Customer Reviews

Chaos: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book starts out promising but, as one goes along, it drifts farther and farther from what an introduction to chaos should be.

In particular, the book turns out to be largely a discussion of modeling and forecasting, with some emphasis on the relevant implications of chaos. Moreover, most of the examples and applications relate to weather and climate, which becomes boring after a while (especially considering the abundance of other options). Smith's bio reveals that this is exactly his specialty, so the book appears to be heavily shaped by his background and interests, rather than what's best for a general audience. As a result, many standard and important topics in chaos theory recieve little or no mention, and I think the book fails as a proper introduction to chaos.

A further problem is that much of Smith's discussion is muddled, especially in the later chapters. It's as though he wants to probe deeply, but can't take time to really spell things out, so he winds up being unclear. This lack of clarity is exacerbated by his bending over backwards to avoid writing out even the simplest equations, which is cumbersome and annoying, not to mention out of place given Smith's efforts to present some fairly sophisticated material.

Considering all of this, I can recommend the book only to people who are particularly interested in modeling, forecasting, and the relevant implications of chaos, especially as this relates to weather and climate. In this context, Smith's discussion of the differences between mathematical, physical, statistical, and philosophical perspectives is particularly insightful and useful.

However, I can't recommend the book for a general audience, and I would definitely recommend against it as a first book on chaos. It's simply too incomplete and unbalanced for that purpose.

I really struggled in trying to rate this book, as I really want to be fair and equitable in all my reviews. Perhaps it is a very good book and I have "short-changed" it, but I cannot really say because, after reading it, I feel just about as confused and bewildered regarding mathematical chaos as I did before I launched into it. Well, I do not suppose that reading it "hurt" me! But, in my humble opinion, this condensed, compressed "cutting edge" stuff is not for "beginners"!

It seems like I would have a "fighting chance" to readily comprehend the content of this little book, given that I am what many people would call a "well-read" and intelligent person (and I even have a graduate degree with a "minor" in multivariate statistics from a respected university). But no way! I was confused early on in trying to decipher this book on my own. I really needed a patient teacher to hold my hand. Maybe I am basically dense, stupid, below average in IQ, and/or just getting old -- who knows? But, while I endeavored to read this "very short introduction", I found myself thinking that, at least for the average person, it may be possible, but not probable, that they will grasp much of the content beyond perhaps a few vague intuitive notions. Otherwise, I learned a few new impressive words, what a "vole" is, a little about "Olbers' paradox", and that Edgar Allan Poe was seriously interested in cosmology (for example, see his essay entitled, "Eureka").

A very readable introduction for anyone interested in nonlinear dynamics, time series, weather forecasting or climate modelling.

There are very few concise introductions to chaos and its applications, so this one is well worth reading.

I am a physicist with a PhD who likes reading almost anything on physics, astronomy, and mathematics. These "...very short introductions" are concise, entertaining, and for the most part instructive. I recommend these books to researchers in these fields as a good review and to those seeking a more detailed educational experience than most popularizations sans equations.

I like the book. It is really easy to read and includes so so much information.