In this masterfully written and brilliantly informed work, Dr. Rhorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, leads readers through an elegant, always human, tapestry of interlocking themes, answering the great question: what principles control our universe and why do physicists think they know what they know? Features an introduction by Stephen Hawking.

Derivatives Models on Models takes a theoretical and practical look at some of the latest and most important ideas behind derivatives pricing models. In each chapter the author highlights the latest thinking and trends in the area. A wide range of topics are covered, including valuation methods on stocks paying discrete dividend, Asian options, American barrier options, Complex barrier options, reset options, and electricity derivatives. The book also discusses the latest ideas surrounding finance like the robustness of dynamic delta hedging, option hedging, negative probabilities and space-time finance. The accompanying CD-ROM with additional Excel sheets includes the mathematical models covered in the book. The book also includes interviews with some of the world’s top names in the industry, and an insight into the history behind some of the greatest discoveries in quantitative finance. Interviewees include: Clive Granger, Nobel Prize winner in Economics 2003, on Cointegration Nassim Taleb on Black Swans Stephen Ross on Arbitrage Pricing Theory Emanuel Derman the Wall Street Quant Edward Thorp on Gambling and Trading Peter Carr the Wall Street Wizard of Option Symmetry and Volatility Aaron Brown on Gambling, Poker and Trading David Bates on Crash and Jumps Andrei Khrennikov on Negative Probabilities Elie Ayache on Option Trading and Modeling Peter Jaeckel on Monte Carlo Simulation Alan Lewis on Stochastic Volatility and Jumps Paul Wilmott on Paul Wilmott Knut Aase on Catastrophes and Financial Economics Eduardo Schwartz the Yoga Master of Quantitative Finance Bruno Dupire on Local and Stochastic Volatility Models

A young scholar tells the story of the physicists and mathematicians who created the models that have become the basis of modern finance and argues that these models are the "solution" to--not the source of--our current economic woes.

This lecture notes volume encompasses four indispensable mini courses delivered at Wuhan University with each course containing the material from five one-hour lectures. Readers are brought up to date with exciting recent developments in the areas of asymptotic analysis, singular perturbations, orthogonal polynomials, and the application of Gevrey asymptotic expansion to holomorphic dynamical systems. The book also features important invited papers presented at the conference. Leading experts in the field cover a diverse range of topics from partial differential equations arising in cancer biology to transonic shock waves.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in:• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings® (ISTP® / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• CC Proceedings — Engineering & Physical Sciences

This is a unique book about natural catastrophes, focusing on the mathematical aspects of these phenomena. Although academic in style and didactic in purpose, it is practical in the treatment of the diverse issues covered, which range from hazard warning and forecasting to engineering design criteria and insurance loss estimation. Addressing as it does many mathematical topics not found together in a single volume, the book should be of value to all those with a quantitative educational interest in or professional concern for natural catastrophes.

An unprecedented book on option pricing! For the first time, the basics on modern option pricing are explained ``from scratch'' using only minimal mathematics. Market practitioners and students alike will learn how and why the Black-Scholes equation works, and what other new methods have been developed that build on the success of Black-Shcoles. The Cox-Ross-Rubinstein binomial trees are discussed, as well as two recent theories of option pricing: the Derman-Kani theory on implied volatility trees and Mark Rubinstein's implied binomial trees. Black-Scholes and Beyond will not only help the reader gain a solid understanding of the Balck-Scholes formula, but will also bring the reader up to date by detailing current theoretical developments from Wall Street. Furthermore, the author expands upon existing research and adds his own new approaches to modern option pricing theory. Among the topics covered in Black-Scholes and Beyond: detailed discussions of pricing and hedging options; volatility smiles and how to price options ``in the presence of the smile''; complete explanation on pricing barrier options.