- Table View
- List View
Plasma Theory: An Advanced Guide for Graduate Students
by Vladimir RozhanskyThis textbook, based on the author’s classroom-tested lecture course, helps graduate students master the advanced plasma theory needed to unlock results at the forefront of current research. It is structured around a two semester course, beginning with kinetic theory and transport processes, while the second semester is devoted to plasma dynamics, including MHD theory, equilibrium, and stability. More advanced problems such as neoclassical theory, stochastization of the magnetic field lines, and edge plasma physics are also considered, and each chapter ends with an illustrative example which demonstrates a concrete application of the theory. The distinctive feature of this book is that, unlike most other advanced plasma science texts, phenomena in both low and high temperature plasma are considered simultaneously so that theory of slightly ionized and fully ionized plasmas is presented holistically. This book will therefore be ideal as a classroom text or self-study guide for a wide cohort of graduate students working in different areas like nuclear fusion, gas discharge physics, low temperature plasma applications, astrophysics, and more. It is also a useful reference for more seasoned researchers.
Plasticity-Damage Couplings: From Single Crystal to Polycrystalline Materials (Solid Mechanics and Its Applications #253)
by Oana Cazacu Benoit Revil-Baudard Nitin ChandolaOffering a well-balanced blend of theory and hands-on applications, this book presents a unified framework for the main dissipative phenomena in metallic materials: plasticity and damage. Based on representation theory for tensor functions and scale-bridging theorems, this framework enables the development of constitutive models that account for the influence of crystallographic structures and deformation mechanisms on the macroscopic behavior. It allows readers to develop a clear understanding of the range of applicability of any given model, as well as its capabilities and limitations, and provides procedures for parameter identification along with key concepts necessary to solve boundary value problems, making it useful to both researchers and engineering practitioners. Although the book focuses on new contributions to modeling anisotropic materials, the review of the foundations of plasticity and models for isotropic materials, completed with detailed mathematical proofs mean that it is self-consistent and accessible to graduate students in engineering mechanics and material sciences.
Plate Tectonics: An Insider's History of the Modern Theory of the Earth (Frontiers in Physics)
by Naomi Oreskes<p>Can anyone today imagine the earth without its puzzle-piece construction of plate tectonics? The very term, "plate tectonics," coined only thirty-five years ago, is now part of the vernacular, part of everyone's understanding of the way the earth works. <p>The theory, research, data collection, and analysis that came together in the late 1960's to constitute plate tectonics is one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century. Scholarly books have been written about tectonics, but none by the key scientists-players themselves. In Plate Tectonics, editor Naomi Oreskes has assembled those scientists who played crucial roles in developing the theory to tell - for the first time, and in their own words - the stories of their involvement in the extraordinary confrimation of the theory. <p>The book opens with an overview of the history of plate tectonics, including in-context definitions of the key terms that are discussed throughout the book. Oreskes explains how the forerunners of the theory, Wegener and du Toit, raised questions that were finally answered thirty years later, and how scientists working at the key academic institutions - Cambridge and Princeton Universities, Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Geological Observatory, and the University of California-San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography – competed and collaborated until the theory coalesced.
Plato, Diagrammatic Reasoning and Mental Models
by Susanna SaraccoThis book analyses the role of diagrammatic reasoning in Plato’s philosophy: the readers will realize that Plato, describing the stages of human cognitive development using a diagram, poses a logic problem to stimulate the general reasoning abilities of his readers. Following the examination of mental models in this book, the readers will reflect on what inferences can be useful to approach this kind of logic problem. Plato calls for a collaboration between writer and readers. In this book the readers will examine the connection between diagrams and discovery, realizing the important epistemic role of visualization. They will recognize the crucial role that diagrams play in problem solving. The logic problem elaborated by Plato is addressed considering the epistemic function of mental models. These models introduce to an advanced stage of cognitive development, in which reasoning uses in its investigations a higher-level of mathematical complexity, represented by structuralism.
