Modeling Complex Phenomena
Modeling Complex Phenomena

Author: Lui Lam

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 1461392292

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Once upon a time, science was not divided into disciplines as we know it today. There was no distinction between so-called social and natural sciences, not to mention the fragmentation of the latter into physics, chemistry, biology, geology, etc. According to legend, the scientists those days would do their research in whatever environment they happened to find comfortable, which more often than not was in bathtubs or giant hot tubs - remember Archimedes! Then, somehow, these days we find ourselves compartmentalized into different departments in our universities, or divisions in our research institutes. (We suspect, for one thing, that is to ensure that we will get our paychecks delivered on time at the end of each month. ) Anyway, as anyone who has worked in the real world knows: when one is confronted with a completely new problem or phenomenon, it is usually impossible to neatly assign the problem to physics, chemistry, or, for that matter, computer science. One needs to recall and fuse together the knowledge one learned before and, if that alone is insufficient, to consult experts in other areas. This points to the shortcomings of the compartmentalization of knowledge in our educational systems. In recent years, something has changed. Under the banner of Complex Systems, some brave souls are not afraid to tackle problems that are considered intractable by others, and dare to venture out of their trained disciplines or departments to which they are attached.

Multi-scale Phenomena in Complex Fluids
Multi-scale Phenomena in Complex Fluids

Author: Thomas Y. Hou

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 9814273252

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Multi-Scale Phenomena in Complex Fluids is a collection of lecture notes delivered during the ªrst two series of mini-courses from "Shanghai Summer School on Analysis and Numerics in Modern Sciences," which was held in 2004 and 2006 at Fudan University, Shanghai, China. This review volume of 5 chapters, covering various fields in complex fluids, places emphasis on multi-scale modeling, analyses and simulations. It will be of special interest to researchers and graduate students who want to work in the field of complex fluids.

Modeling Complex Systems
Modeling Complex Systems

Author: Nino Boccara

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2010-09-09

Total Pages: 490

ISBN-13: 1441965629

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This book illustrates how models of complex systems are built up and provides indispensable mathematical tools for studying their dynamics. This second edition includes more recent research results and many new and improved worked out examples and exercises.

Sociophysics
Sociophysics

Author: Serge Galam

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-02-10

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 1461420318

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Do humans behave much like atoms? Sociophysics, which uses tools and concepts from the physics of disordered matter to describe some aspects of social and political behavior, answers in the affirmative. But advocating the use of models from the physical sciences to understand human behavior could be perceived as tantamount to dismissing the existence of human free will and also enabling those seeking manipulative skills . This thought-provoking book argues it is just the contrary. Indeed, future developments and evaluation will either show sociophysics to be inadequate, thus supporting the hypothesis that people can primarily be considered to be free agents, or valid, thus opening the path to a radically different vision of society and personal responsibility. This book attempts to explain why and how humans behave much like atoms, at least in some aspects of their collective lives, and then proposes how this knowledge can serve as a unique key to a dramatic leap forwards in achieving more social freedom in the real world. At heart, sociophysics and this book are about better comprehending the richness and potential of our social interaction, and so distancing ourselves from inanimate atoms.

Complex Spreading Phenomena in Social Systems
Complex Spreading Phenomena in Social Systems

Author: Sune Lehmann

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-06-21

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 3319773321

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This text is about spreading of information and influence in complex networks. Although previously considered similar and modeled in parallel approaches, there is now experimental evidence that epidemic and social spreading work in subtly different ways. While previously explored through modeling, there is currently an explosion of work on revealing the mechanisms underlying complex contagion based on big data and data-driven approaches. This volume consists of four parts. Part 1 is an Introduction, providing an accessible summary of the state of the art. Part 2 provides an overview of the central theoretical developments in the field. Part 3 describes the empirical work on observing spreading processes in real-world networks. Finally, Part 4 goes into detail with recent and exciting new developments: dedicated studies designed to measure specific aspects of the spreading processes, often using randomized control trials to isolate the network effect from confounders, such as homophily. Each contribution is authored by leading experts in the field. This volume, though based on technical selections of the most important results on complex spreading, remains quite accessible to the newly interested. The main benefit to the reader is that the topics are carefully structured to take the novice to the level of expert on the topic of social spreading processes. This book will be of great importance to a wide field: from researchers in physics, computer science, and sociology to professionals in public policy and public health.

Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics
Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2008-01-21

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 0309109698

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The development of transistors, the integrated circuit, liquid-crystal displays, and even DVD players can be traced back to fundamental research pioneered in the field of condensed-matter and materials physics (CMPP). The United States has been a leader in the field, but that status is now in jeopardy. Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics, part of the Physics 2010 decadal survey project, assesses the present state of the field in the United States, examines possible directions for the 21st century, offers a set of scientific challenges for American researchers to tackle, and makes recommendations for effective spending of federal funds. This book maintains that the field of CMPP is certain to be principle to both scientific and economic advances over the next decade and the lack of an achievable plan would leave the United States behind. This book's discussion of the intellectual and technological challenges of the coming decade centers around six grand challenges concerning energy demand, the physics of life, information technology, nanotechnology, complex phenomena, and behavior far from equilibrium. Policy makers, university administrators, industry research and development executives dependent upon developments in CMPP, and scientists working in the field will find this book of interest.

