Books Abrams, Nancy to Axtell, Robert

Abrams, Nancy

The view from the center of the universe

Fourth Estate, 2006

ISBN: 0007193521

Mentioned in

Full Review

Co-author

Primack,Joel R

The Copernican Universe demoted us from a central position and every new discovery seems to highlight our insignificance. Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams think that this process has gone too far. In The view from the center of the universe they show how it is due to an out-of-date mindset, and that recent discoveries rather emphasise our importance in the universe. For instance the fact that 99.5% of the universe seems to consist of either mysterious dark energy or of matter that we can't see doesn't relegate us to the sidelines - it shows that we are in the important bit. Continued..

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Acheson, David

1089 and all that	Oxford University Press, 2002	ISBN: 0198516231
Mathematics isn't always seen as the most entertaining of subjects. In 1089 and all that:A journey into mathematics, David Acheson tries to change that perception. He gives a lighthearted introduction to geometry, algebra and calculus, and goes on to look at the numbers π, e and i. There are chapters on oscillating strings, infinite series and 'the secret of all life'. He also considers chaos theory, soap bubbles, and his own version of the Indian rope trick. There are also has plenty of amusing cartoons - it's really quite impressive how much is packed into this small book. Continued..

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From Calculus to Chaos	Oxford University Press, 1997	ISBN: 0198502575
The aim of David Acheson's book: From Calculus to Chaos:An Indroduction to Dynamics is to make the mathematics of dynamical systems available to a wider audience than those choose to study it at university. Continued..

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Aczel, Amir

God's Equation

Oxford University Press

ISBN: 0385334850

Mentioned in

Cosmic horizons

Modern cosmology is a fascinating area, with a constant stream of new discoveries about the universe. However, to have more than a superficial knowledge of the subject requires some acquaintance with Einstein's equation from general relativity, which can be intimidating for the newcomer to the subject. In this book Amir Aczel provides an accessible introduction to the consequences of this equation. This is mostly via biographical details of Einstein's life, but also involving the other major players in the field, including experimental test of GR and earlier work done on non-euclidean geometry. The later chapters get on to the recent work on the accelerating expansion of the Universe, and how this is related to Einstein's 'greatest blunder', that is the cosmological constant term of his field equations. Continued..

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The mystery of the aleph	4 Walls 8 Windows, 2000	ISBN: 156858105X
Infinity has been a source of much confusion over the ages. In The mystery of the aleph Amir Aczel traces our gradual acceptance of the concept. He starts with the ideas of Zeno and Pythagoras and goes on to consider the Jewish mystical system known as the Kabbalah. He shows how Galileo began to take infinity seriously, accepting actual as well as potential infinities. Aczel then moves on to the nineteenth century, when infinitesimals were put on a firmer footing, but most importantly of all he describes the life of Georg Cantor, and his work on transfinite set theory. The last few chapters look at later developments of this theory, and in particular the work of Kurt Gödel. Continued..

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Fermat's Last Theorem

Penguin Books, 1996

ISBN: 0140267085

Mentioned in

fermat undecidable

Andrew Wiles has now proved Fermat's Last Theorem, but to most of us it's still as much of a mystery as it ever was. In Fermat's Last Theorem Amir Aczel gives us the background to this proof, describing the evolution of the mathematics involved, and the stories of mathematicians who have tried in the past to prove it but failed. Several convinced themselves that they had cracked it, only to have a fatal flaw discovered in their proof. The book is written in a non-technical way, with hardly any mathematical notation, and so it will appeal to the non-mathematical reader who wants to find out what all the fuss was about. Continued..

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Entanglement - the greatest mystery in physics

Wiley, 2002

ISBN: 0470850469

Mentioned in

Local Realism

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Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the triumph of science	Washington Square press	ISBN: 0743464796
Leon Foucault is well known today for his use of a pendulum to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. In this book Aczel gives more details of his life such as his early work in photography. We hear how Foucault was resposible for the development of quite a few scientific instruments - I hadn't realised that as well as his pendulum, he was also invented the gyroscope. In France in the 19th century, science recieved considerable state support - official scientists had high status, and Aczel emphasises the problems of an outsider like Foucault. However, many biographers present a similar story for their subjects, and since Foucault had the support of Napoleon III for a significant amount of his work, many people might consider him fortunate in that respect. Continued..

