An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits (Chapman & Hall/Crc Mathematical and Computational Biology Series)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Clear, rigorous, fascinating
  • Building Mathematical Models of Cells
  • Great Job
An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits (Chapman & Hall/Crc Mathematical and Computational Biology Series)
Uri Alon
Manufacturer: Chapman & Hall/CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1584886420

Book Description

Thorough and accessible, this book presents the design principles of biological systems, and highlights the recurring circuit elements that make up biological networks. It provides a simple mathematical framework which can be used to understand and even design biological circuits. The text avoids specialist terms, focusing instead on several well-studied biological systems that concisely demonstrate key principles. An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits builds a solid foundation for the intuitive understanding of general principles. It encourages the reader to ask why a system is designed in a particular way and then proceeds to answer with simplified models.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Clear, rigorous, fascinating.......2007-01-20

I'm a Ph.D. student in biophysics. This is the best treatment of systems biology that I've encountered. It treats both the math and the biology with clarity, rigor, and respect. It simplifies without dumbing down. It's beautifully written. If you doubt that systems biology is a real scientific discipline, this book will change your mind.

5 out of 5 stars Building Mathematical Models of Cells.......2006-09-25

The history of science over the past few centuries is to become ever more specialized. The physicists, becomming ever more concerned with the very large (stars, galaxies, the cosmos) or the very tiny (first atoms, then atomic components, now sub-components. The biologists on the other hand were studying much larger things, such as the cells that make up life. Both sciences developed techniques to facilitate their study.

In recent years, researchers have discovered that sometimes these specialized techniques can be used to develop greater insight into what is happening in other sciences.

In this book, Dr. Alon uses his training in physics to examine certain aspects of biology and to use the terminology and mathematics to describe the way these biological networks work.

The goal of the book is to begin the formulation of general laws that apply to biological networks. This is done by providing a mathematical framework in which some of the design principles of biological systems can help to understand biological networks. In looking at the results, an underlying simplicity not seen before appears in biological systems.

5 out of 5 stars Great Job.......2006-09-09

A superb intro to the field. The math is moderate and helpful. Network concepts and their ties to examples and theory are clearly and succinctly presented. This is a textbook but reads easily like a book. Covers key elements while connecting them by at least mention to up-to-date further research. The basics and the grandeur of systems biology. I am trying to remember now anything on the negative side and cannot.
Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent study
  • Learn What You Already Know, but Don't Know!
  • Best Lighting Book I've Read
  • The distiction between humans and apes
  • Excellent title for learning lighting
Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
Fil Hunter , and Paul Fuqua
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0240802756

Book Description

This highly respected text, now in paperback, has been thoroughly updated and revised. It introduces a logical theory of photographic lighting --- one that teaches beginning photographers to predict results before setting up lights. This is not primarily a how-to book with only set examples for photographers to follow. Rather, Light: Science and Magic provides the reader with a comprehensive theory of the nature and principles of light to allow individual photographers to use lighting to express their own creativity. Numerous photographs and illustrations provide clear examples of the theories delineated within the text, while sidebars highlight special lighting questions.

Although styles of photographic lighting continue to change, Light: Science and Magic does not go out of fashion because it is not based on style; rather it is based on the behavior of light. These principles will not change until fundamental physics does.

*Now in paperback
*Highly respected text on lighting theory covering the principles, applications, and equipment for informed lighting decisions
*Sidebars highlight special lighting questions

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent study.......2007-10-09

This book describes itself as a grammar of lighting. I would add that it is a descriptive rather than a prescriptive grammar, that is, it tells you how lighting works as a matter of fact, rather than trying to tell you what you should do as a photographer. I'm still rereading chapters and getting something from them, perhaps especially because I'm taking the authors' suggestion and trying to do the exercises myself.

While it is not terribly technical -- it's well written and easy to read -- the book is a bit abstract, in the sense that it's trying to describe the general properties of lighting as used for photography. For some readers and photographers, the abstract or theoretical approach may not be congenial. The book has very little (almost nothing) to say about equipment, for example. In the section on portrait lighting, the emphasis is simply on what happens when lighting is placed in different positions -- not on which form of lighting is best.

But I personally found the book's approach exhilarating. I've read so many photography books it's hard for me to single out one as THE most informative and THE most helpful to me as a photographer, but if I had to do so, this book might be my pick.

