Science: general issues Books
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Microbiological Risk Assessment of Food
Book Synopsisaeo highly topical subject aeo author well known internationally for his writing and research in food microbiology aeo vital information for the food industry worldwide concerning what is an acceptable microbiological risk in food safety issues.Trade Review"This book should serve as background reading for those interested in the field of microbial risk assessment" Pradeep Malakar, Microbiology Today, 2003.Table of ContentsFoodborne Microbial Pathogens in World Trade: Foodborne microbial pathogens; Chronic sequelae following foodborne illness; Emergence and re-emergence of foodborne pathogens and toxins; Changes in host susceptibility and exposure; Processing methods and globalisation of the food industry; Changes in consumption pattern; Immunological status; Malnutrition; Changing perceptions and values; Risk of food poisoning; The cost of foodborne diseases; International control of microbiological hazards in foods; Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement; Origin of microbiological risk assessment. Food Safety, Control and HACCP: Outline of HACCP; Food hazards; Pre-HACCP Principles; Principle 1 Hazard Analysis; Principle 2 Critical Control Points; Principle 3 Critical Limits; Principle 4 CCP Monitoring; Principle 5 Corrective Actions; Principle 6 Verification; Principle 7 Record-keeping; Control at source; Product design and process control; Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting microbial growth; Irradiation; High Pressure Technology; Temperature control of microbiological hazards; Microbial response to stress; Response to pH stress; Heat- and cold shock response; Response to osmotic shock; Response to high hydrostatic pressure; Predictive modelling ; Primary models and the Gompertz and Baranyi equations; Secondary models; Tertiary models ; Microbiological Criteria; Attributes sampling plan; Operating characterisitic curve. Risk Analysis: Overview of Microbiological Risk Assessment; Risk Assessment; Risk Management; Risk Communication; Risk Assessment; Statement of purpose; Hazard Identification; Exposure Assessment; Hazard Characterization; Preface; Dose-response assessment; Dose-response models; Dose and infection; Risk Characterization; Production of a formal report; Triangular distributions and Monte Carlo simulation; Risk Management; Risk assessment policy; Risk Profiling; Food Safety Objectives; Risk Communication. Application of Microbiological Risk Assessment: Salmonella spp.; S. Enteritidis in shell eggs and egg products; Hazard identification and hazard characterization of Salmonella in broilers and eggs; Exposure assessment of Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs; Exposure assessment of Salmonella spp. in broilers; Salmonella spp. in cooked chicken; Salmonella spp. in cooked patty; Poultry FARM; Domestic and sporadic human salmonellosis; Campylobacter jejuni/coli; jejuni risk from fresh chicken; Risk profile for pathogenic species of Campylobacter in Denmark; Risk assessment of C. jejuni in broilers; Campylobacter fluoroquinolone resistance; Listeria monocytogenes; L. monocytogenes hazard identification and hazard characterization in ready-to-eat foods; L. monocytogenes exposure assessment in ready-to-eat foods; Relative risk of L. monocytogenes in selected ready-to-eat foods; L. monocytogenes in EU trade; L. monocytogenes in meat balls; Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC); E. coli O157:H7; E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef; Bacillus cereus; cereus risk assessment ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Public health impact of V. parahaemolyticus in raw molluscan shellfish; Mycotoxins; Aflatoxins; Ochratoxins; Other mycotoxins; Rotaviruses; Viral contamination of shellfish and coastal waters. Future Developments in Microbiological Risk Assessment: International methodology and guidelines; Data; Training courses and use of resources; Microbiological risk assessment support system; Glossary of terms used in risk analysis; References; Internet directory; Index
£75.56
Harvard University Press Ripples in Spacetime
Book SynopsisThe detection of gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime—has already been called the scientific coup of this century. Govert Schilling recounts the struggles that threatened to derail the quest and describes the detector’s astounding precision, weaving far-reaching discoveries about the universe into a gripping story of ambition and perseverance.Trade ReviewIn a sweeping new book, Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy, prolific science writer Govert Schilling has achieved the fascinating trifecta of historical and scientific accuracy, a grand sense of wonder and curiosity, and brilliantly accessible storytelling…Ripples in Spacetime goes far beyond the gravitational wave story you've heard over