Plato’s Problem
by Marco Panza Andrea SereniWhat is mathematics about? And if it is about some sort of mathematical reality, how can we have access to it? This is the problem raised by Plato, which still today is the subject of lively philosophical disputes. This book traces the history of the problem, from its origins to its contemporary treatment. It discusses the answers given by Aristotle, Proclus and Kant, through Frege's and Russell's versions of logicism, Hilbert's formalism, Godel's platonism, up to the the current debate on Benacerraf's dilemma and the indispensability argument. Through the considerations of themes in the philosophy of language, ontology, and the philosophy of science, the book aims at offering an historically-informed introduction to the philosophy of mathematics, approached through the lenses of its most fundamental problem. "
Play and STEM Education in the Early Years: International Policies and Practices
by Sue Dale Tunnicliffe Teresa J. KennedyThis edited book provides an overview of unstructured and structured play scenarios crucial to developing young children’s awareness, interest, and ability to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in informal and formal education environments. The key elements for developing future STEM capital, enabling children to use their intuitive critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and promoting active citizenship and a scientifically literate workforce, begins in the early years as children learn through play, employing trial and error, and often investigating on their own.Forty-seven STEM experts come together from 16 countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, and the USA) and describe educational policies and experiences related to young learners 3–4 years of age, as well as students attending formal-nursery school, early primary school, and the early years classes post 5 years of age.The book is intended for parents seeking to provide STEM activities for their children at home and in playgroups, citizen scientists seeking guidance to provide children with quality educational activities, daycare practitioners providing educational structures for young children from birth to formal education, primary school teachers and preservice teachers seeking to teach preschool, kindergarten or children typically aged 5–8 years old in grades 1–3, as well as researchers and policy makers working in science didactics with small children.
Playful Disruption of Digital Media (Gaming Media and Social Effects Ser.)
by Daniel Cermak-SassenrathThis book starts with the proposition that digital media invite play and indeed need to be played by their everyday users. Play is probably one of the most visible and powerful ways to appropriate the digital world. The diverse, emerging practices of digital media appear to be essentially playful: Users are involved and active, produce form and content, spread, exchange and consume it, take risks, are conscious of their own goals and the possibilities of achieving them, are skilled and know how to acquire more skills. They share a perspective of can-do, a curiosity of what happens next? Play can be observed in social, economic, political, artistic, educational and criminal contexts and endeavours. It is employed as a (counter) strategy, for tacit or open resistance, as a method and productive practice, and something people do for fun.The book aims to define a particular contemporary attitude, a playful approach to media. It identifies some common ground and key principles in this novel terrain. Instead of looking at play and how it branches into different disciplines like business and education, the phenomenon of play in digital media is approached unconstrained by disciplinary boundaries. The contributions in this book provide a glimpse of a playful technological revolution that is a joyful celebration of possibilities that new media afford. This book is not a practical guide on how to hack a system or to pirate music, but provides critical insights into the unintended, artistic, fun, subversive, and sometimes dodgy applications of digital media.Contributions from Chris Crawford, Mathias Fuchs, Rilla Khaled, Sybille Lammes, Eva and Franco Mattes, Florian 'Floyd' Mueller, Michael Nitsche, Julian Oliver, and others cover and address topics such as reflective game design, identity and people's engagement in online media, conflicts and challenging opportunities for play, playing with cartographical interfaces, player-emergent production practices, the re-purposing of data, game creation as an educational approach, the ludification of society, the creation of meaning within and without play, the internalisation and subversion of roles through play, and the boundaries of play.
Playful User Interfaces: Interfaces that Invite Social and Physical Interaction (Gaming Media and Social Effects)
by Anton NijholtThe book is about user interfaces to applications that have been designed for social and physical interaction. The interfaces are ‘playful’, that is, users feel challenged to engage in social and physical interaction because that will be fun. The topics that will be present in this book are interactive playgrounds, urban games using mobiles, sensor-equipped environments for playing, child-computer interaction, tangible game interfaces, interactive tabletop technology and applications, full-body interaction, exertion games, persuasion, engagement, evaluation and user experience. Readers of the book will not only get a survey of state-of-the-art research in these areas, but the chapters in this book will also provide a vision of the future where playful interfaces will be ubiquitous, that is, present and integrated in home, office, recreational, sports and urban environments, emphasizing that in the future in these environments game elements will be integrated and welcomed.
