the unity of natural phenomena

the unity of natural phenomena  PDF Author: m. emile saigey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Understanding Natural Phenomena

Understanding Natural Phenomena PDF Author: Vinod Wadhawan
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781548527938
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 586

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Book Description
'This book is epic in the sense that it covers so much ground that one is left somewhat dizzy. And yet, it all makes sense once one realizes how it is possible for something that is complex, for example a flower, to evolve via natural processes from humble beginnings. After all, starting with single-cell creatures such as amoebae we follow a complicated but rational evolutionary path to arrive at the most complex organizations that we know of - ourselves. So, if you follow the logic of this book, starting with the basic concepts of thermodynamics, symmetry, quantum theory and so on, you will be treated to many many thought-provoking ideas, which will likely challenge your own preconceptions and leave you thirsting for more.' (From the foreword by Prof. A. M. Glazer, University of Oxford) Science is all about trying to understand natural phenomena under the strict discipline imposed by the celebrated scientific method. Practically all the systems we encounter in Nature are dynamical systems, meaning that they evolve with time. Among them there are the 'simple' or 'simplifiable' systems, which can be handled by traditional, reductionistic science; and then there are 'complex' systems, for which nonreductionistic approaches have to be attempted for understanding their evolution. In this book the author makes a case that a good way to understand a large number of natural phenomena, both simple and complex, is to focus on their self-organization and emergence aspects. Self-organization and emergence are rampant in Nature and, given enough time, their cumulative effects can be so mind-boggling that many people have great difficulty believing that there is no designer involved in the emergence of all the structure and order we see around us. But it is really quite simple to understand how and why we get so much 'order for free'. It all happens because, as ordained by the infallible second law of thermodynamics, all 'thermodynamically open' systems in our ever-expanding and cooling (and therefore gradient-creating) universe constantly tend to move towards equilibrium and stability, often ending up in ordered configurations. In other words, order emerges because Nature tends to find efficient ways to annul gradients of all types. This book will help you acquire a good understanding of the essential features of many natural phenomena, via the complexity-science route. It has four parts: (1) Complexity Basics; (2) Pre-Human Evolution of Complexity; (3) Humans and the Evolution of Complexity; and (4) Appendices. The author gives centrestage to the second law of thermodynamics for 'open' systems, which he describes as 'the mother of all organizing principles'. He also highlights a somewhat unconventional statement of this law: 'Nature abhors gradients'. The book is written at two levels, one of which hardly uses any mathematical equations; the mathematical treatment of some relevant topics has been pushed to the last part of the book, in the form of ten appendices. Therefore the book should be accessible to a large readership. It is a general-science book written in a reader-friendly language, but without any dumbing down of the narrative.

Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena

Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena PDF Author: William R. Corliss
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 560

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Book Description
A comprehensive collection of reliable eye-witness accounts of unusual natural phenomena.

The Field Guide to Natural Wonders

The Field Guide to Natural Wonders PDF Author: Keith C. Heidorn
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408132699
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
From optical phenomena, such as rainbows and light pillars, to celestial phenomena like eclipses and the aurora borealis, this title explores a wide range of rare natural events, describing each one in detail and explaining the science behind them in simple, non-technical terms.

Knowledge and Wonder, the Natural World as Man Knows it

Knowledge and Wonder, the Natural World as Man Knows it PDF Author: Victor Frederick Weisskopf
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
ISBN: 9780262230988
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Written expressly for the general reader and beginning science student, the book describes our present scientific understanding of natural phenomena and the universality of that understanding and its human significance.

Mathematical Understanding of Nature

Mathematical Understanding of Nature PDF Author: Vladimir Igorevich Arnolʹd
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 1470418894
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
"This collection of 39 short stories gives the reader a unique opportunity to take a look at the scientific philosophy of Vladimir Arnold, one of the most original contemporary researchers. Topics of the stories included range from astronomy, to mirages, to motion of glaciers, to geometry of mirrors and beyond. In each case Arnold's explanation is both deep and simple, which makes the book interesting and accessible to an extremely broad readership. Original illustrations hand drawn by the author help the reader to further understand and appreciate Arnold's view on the relationship between mathematics and science."--

The Unity of Natural Phenomena

The Unity of Natural Phenomena PDF Author: Émile Saigey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Force and energy
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Taking Science to School

Taking Science to School PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309133831
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
What is science for a child? How do children learn about science and how to do science? Drawing on a vast array of work from neuroscience to classroom observation, Taking Science to School provides a comprehensive picture of what we know about teaching and learning science from kindergarten through eighth grade. By looking at a broad range of questions, this book provides a basic foundation for guiding science teaching and supporting students in their learning. Taking Science to School answers such questions as: When do children begin to learn about science? Are there critical stages in a child's development of such scientific concepts as mass or animate objects? What role does nonschool learning play in children's knowledge of science? How can science education capitalize on children's natural curiosity? What are the best tasks for books, lectures, and hands-on learning? How can teachers be taught to teach science? The book also provides a detailed examination of how we know what we know about children's learning of scienceâ€"about the role of research and evidence. This book will be an essential resource for everyone involved in K-8 science educationâ€"teachers, principals, boards of education, teacher education providers and accreditors, education researchers, federal education agencies, and state and federal policy makers. It will also be a useful guide for parents and others interested in how children learn.

Reproducibility and Replicability in Science

Reproducibility and Replicability in Science PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309486165
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
One of the pathways by which the scientific community confirms the validity of a new scientific discovery is by repeating the research that produced it. When a scientific effort fails to independently confirm the computations or results of a previous study, some fear that it may be a symptom of a lack of rigor in science, while others argue that such an observed inconsistency can be an important precursor to new discovery. Concerns about reproducibility and replicability have been expressed in both scientific and popular media. As these concerns came to light, Congress requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conduct a study to assess the extent of issues related to reproducibility and replicability and to offer recommendations for improving rigor and transparency in scientific research. Reproducibility and Replicability in Science defines reproducibility and replicability and examines the factors that may lead to non-reproducibility and non-replicability in research. Unlike the typical expectation of reproducibility between two computations, expectations about replicability are more nuanced, and in some cases a lack of replicability can aid the process of scientific discovery. This report provides recommendations to researchers, academic institutions, journals, and funders on steps they can take to improve reproducibility and replicability in science.

Critical Phenomena in Natural Sciences

Critical Phenomena in Natural Sciences PDF Author: Didier Sornette
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540331824
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
Concepts, methods and techniques of statistical physics in the study of correlated, as well as uncorrelated, phenomena are being applied ever increasingly in the natural sciences, biology and economics in an attempt to understand and model the large variability and risks of phenomena. This is the first textbook written by a well-known expert that provides a modern up-to-date introduction for workers outside statistical physics.

The Unity of Natural Phenomena

The Unity of Natural Phenomena PDF Author: Emile Saigey
Publisher: Scholarly Pub Office Univ of
ISBN: 9781425524487
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description