5 out of 5 stars Learn What You Already Know, but Don't Know!.......2007-10-02

I sort of learned nothing from this book, but also learned EVERYTHING.

This book takes what I see everyday, but don't think about, then turns it into thought. I've always known that light reflects from things in three different ways, but that knowledge has sat unconsciously in my lower brain. My higher brain, which does shutter speed, depth of field, and f/stops, was oblivious. The book brings your two brains together!

5 out of 5 stars Best Lighting Book I've Read.......2007-09-30

As a professional photographer and instructor, I've perused many books on photographic lighting, portrait lighting, etc. I say "perused" because most are complicated in the way they present their information, or, present examples that -while technically sound- are totally impractical for everyday use. So much so that I rarely buy them. This is understandable, as professional lighting is the single most difficult aspect of photography to grasp, let alone master. So explaining it isn't always easy, either.

This book -while it does use a bit of technical language- approaches each example in a very straightforward way, explaining when and where each technique is useful, how to perform each technique and even the troubles you're likely to encounter when you first attempt them. In short it's like someone is sitting there with you leading you through the logic of how the lighting works, and helping you to look out for the pitfalls. And while it's not that thick of a book, it is *dense* with information. There is much to absorb and learn, and frankly I've seen no other book that comes close in terms of making it a pleasure to learn.

This book will be a required text for any university classes I teach in the future.

5 out of 5 stars The distiction between humans and apes.......2007-09-29

On the first day of his Physics 45 (i.e., photography) class, Ross Scroggs put a "rock" on his lecture table and told his students that this was an ax, one of the first human tools. He also told them that art, demonstrated in cave paintings, evolved simultaneously with tools. "I do not need to teach you art," he said, "because, if you are human, you will produce art as soon as you have the tools. I intend to give you the tools. I will not mind wasting my time with the overwhelming majority of apes in this class, because the handful of humans here will certainly listen to me and that makes it worth my time."

This book was originally developed by two students from the University where Scroggs taught, and he's the prominent dedicatee of the book. It's not my place to say they have delivered his promise, but read the other reviews of this book, written almost entirely by people who never knew Ross Scroggs, and look at the similarity between their descriptions of the book and Scroggs' promises.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent title for learning lighting.......2007-09-27

This is a book that will teach you about light and how to apply it. It isn't meant for you to copy a setup to get similar results. It is an outstanding book that tells you why you put the lights in a particular position and why it works in one instance, but not another.

IMHO this is a easy to follow fun to read college course on lighting. If you are looking to improve your craft this is a must read. This is also a book in the reference library of the Certified Professional Photographers association and helps in preparing for their exam.
The Geometry of Physics: An Introduction, Second Edition
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Fantastic - for the scientist
  • a book worth keeping
  • Phenomenal
  • You should buy this, despite its flaws
  • The perfect first book in differential geometry
The Geometry of Physics: An Introduction, Second Edition
Theodore Frankel
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521833302

Book Description

Theodore Frankel explains those parts of exterior differential forms, differential geometry, algebraic and differential topology, Lie groups, vector bundles and Chern forms essential to a better understanding of classical and modern physics and engineering. Key highlights of his new edition are the inclusion of three new appendices that cover symmetries, quarks, and meson masses; representations and hyperelastic bodies; and orbits and Morse-Bott Theory in compact Lie groups. Geometric intuition is developed through a rather extensive introduction to the study of surfaces in ordinary space. First Edition Hb (1997): 0-521-38334-X First Edition Pb (1999): 0-521-38753-1

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic - for the scientist.......2007-07-18

A very good book: buy it. But only if you are a scientist or student of physics/mathematics. This is not popular-science-common-public level.

5 out of 5 stars a book worth keeping.......2007-05-01

This book can be quite confusing if you start without any background on the idea of manifold or knows nothing about general relativity. However, it does have strong points:

1. The notation is very up-to-date, and is entirely coordinate-independant approach.

2. The author explains in great details of formulation of modern differential geometry, and the details are comparatively lacking in other reference books.

3. The author never hesitate to use graphs and diagrams to illustrate points, and stroke nice balance in between mathematics rigor and physical insight.

Although it appears quite verbose at some point, it is mainly because differential geometry is such a heavy subject. Another book nice to have as companion reading is Goldburg's "Tensor analysis on Manifold", a terse, well-written text book.

5 out of 5 stars Phenomenal .......2006-11-13

I just finished reading this book and I found it phenomenal. The physical ideas are made very clear in a natural mathematical framework.