Playing Around Resonance
by Alessandro FondaThis book provides an up-to-date description of the methods needed to face the existence of solutions to some nonlinear boundary value problems. All important and interesting aspects of the theory of periodic solutions of ordinary differential equations related to the physical and mathematical question of resonance are treated. The author has chosen as a model example the periodic problem for a second order scalar differential equation. In a paedagogical style the author takes the reader step by step from the basics to the most advanced existence results in the field.
Playing with Infinity: Mathematical Explorations And Excursions (Dover Books on Mathematics)
by Rózsa PéterThis popular account of the many mathematical concepts relating to infinity is one of the best introductions to this subject and to the entire field of mathematics. Dividing her book into three parts -- The Sorcerer's Apprentice, The Creative Role of Form, and The Self-Critique of Pure Reason -- Peter develops her material in twenty-two chapters that sound almost too appealing to be true: playing with fingers, coloring the grey number series, we catch infinity again, the line is filled up, some workshop secrets, the building rocks, and so on.Yet, within this structure, the author discusses many important mathematical concepts with complete accuracy: number systems, arithmetical progression, diagonals of convex polygons, the theory of combinations, the law of prime numbers, equations, negative numbers, vectors, operations with fractions, infinite series, irrational numbers, Pythagoras' Theorem, logarithm tables, analytical geometry, the line at infinity, indefinite and definite integrals, the squaring of the circle, transcendental numbers, the theory of groups, the theory of sets, metamathematics, and much more. Numerous illustrations and examples make all the material readily comprehensible.Without being technical or superficial, the author writes with complete clarity and much originality on the whole range of topics from counting to mathematical logic. Using little algebra and no mathematical formulas, she has written an unusual book that will interest even mathematicians and teachers. Beginning mathematics students and people in the humanities and other fields will find the book particularly outstanding for their purposes.
Playing with Infinity: Turtles, Patterns, and Pictures (AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series)
by Hans ZantemaThis is a book about infinity - specifically the infinity of numbers and sequences. Amazing properties arise, for instance, some kinds of infinity are argued to be greater than others. Along the way the author will demonstrate how infinity can be made to create beautiful ‘art’, guided by the development of underlying mathematics. This book will provide a fascinating read for anyone interested in number theory, infinity, math art, and/or generative art, and could be used a valuable supplement to any course on these topics.Features: Beautiful examples of generative art Accessible to anyone with a reasonable high school level of mathematics Full of challenges and puzzles to engage readers
Playing with Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World
by Kelly ClancyA wide-ranging intellectual history that reveals how important games have been to human progress, and what&’s at stake when we forget what games we&’re really playing.We play games to learn about the world, to understand our minds and the minds of others, and to make predictions about the future. Games are an essential aspect of humanity and a powerful tool for modeling reality. They&’re also a lot of fun. But games can be dangerous, especially when we mistake the model worlds of games for reality itself and let gamification co-opt human decision making.Playing with Reality explores the riveting history of games since the Enlightenment, weaving an unexpected path through military theory, political science, evolutionary biology, the development of computers and AI, cutting-edge neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. Neuroscientist and physicist Kelly Clancy shows how intertwined games have been with the arc of history. War games shaped the outcomes of real wars in nineteenth and twentieth century Europe. Game theory warped our understanding of human behavior and brought us to the brink of annihilation—yet still underlies basic assumptions in economics, politics, and technology design. We used games to teach computers how to learn for themselves, and now we are designing games that will determine the shape of society and future of democracy.In this revelatory new work, Clancy makes the bold argument that the human fascination with games is the key to understanding our nature and our actions.
