A history that reveals the science behind chaos theory a work of popular science in the tradition of stephen hawking and carl sagan, this 20thanniversary edition of james gleick s groundbreaking bestseller chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory. The author describes how scientists studying the growth of complexity in nature are discovering order and pattern in chaos. As a kid my inspiration came mainly from m mitchell waldrops complexity. James gleick, leading american science writer, transformed the worlds consciousness with his 1987 book, chaos. The author tries hard to make it attractive for the general reader, with. Three of these books have been pulitzer prize and national book award finalists, and they have been translated into more than twenty languages. Oct 29, 1987 gleick s book was first published in 1987, so i imagine by now there have been many developments and modifications to the ideas and theories presented here. A history, a theory, a flood, due to be published in march 2011, is a magisterial popular history that. The man who knew infinity english 3 in hindi free download 720p.
Making a new science is a debut nonfiction book by james gleick that initially introduced the principles and early development of the chaos theory to the public. The millioncopy bestseller by national book award nominee and pulitzer prize finalist james gleickthe author of time travel. Anyone writing yet another book, on any topic, inevitably goes through the routine of justifying it. I think i would have enjoyed this book more if i had read it 30 years ago, closer to when it was written. For ten years he was an editor at the new york times. James gleick was born in new york city and graduated from harvard college. James gleick has written several popular books about science and technology, including time travel. The development in time of a mechanical system that is theoretically well understood may, for practical purposes, be unpredictable. Making a new science, an accessible introduction to the complex field of chaos theory. Gleick s book was first published in 1987, so i imagine by now there have been many developments and modifications to the ideas and theories presented here.
Gleick introduces us to figures like edward lorenz, whose work in weather prediction revealed that tiny differences in input in even simple mathematical models could lead to vast differences in output over. October 25, 1987, sunday, late city final edition section 7. Gleicks book was first published in 1987, so i imagine by now there have been many developments and modifications to the ideas and theories presented here. Here he takes on the job of depicting the first years of the study of chaos the seemingly random patterns that characterise many natural phenomena. The book was published on october 29, 1987 by viking books. Making a new science, author james gleick describes the butterfly effect as. Its pretty interesting to follow how researchers in different fields somehow discovers how the theory is not as it seems. List of books and articles about chaos theory online. The first edition of the novel was published in 1987, and was written by james gleick. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are. Here he takes on the job of depicting the first years of the study of chaosthe seemingly random patterns that characterise many natural phenomena.
Gleick, whose 1987 work chaos helped to kickstart the era of modern popular science, is one. In chaos, james gleick, a former science writer for the new york times, shows that he resides in this exclusive category. Making a new science was a 1987 national book award and pulitzer prize nominee, and has been translated into eighteen languages. Making a new science is the bestselling book by james gleick that first introduced the principles and early development of chaos theory to the public.
For one thing, i am 30 years older and my brain that much slower. The millioncopy bestseller by national book award nominee and pulitzer prize finalist james gleick the author of time travel. Mar 30, 2011 chaos is a kind of science that deals with the parts of the world that are unpredictable, apparently random. Making a new science by james gleick this study guide includes the following sections. But from many results in this book it is now clear that this is not correct. Chaos is a kind of science that deals with the parts of the world that are unpredictable, apparently random. Making a new science by james gleick is the story of how chaos theory was popularized in different fields of study. The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos. Nov 22, 2012 james gleick science writer, threetime pulitzer prize finalist and author of the information. Lorenz was using primitive computer models of weather systems to investigate his. He worked for ten years as an editor and reporter for the new york times, founded an early internet portal, the pipeline, and has written several books of popular science, including the information. This is not a text book on chaos theory, but rather a history of the study of chaos theory.
Chaos theory 3 chaos theory, informational needs, and natural disasters chaos theory has enriched many areas of inquiry by expanding the applications of the systems perspectives to the nonlinear operation of large, complex systems butz, 1997. A history that reveals the science behind chaos theory a work of popular science in the tradition of stephen hawking and carl sagan, this 20thanniversary edition of james gleicks groundbreaking bestseller chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory. Quotations are for the most part taken from that work, as are paraphrases of its commentary. His first book, chaos, was a national book award and pulitzer prize finalist and a. John maddox is the editor of nature, the british scientific journal. The life and science of richard feynman, isaac newton, and chaos. Mar 23, 2001 james gleick was born in new york city and graduated from harvard college. He graduated from harvard college in 1976 and helped found metropolis, an alternative weekly newspaper in minneapolis.