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The Artist and the mathematician	High Stakes, 2006	ISBN: 9781843440390
The Artist and the Mathematician: The Story of Nicolas Bourbaki, the Genius Mathematician Who Never Existed . Amir Aczel's book has a strange title, but then the story of Bourbaki is rather strange. Originally a joke, the Bourbaki name became a focus for updating the syllabus of mathematics in French universities, and eventually grew into a huge project to rewrite mathematics from the bottom up. As such it had great influence in the mathematical world, bringing a new sense of rigor to the way mathematics is done, as well as leading to initiatives such as New Math in the USA. Continued..

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Adamatzky, Andrew

Collision-based computing	Springer, 2002	ISBN: 1852335408
Today's computers might seem fast, but their architecture requires that data has a chance to settle down before it is used. If the data could be kept on the move all of the time then they could be even faster. But to do that you need a different way of doing things, such as nonlinear optical devices. That was the sort of thing I expected from Andrew Adamatzky's book, together with such subjects as the thermodynamics of computation and digital models of physics. Unfortunately I found that most of the papers were about cellular automata, such as Conway's 'Game of Life'. Now this is an interesting topic research area, and the end results, when displayed on a computer can be fascinating , but I can't say that I really want to know the details of the models - I tended just to look at the pictures. Continued..

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Adams, Fred

Origins of Existence	Simon & Schuster, 2002	ISBN: 0743212622
When we ponder upon our existence, we see that a lot of things had to happen for us to be here. In 'Origins of Existence', Fred Adams follows this process through from the beginning of time. He starts by looking at the laws of physics, and then at the origin of the universe. This is followed by chapters on the formation of galaxies, stars and planets, and this leads on to a look at the origin of life. The final chapter examines how the laws of the universe seem to be fine-tuned to allow for the development of living beings. Continued..

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The Five Ages of the Universe

Free Press, 1999

ISBN: 0684854228

Co-author

Laughlin,Greg

The universe might seem to have been around for a very long time, but in The Five Ages of the Universe Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin show that it might be considered to still be in its early stages. They divide the life of the universe into five eras, starting with the primordial era - the 100000 years following the big bang. Then comes the stelliferous era , which is the one we live in. This is followed by the degenerate era, the black hole era, and finally, when all of the black holes have evaporated, by the dark era. Continued..

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Adkins, C.J.

Equilibrium thermodynamics

Cambridge University Press, 1968

ISBN: 0521274567

Mentioned in

Absolute zero

Thermodynamics was originally a macroscopic theory with the microscopic explanation coming later. In 'Equilibrium Thermodynamics' C.J. Adkins presents the subject from the macroscopic point of view. (Philosophically one might want to do this to separate out the two viewpoints, but that isn't really a motivation for this book) His idea is that this is the best way to introduce the subject to the student. I can't say that I agree with that, but it does mean that he can pack a large amount of material into a small book, so if your main interest is in the applications of thermodynamics then you may find this book worth studying. Continued..

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Aleksander, Igor

Impossible Minds	Imperial College Press, 1996	ISBN: 1860940366
Philosophers have argued about the nature of consciousness for many centuries. In Impossible Minds Igor Aleksander looks at the question of whether a machine can be conscious, and more generally, what experiments with machine consciousness might tell us about the human variety. Aleksander describes the work he has been doing in trying to model consciousness, describing the features he thinks a conscious being will have and how he has included these in his neural network Magnus. But the book isn't just a description of the author's work, it also discusses the ideas about consciousness which people have put forward through the centuries. Thus it would suit anyone looking for a general overview of the nature of consciousness and the question of whether a machine can possess it. Continued..