the past few years…It belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in learning the scientific, historical, and personal stories behind some of the most incredible scientific advances of the 21st century. As our scientific progress continues, this book will serve as a reminder of how far we’ve already come, how we got there, and what we’re looking forward to with our most hopeful ambitions. -- Ethan Siegel * Forbes *A succinct, accessible, and remarkably timely survey of gravitational-wave astronomy as it developed over the past century…This book is a rare find…The book’s remarkable breadth and accessibility should make it the first piece of reading material for anyone—from high school students to policymakers—with an interest in gravitational waves…Ripples in Spacetime sets itself apart by putting the entire field into perspective—past, present, and future. It conveys a sense of awe about a century of scientific investment and achievement and a sense of excitement for what’s to come. -- Richard O’Shaughnessy * Physics Today *Schilling gives us a lively and readable account of the [gravitational] waves’ discovery... Schilling underlines that this discovery is the opening of a new window on the universe, the beginning of a new branch of science. Astronomers will no longer be limited to observing space through the waves of electricity and magnetism (for example, visible light) entering telescopes, but will be able to observe it through waves of gravity. Galileo would have been amazed. -- Graham Farmelo * The Guardian *A detailed account of the quest to detect gravitational waves. -- James Ryerson * New York Times Book Review *Ripples in Spacetime provides a comprehensive and approachable guide to a complex subject. -- Monica Young * Sky & Telescope *[Ripples in Spacetime] explains complex ideas clearly and entertainingly…It details the personalities, rivalries, collaborations, controversies, setbacks and successes of the century-long quest to test Einstein’s theories. Bang up to date, the book describes science in progress and as a process: how ideas are developed and discoveries made and rejected or confirmed. The best part for me was the detail the book goes into about the first detection and the meticulous protocols in place to scrutinize and eliminate every possible error. Schilling also looks ahead to what we can expect in this whole new field of astronomy. This is a book for everyone who was as excited as I was when the [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory] discovery first broke, but also for anyone who wants to know what all the fuss was about. -- Jenny Winder * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *In September 2015, a new frontier in astronomy beckoned with the first direct detection of gravitational waves, confirming Albert Einstein's prediction almost a century before. Govert Schilling's deliciously nerdy grand tour takes us through compelling backstory, current research, and future expectations. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *[Ripples in Spacetime] offers the reader a journey that goes beyond its title, exploring and connecting topics such as the cosmic-microwave background and its polarization, radioastronomy and pulsars, supernovae, primordial inflation, gamma-ray bursts and even dark energy… The book gives an interesting (and sometimes surprising) glimpse into the lives, aspirations and mutual interactions of the scientific pioneers in the field of gravitational waves. -- Guillermo Ballestero * CERN Courier *A fascinating story of astronomy…Schilling walks readers through a lucid history of the universe, of general relativity, and of the bumpy search for Einstein’s last major unconfirmed prediction: the existence of gravitational waves…Schilling delivers a lively, expert, mostly comprehensible account, equal parts politics, personality, and science, of the search that ended two years ago…Schilling emphasizes that this is not simply another feather in Einstein’s cap, but a valuable new tool. The early universe was opaque to radiation until 380,000 years after the Big Bang, but gravity waves poured out from almost the beginning, so a new field of ‘gravitational wave astronomy’ can look back almost to the birth of the cosmos. An exciting history of the second great breakthrough of 21st-century physics. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *In this elegant and captivating book Govert Schilling takes us by the hand through a century of scientific adventures to one of the biggest discoveries of history. -- Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director and Leon Levy Professor, Institute for Advanced StudyI read with great pleasure this friendly book. The placement of the detection of gravitational waves in the greater history of astronomy and physics is nicely done, and readers not yet familiar with many of the concepts will come away from the book having really learned some of the physics as well as having a sense of what real science and real scientists are like. The scope and organization makes it entertaining and leaves room for surprises. -- David Shoemaker, Spokesperson, LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Senior Research Scientist, MIT Kavli InstituteEngaging. -- Manjit Kumar * New Statesman *Govert’s blend of storytelling, interviews, science, and history creates a fantastic read, and for anyone curious about the development of LIGO and what the future holds, you couldn’t ask for a better story. -- Ethan Siegel * Forbes *
