Chaos In The Cosmos [Hardcover]

Barry Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 1996

As this remarkable book shows, we live in a universe beset with chaos. Highly acclaimed popular science writer Barry Parker shows - for the first time in a popular work - the amazing impact chaos theory is having on our understanding of the cosmos. Through vivid metaphors and imagery, Parker indoctrinates the reader into the fantastic realm of chaos theory, from the exquisitely detailed structure of fractals to strange attractors to stretching and folding space. He interviews the world's premier astronomers to discuss firsthand the challenge of applying these powerful concepts to the most intriguing paradoxes in astronomy; the workings of chaos in the bizarre tumbling orbit of one of Saturn's moons, the swirling migration of the great red spot of Jupiter, the explosive mechanics of pulsating stars, and the intricate dance of stars orbiting black holes. He also explains the exciting cutting-edge technology scientists employ as they learn - via computer images - to model accurately the movements of planets, suns, and even superclusters of galaxies millions of years into the past and future to explore the role of chaos in the mysterious genesis and fate of the universe. This burgeoning new science, like all brilliant theories, raises nearly as many questions as it answers. Is the universe a puzzle we will one day be able to solve? Chaos theory reminds us that unpredictability goes part and parcel with our dynamic universe. It also offers testimony to the elegantly complex structure of the universe. As Parker eloquently shows, this remarkable science, though still in its infancy, is destined to rank among the most potent and compelling forces that will shape the future of astronomy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The concept of chaos has brought a revolution to modern science. In place of their once confident pretensions to complete knowledge of the universe--at least theoretically--scientists have been forced by chaos to admit that there are situations that do not admit of complete predictability, even above the quantum scale of events, where uncertainty is so powerful. Parker begins with a lucid explanation of chaos and its roots in past science and mathematics, then proceeds to how chaos affects modern astronomy. The structure of the rings of Saturn, the orbits of the asteroids, even the gross configuration of the galaxies and the universe itself are all cryptic and enigmatic, but chaos helps to explain them. Parker illuminates these developments in all their exquisite details. Highly recommended Dennis Winters

About the Author

Barry Parker, Ph.D, is an award-winning science writer and the author of eleven highly acclaimed books in popular science, including Alien Life, Cosmic Time Travel, Einstein's Dream, and Einstein's Brainchild.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (March 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306452618
• ISBN-13: 978-0306452611
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,429,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a professor emeritus at Idaho State University where I taught physics and astronomy for 30 years. I also taught a writing class at night school at the university for several years. I am the author of 24 books and have written for the Smithsonian, Encyclopedia, Britannica, Time-Life Books, the Washington Post, and numerous magazines such as "Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, Flyfisherman, and Fishing World." My most recent books are "Good Vibrations: The Physics of Music," "Write a Book that Will Sell," and "You Should Write a Book." I now spend most of my time writing, but also enjoy travelling, hiking and fishing. Most of my early books were on popular science, but I've now branched into other areas. My webpage is BarryParkerbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cosmos Book Leaves Mere Confusion, Not Chaos in its Wake, July 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Chaos In The Cosmos (Hardcover)

As a caption to a photograph early in the book, Parker writes, "A field of stars. Some of them may be chaotic." To term an object "chaotic" is meaningless unless one specifies what behavior (its motion, its fluctuations in brightness) is displaying chaotic characteristics. This ambiguous and imprecise tone permeates the rest of the text, hindering a clear understanding of the sometimes counter-intuitive concepts of chaos.

_Chaos in the Cosmos_ aims to be a layperson's introduction to chaos, with applications to problems in planetary science, astrophysics and cosmology. Despite the careful attention Parker has paid to describing technical concepts in plain language, his explanations are not clearly constructed, and on several occasions include factual errors, contradictions and misunderstandings that lead me to guess he is not well-conversant on the subject himself.

Anyone who has read the fine work of James Gleick in his book, _Chaos_, will be disappointed with _Chaos in the Cosmos_. Readers already familiar with the history of chaos science and its basic concepts may find useful the discussion of recent research, and the particular focus on astronomical applications (though this is brief and confined to the last half of the book). Those who are new to the study of chaos will glean some knowledge from reading the initial chapters, but I do not recommend it as an introduction to the discipline, since the inaccurate and inefficient explanations are misleading to the novice.