5 out of 5 stars You should buy this, despite its flaws.......2006-03-03

The other reviews on this page give this book anywhere from 1 to 5 stars, and they are all correct in their own way. The book is inspired, deep and full of physics applications and insights. On the other hand, it skims over mathematical rigor to a large degree and focuses more on defining things, getting a feel for them and moving on to application.

My advice: buy the book for its strengths, and read other books in parallel if you need more rigor. But still, buy it.

Also, things can be confusing on the first two or three reads, but keep at it and you will be glad you did.

5 out of 5 stars The perfect first book in differential geometry.......2005-01-28

Differential geometry can be a very intimidating subject due to its heavy formalism. There are complete books (such as Kobayashi& Nomizu) very good as reference books, and there very few books that show the reader the picture behind the formulas.


This is one such book. It tells you the intuition behind each construction and from this point of view it has many things in common with Arnold's famous book on Math. Methods in Classical Mechanics. But where as Arnold does not pay too much attention to formalism, this book achieves this task as well. It shows the reader how to do those impossible computations as well.

This is definitely the first place to look at if you want to really learn differential geometry. If it seems difficult it is only because the subject is so.
Introduction to Computational Science: Modeling and Simulation for the Sciences
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Introduction to Computational Science: Modeling and Simulation for the Sciences
    Angela B. Shiflet
    Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0691125651

    Book Description

    Computational science is a quickly emerging field at the intersection of the sciences, computer science, and mathematics because much scientific investigation now involves computing as well as theory and experiment. However, limited educational materials exist in this field. Introduction to Computational Science fills this void with a flexible, readable textbook that assumes only a background in high school algebra and enables instructors to follow tailored pathways through the material. It is the first textbook designed specifically for an introductory course in the computational science and engineering curriculum.

    The text embraces two major approaches to computational science problems: System dynamics models with their global views of major systems that change with time; and cellular automaton simulations with their local views of how individuals affect individuals. While the text is generic, an extensive author-generated Web-site contains tutorials and files in a variety of software packages to accompany the text.

    Introduction to Hydrodynamic Stability
    Average customer rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    • Good topics, but see his other books
    Introduction to Hydrodynamic Stability
    P. G. Drazin
    Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    3. Hydrodynamics Hydrodynamics
    4. Theory and Computation of Hydrodynamic Stability (Cambridge Monographs on Mechanics) Theory and Computation of Hydrodynamic Stability (Cambridge Monographs on Mechanics)
    5. Stability and Transition in Shear Flows (Applied Mathematical Sciences) Stability and Transition in Shear Flows (Applied Mathematical Sciences)

    ASIN: 0521009650

    Book Description

    Instability of flows and their transition to turbulence are widespread phenomena in engineering and the natural environment. They are important in applied mathematics, astrophysics, biology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, and engineering. This is a graduate-level textbook to introduce these phenomena by modeling them mathematically, and describing numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. The visualization of instabilities is emphasized with many figures. Many worked examples and exercises for students illustrate the ideas of the text. Readers are assumed to be fluent in linear algebra, advanced calculus, elementary theory of ordinary differntial equations, complex variable and the elements of fluid mechanics. The book is aimed at graduate students, but is very useful for specialists in other fields.

    Download Description

    Instability of flows and their transition to turbulence are widespread phenomena in engineering and the natural environment. They are important in applied mathematics, astrophysics, biology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, and engineering. This is a graduate-level textbook to introduce these phenomena by modeling them mathematically, and describing numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. The visualization of instabilities is emphasized with many figures. Many worked examples and exercises for students illustrate the ideas of the text. Readers are assumed to be fluent in linear algebra, advanced calculus, elementary theory of ordinary differntial equations, complex variable and the elements of fluid mechanics. The book is aimed at graduate students, but is very useful for specialists in other fields.

    Customer Reviews:

    2 out of 5 stars Good topics, but see his other books.......2003-09-30

    Drazin was an excellent writer (see Hydrodynamic Stability and Nonlinear Systems), but this book felt very disorganized to me, possibly because he passed away shortly before it's release.

    The concept is very good: how do we get from instability to full-fleged turbulence, and are we even ready to answer the question? He gives a good explanation of the stability of ODEs, and follows this with a discussion of the standard linear hydrodynamic stability problems (Kelvin-Helmholtz, Rayleigh-Bénard, etc.). It ends with a discussion of the transition to turbulence.