£15.15
Princeton University Press Ocean Biogeochemical Dynamics
Book SynopsisOcean Biogeochemical Dynamics provides a broad theoretical framework upon which graduate students and upper-level undergraduates can formulate an understanding of the processes that control the mean concentration and distribution of biologically utilized elements and compounds in the ocean. Though it is written as a textbook, it will also be of interest to more advanced scientists as a wide-ranging synthesis of our present understanding of ocean biogeochemical processes. The first two chapters of the book provide an introductory overview of biogeochemical and physical oceanography. The next four chapters concentrate on processes at the air-sea interface, the production of organic matter in the upper ocean, the remineralization of organic matter in the water column, and the processing of organic matter in the sediments. The focus of these chapters is on analyzing the cycles of organic carbon, oxygen, and nutrients. The next three chapters round out the authors'' coverage of ocean biogeochemical cycles with discussions of silica, dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity, and CaCO3. The final chapter discusses applications of ocean biogeochemistry to our understanding of the role of the ocean carbon cycle in interannual to decadal variability, paleoclimatology, and the anthropogenic carbon budget. The problem sets included at the end of each chapter encourage students to ask critical questions in this exciting new field. While much of the approach is mathematical, the math is at a level that should be accessible to students with a year or two of college level mathematics and/or physics.Trade Review"This textbook is a monumental and masterful achievement, and the authors should be congratulated both for taking on this important task and for the end result... Every serious student and post-doc in this discipline, and all senior practitioners, should purchase or borrow a copy of this book and read it from cover to cover."--David M. Karl, Bulletin of the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography "Readers of Environmental Conservation with an interest in marine biogeochemistry and earth system science are encouraged to purchase or borrow this book. It is a comprehensive text on a complex and timely topic, and is one that will enlighten students and professionals alike. The authors are to be congratulated on their tour-de-force."--Peter Burkill, Environmental ConservationTable of ContentsPreface xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Chemical Composition of the Ocean 1 1.2 Distribution of Chemicals in the Ocean 7 1.3 Chapter Conclusion and Outline of Book 15 Problems 16 Chapter 2: Tracer Conservation and Ocean Transport 19 2.1 Tracer Conservation Equation 19 Advection and Diffusion Components 19 Application to Box Models 22 2.2 Wind-Driven Circulation 23 Equations of Motion 27 Ekman Transport 28 Gyre Circulation 30 2.3 Wind-Driven Circulation in the Stratified Ocean 33 Basic Concepts 34 Ocean Stratification 34 Geostrophic Equations 37 Gyre Circulation with Stratification 37 Insights from the Potential Vorticity Distribution 38 Insights from Tracers 39 Insights from the Thermal Wind Relationship 42 2.4 Deep Ocean Circulation 46 Observations 46 Models 52 Summary of Deep Ocean Circulation 57 2.5 Time-Varying Flows 59 Mesoscale Variability 60 Interannual to Decadal Variability 61 Tropical Variability 61 Extratropical Variability 66 Problems 69 Chapter 3: Air-Sea Interface 73 3.1 Introduction 73 3.2 Gas Solubilities 75 3.3 Gas Exchange 80 Stagnant Film Model 81 Laboratory Studies 83 Field Studies 86 Gas Transfer Velocity Models 89 3.4 Applications 95 Problems 100 Chapter 4: Organic Matter Production 102 4.1 Introduction 102 Nutrient Supply 105 Light 111 Efficiency of the Biological Pump 111 Outline 114 4.2 Ecosystem Processes 115 Nutrients 115 Composition of Organic Matter 115 Limiting Nutrient 117 Paradigm of Surface Ocean Nitrogen Cycling 117 Phytoplankton 123 Classification of Organisms 123 Phytoplankton Distribution and Productivity 128 Modeling Photosynthesis 131 Zooplankton 135 Bacteria 137 4.3 Analysis of Ecosystem Behavior 138 Role of Light Supply 139 Classical Ecosystem Models 142 N-P Model--Bottom-up Limitation 142 N-P-Z Model--Top-Down Limitation 144 Adding the Microbial Loop 146 Multiple Size Class Ecosystem Models 147 The