Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences

Book Description

Now in its third edition, Mathematical Concepts in the Physical Sciences provides a comprehensive introduction to the areas of mathematical physics. It combines all the essential math concepts into one compact, clearly written reference.

Customer Reviews:

required for class.......2007-09-25

Boas does an excellent job presenting the new mathematical material presented in this text. The general example problems are good in the fact that they show the workings and system of the new material while giving you an understanding as well. I read the section, work out the examples and then know how to do the problems. This book is required for my theoretical physics class and is worth every penny.

Great reference text.......2007-09-14

As an undergraduate physics major I'm required to take a course in math methods of physics, and Boas is the required text. Not only did I save money by purchasing online, but this book is FANTASTIC. The text itself support the arguments we cover in class, but the book knows no bounds. In my other physics and math courses I've already looked up topics and found a complete and easily understood explanations. I'm definitely not selling this one after the course is over.

Fantastic, Self-Teachable, The Best.......2007-07-27

The single best book available for a person to learn math for the sciences. I taught myself most everything in this book readily; it is incredibly well written to introduce the subject to anyone. It is also comprehensive, and very useful for any scientist. This is written as a graduate physicist, recommended to anyone who has taken Calculus II.

The only book that ties it is Glenn Fletcher's book.

An excellent book for those who need applied mathematics........2007-04-23

This is an excellent book for undergraduates in science and engineering. This book is not for mathematics majors. So anyone who complains about the proofs or lack of rigor is off target. You are not the intended audience.

I include the chapter titles below since they indicate the coveraqe of the book.

1. Infinite series, power series
2. Complex numbers
3. Linear algebra
4. Partial differentiation
5. Multiple integrals
6. Vector analysis
7. Fourier series and transforms
8. Ordinary differential equations
9. Calculus of variations
10. Tensor analysis
11. Special functions
12. Series solutions of differential equations, legendre, bessel, hermite, and laguerre functions
13. Partial differential equations
14. Functions of a complex variable
15. Probability and statistics

Enjoy!

great book.......2007-04-22

This book is great as a crash course in alot of math that appears in physics. The material is very well explained, doesnt use alot of baffeling notation, gets straight to the point, and is completely self contained. I have learned alot from this book and I reccomend it highly.

Pairs Trading: Quantitative Methods and Analysis (Wiley Finance)

Average customer rating:

Very interesting material
the only good introduction to pairs trades and high frequency finance
Covers the right stuff but poorly written
Good overview, but only just
Nice read!!

Pairs Trading: Quantitative Methods and Analysis (Wiley Finance)
Ganapathy Vidyamurthy
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Trading Pairs + CD: Capturing Profits and Hedging Risk with Statistical Arbitrage Strategies
Inside Volatility Arbitrage : The Secrets of Skewness
The Handbook of Pairs Trading : Strategies Using Equities, Options, & Futures
An Introduction to High-Frequency Finance
Market Models: A Guide to Financial Data Analysis

ASIN: 0471460672

Book Description

The first in-depth analysis of pairs trading
Pairs trading is a market-neutral strategy in its most simple form. The strategy involves being long (or bullish) one asset and short (or bearish) another. If properly performed, the investor will gain if the market rises or falls. Pairs Trading reveals the secrets of this rigorous quantitative analysis program to provide individuals and investment houses with the tools they need to successfully implement and profit from this proven trading methodology. Pairs Trading contains specific and tested formulas for identifying and investing in pairs, and answers important questions such as what ratio should be used to construct the pairs properly.
Ganapathy Vidyamurthy (Stamford, CT) is currently a quantitative software analyst and developer at a major New York City hedge fund.

