A Random Walk in Physics

A Random Walk in Physics PDF Author: Massimo Cencini
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030725316
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
This book offers an informal, easy-to-understand account of topics in modern physics and mathematics. The focus is, in particular, on statistical mechanics, soft matter, probability, chaos, complexity, and models, as well as their interplay. The book features 28 key entries and it is carefully structured so as to allow readers to pursue different paths that reflect their interests and priorities, thereby avoiding an excessively systematic presentation that might stifle interest. While the majority of the entries concern specific topics and arguments, some relate to important protagonists of science, highlighting and explaining their contributions. Advanced mathematics is avoided, and formulas are introduced in only a few cases. The book is a user-friendly tool that nevertheless avoids scientific compromise. It is of interest to all who seek a better grasp of the world that surrounds us and of the ideas that have changed our perceptions.

A Random Walk in Physics

A Random Walk in Physics PDF Author: Massimo Cencini
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030725316
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Get Book

Book Description
This book offers an informal, easy-to-understand account of topics in modern physics and mathematics. The focus is, in particular, on statistical mechanics, soft matter, probability, chaos, complexity, and models, as well as their interplay. The book features 28 key entries and it is carefully structured so as to allow readers to pursue different paths that reflect their interests and priorities, thereby avoiding an excessively systematic presentation that might stifle interest. While the majority of the entries concern specific topics and arguments, some relate to important protagonists of science, highlighting and explaining their contributions. Advanced mathematics is avoided, and formulas are introduced in only a few cases. The book is a user-friendly tool that nevertheless avoids scientific compromise. It is of interest to all who seek a better grasp of the world that surrounds us and of the ideas that have changed our perceptions.

Random Walk: A Modern Introduction

Random Walk: A Modern Introduction PDF Author: Gregory F. Lawler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521519182
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
Random walks are stochastic processes formed by successive summation of independent, identically distributed random variables and are one of the most studied topics in probability theory. This contemporary introduction evolved from courses taught at Cornell University and the University of Chicago by the first author, who is one of the most highly regarded researchers in the field of stochastic processes. This text meets the need for a modern reference to the detailed properties of an important class of random walks on the integer lattice. It is suitable for probabilists, mathematicians working in related fields, and for researchers in other disciplines who use random walks in modeling.

More Random Walks in Science

More Random Walks in Science PDF Author: R.L. Weber
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351430130
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
More Random Walks in Science is an anthology of fascinating and frequently amusing anecdotes, quotations, illustrations, articles, and reviews that reflect the more lighthearted aspects of the scientific world and the less serious excursions of the scientific mind. The book is guaranteed to delight anyone who has a professional or amateur interest in science.

Random Walks, Critical Phenomena, and Triviality in Quantum Field Theory

Random Walks, Critical Phenomena, and Triviality in Quantum Field Theory PDF Author: Roberto Fernandez
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662028662
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Book Description
Simple random walks - or equivalently, sums of independent random vari ables - have long been a standard topic of probability theory and mathemat ical physics. In the 1950s, non-Markovian random-walk models, such as the self-avoiding walk,were introduced into theoretical polymer physics, and gradu ally came to serve as a paradigm for the general theory of critical phenomena. In the past decade, random-walk expansions have evolved into an important tool for the rigorous analysis of critical phenomena in classical spin systems and of the continuum limit in quantum field theory. Among the results obtained by random-walk methods are the proof of triviality of the cp4 quantum field theo ryin space-time dimension d (::::) 4, and the proof of mean-field critical behavior for cp4 and Ising models in space dimension d (::::) 4. The principal goal of the present monograph is to present a detailed review of these developments. It is supplemented by a brief excursion to the theory of random surfaces and various applications thereof. This book has grown out of research carried out by the authors mainly from 1982 until the middle of 1985. Our original intention was to write a research paper. However, the writing of such a paper turned out to be a very slow process, partly because of our geographical separation, partly because each of us was involved in other projects that may have appeared more urgent.

