Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order.STEVEN STROGATZ Steven H. Strogatz (born August 13, 1959) is an American mathematician and the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University. He is known for his contributions to the study of synchronization in dynamical systems, and for his work in a variety of areas It is in the very nature of the universe for its elements to be in sync. The moon spins in perfect resonance with its orbit around Earth. The pendulums on clocks alongside one another swing together, Such spontaneous order
Spontaneous order is a term that describes the spontaneous emergence of order out of seeming chaos. has fascinated individuals from Albert Einstein to Richard Feynman Noun 1. Richard Feynman - United States physicist who contributed to the theory of the interaction of photons and electrons (1918-1988) Feynman, Richard Phillips Feynman . Today, mathematicians such as Strogatz are probing the details of chaos and complexity theories to better understand how systems can synchronize themselves. This new science of synchrony synchrony /syn·chro·ny/ (-krah-ne) the occurrence of two events simultaneously or with a fixed time interval between them. atrioventricular (AV) synchrony centers on the study of coupled oscillators--entities that automatically cycle and have some physical or chemical influence on one another--such as fireflies flashing in unison. Strogatz considers how this develops and what happens when spontaneous order breaks down. In the process, he explains how synchrony affects fads and riots and why traffic jams occur for no apparent reason. Theia, 2003, 338 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.95. |
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