Chaotic Dynamics: An Introduction [Paperback]

Gregory L. Baker (Author), Jerry P. Gollub (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 052138897X | ISBN-13: 978-0521388979 | Publication Date: June 29, 1990

A short, quantitative introduction to chaos and nonlinear dynamics. The authors illustrate all the main features of chaotic dynamics using the damped, driven pendulum as a primary model. A special feature is the inclusion of both analytic and computer exercises with which the reader may expand on the many numerical simulations included in the book, thus encouraging learning through participation. This book requires only a background in calculus and introductory college physics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

."..an excellent introduction to chaotic dynamics for anyone with a reasonable undergraduate knowledge of physics and mathematics." Peter J. Bryant, SIAM Review

Book Description

Widely praised for its clarity and style, the previous edition of this text was the first to provide a quantitative introduction to chaos and nonlinear dynamics at the undergraduate level. This edition includes additional material on the analysis and characterization of chaotic data and applications of chaos. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 29, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052138897X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521388979
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,975,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gregory L. Baker was born and educated in Toronto, receiving his B.Sc., M.Sc, and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of Toronto. In 1970 he joined the faculty of Bryn Athyn College of the New Church in Pennsylvania where he spent 37 years teaching physics and mathematics. His scholarly interests include chaotic dynamics - particularly the chaotic pendulum, the relationship between religion and science, and stochastic processes. Greg has collaborated with other scholars on major projects, and also worked as a partime consultant for several years. Mostly retired now, he teaches one course, and continues to write. Greg's other vocation is music. He sings with an oratorio society and and his church choir, and occasionally solos. Once a month, he plays the keyboard for the Sunday service at a local church. Greg and his wife Margaret have four married children and seven grandchildren. Life is good.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the pendulum to chaos in straightforward steps, May 5, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaotic Dynamics: An Introduction (Paperback)

Books that take you from undergraduate physics to a nontrivial understanding of nonlinear dynamics, chaos and fractals are rare. Chaotic Dynamics does the job ellegantly. The familiar pendulum is used to illustrate the basic techniques and concepts in nonlinear dynamics. The reader is gently introduced to phase diagrams, Poincare sections, basins of attraction and bifurcation diagrams. Computer code is included in the Appendix. The interested reader can use this code to further illustrate the lessons of the text or to embark on his/her own exploration of the pendulum and other dynamical systems. Having used the pendulum to establish a firm conceptual platform, Baker and Gollub progress gracefully into the logistic map to illustrate concepts such as period doubling, Lyapunov exponent, entropy, stretching and folding, and various measures of fractal dimension. The presentation is nicely rounded off with studies of other maps and nonlinear dynamical systems from a range of fields in physics, chemistry and fluid dynamics.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chaos and True Basic Code, March 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Chaotic Dynamics: An Introduction (Hardcover)

The gateway to experimental chaos research comes through here! The mathematics, the examples and code that illustrates the book is here. It is somewhat narrow in it's beginning approach, but delivers after careful study a beginning of understanding with some real industry. Not for the mathemaically shy or Professors like Ruelle, but for real people wanting real answers! Your unique Associates ID is: thefractaltransl.