Plug-and-Play Visual Subgraph Query Interfaces (Synthesis Lectures on Data Management)
by Sourav S. Bhowmick Byron ChoiThis book details recent developments in the emerging area of plug-and-play (PnP) visual subgraph query interfaces (VQI). These PnP interfaces are grounded in the principles of human-computer interaction (HCI) and cognitive psychology to address long-standing limitations to bottom-up search capabilities in graph databases using traditional graph query languages, which often require domain experts and specialist programmers. This book explains how PnP interfaces go against the traditional mantra of VQI construction by taking a data-driven approach and giving end users the freedom to easily and quickly construct and maintain a VQI for any data sources without resorting to coding. The book walks readers through the intuitive PnP interface that uses templates where the underlying graph repository represents the socket and user-specified requirements represent the plug. Hence, a PnP interface enables an end user to change the socket (i.e., graph repository) or the plug (i.e., requirements) as necessary to automatically and effortlessly generate VQIs. The book argues that such a data-driven paradigm creates several benefits, including superior support for visual subgraph query construction, significant reduction in the manual cost of constructing and maintaining a VQI for any graph data source, and portability of the interface across diverse sources and querying applications. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the notion of PnP interfaces, compares it to its classical manual counterpart, and reviews techniques for automatic construction and maintenance of these new interfaces. In synthesizing current research on plug-and-play visual subgraph query interface management, this book gives readers a snapshot of the state of the art in this topic as well as future research directions.
Pluralism in Mathematics: A New Position in Philosophy of Mathematics
by Michèle FriendThis book is about philosophy, mathematics and logic, giving a philosophical account of Pluralism which is a family of positions in the philosophy of mathematics. There are four parts to this book, beginning with a look at motivations for Pluralism by way of Realism, Maddy's Naturalism, Shapiro's Structuralism and Formalism. In the second part of this book the author covers: the philosophical presentation of Pluralism; using a formal theory of logic metaphorically; rigour and proof for the Pluralist; and mathematical fixtures. In the third part the author goes on to focus on the transcendental presentation of Pluralism, and in part four looks at applications of Pluralism, such as a Pluralist approach to proof in mathematics and how Pluralism works in regard to together-inconsistent philosophies of mathematics. The book finishes with suggestions for further Pluralist enquiry. In this work the author takes a deeply radical approach in developing a new position that will either convert readers, or act as a strong warning to treat the word 'pluralism' with care.
Plurigaussian Simulations in Geosciences
by Brigitte Doligez Francois Geffroy Hélène Beucher Margaret Armstrong Rémi Eschard Didier Renard Gaelle Loc'H Alain GalliSimulation is the fastest developing branch of geostatistics and simulating facies inside reservoirs and orebodies is the most exciting part of this. Several methods have been developed to do this (sequential indicator simulations, Boolean simulations, Markov chains and plurigaussian simulations). This book focuses on the last type of simulations. It presents the theory required to understand the method, along practical examples of applications in mining and the oil industry as well as tutorial exercises. Demonstration software to illustrate how these simulations work is available on http://pluridemo.geosciences.mines-paristech.fr Since the publication of the first edition, enormous numbers of papers have appeared in the literature on the subject. Plurigaussian simulations are now the preferred method for simulating facies in both mining & the oil industry. The new edition contains new case studies in both mining & petroleum, together with an extensively updated theory section.
Pluripotential Theory: Filippo Bracci, John Erik Fornæss
by Francois Berteloot Jean Pierre Demailly Filippo Bracci Giorgio Patrizio John Erik Fornæss Zbigniew BłockiPluripotential theory is a very powerful tool in geometry, complex analysis and dynamics. This volume brings together the lectures held at the 2011 CIME session on "pluripotential theory" in Cetraro, Italy. This CIME course focused on complex Monge-Ampére equations, applications of pluripotential theory to Kahler geometry and algebraic geometry and to holomorphic dynamics. The contributions provide an extensive description of the theory and its very recent developments, starting from basic introductory materials and concluding with open questions in current research.
