin correlation measurement. The first measurement of top quark spin correlations at the LHC in the lepton+jets decay channel is presented. As the heaviest elementary particle, the top quark plays an essential role in the Standard Model of elementary particle physics. In the case of top quarks being produced in pairs at hadron colliders, the Standard Model predicts their spins to be correlated. The degree of correlation depends on both the production mechanism and properties of the top quark. Any deviation from the Standard Model prediction can be an indicator for new physics phenomena. The thesis employs an advanced top quark reconstruction algorithm including dedicated identification of the up- and down-type quarks from the W boson decay.

An updated and expanded translation of the highly popular Russian textbook, Introduction to Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory of Matter examines equilibrium and kinetic properties of matter--gas, liquid, and solid--using the general principles of thermodynamics and kinetic theory. Readable and accessible throughout, this book provides both thermodynamic and statistical points of view, covering thermodynamic potentials, such as entropy and free energy, whenever relevant.

The book takes a fresh approach to its subject matter, focusing equally on condensed matter and gases. It compares rarefied and condensed matter, classical and quantum systems, and real and ideal gases. Central to the book are intermolecular interactions, and the process by which they lead matter into a change of state. The author discusses the solid, crystalline phase, showing how it can be manipulated by lattice vibration as well as by thermal pressure. In addition, this is the only book in which the quasi-thermodynamic theory of gas/liquid interface is used for density profile calculation within the van der Waals theory of surface tension.

Another major theme investigated here is the irreversible transfer properties of matter, such as diffusion and viscosity, heat and electric conductivity. The book presents the hypothesis of "local equilibrium, " which facilitates the calculation of the fluxes of matter, heat, or charge-- comparing them and predicting the resultant density and temperature dependencies of transport coefficients. Examples from situations when local equilibrium is absent are also included.

Finally, the book covers all reversible processes subject to the principles of thermodynamics. This isespecially useful in experimental applications--optimizing the work of heat engines and pumps; providing methods for the condensation of gases into liquids; and explaining various phenomena such as phase equilibrium and transitions, surface tension, and thermal radiation.

Addressing a broad audience, and using inductive logic and many illustrations, Introduction to Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory of Matter leads the reader from basic phenomena to advanced models, and provides from the outset opportunities for experimental work in related fields of physics and physical chemistry.

This highly original book about the kinetic properties of the microparticles constituting gases, liquids, and solids--as well as light--is an updated version of a very popular Russian text. Dealing with areas of molecular physics, this edition updates all information, covering elementary statistical mechanics and kinetic theory, and expanding the Russian text to include thermodynamics.

Particularly innovative are the methods--exclusive to this book--for calculating surface structure within quasi-thermodynamics. Also unique is the comparison between rarefied and condensed matter, which is not offered in any other text.

Addressing both students and advanced researchers, the book assumes only a general math and classical mechanics background, allowing the reader to progress quickly from the introductory material to complex topics. It provides:

• Rigorous quantitative treatment of all phenomena, useful for starting experiments in related fields of physics and physical chemistry
• Comprehensive coverage of molecular and photon gases, liquids and solids-- for students and faculty in physics
• Aunique treatment of solid and liquid equations of state--for researchers in thermophysics and physical chemistry
• 150 illustrations and references on experimental data for equations of state, orthometric curves, the knots of compressibility factor isotherms, as well as liquid-gas interface
• Several of the author's own original results
• An extensive list of suggested readings for both fundamental and in-depth study

Thermal processes are ubiquitous and an understanding of thermal phenomena is essential for a complete description of the physics of nanoparticles, both for the purpose of modeling the dynamics of the particles and for the correct interpretation of experimental data.
This book has the twofold aim to present coherently the relevant results coming from the recent scientific literature and to guide the readers through the process of deriving results, enabling them to explore the limits of the mathematical approximations and test the power of the method. The book is focused on the fundamental properties of nanosystems in the gas phase. For this reason there is a strong emphasis on microcanonical physics. Each chapter is enrichedwith exercises and 3 Appendices provide additional useful materials."

For the thermodynamics course in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering department Thermodynamics: An Interactive Approach employs a layered approach that introduces the important concepts of mass, energy, and entropy early, and progressively refines them throughout the text. To create a rich learning experience for today's thermodynamics student, this book melds traditional content with the web-based resources and learning tools of TEST: The Expert System for Thermodynamics.

Con?gurational mechanics has attracted quite a bit of attention from various - search ?elds over the recent years/decades. Having been regarded in its infancy of the early years as a somewhat obscureand almost mystic ?eld of researchthat could only be understood by a happy few of insiders with a pronounced theoretical inc- nation, con?gurational mechanics has developed by now into a versatile tool that can be applied to a variety of problems. Since the seminal works of Eshelby a general notion of con?gurational - chanics has been developed and has successfully been applied to many pr- lems involving various types of defects in continuous media. The most pro- nent application is certainly the use of con?gurational forces in fracture - chanics. However, as con?gurational mechanics is related to arbitrary mat- ial inhomogeneities it has also very successfully been applied to many ma- rials science and engineering problems such as phase transitions and inelastic deformations. Also the modeling of materials with micro-structure evolution is an important ?eld, in which con?gurational mechanics can provide a better understanding of processes going on within the material. Besides these mechanically, physically, and chemically motivated applications, ideas from con?gurational mechanics are now increasingly applied within computational mechanics.