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Customer Reviews:

Very interesting material.......2007-05-25

It's a good read even with the somewhat unorthodox mathematical notation. The overall concept of pairs trading is introduced well, with just enough detail to tempt the more adventurous gambler. The author appears well versed in the subject and writes well but assumes a relatively high level of mathematical maturity on the part of the reader.

the only good introduction to pairs trades and high frequency finance.......2007-04-15

When people talk about "quant" stuff, they are generally talking about two fairly distinct kinds of quant. There are the derivatives guys (options sell side & risk hedgers), and the 'statistical arbitrage' guys. This is one of the best books for a larval 'statistical arbitrage' guy. 'Statistical arbitrage' is a term referring to the techniques used by sophisticated hedge funds and trading desks to provide 'risk free' returns. I stick in the scare quotes around these phrases, because they're not really arbitrage, though they can be pretty decoupled from market returns. The techniques go well beyond just trading pairs, so the phrase, 'stat arb' is probably with us for good, even though it is often neither stat nor arb. The mean reverting versions of these techniques were largely invented by Nunzio Tartaglia and company (primarily Gerry Bamberger according to Thorp) at Morgan Stanley in the 1980s. Many of his underlings went on to found their own hedge funds, and the secret eventually became relatively common knowledge. Boesky was one of the more famous practitioners of merger arbitrage, which is an older, related technique.

This book is a fun introduction to 'statistical arbitrage,' concentrating on the standard "mean reverting pairs" variety, and a decent explanation of merger arbitrage which he unifies with mean reverting stat arb in an interesting way. These two strategies still form the basis of a large number of high frequency techniques in one form or another. In fact, the book provides enough background material to be useful for all kinds of techniques for finding alpha; it has a very clear treatment of factor models, time series analysis (best low level one I have ever read, anywhere) and what market neutrality is and isn't. He provides a decent amount of discussion of the complexities surrounding tradeability and other practical issues that get swept under the rug in most books.

Sure, there are a lot of specific 'stat arb' techniques he doesn't mention explicitly. He doesn't talk about basket trading plays, index arbitrage, volatility arbitrage or any of the other myriad clever (and often over my head) techniques used by sophisticated fund managers to vacuum up loose change that dumb people leave on the street. So what? Vidyamurthy gives you enough material you can go out and learn the practical details of real strategies on your own. If you're gifted enough, you can go figure them out (and more) for yourself once you understand the material in the book: they're mostly variations on these themes. Why should Vidyamurthy give away the keys to the kingdom for $100? Be happy he wrote the book at all. Presumably, he makes a living actually doing 'stat arb' type things, and his motivation was to have a book to give to his underlings so he didn't have to explain GARCH and cointegration to someone who breathes out of his mouth for the 9,000th time.

Anyone who can't read this book simply doesn't have the intellectual horsepower or attention span to do this kind of trading. The book is almost excruciatingly clear, it is very short, and even does the MBA's the favor of tucking the scary mathematics involving matrices and standard deviations safely away in chapter appendices. I mean, it even has cartoons and funny anecdotes (which are actually very funny: I detect a Wodehouse fan in Vidyamurthy). You have to actually pay attention while you read, and some sections, you may have to read twice. The concepts will not leap off the page and embed themselves into your frontal lobes, but it really isn't that difficult for any intelligent person to understand. I can think of no better introduction to pairs trading, or general alpha quant type stuff than this book. It should probably be on every wannabe quant or trader's desk if it isn't already etched into the fiber of their being.

Covers the right stuff but poorly written.......2007-03-08

I was looking for books on stat arb and risk arb and was surprised that not many titles showed up for my search on Amazon. I eventually bought this book (a used copy) and although the book covers exactly the kind of stuff you want to learn about pairs trading, the writing is very poor and there are way too many places where the sentences don't make any sense, regardless of your math/stat background. This book is not a how-to book. It's a general treatise and not a good one at that. I cannot recommend this book. You may want to check out Tsay's financial time series analysis book which, although not specifically for pairs trading, has all the essential materials.

Good overview, but only just.......2007-01-19

I have mixed feelings about this book: on the one hand it's a good overview of statistical and risk (merger) arbitrage. On the other, it is pretty shallow in terms of both practice and theory.

It is certainly not possible to use it directly for trading (like any other published book, I guess). An example of a theoretical flaw is the dodgy usage of bootstrap methodology which is a lot more assumption-sensitive tool than it is generally believed. One more example when the idea itself is nice but the implementation is not: the author shows how to assess VaR for a pair of assets and doesn't seem to notice that the estimated probability of deal-break is risk-neutral, not physical probability and thus can not be directly used to estimate VaR which is tied to the physical probability distribution.

