You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
The concept of entropy arose in the physical sciences during the nineteenth century, particularly in thermodynamics and statistical physics, as a measure of the equilibria and evolution of thermodynamic systems. Two main views developed: the macroscopic view formulated originally by Carnot, Clausius, Gibbs, Planck, and Caratheodory and the microscopic approach associated with Boltzmann and Maxwell. Since then both approaches have made possible deep insights into the nature and behavior of thermodynamic and other microscopically unpredictable processes. However, the mathematical tools used have later developed independently of their original physical background and have led to a plethora of m...
These notes present a polished introduction to tropical geometry and contain some applications of this rapidly developing and attractive subject. It consists of three chapters which complete each other and give a possibility for non-specialists to make the first steps in the subject which is not yet well represented in the literature. The notes are based on a seminar at the Mathematical Research Center in Oberwolfach in October 2004. The intended audience is graduate, post-graduate, and Ph.D. students as well as established researchers in mathematics.
Entropy – the key concept of thermodynamics, clearly explained and carefully illustrated. This book presents an accurate definition of entropy in classical thermodynamics which does not “put the cart before the horse” and is suitable for basic and advanced university courses in thermodynamics. Entropy is the most important and at the same time the most difficult term of thermodynamics to understand. Many students are discontent with its classical definition since it is either based on “temperature” and “heat” which both cannot be accurately defined without entropy, or since it includes concepts such as “molecular disorder” which does not fit in a macroscopic theory. The phy...
In this two-volume compilation of articles, leading researchers reevaluate the success of Hilbert's axiomatic method, which not only laid the foundations for our understanding of modern mathematics, but also found applications in physics, computer science and elsewhere. The title takes its name from David Hilbert's seminal talk Axiomatisches Denken, given at a meeting of the Swiss Mathematical Society in Zurich in 1917. This marked the beginning of Hilbert's return to his foundational studies, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of proof theory as a new branch in the emerging field of mathematical logic. Hilbert also used the opportunity to bring Paul Bernays back to Göttingen as his main collaborator in foundational studies in the years to come. The contributions are addressed to mathematical and philosophical logicians, but also to philosophers of science as well as physicists and computer scientists with an interest in foundations.
This book contains a unique survey of the mathematically rigorous results about the quantum-mechanical many-body problem that have been obtained by the authors in the past seven years. It addresses a topic that is not only rich mathematically, using a large variety of techniques in mathematical analysis, but is also one with strong ties to current experiments on ultra-cold Bose gases and Bose-Einstein condensation. The book provides a pedagogical entry into an active area of ongoing research for both graduate students and researchers. It is an outgrowth of a course given by the authors for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers at the Oberwolfach Research Institute in 2004. The book also provides a coherent summary of the field and a reference for mathematicians and physicists active in research on quantum mechanics.
This book constitutes the proceedings of the QMath 7 Conference on Mathematical Results in Quantum Mechanics held in Prague, Czech Republic in June, 1998. The volume addresses mathematicians and physicists interested in contemporary quantum physics and associated mathematical questions, presenting new results on Schrödinger and Pauli operators with regular, fractal or random potentials, scattering theory, adiabatic analysis, and interesting new physical systems such as photonic crystals, quantum dots and wires.
Recent developments in theoretical physics include new instances of the unification of quite different phenomena. The theoretical community is challenged by the growing interactions between high-energy physics, statistical physics, and condensed matter physics. The common language, though, is exact solutions of two-dimensional and conformable field theories. This volume is a faithful representation of this interdisciplinary domain. Conformable and integrable field theories have been active research topics for several decades. The main recent developments concern the boundary effects and applications to disordered systems. The number of applications of the exact methods to condensed-matter problems has been growing over the years. Nowadays it is widely recognized that strongly interacting systems in low dimensions can be successfully described by integrable and conformable theories. This volume is an indispensable aid to those seeking to find their way in this domain.
Excellent current review of our knowledge of matter. In this new edition two new sections have been added: quantum electrodynamics and Boson systems.
A comprehensive blueprint for a new post-capitalist order—which values our collective future over immediate economic gains The fate of all economic systems is written in the energy flows they obtain from the natural world. Our collective humanity very much depends on nature—for joy, for comfort, and for sheer survival. In his prescient new book, The Physics of Capitalism, Erald Kolasi explores the deep ecological physics of human existence by developing a new theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between economic systems and the wider natural world. Nature is full of complex and dynamic systems that are constantly interacting with our societies. The collective physical...