    But the problem is that he has already treated most of these topics in his other books, and the earlier treatments were nearly identical in many respects, or they were just plain better. Even regarding the new material on transition to turbulence, I feel that it did not serve to unify the earlier topics as it should have.

    Some further editing may have greatly improved this book and better underscored the overlying theme, but as it stands I feel that one is better off spending their time on his other books.
    An Introduction to Magnetohydrodynamics (Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Excellent introduction to physics behind the MHD equations
    An Introduction to Magnetohydrodynamics (Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics)
    P. A. Davidson
    Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0521794870

    Book Description

    Magnetic fields are routinely used in industry to heat, pump, stir and levitate liquid metals. There is the terrestrial magnetic field that is maintained by fluid motion in the earth's core, the solar magnetic field, which generates sunspots and solar flares, and the galactic field that influences the formation of stars. This introductory text on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) (the study of the interaction of magnetic fields and conducting fluids) is intended to serve as an introductory text for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physics, applied mathematics and engineering. The material in the text is heavily weighted toward incompressible flows and to terrestrial (as distinct from astrophysical) applications. The final sections of the text, which outline the latest advances in the metallurgical applications of MHD, make the book of interest to professional researchers in applied mathematics, engineering and metallurgy.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to physics behind the MHD equations.......2003-02-15

    If you want a really well written explanation of what is a physical meaning of the MHD equations, what are the fundamental ideas behind them with examples from solar spots to metallurgical applications, nicely and clearly illustrated, this is the book for you.

    Congratulations to the author!
    Introduction to Molecular Biophysics (Pure and Applied Physics)
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Interesting topics, insufficient depth
    Introduction to Molecular Biophysics (Pure and Applied Physics)
    Jack A. Tuszynski , and Michal Kurzynski
    Manufacturer: CRC
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    BiophysicsBiophysics | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0849300398

    Book Description

    Molecular biophysics is a rapidly growing field of research that plays an important role in elucidating the mysteries of life's molecules and their assemblies, as well as the relationship between their structure and function. Introduction to Molecular Biophysics fills an existing gap in the literature on this subject by providing the reader with the modern theoretical tools needed to understand life processes from a physical viewpoint. The authors review numerous topics of relevance to biophysics, including peptide chains, DNA structure and function, cytoplasm, membranes, and motor proteins. Each chapter is richly illustrated and contains numerous examples, references, and problems that make this book useful as both an inclusive reference work and textbook.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Interesting topics, insufficient depth.......2003-07-21

    I am a cell biologist that was looking for a comprehensive biophysics resource. The description of the book and the table of contents gave me reason to hope that this was the book I was seeking. Unfortunately, despite the book's stated aim to foster dialogue between physicists and biologists, this book assumes far too much of its readers. There is no glossary. Several terms are introduced without being defined or illustrated. Some sections are extremely short, while others spend a considerable amount of time describing examples of questionable relevance to the stated topic. That said, I did find several passages of the book stimulating and thought provoking. I very much liked the description of dead cells being "at equilibrium." This book is appropriate for graduate students and higher. I don't think this book would be very useful as a course text.
    Introduction to Applied Physics
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Introduction to Applied Physics
      Abraham Marcus , and James R., Jr. Thrower
      Manufacturer: Delmar Thomson Learning
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Textbook Binding

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      ASIN: 0827338996
      An Introduction to Econophysics: Correlations and Complexity in Finance
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • Excellent Introduction
      • target audience not defined
      • Not bad, considering...
      • First in the new field
      • Physicists Land On Planet Economics
      An Introduction to Econophysics: Correlations and Complexity in Finance
      Rosario N. Mantegna , and H. Eugene Stanley
      Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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      3. The Statistical Mechanics of Financial Markets (Texts and Monographs in Physics) The Statistical Mechanics of Financial Markets (Texts and Monographs in Physics)
      4. Theory of Financial Risk and Derivative Pricing: From Statistical Physics to Risk Management Theory of Financial Risk and Derivative Pricing: From Statistical Physics to Risk Management
      5. Why Stock Markets Crash: Critical Events in Complex Financial Systems Why Stock Markets Crash: Critical Events in Complex Financial Systems

