This book is devoted to the history of chaos theory, from celestial mechanics (three-body problem) to electronics and meteorology. Many illustrative examples of chaotic behaviors exist in various contexts found in nature (chemistry, astrophysics, biomedicine). This book includes the most popular systems from chaos theory (Lorenz, Rössler, van der Pol, Duffing, logistic map, Lozi map, Hénon map etc.) and introduces many other systems, some of them very rarely discussed in textbooks as well as in scientific papers. The contents are formulated with an original approach as compared to other books on chaos theory.

Chaos theory deals with the description of motion (in a general sense) which cannot be predicted in the long term although produced by deterministic system, as well exemplified by meteorological phenomena. It directly comes from the Lunar theory — a three-body problem — and the difficulty encountered by astronomers to accurately predict the long-term evolution of the Moon using “Newtonian” mechanics. Henri Poincaré's deep intuitions were at the origin of chaos theory. They also led the meteorologist Edward Lorenz to draw the first chaotic attractor ever published. But the main idea consists of plotting a curve representative of the system evolution rather than finding an analytical solution as commonly done in classical mechanics. Such a novel approach allows the description of population interactions and the solar activity as well. Using the original sources, the book draws on the history of the concepts underlying chaos theory from the 17th century to the last decade, and by various examples, show how general is this theory in a wide range of applications: meteorology, chemistry, populations, astrophysics, biomedicine, etc.

A classy rendering of chaos theory and symmetry mathematics illustrating recent understanding about the convergence between the two areas. Mathematicians Field and Golubitsky explain the relationship between chaos and symmetry, describing how chaotic process may eventually lead to symmetric patterns in a clear, understandable language and in color photographs reproducing computer images demonstrating the inherent pattern in apparent chaos. The authors compare these images with pictures from nature and art that, miraculously, mimic the computer patterns. Includes an appendix containing several BASIC programs enabling home computer owners to experiment with similar images. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This textbook is aimed at newcomers to nonlinear dynamics and chaos, especially students taking a first course in the subject. The presentation stresses analytical methods, concrete examples, and geometric intuition. The theory is developed systematically, starting with first-order differential equations and their bifurcations, followed by phase plane analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations, and culminating with the Lorenz equations, chaos, iterated maps, period doubling, renormalization, fractals, and strange attractors.

For almost ten years chaos and fractals have been enveloping many areas of mathematics and the natural sciences in their power, creativity and expanse. Reaching far beyond the traditional bounds of mathematics and science to the realms of popular culture, they have captured the attention and enthusiasm of a worldwide audience. The fourteen chapters of the book cover the central ideas and concepts, as well as many related topics including, the Mandelbrot Set, Julia Sets, Cellular Automata, L-Systems, Percolation and Strange Attractors, and each closes with the computer code for a central experiment. In the two appendices, Yuval Fisher discusses the details and ideas of fractal image compression, while Carl J.G. Evertsz and Benoit Mandelbrot introduce the foundations and implications of multifractals.

A pioneering book that shows how the two great themes of classic science, order and chaos, are being reconciled in a new and unexpected synthesis Order Out of Chaos is a sweeping critique of the discordant landscape of modern scientific knowledge. In this landmark book, Nobel Laureate Ilya Prigogine and acclaimed philosopher Isabelle Stengers offer an exciting and accessible account of the philosophical implications of thermodynamics. Prigogine and Stengers bring contradictory philosophies of time and chance into a novel and ambitious synthesis. Since its first publication in France in 1978, this book has sparked debate among physicists, philosophers, literary critics and historians.

This book is conceived as a comprehensive and detailed text-book on non-linear dynamical systems with particular emphasis on the exploration of chaotic phenomena. The self-contained introductory presentation is addressed both to those who wish to study the physics of chaotic systems and non-linear dynamics intensively as well as those who are curious to learn more about the fascinating world of chaotic phenomena. Basic concepts like Poincaré section, iterated mappings, Hamiltonian chaos and KAM theory, strange attractors, fractal dimensions, Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation theory, self-similarity and renormalisation and transitions to chaos are thoroughly explained. To facilitate comprehension, mathematical concepts and tools are introduced in short sub-sections. The text is supported by numerous computer experiments and a multitude of graphical illustrations and colour plates emphasising the geometrical and topological characteristics of the underlying dynamics. This volume is a completely revised and enlarged second edition which comprises recently obtained research results of topical interest, and has been extended to include a new section on the basic concepts of probability theory. A completely new chapter on fully developed turbulence presents the successes of chaos theory, its limitations as well as future trends in the development of complex spatio-temporal structures. "This book will be of valuable help for my lectures" Hermann Haken, Stuttgart "This text-book should not be missing in any introductory lecture on non-linear systems and deterministic chaos" Wolfgang Kinzel, Würzburg “This well written book represents a comprehensive treatise on dynamical systems. It may serve as reference book for the whole field of nonlinear and chaotic systems and reports in a unique way on scientific developments of recent decades as well as important applications.” Joachim Peinke, Institute of Physics, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany