Stephen Wolfram – författare

Are mathematical equations the best way to model nature? For many years it had been assumed that they were. But in the early 1980s, Stephen Wolfram made the radical proposal that one should instead build models that are based directly on simple computer programs. Wolfram made a detailed study of a class of such models known as cellular automata, and discovered a remarkable fact: that even when the underlying rules are very simple, the behavior they produce can be highly complex, and can mimic many features of what we see in nature. And based on this result, Wolfram began a program of research to develop what he called ?A Science of Complexity.?The results of Wolfram's work found many applications, from the so-called Wolfram Classification central to fields such as artificial life, to new ideas about cryptography and fluid dynamics. This book is a collection of Wolfram's original papers on cellular automata and complexity. Some of these papers are widely known in the scientific community; others have never been published before. Together, the papers provide a highly readable account of what has become a major new field of science, with important implications for physics, biology, economics, computer science and many other areas.

Although the idea of using discrete methods for modeling partial differential equations occurred very early, the actual statement that cellular automata techniques can approximate the solutions of hydrodynamic partial differential equations was first discovered by Frisch, Hasslacher, and Pomeau. Their description of the derivation, which assumes the validity of the Boltzmann equation, appeared in the Physical Review Letters in April 1986. It is the intent of this book to provide some overview of the directions that lattice gas research has taken from 1986 to early 1989.

Are mathematical equations the best way to model nature? For many years it had been assumed that they were. But in the early 1980s, Stephen Wolfram made the radical proposal that one should instead build models that are based directly on simple computer programs. Wolfram made a detailed study of a class of such models known as cellular automata, and discovered a remarkable fact: that even when the underlying rules are very simple, the behavior they produce can be highly complex, and can mimic many features of what we see in nature. And based on this result, Wolfram began a program of research to develop what he called ?A Science of Complexity.?The results of Wolfram's work found many applications, from the so-called Wolfram Classification central to fields such as artificial life, to new ideas about cryptography and fluid dynamics. This book is a collection of Wolfram's original papers on cellular automata and complexity. Some of these papers are widely known in the scientific community; others have never been published before. Together, the papers provide a highly readable account of what has become a major new field of science, with important implications for physics, biology, economics, computer science and many other areas.

This book provides an overview of the directions that lattice gas research has taken from 1986 to early 1989. It shows potential users and lattice gas scientists what research has been completed and gives some indication of the utility and limitations of lattice gas models.

With over a million users around the world, the Mathematica software system created by Stephen Wolfram has defined the direction of technical computing for the past decade. The enhanced text and hypertext processing and state-of-the-art numerical computation features will ensure that Mathematica 4, takes scientific computing into the next century.The Mathematica Book continues to be the definitive reference guide to this revolutionary software package and is released in this new edition to coincide with the release of the new version of Mathematica.The Mathematica Book is a must-have purchase for anyone who wants to understand the opportunities in science, technology, business, and education made possible by Mathematica 4. This encompasses a broad audience of scientists and mathematicians; engineers; computer professionals; financial analysts; medical researchers; and students at high-school, college, and graduate levels. Written by the creator of the system, The Mathematica Book includes both a tutorial introduction and complete reference information, and contains comprehensive description of how to take advantage of Mathematica's ability to solve myriad technical computing problems and its powerful graphical and typesetting capabilities.

By Stephen Wolfram, creator of the Wolfram Language and author of the ground-breaking A New Kind of Science (Wolfram).