This book aims to present an information-theoretical approach to thermodynamics and its generalisations. On the one hand, it generalises the concept of information thermodynamics' to that of information dynamics' in order to stress applications outside thermal phenomena. On the other hand, it is a synthesis of the dynamics of state change and the theory of complexity, which provide a common framework to treat both physical and nonphysical systems together. Both classical and quantum systems are discussed, and two appendices are included to explain principal definitions and some important aspects of the theory of Hilbert spaces and operator algebras. The concept of higher-order temperatures is explained and applied to biological and linguistic systems. The theory of open systems is presented in a new, much more general form. Audience: This volume is intended mainly for theoretical and mathematical physicists, but also for mathematicians, experimental physicists, physical chemists, theoretical biologists, communication engineers, and all those interested in entropy and open systems. It can also be recommended as a supplementary text.

This textbook facilitates students' ability to apply fundamental principles and concepts in classical thermodynamics to solve challenging problems relevant to industry and everyday life. It also introduces the reader to the fundamentals of statistical mechanics, including understanding how the microscopic properties of atoms and molecules, and their associated intermolecular interactions, can be accounted for to calculate various average properties of macroscopic systems. The author emphasizes application of the fundamental principles outlined above to the calculation of a variety of thermodynamic properties, to the estimation of conversion efficiencies for work production by heat interactions, and to the solution of practical thermodynamic problems related to the behavior of non-ideal pure fluids and fluid mixtures, including phase equilibria and chemical reaction equilibria. The book contains detailed solutions to many challenging sample problems in classical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics that will help the reader crystallize the material taught. Class-tested and perfected over 30 years of use by nine-time Best Teaching Award recipient Professor Daniel Blankschtein of the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT, the book is ideal for students of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Materials Science, who will benefit greatly from in-depth discussions and pedagogical explanations of key concepts. Distills critical concepts, methods, and applications from leading full-length textbooks, along with the author's own deep understanding of the material taught, into a concise yet rigorous graduate and advanced undergraduate text; Enriches the standard curriculum with succinct, problem-based learning strategies derived from the content of 50 lectures given over the years in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT; Reinforces concepts covered with detailed solutions to illuminating and challenging homework problems.

This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications DYNAMICAL ISSUES IN COMBUSTION THEORY is based on the proceedings of a workshop which was an integral part of the 1989-90 IMA program on "Dynamical Systems and their Applications." The aim of this workshop was to cross-fertilize research groups working in topics of current interest in combustion dynamics and mathematical methods applicable thereto. We thank Shui-Nee Chow, Martin Golubitsky, Richard McGehee, George R. Sell, Paul Fife, Amable Liiian and Foreman Williams for organizing the meeting. We especially thank Paul Fife, Amable Liiilin and Foreman Williams for editing the proceedings. We also take this opportunity to thank those agencies whose financial support made the workshop possible: the Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Avner Friedman Willard Miller, Jr. ix PREFACE The world ofcombustion phenomena is rich in problems intriguing to the math ematical scientist. They offer challenges on several fronts: (1) modeling, which involves the elucidation of the essential features of a given phenomenon through physical insight and knowledge of experimental results, (2) devising appropriate asymptotic and computational methods, and (3) developing sound mathematical theories. Papers in the present volume, which are based on talks given at the Workshop on Dynamical Issues in Combustion Theory in November, 1989, describe how all of these challenges have been met for particular examples within a number of common combustion scenarios: reactiveshocks, low Mach number premixed reactive flow, nonpremixed phenomena, and solid propellants."

100 years after the first observation of ripening by Ostwald and 40 years after the first publication of a theory describing this process, this monograph presents, in a self-consistent and comprehensive manner, all the bits and pieces of coarsening theories so that the main issues and the underlying mathematics of self-similar coarsening of dispersed systems can be understood. It contains all of the background material necessary to understand growth and coarsening of spherical particles or droplets in a liquid or solid matrix. Some basic knowledge of heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics and differential equations would be helpful, but not necessary, as all the concepts required are introduced. The text is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as for researchers. Rather than giving a complete survey of the field, it presents a careful derivation of the existing results and places them into some perspective.