      ASIN: 0521620082

      Book Description

      Statistical physics concepts such as stochastic dynamics, short- and long-range correlations, self-similarity and scaling, permit an understanding of the global behavior of economic systems without first having to work out a detailed microscopic description of the system. This pioneering text explores the use of these concepts in the description of financial systems, the dynamic new specialty of econophysics. The authors illustrate the scaling concepts used in probability theory, critical phenomena, and fully-developed turbulent fluids and apply them to financial time series. They also present a new stochastic model that displays several of the statistical properties observed in empirical data. Physicists will find the application of statistical physics concepts to economic systems fascinating. Economists and other financial professionals will benefit from the book's empirical analysis methods and well-formulated theoretical tools that will allow them to describe systems composed of a huge number of interacting subsystems.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction.......2004-12-01

      This book is an excellent introduction to financial analitics for Physicists and also for others. Though a little out dated, but what can you expect from such a fast changing subject?
      This is not the first book I have read in this subject, but it is my favorite right now. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if this would have been the first.

      Nevertheless, it should be considered as an intial reference point and not as to expect it to contain all the details. After all it only has 148 pages.

      3 out of 5 stars target audience not defined.......2003-09-22

      I find the book rather poorly written in the aspect of providing links between statistical physics and its application in economics. As a physicist with a background in stochastic processes, I was looking for an introduction to their applications to economic analysis, complete with examples and discussion of the methods' limitations. The book was somewhat disappointing in this respect. Quite often, in many chapters, the necessary math is explained, then some aspects of how it is manefest in economical data are presented and then the chapter ends, leaving the reader wonder what the specific cases may be and if it is practical to use those methods at all. Above all, there is very little discussion as to what the results actually mean, in economical terms.
      I believe the book may be helpful for reseachers active in this field but I would not recommend it as a first introduction to econophysics. For economists, the math may be rather difficult to go through as some of the fundamental concepts are not defined consistently. For physicists with no previous exposure to econophysics, I would prefer to see more economics.

      1 out of 5 stars Not bad, considering..........2002-08-13

      The book is not bad considering the total lack of existence of intelligible literature in this supposedly vast field.

      The content is really a collection of quickie crib-sheets on a sundry of topics with nominally common theme: Finance.

      A lot of the actually useful stuff is the author's previously published papers on price-return distributions.

      Aside from his own previously published work, he has a good tutorial on the GARCH scheme though with precious little follow up reading resources for delving in deeper (or even sideways).

      This book is priced far too high given its content and depth.
      Look for a used copy, and do not count on the author to answer questions by email.

      4 out of 5 stars First in the new field.......2002-06-05

      I found several parts of this book useful while preparing lectures for an introductory econophysics course in Fall, 2001. The discussions of convolutions of distributions, Levy distributions and scaling are well-written and easy to follow. In the brief discussion of the St. Petersburg Paradox I missed a critical discussion of expected utility, which was invented by Bernoullli to 'resolve' that paradox. Spurred by von Neumann and Morgenstern, neo-classical economics relies on the idea of expected utility, which seems empirically to be wrong. The chapter on time correlations is also very readable (although Wiener processes are not 1/f^2 noise!). ARCH and GARCH methods are discussed, saving the student from the pain of reading badly-written papers by mathematically-minded economists, but the chapters on options are too brief with nothing new. The best introduction to options is still the original Black-Scholes paper (excepting their erroneous claim that CAPM and the delta-hedge strategy produce option pricing pdes that agree with each other). Also, it would have been nice to have seen a discussion of CAPM. The discussion of algorithmic complexity left me cold (see my earlier books and papers on nonlinear dynamics), and I would like to have seen a critical discussion of the EMH. These criticisms are ok, though, the gaps leave something for the rest of us to work on.

      5 out of 5 stars Physicists Land On Planet Economics.......2001-06-11

      SINCE the last decade, physicists have been trying to cope with the issues traditionally approached by economics using their own tools and methodologies. This research has been dubbed 'econophysics'. One reason why this incursion should be welcomed is the failure of mainstream economics to recognise financial systems as complex systems. Take mainstream international finance, for instance. In the most respectable workhorse model--so-called 'new open economy macroeconomics model'--foreign exchange rates always reach some sort of stable equilibrium. To put it bluntly, this means that currencies do not exhibit complex behaviour.

      However, financial markets do demonstrate several of the properties that characterise complex systems. What is more, they are highly complex, open systems in which many subunits interact nonlinearly in the presence of feedback and stable governing rules. Earlier attempts to find chaos in financial data, for instance, have been disappointing exactly because the phenomenon is likely to emerge in systems which are only moderately complex. Although it cannot be ruled out that financial markets follow chaotic dynamics, econophysics assumes that asset price dynamics are stochastic processes.