There's a possibility, however, that these and other discrepancies are a result of the author's unwillingless to disclose too much. Indeed, I have yet to see a book that properly covers the gap between the original cointegration results (obtained around 1985) and their real industrial implementation. If anyone can suggest a deeper book on Statistical Arbitrage, please let me know (click on my name above).

Nice read!! .......2006-10-20

Totally agree with Dr. Bruhn. The book keeps mathematics to a minimum, simply reviewing a collection of time series analysis techniques and putting those into a trading context. I can understand however that this might be a rather tedious read for someone who hasn't been exposed to statistics or time series analysis before.

For someone who has the ambition to get on top of the material, I would recommend reading Chris Brooks's "Introductory econometrics for finance" first or as accompanying text. A quite easy and enjoyable read into time series analysis.

I haven't looked into pairs trading before, but since I have taken a postgrad course in econometrics, all the concepts were familiar to me and partially covered in my course. I found the book to be a nice summary of what I had learned which might serve me well as a reference for the future.

My conclusion is that this book is a nice, enjoyable read for someone with an econometric/ statistical background, but may be challenging (but certainly managable with good accompanying texts) for newbies.

Statistical Mechanics: A Concise Introduction for Chemists

Average customer rating:

Excellent Introduction

Statistical Mechanics: A Concise Introduction for Chemists
B. Widom
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521009669

Book Description

This is an introduction to statistical mechanics, intended to be used either in an undergraduate physical chemistry course or by beginning graduate students with little undergraduate background in the subject. It assumes familiarity with thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, the kinetic theory of gases, quantum mechanics and spectroscopy, at the level at which these subjects are normally treated in undergraduate physical chemistry. Highly illustrated with numerous exercises and worked solutions, it provides a concise, up-to-date treatise of statistical mechanics and is ideally suited to use in one semester courses.

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Statistical mechanics is the theoretical apparatus used to study the properties of macroscopic systems - systems made up of many atoms or molecules - and relates those properties to the system's microscopic constitution. This book is an introduction to statistical mechanics, intended to be used either by advanced undergraduates or by beginning graduate students. The first chapter deals with statistical thermodynamics and aims to quickly derive the most commonly used formulas in the subject. The remainder of the book then illustrates the application of these formulas in traditional areas such as the ideal gas and less traditional areas such as the quantum ideal gas. Highly illustrated with numerous exercises and worked solutions, it provides a concise, up-to-date treatise of statistical mechanics ideal for use on an 8-12 lecture course.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Introduction.......2006-09-01

While looking for a suitable textbook for a one-semester course on Statistical Mechanics, I found this little gem by Prof. Widom, a recognized authority in the field. It was a pleasure to read, clear, all the classical topics well explained, very understandable.
Several excellent textbook on the subject are available, but none conveys so much in so little space (THE SPACE you have available in an undergraduate lecture course), yet with no compromise on rigour or clarity. At the beginning, I was a little uneasy by the choice of skipping a discussion of the (difficult) foundations, jumping directly to the Boltzmann distribution as a starting point. Now I totally agree with it, it is the best for a first introduction, and if time is left (rarely) one can profitably add a discussion on fundations at the end of the course.

Average customer rating:

Terse and unhelpful - a dreadful book - avoid like the plague!
Excellent Condition
Maybe good for a reference, but not the best first source
The standard, but maybe not the best
2 Books in one

Statistical Mechanics
Donald A. McQuarrie
Manufacturer: University Science Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics
An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics
Solutions Manual for Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics
Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, 2nd Edition
Computer Simulation of Liquids

ASIN: 1891389157

Book Description

Now available from University Science Books at a much lower price, this classic textbook has never been rivaled. It is ideal for a senior or first-year graduate level courses. Statistical Mechanics is the extended version of McQuarrie's 1984 text -- Statistical Thermodynamics -- now out of print. Although our printing of this book carries a 2000 copyright date, this is not a new edition. It is the original first edition, without any changes to the text (except preface). Despite its age, it is still a renowned and accessible introduction to the subject, containing a large number of chapter-ending problems for students.