This book is the Proceedings of the First International Symposium for Science on Form. The Symposium was held on November 26 through 30, 1985 at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. It was organized by The Society for Science on Form, J::.!pan, and sponsored by the Foundation for Advancement of International Science (F AIS). The purpose of the Symposium was to discuss interdisciplinal science aspects of form. "Form", to exhibit its tremendous characters, depends on the material and the changes. But, it is the form that appears evident at once and endures. Form is absorbed from every field as media of information. Thirty years and more ago, interdisciplinal problems between earthethics and science were submitted to a symposium on Form in Nature and Art. The relation between form and function had been emphasized philosophically and psychologically. In this quarter century, information theory had exactly decided figures, electronic computer had easily calculated graphics, and laser hologram had completely contained the objective image and reconstructed it.

One of the main goals of optimal control theory is to provide a theoretical basis for choosing an appropriate controller for whatever system is under consideration by the researcher or engineer. Two popular norms that have proved useful are known as H-2 and H - infinity control. The first has been particularly applicable to problems arising in the aerospace industry. However, most industrial problems are badly modeled and the second norm proved to be more appropriate when the actual conditions of the problem did not conform to the stipulated conditions of the theory. This book takes the topic of H-infinity control as a point of departure and pursues an improved controller design which has been suggested in the mainstream of robust control. Its main theme, minimum entropy control, provides a means of trading off some of the features of other control problems. The book is aimed at research workers in networking systems as well as those in operator theory and linear multivariable control. The use of stochastic methods makes the book also of importance to the circuits and systems community. CONTENTS: Preface Introduction Preliminaries Induced Operator Norms Discrete-Time Entropy Connections With Related Optimal Control Problems Minimum Entropy Control Continuous-Time Entropy A. Proof of Theorem B. Proof of Theorem Bibliography Notation Index"

This book contains the courses given at the Fourth School on Statistical Physics and Cooperative Systems held at Santiago, Chile, from 12th to 16th December 1994. This School brings together scientists working on subjects related to recent trends in complex systems. Some of these subjects deal with dynamical systems, ergodic theory, cellular automata, symbolic and arithmetic dynamics, spatial systems, large deviation theory and neural networks. Scientists working in these subjects come from several aeras: pure and applied mathematics, non linear physics, biology, computer science, electrical engineering and artificial intelligence. Each contribution is devoted to one or more of the previous subjects. In most cases they are structured as surveys, presenting at the same time an original point of view about the topic and showing mostly new results. The expository text of Roberto Livi concerns the study of coupled map lattices (CML) as models of spatially extended dynamical systems. CML is one of the most used tools for the investigation of spatially extended systems. The paper emphasizes rigorous results about the dynamical behavior of one dimensional CML; i.e. a uniform real local function defined in the interval [0,1], interacting with its nearest neighbors in a one dimensional lattice.

This is a unique and exciting graduate and advanced undergraduate text written by a highly respected physicist who had made significant contributions to the subject. This book conveys to the reader that statistical mechanics is a growing and lively subject. It deals with many modern topics from a physics standpoint in a very physical way. Particular emphasis is given to the fundamental assumption of statistical mechanics S=1n and its logical foundation. Calculational rules are derived without resorting to abstract ensemble theory.

This book contains lectures given at the Institute for Scientific Interchange (I.S.I., Turin) in 1983 - 1984 on the exact solution of the 8-vertex and related models and extensions of the Baxter model to 3 dimensions.

This book contains lectures given at the Institute for Scientific Interchange (I.S.I., Turin) in 1983 - 1984 on the exact solution of the 8-vertex and related models and extensions of the Baxter model to 3 dimensions.

These proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Difference Equations and Applications cover a number of different aspects of difference equations and discrete dynamical systems, as well as the interplay between difference equations and dynamical systems. The conference was organized by the Department of Mathematics at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) under the auspices of the International Society of Difference Equations (ISDE) and held in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) in July 2012. Its purpose was to bring together experts and novices in these fields to discuss the latest developments. The book gathers contributions in the field of combinatorial and topological dynamics, complex dynamics, applications of difference equations to biology, chaotic linear dynamics, economic dynamics and control and asymptotic behavior, and periodicity of difference equations. As such it is of interest to researchers and scientists engaged in the theory and applications of difference equations and discrete dynamical systems.

In a certain sense this book has been twenty-five years in the writing, since I first struggled with the foundations of the subject as a graduate student. It has taken that long to develop a deep appreciation of what Gibbs was attempting to convey to us near the end of his life and to understand fully the same ideas as resurrected by E.T. Jaynes much later. Many classes of students were destined to help me sharpen these thoughts before I finally felt confident that, for me at least, the foundations of the subject had been clarified sufficiently. More than anything, this work strives to address the following questions: What is statistical mechanics? Why is this approach so extraordinarily effective in describing bulk matter in terms of its constituents? The response given here is in the form of a very definite point of view-the principle of maximum entropy (PME). There have been earlier attempts to approach the subject in this way, to be sure, reflected in the books by Tribus [Thermostat ics and Thermodynamics, Van Nostrand, 1961], Baierlein [Atoms and Information Theory, Freeman, 1971], and Hobson [Concepts in Statistical Mechanics, Gordon and Breach, 1971].