Investigating Complex Phenomena: Bridging between Systems Thinking and Modeling in Science Education
Investigating Complex Phenomena: Bridging between Systems Thinking and Modeling in Science Education

Author: Tom Bielik

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Published: 2023-11-15

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 2832539017

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Understanding the complexity of the natural world and making sense of phenomena is one of the main goals of science and science education. When investigating complex phenomena, such as climate change or pandemic outbreaks, students are expected to engage in systems thinking by considering the boundaries of the investigated system, identifying the relevant components and their interactions, and exploring system attributes such as hierarchical organization, dynamicity, feedback loops, and emergence. Scientific models are tools that support students’ reasoning and understanding of complex systems, and students are expected to develop their modeling competence and to engage in the modeling process by constructing, testing, revising, and using models to explain and predict phenomena. Computational modeling tools, for example, provide students with the opportunity to explore big data, run simulations and investigate complex systems. Therefore, both systems thinking and modeling approaches are important for science education when investigating complex phenomena.

Mathematical Modeling of Natural Phenomena
Mathematical Modeling of Natural Phenomena

Author: Ranis Ibragimov

Publisher:

Published: 2017-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781536129779

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Mathematical modeling in the form of differential equations is a branch of applied mathematics that includes topics from physics, engineering, environmental and computer science. The mathematical model is an approximate description of real processes. Mathematical modeling can be thought of as a three step process: 1) Physical situation; 2) Mathematical formulation; 3) Solution by purely operations of the mathematical problem; 4) Physical interpretation of the mathematical solution. Over the centuries, Step 2 took on a life of its own. Mathematics was studied on its own, devoid of any contact with a physical problem; this is known as pure mathematics. Applied mathematics and mathematical modeling deals with all three steps. Improvements of approximations or their extensions to more general situations may increase the complexity of mathematical models significantly. Before the 18th century, applied mathematics and its methods received the close attention of the best mathematicians who were driven by a desire to develop approximate descriptions of natural phenomena. The goal of asymptotic and perturbation methods is to find useful, approximate solutions to difficult problems that arise from the desire to understand a physical process. Exact solutions are usually either impossible to obtain or too complicated to be useful. Approximate, useful solutions are often tested by comparison with experiments or observations rather than by rigorous mathematical methods. Hence, the authors will not be concerned with rigorous proofs in this book. The derivation of approximate solutions can be done in two different ways. First, one can find an approximate set of equations that can be solved, or, one can find an approximate solution of a set of equations. Usually one must do both. Models of natural science show that the possibilities of applying differential equations for solving problems in the disciplines of the natural scientific cycle are quite wide. This book represents a unique blend of the traditional analytical and numerical methods enriched by the authors developments and applications to ocean and atmospheric sciences. The overall viewpoint taken is a theoretical, unified approach to the study of both the atmosphere and the oceans. One of the key features in this book is the combination of approximate forms of the basic mathematical equations of mathematical modeling with careful and precise analysis. The approximations are required to make any progress possible, while precision is needed to make the progress meaningful. This combination is often the most elusive for student to appreciate. This book aims to highlight this issue by means of accurate derivation of mathematical models with precise analysis and MATLAB applications. This book is meant for undergraduate and graduate students interested in applied mathematics, differential equations and mathematical modeling of real world problems. This book might also be interested in experts working in the field of physics concerning the ocean and atmosphere.

Modeling Markets
Modeling Markets

Author: Peter S.H. Leeflang

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-11-12

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1493920863

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This book is about how models can be developed to represent demand and supply on markets, where the emphasis is on demand models. Its primary focus is on models that can be used by managers to support marketing decisions. Modeling Markets presents a comprehensive overview of the tools and methodologies that managers can use in decision making. It has long been known that even simple models outperform judgments in predicting outcomes in a wide variety of contexts. More complex models potentially provide insights about structural relations not available from casual observations. In this book, the authors present a wealth of insights developed at the forefront of the field, covering all key aspects of specification, estimation, validation and use of models. The most current insights and innovations in quantitative marketing are presented, including in-depth discussion of Bayesian estimation methods. Throughout the book, the authors provide examples and illustrations. This book will be of interest to researchers, analysts, managers and students who want to understand, develop or use models of marketing phenomena.

Modeling Complex Phenomena
Modeling Complex Phenomena

Author: Lui Lam

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1992-05-14

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 9780387978215

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Once upon a time, science was not divided into disciplines as we know it today. There was no distinction between so-called social and natural sciences, not to mention the fragmentation of the latter into physics, chemistry, biology, geology, etc. According to legend, the scientists those days would do their research in whatever environment they happened to find comfortable, which more often than not was in bathtubs or giant hot tubs - remember Archimedes! Then, somehow, these days we find ourselves compartmentalized into different departments in our universities, or divisions in our research institutes. (We suspect, for one thing, that is to ensure that we will get our paychecks delivered on time at the end of each month. ) Anyway, as anyone who has worked in the real world knows: when one is confronted with a completely new problem or phenomenon, it is usually impossible to neatly assign the problem to physics, chemistry, or, for that matter, computer science. One needs to recall and fuse together the knowledge one learned before and, if that alone is insufficient, to consult experts in other areas. This points to the shortcomings of the compartmentalization of knowledge in our educational systems. In recent years, something has changed. Under the banner of Complex Systems, some brave souls are not afraid to tackle problems that are considered intractable by others, and dare to venture out of their trained disciplines or departments to which they are attached.