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Al-Khalili, Jim

Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines

Institute of Physics

ISBN: 0750305606

Mentioned in

stretchy space

Black Holes

Wormholes

This book is created from a series of lectures that Jim Al-Khalili gave to teenage schoolchildren. As such it is entirely non-technical, but succeeds very well in linking the science of the theory of relativity with sci-fi concepts such as wormholes and time travel. It also includes an introduction to cosmology and a discussion of the philosophy of time. I would recommend it to any reader wanting a gentle introduction to these subjects or to more advanced readers who will enjoy it as a little light reading. Continued..

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Albert, David Z

Time and Chance	Harvard University Press, 2000	ISBN: 0674011325
Why time goes in one direction only is a question which has puzzled many people, but especially philosophers of science. In 'Time and Chance', David Z Albert examines how thermodynamics fits in with the direction of time, and shows the fallacies in arguments which have tried to deduce the arrow of time from thermodynamic behaviour. He writes with a conversational, and sometimes confrontational style, which makes a refreshing change from some works in the philosophy of science. The book does not require a great deal of prior knowledge, since the necessary thermodynamics and statistical mechanics are introduced in the first few chapters, with plenty of helpful diagrams. Thus Albert explains the problems with the idea that the universe began as a chance event - if you think it did then you are led to believe that only your immediate surroundings arose, and that happened only a few seconds ago, with your past memories happening by chance. Continued..

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Aldridge, Susan

The Thread of Life	Cambridge University Press, 1996	ISBN: 0521465247
Nowadays any mention of genetic engineering is likely to provoke a noticeable reaction, either in favour or against. In The Thread of Life: The Story of Genes and Genetic Engineering, Susan Aldridge gives an easy to read overview of this subject. The book was written over 10 years ago, before the debate became so polarised, and it's interesting to see how Aldridge is essentially in favour of genetic engineering, but still warns about the potential dangers. The first part of the book looks at DNA - its discovery, its action in the cell, the sequencing of DNA and the role of DNA in evolution. Continued..

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Aleksander, Igor

How to build a mind

Columbia University Press

ISBN: 0231120133

Mentioned in

Consciousness

A speculation of the possibility of creating machines with a human-like mind.

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Allen, Robin

Feynman Lectures on Computation

Penguin Books, 1996

ISBN: 0140284516

Mentioned in

quantum computing

Co-authors

Feynman,Richard

Hey,Tony

Feynman Lectures on Computation is based on a series of lectures given by Richard Feynman in the early 1980's. Note that it isn't a comprehensive look at computer science in the model of his Lectures on physics. Its more like 'A physicist looks at computation'. Rather than taking the 'black box' view of computers, Feynman clearly wants to know whats in those boxes and how it works. So whilst you might think that the lectures in this book would be out of date, I would say that they still contains much of interest, which is presented in Feynman's usual (reasonably) easy to read style. Continued..

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Allport, Susan

The queen of fats	University of California Press, 2006	ISBN: 9780520242821
Eating too much fat is bad for you. But maybe it's the type of fat which makes a difference - saturated, unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and then there's good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. And now there's Ω₃ and Ω₆. If you find all of this confusing then you're not the only one. In The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them Susan Allport helps to sort things out. Continued..

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Amos, Martyn

Genesis Machines	Atlantic Books, 2006	ISBN: 1843542242
Nanotechnology is seen as likely to be a significant presence in the future, and one way to implement it may be to use a technology that's been around for billions of years -that of life, and in particular of DNA. In Genesis Machines, Martyn Amos tells of the recent research into the possibilities of biological computers, explaining how experiments can be done which select a piece of DNA from billions within a test-tube, thus effectively implementing a massively parallel computer. Amos then goes on to describe how research has moved away from trying to compete with electronic computers, towards using biological computations within a biological context. Continued..

