A New Kind of Science
Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram, whose Mathematica computer language launched a multimillion-dollar company, now sets his sights on a more daunting goal: understanding the universe.
A New Kind of Science
is a gorgeous, 1,280-page tome more than a decade in the making. With patience, insight, and self-confidence to spare, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modelling complex systems.
On the frontier of complexity science since he was a boy, Wolfram is a champion of cellular automata--256 "programs" governed by simple non-mathematical rules. He points out that even the most complex equations fail to accurately model biological systems, but the simplest cellular automata can produce results straight out of nature--tree branches, stream eddies, and leopard spots, for instance. The graphics in
A New Kind of Science
show striking resemblance to the patterns we see in nature every day.
Wolfram wrote the book in a distinct style meant to make it easy to read, even for non-techies; a basic familiarity with logic is helpful but not essential. Readers will find themselves swept away by the elegant simplicity of Wolfram's ideas and the accidental artistry of the cellular automaton models. Whether or not Wolfram's revolution ultimately gives us the keys to the universe, his new science is absolutely awe-inspiring. --
Therese Littleton
| uuid: |
B8B34BC9-67A7-4821-96C2-1042FBB9346E |
| upc: |
9781579550080 |
| title: |
A New Kind of Science |
| purchase date: |
14-12-2005 |
| publisher: |
Wolfram Media |
| published: |
01-12-2002 |
| price: |
CDN$ 52.64 |
| pages: |
1197 |
| net Rating: |
2.78 |
| last lookup time: |
156320160 |
| genre: |
Science
Mathematical Analysis
Biological Sciences
Research
Methodology & Statistics |
| fullTitle: |
A New Kind of Science |
| currentValue: |
CDN$ 48.50 |
| created: |
156320160 |
| country: |
ca |
| author: |
Stephen Wolfram |
| aspect: |
Hardcover |
| asin: |
1579550088
|