Customer Reviews:

Terse and unhelpful - a dreadful book - avoid like the plague!.......2007-07-20

I was forced to use this singularly unhelpful book in graduate school. It was written in a terse, indigestible style; contained very few worked problems; left many important derivations or steps of derivations to the reader; had impossibly hard end-of-chapter problems - without solutions; and contained many typographical errors. Perhaps, as other reviewers have suggested, it would have been more helpful as a research reference, or as a textbook for students with a very strong background in undergraduate statistical thermodynamics. Do not attempt to use this book to learn statistical mechanics for the first time!

This review refers to the first edition.

Excellent Condition.......2007-01-19

The condition of the book I purchased was rated as very good on the Amazon web site, but its real condition was excellent. In fact, it is as close to being a new book as a used book can get.

Maybe good for a reference, but not the best first source.......2006-04-24

I am a engineering/physics student, and I used this book for a first year graduate course in statistical mechanics. The book contains a lot of information, and the chapters are extremely concise. In this, lies both the strengths and weaknesses of the book. I think that the short, too the point writing style makes this book an excellent reference. However, the relatively small amount of exposition made it hard to learn material for the first time from the book. Overall, I would not suggest this book as a first introduction to the subject. But i think that it could be a usefull reference for someone with some background in the subject.

The standard, but maybe not the best.......2003-07-03

McQuarrie's book is typically the standard text in many undergraduate and graduate programs, but I believe there are many other resources to learn statistical mechanics in a much clearer way.

I find the following things to be particularly annoying about the book:
1) The typesetting! The pages are very difficult to read, especially equations. It's a very old typeface and my eyes literally hurt after reading McQuarrie for too long.
2) Very few problems are worked out. Many important concepts that should involve more detailed discussion are simply left as exercises to the student. I believe that more peripheral results and extensions of fundamental material are better left as problems, as opposed to fundamental results.
3) The glaring absense of good discussion on spin systems (such as Ising magnets) and critical phenomena. These are VERY important topics in modern statistical mechanics.

I would recommend the following if you want to find good books on statistical mechanics:
1) If you want one comprehensive volume, use Linda Reichl's book.
2) If you are only interested in statistical thermodynamics, use David Chandler's book.
3) If you want both statistical thermodynamics and nonequatilibrium statistical mechanics, use Chandler and Robert Zwanzig's book.
Also, Kubo's statistical thermodynamics book is really good.

I really would not recommend McQuarrie. Save your eyes and get a more modern book with at least a better typesetting.

2 Books in one.......2003-03-23

This is a good book, but it's not a graduate text for the first half. If you're just reading it and not taking the class, buy Hill instead (it's $10). McQuarrie learned how to teach SM from Hill and it shows. The second half is a whole different story. It's research level material, but is perhaps out of date. Lastly, Karl Freed and Stuart Rice teach from this book, which should be worth far more than my review.

The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes (Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences)

Average customer rating:

A goldmine of information
Thorough

The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes (Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences)
S. Chandrasekhar
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure
The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)
General Relativity
Problem Book in Relativity and Gravitation
Spinors and Space-Time (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)

ASIN: 0198503709

Book Description

Part of the reissued Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences series, this book was first published in 1983, and has swiftly become one of the great modern classics of relativity theory. It represents a personal testament to the work of the author, who spent several years writing and working-out the entire subject matter. The theory of black holes is the most simple and beautiful consequence of Einstein's relativity theory. At the time of writing there was no physical evidence for the existence of these objects, therefore all that Professor Chandrasekhar used for their construction were modern mathematical concepts of space and time. Since that time a growing body of evidence has pointed to the truth of Professor Chandrasekhar's findings, and the wisdom contained in this book has become fully evident.