Model 147 Influence of Micronutrients 149 Applications 150 North Pacific versus North Atlantic 152 Oligotrophic Region 155 4.4 A Synthesis 157 The Regeneration Loop 158 The Export Pathway 158 The Role of Iron 160 Conclusions 162 Problems 168 Chapter 5: Organic Matter Export and Remineralization 173 5.1 Introduction 173 Nutrient and Oxygen Distributions 173 Remineralizaton Reactions 178 Preformed and Remineralized Components 179 Dissolved and Particulate Organic Matter 180 Outline 181 5.2 Oxygen 181 Separation of Preformed and Remineralized Components 181 Deep Ocean Oxygen Utilization Rates 182 Thermocline Oxygen Utilization Rates 183 5.3 Nitrogen and Phosphorus 186 Stoichiometric Ratios 186 Phosphate 188 The Nitrogen Cycle 189 N* as a Tracer of Denitrification 189 N* as a Tracer of N2 Fixation 195 The Oceanic Nitrogen Budget 196 Nitrous Oxide 197 5.4 Organic Matter Cycling 200 Particulate Organic Matter 200 Overview 200 Particle Flux 203 The Role of Ballast 206 Particle Remineralization 207 Models of Particle Interactions 209 Dissolved Organic Matter 211 5.5 Models 215 Model Development 215 Sensitivity Studies 217 Applications: Control of Oceanic Oxygen 221 Problems 222 Chapter 6: Remineralization and Burial in the Sediments 227 6.1 Introduction 227 Observations 227 Sediment Properties and Processes 229 Remineralization Reactions 233 6.2 Sediment Diagenesis Models 236 Pore Waters 237 Solids 241 6.3 Remineralization 245 Oxic Sediments 246 Anoxic Sediments 250 Dissolved Organic Carbon 253 6.4 Burial 255 The Substrate 255 The Oxidant 256 Protection by Mineral Adsorption 257 Synthesis 258 6.5 Organic Matter Budget 260 Problems 267 Chapter 7: Silicate Cycle 270 7.1 Introduction 270 Water Column Observations 271 Sediment Observations 271 Outline 278 7.2 Euphotic Zone 278 Diatoms 278 Opal Production and Export 280 7.3 Water Column 285 Opal 286 Silicic Acid 288 7.4 Sediments 295 Opal Dissolution and Burial 295 Opal Chemistry 299 7.5 Conclusion 308 Overview 308 Marine Si Budget 309 Long-Term Homeostasis 311 Problems 313 Chapter 8: Carbon Cycle 318 8.1 Introduction 319 8.2 Inorganic Carbon Chemistry 322 8.3 The Surface Ocean 327 Annual Mean Distribution 327 Physical Processes 328 Biological Processes 331 Vector Diagrams 334 Seasonal Variability 335 Subtropical Gyres 337 North Atlantic 340 North Pacific 341 8.4 Water Column 342 Outline 342 Pump Components 342 The Biological Pumps 345 The Gas Exchange Pump 347 Global Mean 347 Atlantic versus Pacific 349 8.5 Carbon Pumps and Surface Fluxes 352 Problems 355 Chapter 9: Calcium Carbonate Cycle 359 9.1 Introduction 359 9.2 Production 362 Organisms 362 Export Estimates 363 Inorganic-to-Organic Carbon Export Ratio 363 9.3 Water Column Processes 365 CaCO3 Solubility 365 Variations in Saturation State 368 Carbonate Ion Distribution 368 Water Column Dissolution 371 9.4 Diagenesis 374 CaCO3 Dissolution in Sediments 374 Modeling CaCO3 Diagenesis 379 Model Applications 379 Concluding Remarks 384 9.5 Calcium Carbonate Compensation 384 CaCO3 Homeostat 384 CaCO3 Compensation 386 Problems 389 Chapter 10: Carbon Cycle, CO2, and Climate 392 10.1 Introduction 392 Greenhouse Effect 394 Global Warming 396 Outline 398 10.2 The Anthropogenic Perturbation 399 Capacity Constraints 400 Buffering by Dissolved Carbonate 400 Buffering by Sediment CaCO3 401 Buffering by Weathering 402 Kinetic Constraints 402 Atmospheric Pulse Response 402 Ocean Uptake and Buffering with Dissolved Carbonate 403 Buffering by Sediment CaCO3 405 Anthropogenic CO2 Uptake 405 Direct Estimation 406 Reconstruction of Anthropogenic CO2 Inventory 408 The Atmospheric Oxygen Method 413 The Role of Biology 414 Future CO2 Uptake 415 10.3 Interannual to Decadal Timescale Variability 417 Tropical Variability 419 Extratropical Variability 423 10.4 Glacial-Interglacial Atmospheric CO2 Changes 429 Setting the Scene 431 Terrestrial Biosphere Carbon Loss 431 Salinity Changes 432 Temperature Changes 434 Fundamental Mechanisms 435 Southern Ocean Dominance 435 Equilibration of Low-Latitude Changes 436 Closing the Southern Ocean Window 440 Physical Mechanisms 442 Biological Mechanisms 443 Observational Constraints 444 A Role for the Regions outside the Southern Ocean? 446 Circulation Scenarios 447 Soft-Tissue Pump Scenarios 447 Alkalinity and Carbonate Pump Scenarios 449 A Synthesis Scenario 452 Problems 454 Appendix 459 References 461 Index 495
£80.00
Princeton University Press Princeton Guide to Advanced Physics
Book SynopsisFrom classical mechanics to general relativity, this volume surveys the key principles in various areas of physics. It starts with a review of mathematical methods and summarizes the widely used concepts in physics, detailing derivations and applications. It serves as a text in a review course or as a supplemental text in higher-level courses.Trade Review"Alan Tribble aims to cover all areas of theoretical physics at an advanced level, providing a comprehensive one-volume study guide for Bsc, Msc and PhD students."--Contemporary PhysicsTable of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsCh. 1Mathematical MethodsCh. 2Classical MechanicsCh. 3ElectrodynamicsCh. 4OpticsCh. 5Fluid DynamicsCh. 6Plasma PhysicsCh. 7RelativityCh. 8Quantum MechanicsCh. 9Atomic PhysicsCh. 10Nuclear PhysicsCh. 11Statistical PhysicsCh. 12Solid State PhysicsAppendix A Vector IdentitiesAppendix B Vector DerivativesAppendix C Physical ConstantsPeriodic Table of the ElementsIndex
