The nature of the physical Universe has been increasingly better understood in recent years, and cosmological concepts have undergone a rapid evolution (see, e.g., [11], [2],or [5]). Although there are alternate theories, it is generally believed that the large-scale relationships and homogeneities that we see can only be explainedby having the universe expand suddenlyin a very early “in?ationary” period. Subsequent evolution of the Universe is described by the Hubble expansion, the observation that the galaxies are ?ying away from each other. We can attribute di?erent rates of this expansion to domination of di?erent cosmological processes, beginning with radiation, evolving to matter domination, and, relatively recently, to vacuum domination (the Cosmological Constant term)[4]. We assume throughout that we will be relying as much as possible on observational data, with simulations used only for limited purposes, e.g., the appearance of the Milky Wayfrom nearbyintergalactic viewpoints. The visualization of large-scale astronomical data sets using?xed, non-interactive animations has a long history. Several books and ?lms exist, ranging from “Cosmic View: The Universe in Forty Jumps” [3] by Kees Boeke to “Powers of 10” [6,13] by Charles and Ray Eames, and the recent Imax ?lm “Cosmic Voyage” [15]. We have added our own contribution [9], “Cosmic Clock,” which is an animation based entirely on the concepts and implementation described in this paper.

Data visualization is currently a very active and vital area of research, teaching and development. The term unites the established field of scientific visualization and the more recent field of information visualization. The success of data visualization is due to the soundness of the basic idea behind it: the use of computer-generated images to gain insight and knowledge from data and its inherent patterns and relationships. A second premise is the utilization of the broad bandwidth of the human sensory system in steering and interpreting complex processes, and simulations involving data sets from diverse scientific disciplines and large collections of abstract data from many sources. These concepts are extremely important and have a profound and widespread impact on the methodology of computational science and engineering, as well as on management and administration. The interplay between various application areas and their specific problem solving visualization techniques is emphasized in this book. Reflecting the heterogeneous structure of Data Visualization, emphasis was placed on these topics: -Visualization Algorithms and Techniques; -Volume Visualization; -Information Visualization; -Multiresolution Techniques; -Interactive Data Exploration. Data Visualization: The State of the Art presents the state of the art in scientific and information visualization techniques by experts in this field. It can serve as an overview for the inquiring scientist, and as a basic foundation for developers. This edited volume contains chapters dedicated to surveys of specific topics, and a great deal of original work not previously published illustrated by examples from a wealth of applications. The book will also provide basic material for teaching the state of the art techniques in data visualization. Data Visualization: The State of the Art is designed to meet the needs of practitioners and researchers in scientific and information visualization. This book is also suitable as a secondary text for graduate level students in computer science and engineering.

A hydrocode refers to a computer program used for the study of the dynamic response of materials and structures to impulse (primary blast), impact (involving everything from car and aircraft collisions to impacts of space structures by assorted debris). The understanding of hydrocodes requires knowledge of numerical methods in the code as well as a keen understanding of the physics of the problem being addressed. This can take many years to learn via codes. There are currently a number of titles addressing the physics of high pressure and high rate material but nothing introducing the novice to the fundamentals of this highly technical and complicated study. Introduction to Hydrocodes bridges the gap, bringing together the large body of literature, scattered through diverse journals, government and corporate reports and conference proceedings. As valuable as the text are the cited references and the combination will take years off the preparation time of future code users. - Introduces complex physics essential for the understanding of hydrocodes - Infused with over 30 years practical experience in the field - Brings together a wide range of literature saving valuable research time

This volume presents results of the International Meshing Roundtable conference organized by Sandia National Laboratories held in September 2005. The conference is held annually and since its inception eleven years ago has become widely recognized as a major forum for the exchange of ideas in this field. The papers of this proceedings are devoted to mesh generation and adaptation which has applications to finite element simulation as well as to computational geometry and computer graphics. This book introduces theoretical and novel ideas with practical potential as well as technical applications from industrial researchers, bringing together renowned specialists from engineering, computer science and mathematics.

The Material Point Method: A Continuum-Based Particle Method for Extreme Loading Cases systematically introduces the theory, code design, and application of the material point method, covering subjects such as the spatial and temporal discretization of MPM, frequently-used strength models and equations of state of materials, contact algorithms in MPM, adaptive MPM, the hybrid/coupled material point finite element method, object-oriented programming of MPM, and the application of MPM in impact, explosion, and metal forming. Recent progresses are also stated in this monograph, including improvement of efficiency, memory storage, coupling/combination with the finite element method, the contact algorithm, and their application to problems. - Provides a user's guide and several numerical examples of the MPM3D-F90 code that can be downloaded from a website - Presents models that describe different types of material behaviors, with a focus on extreme events. - Includes applications of MPM and its extensions in extreme events, such as transient crack propagation, impact/penetration, blast, fluid-structure interaction, and biomechanical responses to extreme loading

This book is the first of several volumes on solids in the Shock Wave Science and Technology Reference Library. This is a unique collection, and the library as a whole sets out to comprehensively and authoritatively cover and review at research level the subject matter with all its ramifications. All the chapters are self-contained and can be read independently of each other, though they are of course thematically interrelated.