Customer Reviews:

A goldmine of information.......2003-09-12

First of all let me say that this book is a member of the hypersonic suppository school of presentation. I wish those that attempt to learn the tetrad and Newman-Penrose methods from this book only good luck. That said, this book contains the most extensive treatment of black holes I have seen anywhere. Period. The section in this book on Kerr black holes inspired me to seek and find a physically meaningful interior solution for the Kerr black hole. I have to admit it: the tetrad and Newman-Penrose treatments inspired me to master these techniques. In the long run that is what this book has done - inspired me. Anything by S. Chandrasekhar does that to me.

Thorough.......2002-08-10

I cannot give this book 5 stars because it is written in such a dry fashion that it is terrible reading, certain to put you to sleep. Nonetheless, I recommend it if you are a serious student of relativity because it contains everything you need to know about black holes and the mathematical formalism of relativity in general (i.e. good for study of gravity waves etc). While to read it from cover to cover would be an exercise in torture, it makes an excellent reference book.

Introduction to Groundwater Modeling: Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods

Average customer rating:

Introduction to Groundwater Modeling
Outdated and of little value
Highly recommended

Introduction to Groundwater Modeling: Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods
Herbert F. Wang , and Mary P. Anderson
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Applied Groundwater Modeling
Dynamics of Fluids in Porous Media (Dover Books on Physics and Chemistry)
Groundwater Hydraulics And Pollutant Transport
Effective Groundwater Model Calibration: With Analysis of Data, Sensitivities, Predictions, and Uncertainty
Applied Contaminant Transport Modeling

ASIN: 012734585X

Book Description

The dramatic advances in the efficiency of digital computers during the past decade have provided hydrologists with a powerful tool for numerical modeling of groundwater systems. Introduction to Groundwater Modeling presents a broad, comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts and applications of computerized groundwater modeling.
The book covers both finite difference and finite element methods and includes practical sample programs that demonstrate theoretical points described in the text. Each chapter is followed by problems, notes, and references to additional information. This volume will be indispensable to students in introductory groundwater modeling courses as well as to groundwater professionals wishing to gain a complete introduction to this vital subject.

Key Features
* Systematic exposition of the basic ideas and results of Hilbert space theory and functional analysis
* Great variety of applications that are not available in comparable books
* Different approach to the Lebesgue integral, which makes the theory easier, more intuitive, and more accessible to undergraduate students

Customer Reviews:

Introduction to Groundwater Modeling.......2003-05-05

I found this text very valuable in explaining the differences between these two methods and how each handles the dependent variable (head) and its first derivative (flow). The text also discusses Laplaces equation, iterative methods including Gauss-Seidel/SOR. Chapters are dedicated to finite difference and finite element methods under steady-state and transient conditions. It also demonstrates how each element is handled separately using finite element method and then the equations are assembled into a conductance matrix.

This text is a very good complement to other modeling texts. However, if you want to learn how to set up your hydrogeologic conceptual model, what data is needed to develop a good model, how to choose your numerical model, verify, calibrate your model, interpret results and perform a post audit, this is not that text. For the purpose of model setup etc. I would recommend Applied Groundwater Modeling.

Outdated and of little value.......2001-12-09

I found this book somewhat outdated. Even though it was well-written if was of little value. There are several other books of better quality.

Highly recommended.......2000-03-31

I've used this book in two of my groundwater modeling classes. Despite the fact that it is a little outdated, it has the clearest explaination I've come across of the mathematics behind groundwater modeling. In addition, it contains very good example problems.

Finite Element Methods for Maxwell's Equations (Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computation Series)

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Finite Element Methods for Maxwell's Equations (Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computation Series)
Peter Monk
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Finite Element Method in Electromagnetics
Inverse Acoustic and Electromagnetic Scattering Theory (Applied Mathematical Sciences)

ASIN: 0198508883

Book Description

Since the middle of the last century, computing power has increased sufficiently that the direct numerical approximation of Maxwell's equations is now an increasingly important tool in science and engineering. Parallel to the increasing use of numerical methods in computational electromagnetism there has also been considerable progress in the mathematical understanding of the properties of Maxwell's equations relevant to numerical analysis. The aim of this book is to provide an up to date and sound theoretical foundation for finite element methods in computational electromagnetism. The emphasis is on finite element methods for scattering problems that involve the solution of Maxwell's equations on infinite domains. Suitable variational formulations are developed and justified mathematically. An error analysis of edge finite element methods that are particularly well suited to Maxwell's equations is the main focus of the book. The methods are justified for Lipschitz polyhedral domains that can cause strong singularities in the solution. The book finishes with a short introduction to inverse problems in electromagnetism.

