Qualitative Analysis of Physical Problems reviews the essential features of all the main approaches used for the qualitative analysis of physical problems and demonstrates their application to problems from a wide variety of fields. Topics covered include model construction, dimensional analysis, symmetry, and the method of the small parameter. This book consists of six chapters and begins by looking at various approaches for the construction of models, along with nontrivial applications of dimensional analysis to some typical model systems. The following chapters focus on the application of symmetry to the microscopic and macroscopic properties of systems; the implications of analyticity and occurrence of singularities; and some methods of deriving the magnitude of the solutions (that is, approximate numerical values) for problems that usually cannot be solved exactly in closed form. The final chapter demonstrates the use of qualitative analysis to address the problem of second harmonic generation in nonlinear optics. This monograph will be a useful resource for graduate students, experimental and theoretical physicists, chemists, engineers, college and high school teachers, and those who are interested in obtaining a general perspective of modern physics.

Qualitative research is increasingly more common in the health professions, but most general research texts are limited in their discussion of the guiding principles of qualitative research. As a result, it is difficult for students and practitioners in the fields of athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physical education, fitness, and health to sort out and apply the concepts involved in this method of research. Qualitative Research in Physical Activity and the Health Professions puts to rest any confusion or misunderstanding about this type of research. The text clearly explains the underlying principles of qualitative inquiry, making it easy for students and practitioners to understand how to design, conduct, and evaluate qualitative research studies. It contrasts the more familiar quantitative designs with qualitative ones, making it easy to follow the flow of information and make associations about how the two methods complement one another. It also presents examples from current literature to accentuate the components of an authentic qualitative research study, including observations, interviews, open-ended questions, and a format for analyzing data. Through Qualitative Research in Physical Activity and the Health Professions, readers learn how to frame a researchable problem, how to develop questions to gain valuable insight that specifically applies to the problem, and how to guide the procedures for data collection and analysis. This text will greatly appeal to physical activity and health students and professionals alike as they seek to learn how to use qualitative research in their work.

A comprehensive introduction to modern applied functional analysis. Assumes only basic notions of calculus, real analysis, geometry, and differential equations.

Designed especially for students in sport and physical activity, this book provides a detailed guide to planning, undertaking, and writing up qualitative research. Opening with a discussion of the main traits of qualitative inquiry and its use in sport and physical activity, the authors provide a coherent and accessible overview of qualitative research using numerous examples to bring the text alive. The book is divided into five parts informed by stages in the research process, with chapters on: • early steps in the research process • ethics • choosing your an approach • methods of data collection • analysing the data • writing up and disseminating your findings. This is essential reading for undergraduate and Masters students carrying out a qualitative research project in sport and physical activity and for PhD students looking to refresh their knowledge.

Readings in Qualitative Reasoning about Physical Systems describes the automated reasoning about the physical world using qualitative representations. This text is divided into nine chapters, each focusing on some aspect of qualitative physics. The first chapter deal with qualitative physics, which is concerned with representing and reasoning about the physical world. The goal of qualitative physics is to capture both the commonsense knowledge of the person on the street and the tacit knowledge underlying the quantitative knowledge used by engineers and scientists. The succeeding chapter discusses the qualitative calculus and its role in constructing an envisionment that includes behavior over both mythical time and elapsed time. These topics are followed by reviews of the mathematical aspects of qualitative reasoning, history-based simulation and temporal reasoning, as well as the intelligence in scientific computing. The final chapters are devoted to automated modeling for qualitative reasoning and causal explanations of behavior. These chapters also examine the qualitative kinematics of reasoning about shape and space. This book will prove useful to psychologists and psychiatrists.

Twitter, Facebook, online forums, blogs and websites – scholars are increasingly turning to digital sources to study sport and physical activity. These platforms have generated new digital content ripe for analysis and are making it possible to investigate communities that were previously inaccessible. However, they have also created theoretical, methodological, practical and ethical challenges. This book critically examines the opportunities open to qualitative researchers working in digital spaces and offers novel insights into how the rise of new technology is helping to shape sport studies. Showcasing original research on emerging themes, trends and issues such as digital sociology, media citizenship, online gaming, Big Data, fitness apps and online fan cultures, this collection leads the way in this fast-developing field of study. It not only considers the possibilities and limitations of using digital tools to conduct qualitative research into sport, but also provides innovative examples of how researchers can adapt successfully to ever-evolving technologies. Digital Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Activity is essential reading for all students and scholars interested in the latest digital developments in sport studies and research methods.