Pluses and Minuses: How Math Solves Our Problems
by Stefan BuijsmanA guide to changing how you think about numbers and mathematics, from the prodigy changing the way the world thinks about math.We all know math is important: we live in the age of big data, our lives are increasingly governed by algorithms, and we're constantly faced with a barrage of statistics about everything from politics to our health. But what might be less obvious is how math factors into your daily life, and what memorizing all of those formulae in school had to do with it. Math prodigy Stefan Buijsman is beginning to change that through his pioneering research into the way we learn math. Plusses and Minuses is based in the countless ways that math is engrained in our daily lives, and shows readers how math can actually be used to make problems easier to solve. Taking readers on a journey around the world to visit societies that have developed without the use of math, and back into history to learn how and why various disciples of mathematics were invented, Buijsman shows the vital importance of math, and how a better understanding of mathematics will give us a better understanding of the world as a whole. Stefan Buijsman has become one of the most sought-after experts in math education after he completed his PhD at age 20. In Plusses and Minuses, he puts his research into practice to help anyone gain a better grasp of mathematics than they have ever had.
Pluses and Minuses: How Maths Makes the World More Manageable
by Stefan BuijsmanWhat is the relationship between the number of films Nicolas Cage appears in and the number of deaths by drowning in swimming pools?How in 1850s London did John Snow calculate the relationship between the city's water suppliers and the number of deaths from cholera?Thousands of years ago the inhabitants of Mesopotamia became the first to use numbers. Since then, mathematics has been unstoppable. It's behind almost everything, from search-engines to cruise-control, from coffee-makers to timetables. But now that we hardly ever need to do arithmetic any longer, how relevant is mathematics to everyday life? Plusses and Minuses demonstrates which role mathematics play in human endeavour. It begins with the mathematical skills we all possess from birth, to arrive at the many applications of mathematics today. It turns out that without knowledge of the ideas behind mathematical calculations we find ourselves sidelined. Stefan Buijsman answers questions such as: What is life without numbers? Does mathematics add anything? What are mistakes in mathematics? Is it all mere chance? How can we get a grip on uncertainty? Can mathematics help us to treat cancer more effectively? Buijsman makes connections between philosophy, psychology and history, while explaining the wonderful world of mathematics for absolutely everyone.
Pocket Evidence Based Medicine: A Survival Guide for Clinicians and Students
by Walter R. PalmasThis concise, easy-to-read pocket guide offers medical trainees, researchers, and clinicians at every level the perfect resource on Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). Based on the author’s many years of experience teaching EBM to medical students and medical residents at Columbia University, this handy title addresses not only all the basic concepts and issues in EBM, but also takes an example-based approach and is replete with numerous illustrations. This brief book provides readers with all the tools needed to tell the good from the bad in healthcare research. It discusses every type of study design, from the assessment of diagnostic tests to clinical trials and meta-analysis. The work also introduces readers to novel methods, such as the Bayesian analysis of clinical trials. In addition, to help readers better retain the information, the guide includes thought-provoking review questions and answers in an appendix. In all, Pocket Evidence-Based Medicine: A Survival Guide for Clinicians and Students is an ideal resource for anyone who encounters statistics in their studies or career, including clinicians, researchers, trainees in medicine and graduate students in a wide range of other disciplines
Pocket Piggies Numbers!: Featuring the Teacup Pigs of Pennywell Farm
by Richard AustinCould there be a cuter way to learn colors and numbers? Announcing a new line of board books featuring the irresistible Teacup Pigs of Pennywell Farm. Small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, the Pennywell pigs are an adorable lot. They’re also naturals in front of the camera—especially the camera belonging to Richard Austin who, as their exclusive photographer, knows just how to capture their big personalities. The Pocket Piggies board books marry the inherent appeal of Teacup Pigs to the sweetness of the board book format. The photographs are full-color, full-page, and up-close. The subjects are classics: Pocket Piggies Numbers! celebrates an ever-growing crowd of piggies, from one to ten, through a rhyming text that’s sweet and charming, to read again and again: <p>1 Pocket Piggy in a boat,<p> <p>2 Pocket Piggies in a cup,<p> <p>3 Pocket Piggies in a basket,<p> <p>4 Pocket Piggies with a pup!<p>
Poems and Paradoxes
by Hana Ayoob Kyle D. Evans17 Chapters of Paradoxes and Fascinating Ideas...a poems and pictures to help you remember them! How big is a billion? How much would you pay for a one coin? Why are no numbers boring? This collection answers these questions and many more, setting fun poetry and illustrations against fascinating mathematical ideas in a unique and amusing way. This book will appeal to math-hungry teens and young adults, but also to anyone who enjoys wordplay and mind-bending concepts. Teachers of students at various levels will find content that can be applied to lessons.