Average customer rating:

An excellent non-equilibrium stat/mech for dummies
Good intro for non eq stat mech, but not stand-alone
A great start but far too many typos/too little defn's
the shortest cut, indeed
Fast way to understand nonequilibrium statistical mechanics

Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics
Robert Zwanzig
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Lectures on Statistical Physics and Protein Folding
The Fokker-Planck Equation: Methods of Solutions and Applications (Springer Series in Synergetics)
Protein Physics: A Course of Lectures (Soft Condensed Matter, Complex Fluids and Biomaterials)
Statistical Physics II: Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences)
Handbook of Stochastic Methods: for Physics, Chemistry and the Natural Sciences (Springer Series in Synergetics)

ASIN: 0195140184

Book Description

This is a presentation of the main ideas and methods of modern nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. It is the perfect introduction for anyone in chemistry or physics who needs an update or background in this time-dependent field. Topics covered include fluctuation-dissipation theorem; linear response theory; time correlation functions, and projection operators. Theoretical models are illustrated by real-world examples and numerous applications such as chemical reaction rates and spectral line shapes are covered. The mathematical treatments are detailed and easily understandable and the appendices include useful mathematical methods like the Laplace transforms, Gaussian random variables and phenomenological transport equations.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent non-equilibrium stat/mech for dummies.......2003-07-01

This book is not an ideal dictionary of stat/mech as "A modern course in Stat/Phys" by Reichl. Albeit noticeable typos,
as long as the reader does all the hard work and derives eqns step by step, he/she can easily correct the typos without missing any important information.

The reason I liked this book over others is because of its clear
and crisp content to underpin the essential "physics" of each equation by simple words. Moreover, the connections between
each section and chapter are arranged in a logical way as you can see that Bob has indeed distilled a thorough understanding
of nonequilibrium stat/mech into a delicious, thin book for which every student who uses stat/mech for research should read.

Good intro for non eq stat mech, but not stand-alone.......2003-06-11

I have taken and TA-ed statistical thermodynamics and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and have found Robert Zwanzig's book to be the best introduction to the nonequilibrium side of things. Clarity is the goal here, without the detail of Kubo's Stat. Phys. II, and MUCH clearer than the latter chapters in McQuarrie. However, a student will get much more from this book if he or she has at least some background in quantum mechanics and, needless to say, in statistical thermodynamics.

Without getting into much detail, Zwanzig focuses on the fundamental concepts in a clear exposition. If you are taking yourt first course in nonequilibrium stat mech, this is the book you should buy. If, however, you have some reasonable experience with the subject, this book is not worth as much, since it is designed to be pedagogical. In that case, Van Kampen's Stochastic Processes in Physics and Chemistry is best.

A great start but far too many typos/too little defn's.......2002-06-04

Zwanzig shows great mastery of the material and his explanations are great. They help explain the material well.

But the big problem here is that there are just so many typos. When you want to follow complicated arguments, it can take forever to figure out what he means precisely/mathematically.

Also, there is not the slightest attempt to keep units correct or fix a representation, so one finds inner products between objects that don't really make sense. They are never formally defined.

It's a great book to get the ideas from and some simple derivations. I'm still working my way through parts of it. But unless you have a complementary book to guide you, especially through Ch. 8, or you are already familiar with the material, you may get lost...I would suggest Berne/Pacora Ch. 11 for help in Ch. 8

the shortest cut, indeed.......2001-09-05

I really enjoyed this book by Zwanzig. It treats many standard subjects starting from Langevin eq., Fokker Planck eq., to projection operators and mode-coupling theories, etc. Most of the examples demonstrated are elementary, but some of them (heat bath, dipole moments, etc) are treated several times in different chapters with different techniques so that the reader can understand more deeply how these techniques are interconnected. Really enlightening!

