Chance and Chaos

by David Ruelle

Overview

How do scientists look at chance, or randomness, and chaos in physical systems? In answering this question for a general audience, Ruelle writes in the best French tradition: he has produced an authoritative and elegant book—a model of clarity, succinctness, and a humor bordering at times on the sardonic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691021003
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	04/25/1993
Series:	Princeton Science Library , #11
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Ruelle is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, Bures-sur-Yvette.

Editorial Reviews

A deep, thoughtful book, simply written, and a joy to read.

The Times Higher Education Supplement - Ian Stewart

The book is an excellent read, either at one gulp or as chapter-by-chapter snacks.

Nature - Robert M. May

Sets out the basics with precision, concision, and humor. . . . [Some books], perhaps the best books, are to be read for the pleasure of the author's company. Ruelle's book falls into [that] category.

The New Republic - Tony Rothman

. . . by one of the founders of the rapidly developing field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. . . . The book is a tour de force.

Natural History - Malcolm S. Longair

Step by step, Mr. Ruelle introduces concepts needed to understand the physical landscape of chance and chaos, explaining the meaning of probability, the ways of turbulent fluids, and the mathematical value of information. . . . Throughout, Chance and Chaos is spiced with the author's dry wit and unsparing judgments about scientists and science. . . . [This is] an expertly guided tour of some of the fundamental issues in the world of physics.

The New York Times Book Review - David Voss

A deep, thoughtful book, simply written, and a joy to read.
— Ian Stewart

The Times Higher Education Supplement

The book is an excellent read, either at one gulp or as chapter-by-chapter snacks.
— Robert M. May

Nature

Sets out the basics with precision, concision, and humor. . . . [Some books], perhaps the best books, are to be read for the pleasure of the author's company. Ruelle's book falls into [that] category.
— Tony Rothman

The New Republic

. . . by one of the founders of the rapidly developing field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. . . . The book is a tour de force.
— Malcolm S. Longair

Natural History

Step by step, Mr. Ruelle introduces concepts needed to understand the physical landscape of chance and chaos, explaining the meaning of probability, the ways of turbulent fluids, and the mathematical value of information. . . . Throughout, Chance and Chaos is spiced with the author's dry wit and unsparing judgments about scientists and science. . . . [This is] an expertly guided tour of some of the fundamental issues in the world of physics.
— David Voss

The New York Times Book Review

"Step by step, Mr. Ruelle introduces concepts needed to understand the physical landscape of chance and chaos, explaining the meaning of probability, the ways of turbulent fluids, and the mathematical value of information. . . . Throughout, Chance and Chaos is spiced with the author's dry wit and unsparing judgments about scientists and science. . . . [This is] an expertly guided tour of some of the fundamental issues in the world of physics."—-David Voss, The New York Times Book Review

". . . by one of the founders of the rapidly developing field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. . . . The book is a tour de force."—-Malcolm S. Longair, Natural History

"Sets out the basics with precision, concision, and humor. . . . [Some books], perhaps the best books, are to be read for the pleasure of the author's company. Ruelle's book falls into [that] category."—-Tony Rothman, The New Republic

"The book is an excellent read, either at one gulp or as chapter-by-chapter snacks."—-Robert M. May, Nature

"A deep, thoughtful book, simply written, and a joy to read."—-Ian Stewart, The Times Higher Education Supplement

From the Publisher