Elements of the Random Walk

Elements of the Random Walk PDF Author: Joseph Rudnick
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781139450140
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Random walks have proven to be a useful model in understanding processes across a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines. Elements of the Random Walk is an introduction to some of the most powerful and general techniques used in the application of these ideas. The mathematical construct that runs through the analysis of the topics covered in this book, unifying the mathematical treatment, is the generating function. Although the reader is introduced to analytical tools, such as path-integrals and field-theoretical formalism, the book is self-contained in that basic concepts are developed and relevant fundamental findings fully discussed. Mathematical background is provided in supplements at the end of each chapter, when appropriate. This text will appeal to graduate students across science, engineering and mathematics who need to understand the applications of random walk techniques, as well as to established researchers.

Intersections of Random Walks

Intersections of Random Walks PDF Author: Gregory F. Lawler
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461459729
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
A central study in Probability Theory is the behavior of fluctuation phenomena of partial sums of different types of random variable. One of the most useful concepts for this purpose is that of the random walk which has applications in many areas, particularly in statistical physics and statistical chemistry. Originally published in 1991, Intersections of Random Walks focuses on and explores a number of problems dealing primarily with the nonintersection of random walks and the self-avoiding walk. Many of these problems arise in studying statistical physics and other critical phenomena. Topics include: discrete harmonic measure, including an introduction to diffusion limited aggregation (DLA); the probability that independent random walks do not intersect; and properties of walks without self-intersections. The present softcover reprint includes corrections and addenda from the 1996 printing, and makes this classic monograph available to a wider audience. With a self-contained introduction to the properties of simple random walks, and an emphasis on rigorous results, the book will be useful to researchers in probability and statistical physics and to graduate students interested in basic properties of random walks.

First Steps in Random Walks

First Steps in Random Walks PDF Author: J. Klafter
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 019155295X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
The name "random walk" for a problem of a displacement of a point in a sequence of independent random steps was coined by Karl Pearson in 1905 in a question posed to readers of "Nature". The same year, a similar problem was formulated by Albert Einstein in one of his Annus Mirabilis works. Even earlier such a problem was posed by Louis Bachelier in his thesis devoted to the theory of financial speculations in 1900. Nowadays the theory of random walks has proved useful in physics and chemistry (diffusion, reactions, mixing flows), economics, biology (from animal spread to motion of subcellular structures) and in many other disciplines. The random walk approach serves not only as a model of simple diffusion but of many complex sub- and super-diffusive transport processes as well. This book discusses the main variants of random walks and gives the most important mathematical tools for their theoretical description.

Two-Dimensional Random Walk

Two-Dimensional Random Walk PDF Author: Serguei Popov
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108472451
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
A visual, intuitive introduction in the form of a tour with side-quests, using direct probabilistic insight rather than technical tools.

Statistical Mechanics and Random Walks

Statistical Mechanics and Random Walks PDF Author: Abram Skogseid
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781614709664
Category : Engineering mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In this book, the authors gather and present topical research in the study of statistical mechanics and random walk principles and applications. Topics discussed in this compilation include the application of stochastic approaches to modelling suspension flow in porous media; subordinated Gaussian processes; random walk models in biophysical science; non-equilibrium dynamics and diffusion processes; global random walk algorithm for diffusion processes and application of random walks for the analysis of graphs, musical composition and language phylogeny.

Aspects and Applications of the Random Walk

Aspects and Applications of the Random Walk PDF Author: George Herbert Weiss
Publisher: Elsevier Science & Technology
ISBN:
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
Paperback. Both the formalism and many of the attendant ideas related to the random walk lie at the core of a significant fraction of contemporary research in statistical physics. In the language of physics the random walk can be described as a microscopic model for transport processes which have some element of randomness. The starting point of nearly all analyses of transport in disordered media is to be found in one or another type of random walk model. Mathematical formalism based on the theory of random walks is not only pervasive in a number of areas of physics, but also finds application in many areas of chemistry. The random walk has also been applied to the study of a number of biological phenomena.Despite the obvious importance of random walks in these and other applications there are few books devoted to the subject. This is therefore a timely introduction to the subject which will be welcomed by students and more senior researchers who have