Proceedings of a symposium at Vorarlberg, Austria, July 1989, called to allow interaction between scientists working in areas of biological and biophysical research, and those working in physics and mathematics. The 11 papers include discussions of such topics as symmetry in synthetic and natural pe

This book brings together philosophical discussions of symmetry in physics, highlighting the main issues and controversies. It covers all the fundamental symmetries of modern physics, as well as discussing symmetry-breaking and general interpretational issues. For each topic, classic texts are followed by review articles and short commentaries.

Candid Science IV: Conversations with Famous Physicists contains 36 interviews with well-known physicists, including 20 Nobel laureates, Templeton Prize winners, Wolf Prize winners, and other luminaries. Physics has been one of the determining fields of science in the past 100 years, playing a conspicuous role not only in science but also in world politics and economics. These in-depth conversations provide a glimpse into the greatest achievements of physics during the past few decades, featuring stories of the discoveries, and showing the human drama behind them. The greatest physicists are brought into close human proximity as if readers were having a conversation with them. The interviewees span a wide range of scientists, from such early giants as Eugene Wigner and Mark Oliphant to members of the youngest generation such as the 2001 Nobel laureate Wolfgang Ketterle. The list includes famous personalities of our time, such as Steven Weinberg, Leon Lederman, Norman Ramsey, Edward Teller, John Wheeler, Mildred Dresselhaus, Maurice Goldhaber, Benoit Mandelbrot, John Polkinghorne, and Freeman Dyson.

Biology is a critical application area for engineering analysis and design, and students in engineering programs must be well-versed in the fundamentals of biology as they relate to their field. Biology for Engineers is an introductory text that minimizes unnecessary memorization of connections and classifications and instead emphasizes concepts, technology, and the utilization of living things. Whether students are headed toward a bio-related engineering degree or one of the more traditional majors, biology is so important that all engineering students should know how living things work and act. Classroom-tested at the University of Maryland, this comprehensive text introduces concepts and terminology needed to understand more advanced biology literature. Filled with practical detailed examples, the book presents: Scientific principles relevant to biology that all engineers must know A discussion of biological responses from the perspective of a broad range of fields such as psychology, human factors, genetics, plant and animal physiology, imaging, control systems, actuary, and medicine A thorough examination of the scaling of biological responses and attributes A classification of different types of applications related to biological systems Tables of useful information that are nearly impossible to find elsewhere A series of questions at the end of each chapter to test comprehension Emphasizing the ever-present interactions between a biological unit and its physical, chemical, and biological environments, the book provides ample instruction on the basics of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering. It brings together all of the concepts one needs to understand the role of biology in modern technology.

Biology is a critical application area for engineering analysis and design, and students in engineering programs as well as ecologists and environmentalists must be well-versed in the fundamentals of biology as they relate to their field. Biology for Engineers, Second Edition is an introductory text that minimizes unnecessary memorization of connections and classifications and instead emphasizes concepts, technology, and the utilization of living things. Whether students are headed toward a bio-related engineering degree or one of the more traditional majors, biology is so important that all engineering students should know how living things work and act. Emphasizing the ever-present interactions between a biological unit and its physical, chemical, and biological environments, the book provides ample instruction on the basics of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering through a systems approach. It brings together all the concepts one needs to understand the role of biology in modern technology. Classroom-tested at the University of Maryland, this comprehensive text introduces concepts and terminology needed to understand more advanced biology literature. Filled with practical detailed examples, the book presents: Presents scientific principles relevant to biology that all engineers, ecologists and environmentalists must know A discussion of biological responses from the perspective of a broad range of fields such as psychology, human factors, genetics, plant and animal physiology, imaging, control systems, actuary, and medicine Includes end of chapter questions to test comprehension Provides updated material to reflect the latest research developments such as CRISPR. Introduces over 150 interesting application examples, incorporating a number of different engineering disciplines. Ties biological systems properties and behaviors to foundational sciences such as engineering sciences, chemistry, etc.

This groundbreaking collaboration between an anthropologist and a mathematician constitutes both a collection of symmetrical pattern designs from many cultures and a monograph on pattern design and the classification of symmetrical patterns. Intended for art historians, anthropologists, classical archaeologists, and others interested in the study of material culture, it can also serve as a reference and inspiration for the use of symmetrical patterns in art and design. "This richly illustrated study brings to light dozens of intriguing examples of symmetrical designs, for instance, in a Zulu loincloth, a Japanese chopstick case, a New England quilt, a Tibetan 'Plaque of a Thousand Lamas,' a Hawaiian water gourd. The same pattern found in a fantastical drawing of lizards by M. C. Escher is echoed in a Fijian basket lid and an Egyptian wall mosaic." — Publishers Weekly "This extremely useful guide to classifying plane pattern designs … is extensively illustrated with carvings, textiles, baskets, tiles, and poetry, which are used as examples of various symmetry patterns." — American Anthropologist "An impressive book—both in terms of its physical appearance and its content ... will undoubtedly become the major reference on the analysis of patterns in terms of symmetry properties." — Antiquity

The primary purpose of this book is to prepare the ground for coordinated efforts aiming to answer the question: where and when life originated. The appearance of life involves three successive stages: i) the formation of chemical elements and their combination to simple molecules, which is the concern of physicists; ii) the evolution of organized complexity in biomolecules and their reactions, which falls within the field of chemistry; iii) the onset of Darwinian evolution after the appearance of the first cell-like structure, which is studied by biologists. This book focuses on the first two steps of this process with chapters exploring topics such as chemical element abundances; galaxies, galactic magnetic fields and cosmic rays; galactic chemical evolution. Key Features: Contains extensive lists of reference and additional reading. Includes new hypotheses concerning the origin of life. Combines consideration from nuclear physics, astrophysics, astro- and geochemistry. Despite its interdisciplinary nature, this book remains accessible to nonexperts, and would be a valuable companion for both experts and laypeople.

Hargittai tells the story of five remarkable Hungarians: Wigner won a Nobel Prize in theoretical physics; Szilard was the first to see that a chain reaction based on neutrons was possible, initiated the Manhattan Project, but left physics to try to restrict nuclear arms; von Neumann could solve difficult problems in his head and developed the modern computer for more complex problems; von Kármán became the first director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, providing the scientific basis for the U.S. Air Force; and Teller was the father of the hydrogen bomb, whose name is now synonymous with the controversial "Star Wars" initiative of the 1980s.

Metaphysicians speak of laws of nature in terms of necessity and universality; scientists do so in terms of symmetry and invariance. This book argues that no metaphysical account of laws can succeed. The author analyses and rejects the arguments that there are laws of nature, or that we must believe that there are. He argues that we should discard the idea of law as an inadequate clue to science. After exploring what this means for general epistemology, the book develops the empiricist view of science as a construction of models to represent the phenomena. Concepts of symmetry, transformation, and invariance illuminate the structure of such models. A central role is played in science by symmetry arguments, and it is shown how these function also in the philosophical analysis of probability. The advocated approach presupposes no realism about laws or necessities in nature.

While mathematical software packages are commercially successful and widely used, the use of formal methods in hardware and software development is also becoming more and more important and necessary. This has made deduction systems indispensable because of the complexity and sheer size of the reasoning tasks involved.