From Newton to Mandelbrot: A Primer in Theoretical Physics with Fractals for the Personal Computer

ISBN-13: 9783540565895 / Angielski / Miękka / 1995 / 211 str.

Dietrich Stauffer; H. Eugene Stanley; D. Stauffer

Opis

From Newton to Mandelbrot takes the student on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, and, the most modern and exciting of all, the physics of fractals. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, and short computer programs, numerous problems, and beautiful color illustrations round off this unusual textbook. Ideally suited for a one-year course in theoretical physics it will also prove useful in preparing and revising for exams. This edition is corrected and includes a new appendix on elementary particle physics, answers to all short questions, and a diskette where a selection of executable programs exploring the fractal concept can be found.

Spis treści

1. Mechanics.- 2. Electricity and Magnetism.- 3. Quantum Mechanics.- 4. Statistical Physics.- 5. Fractals in Theoretical Physics.- Appendix: Elementary Particles.- A.1 Basic Facts and Other Lies.- A.1.1 Particles.- A.1.2 Forces.- A.2 Quantum Field Theory of Elementary Particles.- A.2.1 Quantum and Thermal Fluctuations.- A.2.2 Simulations at T = 0.- A.2.3 Simulations in the TeraKelvin Region.- Questions.- Answers to Questions.- Further Reading.- Name and Subject Index.

Blurb

"From Newton to Mandelbrot. A Primer in Theoretical Physics with Fractals for the Personal Computer" takes the student on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, and, the most modern and exciting of all, the physics of fractals. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, and short computer programs, numerous problems, and beautiful color illustrations round off this unusual textbook. Ideally suited for a one-year course in theoretical physics it will also prove useful in preparing and revising for exams. This edition is corrected and includes a new appendix on elementary particle physics, answers to all short questions and a MS-DOS diskette where a selection of executable programs exploring the fractal concept can be found. The Diskette The programs included on a 3 1/2" MS-DOS diskette runs on any IBM or compatible computer. System requirements: EGA or VGA graphics card, 16 colors and 1 MB RAM, MS-DOS 3.30 or higher; 386 processor or higher: - Fractal coastline - Gasket - Forest fire - Aggregation - Diffusion-limited aggregation