This work has been summarized using the 1987 editionpage numbers reference that edition. James gleick science writer, threetime pulitzer prize finalist and author of the information. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 352 pages and is available in paperback format. Gleicks quote captures the spirit manifest in the chaos theory, especially, the theory of sensitive dependence on initial conditions described by scientist edward lorenz. A historythat reveals the science behind chaos theory a work of popular science in the tradition of stephen hawking and carl sagan, this 20thanniversary edition of james gleick s groundbreaking bestseller chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory. The first popular written book about this fascinating, rapidly growing discipline. Profile james gleick, leading american science writer, transformed the worlds consciousness with his 1987 book, chaos. The onset of chaos feigenbaum bifurcation fractal image created by mcm acknowledgement. Gleick 1987 this work attempts to breathe life into that metaphorical butterfly. He dramatizes perhaps over dramatizes the discovery of nonlinear dynamics in the 1970s and 1980s. The highly entertaining new york times bestseller, which explains chaos theory and the butterfly effect, from the. He explains concepts such as nonlinearity, the butterfly effect, universal. The highly entertaining new york times bestseller, which explains chaos theory and the butterfly effect, from the author of the information chicago tribune.
Two decades later, gleicks blockbuster modern science classic is available in ebook formnow updated with video and modern graphics. Aug 26, 2008 james gleick was born in new york city in 1954. There are few writers who could accomplish this with such panache and authority. A history, a theory, a flood, due to be published in march 2011, is a magisterial popular history that illustrates how information has become the. In this seminal work of scientific writing, james gleick lays out a cutting edge field of. The author tries hard to make it attractive for the general reader, with pages of anecdotes about the odd characters who developed the subject, but by about half way through i started to find that irritating and began asking wheres the beef. It was a finalist for the national book award and the pulitzer prize in 1987, and was shortlisted for the science book prize in 1989. Three of his books have been pulitzer prize 6 7 8 and national book award 9 10 finalists. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Historical notes from stephen wolframs a new kind of science. Note that james gleicks 1987 popular book chaos covers somewhat more than is usually considered chaos theory including some of my results on cellular automata from the early 1980s. The making of a new science by james gleick 19871029 james. A history, a theory, a flood,was published in march 2011.
Chaos, the book, though written in 1987, still does an excellent job of connecting the discoveries that opened the door to chaos theory. This book by james gleick represents one of the earliest popular works on the emergent field of chaos, and is rarely absent from any bibliographical resource. Wilson literary science writing award in 2012 and the. Wilson literary science writing award, and time travel. Gleick connects the dots that connect information to us, and there are many dots. Search hello select your address select your address. In chaos, gleick looks at how the science of chaos was developed. Making a new science summary by michael mcgoodwin, prepared 1988, 1998.
As a celebration of human ingenuity, the information is a deeply hopeful book. Quotations are for the most part taken from that work, as are. Stephen wolfram, a new kind of science wolfram media, 2002, page 971. Mar 22, 2011 gleicks prominent works include genius. But even as relativity and quantum mechanics undermined that rigid certainty in the first half of the twentieth century, the scientific community. Few writers distinguish themselves by their ability to write about complicated, even obscure topics clearly and engagingly. Gleick s book is his artful use of examples such as this to demonstrate the ubiquity of chaos. Gleick s books include the international bestsellers chaos. A historythat reveals the science behind chaos theory a work of popular science in the tradition of stephen hawking and carl sagan, this 20thanniversary edition of james gleicks groundbreaking bestseller chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory.
Making a new science is a debut nonfiction book by james gleick that initially introduced the principles and early development of the chaos theory to. A history and chaos the highly entertaining new york times bestseller, which explains chaos theory and the butterfly effect, from the author of the information chicago tribune. That being said, this felt like a good introduction to the early history of scientists efforts to understand and explain nonlinear systems and the apparent chaotic behavior observed in. James gleick the author describes how scientists studying the growth of complexity in nature are discovering order and pattern in chaos. Making a new science, all of which were shortlisted for the pulitzer prize. A history, a theory, a flood, james gleick describes a technological innovation so transformative that it was heralded as one of the grand waymarks in. Then he worked for ten years as an editor and reporter for the new york times. A history, a theory, a flood met up with sarah crown at the edinburgh international book festival. He explains concepts such as nonlinearity, the butterfly effect, universal constants, fractals, and strange attractors, and examines the work of scientists such as mitchell j. Making a new science is the canonical source for a popular account of the subject. The making of a new science by james gleick 19871029. James gleick born august 1, 1954 is an american author, journalist, and biographer, whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology. A historythat reveals the science behind chaos theory a work of popular science in the tradition of stephen hawking and carl sagan, this 20thanniversary edition of james gleick s groundbreaking bestseller chaos introduces a whole new readership to chaos theory, one.
234 711 211 1173 554 73 686 1296 1173 98 1147 1342 363 286 593 42 1153 1167 453 826 272 1096 1475 35 81 1331 780 907 1294 1394 673 504