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"Despite public interest, it has been difficult to find a suitable introductory book on chaos for mathematics students. In 'From Calculus to Chaos', David Acheson manages to bridge the gap, tie the topic into the undergraduate curriculum, throw in some history and practical techniques, and tell readers about an experimental basis of dynamical systems theory--all this without being stuffy."--New Scientist
"This is a thoroughly excellent little book and a most valuable addition to the literature on dynamics. Its approach is quite unique, bringing together a vast range of real physical phenomena and elucidating the essential dynamics by means of well chosen toy models in the form of differential equations. All the necessary analytical techniques are slipped in with the minimum of fuss, and numerical methods are employed throughout in such a way that the reader is encouraged to use the computer as an experimental tool. . . .the book deserves a place on the shelves of all serious
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What is calculus really for? This book is a highly readable introduction to applications of calculus, from Newton's time to the present day. These often involve questions of dynamics, i.e. of how - and why - things change with time. Problems of this kind lie at the heart of much of applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. From Calculus to Chaos takes a fresh approach to the subject as a whole, by moving from first steps to the frontiers, and by highlighting only the most important and interesting ideas, which can get lost amid a snowstorm of detail in conventional texts. The book is aimed at a wide readership, and assumes only some knowledge of elementary calculus. There are exercises (with full solutions) and simple but powerful computer programs which are suitable even for readers with no previous computing experience. David Acheson's book will inspire new students by providing a foretaste of more advanced mathematics and showing just how interesting the subject can be.
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In August 1684 the astronomer Edmund Halley travelled to Cambridge, which concerned planetary motion. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In August 1684 the astronomer Edmund Halley travelled to Cambridge, which concerned planetary motion. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think that the previous reviewer was a little optimistic. Acheson is a reasonable lecturer and this book does follow the first part of the Oxford University mathematics first year mechanics course well (in fact some of his problem sheets come straight from the book making it easy to complete said problem sheets!). However, the book goes into lots of, although interesting, unnecessary detail. It also does not contain anything on rotating frames of reference which is in the mechanics course at Oxford. So my advice is not to buy this book as a course guide but to get "A first course in Mechanics" by Lunn instead. However, if you want to get this book for interest then it is well worth it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent overview of dynamics from the birth of calculus to the latest research in nonlinear dynamics - it bears all the marks of being well-honed under the test of teaching the material to students. As a physicist, Acheson doesn't get hung up on mathematical niceties at the expense of the meaning of things. A great feature is the inclusion of little computer programs written in QBASIC so that you can explore things for yourself. In the mid-1980s there were dozens of books that took this programming approach; all power to Acheson for reviving it in the face of "multimedia maths".
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
He's a good lecturer, doing the 1st term mechanics course (maths, the previous reviewer should note) at Oxford, much of which (and more) is covered in this book. And the book is quite decent too, especially for those such as myself who dislike mechanics dreadfully and who think it should be an option rather than an imposition - for goodness sakes, as the other reviewer implies, it just isn't maths. Still, if you are doing first year mechanics, buy this book - he has some great ideas and methods.
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