      A fundamental commitment of the mainline model of international finance is to theory itself, and not to data. Modelling is devoted to equipping the discipline with an underlying rational behaviour at the individual level. Yet this is at odds with the fact that financial markets are prone to collective 'irrational exuberance'. Instead, econophysics attemps to build up stochastic models that encompass essential features observed in the financial data. Now that the time evolution of many financial markets is continually monitored, it is possible to test the accuracy and predictive power of the developed models using available data. One common objection to such a practice is that it is impossible to perform large-scale experiments in economics that could falsify any given theory. The authors note that this limitation is not specific to economics, but also affects such well developed areas of physics as astrophysics, atmospheric physics, and geophysics. By analogy with the activity in these more established areas, we are able to test and falsify any theories associated with the current available sets of financial data.

      Complex systems can sometimes behave in remarkable simple ways. These are reflected in power law distributions and scaling. The authors illustrate these concepts and others, and apply them to the financial time series. The book is thus useful not only for physicists but also for economists and people in the financial world. Some familiarity with probability theory or statistical physics is required, though. Economists dissatisfied with the mainline approach of their discipline will find the book opportune. The others might end up welcoming econophysics as well. After all, economists implicitly see physics as nature's economics. What is then wrong with physicists thinking of economics as social physics?
      Digital Diffractive Optics: An Introduction to Planar Diffractive Optics and Related Technology
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Modern, Straight Forward and Useful Optics Book
      Digital Diffractive Optics: An Introduction to Planar Diffractive Optics and Related Technology
      Bernard Kress , and Patrick Meyrueis
      Manufacturer: Wiley
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      Similar Items:
      1. Methods for Computer Design of Diffractive Optical Elements (Wiley Series in Lasers and Applications) Methods for Computer Design of Diffractive Optical Elements (Wiley Series in Lasers and Applications)

      ASIN: 0471984477

      Book Description

      Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are becoming more and more widely used in a braod range of fields, including telecommunications, optical computing, consumer electronics, laser material processing and the biomedical sciences, to manipulate light through micro-optical systems. In order to get the most out of such DOEs, knowledge of the design process, fabrication, packaging in a particular system, and operation is required.

      Digital Diffractive Optics discusses in detail the design and simulation of DOEs, before considering the main fabrication techniques. The increasingly important CAD/CAM tool requirements for the production of DOEs are covered, and a chapter is devoted to the crucial area of systematic fabrication error compensation. Finally, the integration and use of DOEs in a number of different systems, including various opto-electronic and opto-mechanical systems, are discussed.

      Digital Diffractive Optics will be of great interest to all those involved in the fields of optical engineering and photonics. It presents a clear view of the whole process, from design to fabrication and application, without overstressing the, often complex, mathematics, and will thus be accessible to postgraduate students and those entering the field, as well as more experienced engineers and scientists.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Modern, Straight Forward and Useful Optics Book.......2001-09-30

      I've been designing diffractive elements for about two years. I first started knowing almost nothing about DOEs (except that they worked on diffraction). Even after two years, and a couple of successful designs, I was still in the dark on some of the methods used in designing DOEs.

      Bernard really puts a good book together. He starts with the very basics (diffraction), moves into designing DOEs (iterative and natural optimization methods, like GA and SA), and ends up with chapters on actually fabricating devices. He covers in very informative detail (like, say for the working engineer), and goes short of giving the shop away.

      If you're tired of attending seminars on designing DOEs that just cover fourier diffraction principles, or books that really leave out the nitty-gritty, then Bernard's book is for you. There is an assumption that you have a decent understanding of optics, and are comfortable with at least two years of college math (calculus and DEs/PDEs).

      Books:

      1. Applied Numerical Methods with MATLAB for Engineers and Scientists
      2. Atomic Histories (Masters of Modern Physics)
      3. Bose-Einstein Condensation (The International Series of Monographs on Physics)
      4. Boundary-Layer Theory
      5. Chaos, Fractals, and Noise: Stochastic Aspects of Dynamics (Applied Mathematical Sciences)
      6. Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character
      7. Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics
      8. Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems
      9. Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind
      10. Complex Electromagnetic Problems and Numerical Simulation Approaches (Ieee Press Series on Electromagnetic Wave Theory)

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