Fast way to understand nonequilibrium statistical mechanics.......2001-06-19

As for me, the most difficulty in understanding nonequilibrium statistical mechanics (NSM) was to face terribly long equations. Although there are several books on NSM, Zwanzig's must be a short cut with the minimum mathematics. It is easily readable by a person who majors or majored in a field related to NSM but not deeply. It is because his explanation on several approaches to NSM is based on not only simple and interesting examples but also his bright intuition. Although this book describes NSM in a simplified way, it requires knowledge of equilibrium statistical mechanics, basic understanding of quantum and classical mechanics, and the minimum mathematics for undergraduate physics course.

Introduction to Physical Modeling with Modelica (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)

Average customer rating:

Good introductory book
Hands-on experience with Modelica

Introduction to Physical Modeling with Modelica (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Principles of Object-Oriented Modeling and Simulation with Modelica2.1

ASIN: 0792373677

Book Description

The first book on Modelica, a modeling language that can be used to simulate both continuous and discrete behavior, Introduction to Physical Modeling with Modelica provides the necessary background to develop Modelica models of almost any physical system. The author starts with basic differential equations from several engineering domains and describes how these equations can be used to create reusable component models. Next, he describes techniques for modeling complex non-linear behavior, exploiting the powerful array handling features and mixing continuous and discrete behavior. The second part of the book focuses on effective use of all the language features provided by the Modelica modeling language. This includes, among other things, discussions on maximizing the reusability of component models being developed, managing the model development process, and making models as computationally efficient as possible. Introduction to Physical Modeling with Modelica includes a companion CD-ROM with the Modelica source code for all examples as well as an evaluation copy of Dymola. Using Dymola, readers can immediately begin to explore the dynamics of the models included with the book or to develop their own models. Nearly 100 examples of mechanical, electrical, biological, chemical, thermal and hydraulic models are included. Introduction to Physical Modeling with Modelica will be of interest to all professional engineers and university researchers developing physical models. Students studying control system development or modeling of physical systems will also find it useful.

Customer Reviews:

Good introductory book.......2005-06-13

The book is well structured and have many interesting examples. The book is a good start point for anyone who wants to start learning Modelica. The price is in my opinion a little bit expensive since the book is based on Modelica 1.6 language specification and the latest spec is 2.2 with some relevant changes.

Hands-on experience with Modelica.......2001-12-11

One of the weakest points of the new object-oriented modelling language Modelica was the lack of an introduction to help engineers and scientists understand the differences to other modelling concepts. Using many examples from the automotive industry, electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering this book explains the concept of physical modelling, i. e. using basic laws to describe physical systems, and shows how to formulate these principles in Modelica. The Modelica language is presented in a series of examples that gradually grow more complex. The companion CD contains the complete source code of the examples and a working version of the commercial tool Dymola. The reader can thus start with the given examples and modify them to get some practise with the tool and the language.

The emphasis of the presentation is on the engineering task of building a model, for more theoretical questions references are given.

Book Description

In this book, methodology of dynamical systems theory is applied to investigate the physics of the large-scale ocean circulation. Topics include the dynamics of western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean and the Kurosio in the Pacific Ocean, the stability of the thermohaline circulation, and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the Tropical Pacific. The book also deals with the numerical methods to apply bifurcation analysis on large-dimensional dynamical systems, with tens of thousands (or more) degrees of freedom, which arise through discretization of ocean and climate models. The novel approach to understand the phenomena of climate variability is through a systematic analysis of the solution structure of a hierarchy of models using these techniques. In this way, a connection between the results of the different models within the hierarchy can be established. Mechanistic description of the physics of the results is provided and, where possible, links with results of state-of-the-art ocean (and climate) models and observations are sought. The reader is expected to have a background in basic fluid dynamics and applied mathematics, although the level of the text sometimes is quite introductory. Each of the chapters is rather self-contained and many details of derivations are provided. Exercises presented at the end of each chapter make it a perfect graduate-level text.

This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in meteorology, oceanography and related fields who are interested in tackling fundamental problems in dynamical oceanography and climate dynamics.

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