"Simulation," writes Gary Flake in his preface, "becomes a form of experimentation in a universe of theories. The primary purpose of this book is to celebrate this fact."In this book, Gary William Flake develops in depth the simple idea that recurrent rules can produce rich and complicated behaviors. Distinguishing "agents" (e.g., molecules, cells, animals, and species) from their interactions (e.g., chemical reactions, immune system responses, sexual reproduction, and evolution), Flake argues that it is the computational properties of interactions that account for much of what we think of as "beautiful" and "interesting." From this basic thesis, Flake explores what he considers to be today's four most interesting computational topics: fractals, chaos, complex systems, and adaptation.Each of the book's parts can be read independently, enabling even the casual reader to understand and work with the basic equations and programs. Yet the parts are bound together by the theme of the computer as a laboratory and a metaphor for understanding the universe. The inspired reader will experiment further with the ideas presented to create fractal landscapes, chaotic systems, artificial life forms, genetic algorithms, and artificial neural networks.
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"This book is a delight." Barak Pearlmutter , University of New Mexico "This delightful book illustrates beautifully the paradigm shift inphysics from writing equations and solving them to computer modelingand experimentation." Greg Chaitin , author of The Limits of Mathematics
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Let's take this idea further by examining a single ant. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Let's take this idea further by examining a single ant. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent book - covering all the topics a book with such a title should do! From complexity and chaos to artificial intelligence and artificial life, Flake balances readability with information and theory perfectly.
His introduction to neural networks is easily one of the best I've read, and coverage of the iterated prisoner's dilemma is also as comprehensive as they come.
If you're reading this review, you're obviously interested...buy now :)
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book is an interesting and well written book, and is good value, but it is very dense, and cannot be read very easily. A high standard of mathematics /knowledge of computer science is assumed. Overall - a good buy but only for those confident in such a subject - definitely not a coffee table book
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a astonishing book that introduces the reader to the wonder that lies within the world that surrounds us. It helps us view the whole gamut of physical and biological processes through the perspective of computation. Though eminently readable, the book presents all the information, equations, and code that one needs to actually think articulately about the concepts exposed and even "get stuck in". It's really one of a kind.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 19 reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Computing & Internet > Computer Science
- Books > Computing & Internet > Digital Lifestyle > Online Shopping > Amazon
- Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Chaos
- Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Mathematical Theory
- Books > Science & Nature > Physics > Chaos & Dynamic Systems
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