Poetic Logic and the Origins of the Mathematical Imagination (Mathematics in Mind)
by Marcel DanesiThis book treats eighteenth-century Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico’s theory of poetic logic for the first time as the originating force in mathematics, transforming instinctive counting and spatial perception into poetic (metaphorical) symbolism that dovetails with the origin of language. It looks at current work on mathematical cognition (from Lakoff and Núñez to Butterworth, Dehaene, and beyond), matching it against the poetic logic paradigm. In a sense, it continues from where Kasner and Newman left off, connecting contemporary research on the mathematical mind to the idea that the products of early mathematics were virtually identical to the first forms of poetic language. As such, this book informs the current research on mathematical cognition from a different angle, by looking back at a still relatively unknown philosopher within mathematics.The aim of this volume is to look broadly at what constitutes the mathematical mind through the Vichian lens of poetic logic. Vico was among the first to suggest that the essential nature of mind could be unraveled indirectly by reconstructing the sources of its “modifications” (his term for “creations”); that is, by examining the creation and function of symbols, words, and all the other uniquely human artifacts—including mathematics—the mind has allowed humans to establish “the world of civil society,” Vico’s term for culture and civilization.The book is of interest to cognitive scientists working on math cognition. It presents the theory of poetic logic as Vico articulated it in his book The New Science, examining its main premises and then applying it to an interpretation of the ongoing work in math cognition. It will also be of interest to the general public, since it presents a history of early mathematics through the lens of an idea that has borne fruit in understanding the origin of language and symbols more broadly.
Poetry of the Universe
by Robert OssermanAn exciting intellectual tour through the ages showing how mathematical concepts and imagination have helped to illuminate the nature of the observable universe, this book is a delightful narrative "math for poets."
Poincare's Prize: The Hundred-Year Quest to Solve One of Math's Greatest Puzzles
by George G. SzpiroThe amazing story of one of the greatest math problems of all time and the reclusive genius who solved itIn the tradition of Fermat's Enigma and Prime Obsession, George Szpiro brings to life the giants of mathematics who struggled to prove a theorem for a century and the mysterious man from St. Petersburg, Grigory Perelman, who fi nally accomplished the impossible.<P><P> In 1904 Henri Poincaré developed the Poincaré Conjecture, an attempt to understand higher-dimensional space and possibly the shape of the universe. The problem was he couldn't prove it. A century later it was named a Millennium Prize problem, one of the seven hardest problems we can imagine. Now this holy grail of mathematics has been found.Accessibly interweaving history and math, Szpiro captures the passion, frustration, and excitement of the hunt, and provides a fascinating portrait of a contemporary noble-genius.
Point Processes (Chapman And Hall/crc Monographs On Statistics And Applied Probability Ser. #12)
by D.R. Cox Valerie IshamThere has been much recent research on the theory of point processes, i.e., on random systems consisting of point events occurring in space or time. Applications range from emissions from a radioactive source, occurrences of accidents or machine breakdowns, or of electrical impluses along nerve fibres, to repetitive point events in an individual's medical or social history. Sometimes the point events occur in space rather than time and the application here raneg from statistical physics to geography. The object of this book is to develop the applied mathemathics of point processes at a level which will make the ideas accessible both to the research worker and the postgraduate student in probability and statistics and also to the mathemathically inclined individual in another field interested in using ideas and results. A thorough knowledge of the key notions of elementary probability theory is required to understand the book, but specialised "pure mathematical" coniderations have been avoided.