A Random Walk in Physics - Cencini, Massimo

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Résumé :
This book offers an informal, easy-to-understand account of topics in modern physics and mathematics. The focus is, in particular, on statistical mechanics, soft matter, probability, chaos, complexity, and models, as well as their interplay. The book features 28 key entries and it is carefully structured so as to allow readers to pursue different paths that reflect their interests and priorities, thereby avoiding an excessively systematic presentation that might stifle interest. While the majority of the entries concern specific topics and arguments, some relate to important protagonists of science, highlighting and explaining their contributions. Advanced mathematics is avoided, and formulas are introduced in only a few cases. The book is a user-friendly tool that nevertheless avoids scientific compromise. It is of interest to all who seek a better grasp of the world that surrounds us and of the ideas that have changed our perceptions.

Biographie:

Massimo Cencini graduated in Physics from the Sapienza University of Rome in 1996 and gained his Ph.D. there in 2000. He then became a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Complex Systems in Dresden and at the Observatory of Nice. Currently, he is senior researcher at the Institute of Complex Systems of the National Research Council in Rome, where he works since 2008. His scientific interests include chaos and complexity in dynamical systems, statistical theories of turbulence, and turbulent transport. In recent years, he has also become interested in theoretical population dynamics. Dr. Cencini has written about 90 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals and a monograph on chaos and dynamical systems.

Sommaire:
Chapter 1 - Introduction.- Chapter 2 - Atoms, Irreversibility, Probability, Statistical Mechanics, Entropy.- Chapter 3 - Probability, Entropy, Chaos.- Chapter 4 - Chaos, Prediction.- Chapter 5 - Prediction, Turbulence, Models.- Chapter 6 - Models, Richardson.- Chapter 7 - Boltzmann, Statistical Mechanics, Brownian Motion.- Chapter 8 - Boltzmann, Atoms, Statistical Mechanics, Mesoscale Systems.- Chapter 9 - Prediction: Chaos, Poincar?, Richardson, Models, Big data.- Chapter 10 - Statistical Mechanics: Atoms, Boltzmann, Maxwell.