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Andryushin, E A

Superconductivity

World Scientific, 2004

ISBN: 981238913X

Mentioned in

Absolute zero

Co-author

Ginzburg,V L

Superconductivity is a counterintuitive phenomenon, and although it has been known about for nearly a century, the reasons for it happening can seem somewhat obscure. In this short book Ginzburg and Andryushin explain the subject in easy to follow way, but without oversimplifying things too much, and I found that it clarified several things in my mind concerning superconductivity and the Meissner effect. No prior experience of the subject is required to read the book, although it would be helpful for the reader to have some background scientific knowledge. The text is easy to read, although sometimes a sentence seems a bit stilted. I would recommend the book to readers who have read a little about superconductivity and would like to find out more about the subject without getting into technicalities. Continued..

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Angier, Natalie

The Canon: The Beautiful Basics of Science	Faber & Faber, 2007	ISBN: 9780571239719
It has long been a cause of concern that many otherwise well educated people have a very poor grasp of the basics of science. Well Natalie Angier has done something about this. In The Canon: The Beautiful Basics of Science, she provides an introduction to science for such people - in her own unique style. Continued..

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Appleyard, Bryan

How to Live Forever or Die Trying	Simon & Schuster, 2007	ISBN: 0743268687
Death is something which has been thought of as a prime example of inevitability. But now it begins to look as if death may not be as certain as it seems. How to Live Forever or Die Trying: On the New Immortality takes a look at the people and research which is leading to this change. Bryan Appleyard has visited several of the organisations dedicated to the quest to conquer death. There are quite a few such organisations, including some which will freeze your body on the basis that you can be revived when we have found out how to banish death. Appleyard has also interviewed many people, both those who are involved in this quest, and those who oppose it. Continued..

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Atkins, Peter W

Galileo's Finger	Oxford University Press, 2003	ISBN: 0716760061
In Galileo's Finger: The 10 Great Ideas of Science Peter W Atkins devotes a chapter to each of Evolution, DNA, Energy, Entropy, Atoms, Symmetry, Quanta, Cosmology, Spacetime, and Arithmetic. The book is written so that the chapters can be read individually if desired. Each chapter takes a look at the historical development and describes of some of the important concepts of the subject. The book gives a wide view of each subject rather than reporting the latest results, but it does help the reader to get an understanding of some difficult concepts, such as String theory, General relativity and Gödel's incompleteness theorem. Continued..

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The second law

Scientific American Books

ISBN: 071675004X

Mentioned in

Absolute zero

Thermodynamics is often considered to be a difficult subject. Vague talk of 'disorder' doesn't help much in describing what is going on. 'The Second Law' avoids such philosophising, instead it gives a straightforward, non-mathematical introduction to the subject, with a large number of pictures to help. The workings of steam engines and refrigerators are explained, with diagrams relating what is happening on macroscopic and microscopic scales, which is central to understanding this subject. Atkins also shows the important role of thermodynamics in chemical and biological processes. If the word 'thermodynamics' brings you out in a cold sweat then I would say that this book is for you. Continued..

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Four Laws that drive the Universe	Oxford University Press, 2007	ISBN: 9870199232369
If you try to learn about thermodynamics then you might find yourself getting bogged down in the mathematics and the terminology. If so then you should consider reading Four Laws that drive the Universe in which P W Atkins gives a non-technical introduction to the subject.. In case you thought there were just 3, well Atkins starts with the Zeroth Law, which allows the concept of temperature. He then introduces the First law (conservation of energy) and the Second law which C P Snow said ought to be understood by any educated person. Continued..

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Axtell, Robert

Growing artificial societies

MIT Press, 1996

ISBN: 0262550253

Co-author

Epstein,Joshua M

Doing experiments in the social sciences isn't easy - you can hardly meddle with a society just to see what happens. But it's possible to create computer models of societies, to see which features lead to realistic societies. This is what Joshua M. Epstein and Robert Axtell have done with their Sugarscape model, and Growing Artificial Societies is a report of some of the things they have observed. The model starts with a landscape in which sugar grows, with agents who roam about collecting sugar which they need to live. Even with such a simple model is it possible to see featues such as migration and uneven wealth distribution. Continued..

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