£55.25
Princeton University Press On Gaia A Critical Investigation of the
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Tyrrell's story is very informative and the reader will learn many fascinating stories of an organism's adaptation to an environment (rather than an environment conforming to an organism's need)."--Jonathan DuHamel, Arizona Daily Independent "A systematic, dispassionate, retrospective examination of Gaia... Tyrrell makes it very clear where he stands on Gaia, but the path of his journey is well reasoned--not a diatribe."--William Schlesinger, Nature Climate Change "It is timely to present a systematic review of how Gaia theory looks in the light of ... new information. Not too well is Toby Tyrrell's conclusion in this clear summary of the evidence to date... Persuasive."--Jon Turney, Times Higher Education "In On Gaia: A Critical Investigation of the Relationship between Life and Earth, Dr. Toby Tyrrell, for the first time, conducts a lengthy analysis of the scientific data for and against the Gaia Hypothesis. He concludes that the Gaia Hypothesis does not have enough scientific data to support it. He write eloquently, clearly, and succinctly describing how the Gaia Hypothesis lacks sufficient scientific evidence... A fair and reflective analysis."--Gabriel Thoumi, MongaBay.com "Tyrrell examines alternative arguments about the long-term characteristics of the Earth, considering geological and coevolutionary effects. He provides a detailed examination of how and why the environment cannot be affected by natural selection and how diverse physical factors affect living things... Overall, a useful examination of the changing nature of Earth and the biologic/physical factors that affect the planet's organisms."--Choice "His theory is not as grandiose as Gaia, but it is far more compelling. The conclusion is worth reading by itself if you are pushed for time, but for those who really want a good insight into Gaia in the context of natural systems, I would recommend reading the whole book."--Gillian Gibson, Environmentalist "If you've had your curiosity piqued by the Gaia Hypothesis before, you'll appreciate this well-organized and comprehensive assessment of it. Tyrrell doesn't have an axe to grind, and his discussion is fair and focused on the evidence. If you want to grapple with Gaia, this book is a good way to do it."--Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica "One third of this well argued book consists of end notes, many of which are as readable as the main text. By questioning the arguments for and against the Gaia hypothesis, Tyrrell has done a great service to enriching the ongoing discourse on making our planet hospitable for all life forms, now and in the future."--Sudhirendar Sharma, Cover Drive "On Gaia is a rewarding read for the knowledgeable reader. The book is an easy read and accessible to a broad audience. Unlike some science books intended for popular audiences, the book is sophisticated enough to keep the interest of graduate students."--GeoQ "It is ... Valuable for a variety of reasons: as a good natural history brief; as a good introduction to modern ecology (the one that considers the biota as a whole); and as a cautious reflection on what makes a theory gain or lose respectability. Therefore, it will be useful at different academic levels, from teaching at secondary school (it is an excellent starting point for serious debate) to highly specialized climate scientists."-- Chemical EngineerTable of ContentsPreface ix 1. Gaia, the Grand Idea 1 2. Good Citizens or Selfish Genes? 14 3. Life at the Edge: Lessons from Extremophiles 47 4. Temperature Paces Life 67 5. Icehouse Earth 88 6. Given Enough Time ... 113 7. Evolutionary Innovations and Environmental Change 130 8. A Stable or an Unstable World? 145 9. The Puzzle of Life's Long Persistence 171 10. Conclusions 199 Notes 219 Further Reading 273 References 277 Acknowledgments 299 Index 301
£33.25
Princeton University Press Natures Strongholds The Worlds Great Wildlife
Book SynopsisBengal tigers in the jungles of India. Birds of Paradise in the wilds of New Guinea. Penguins on frozen beaches in Antarctica. These and other charismatic and endangered species find homes within the world's great wildlife reserves. This book captures the splendor of some of the world's most impressive wildlife reserves.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2004-2005 Lowell Thomas Bronze Award, Category 20: Travel Book, Society of American Travel Writers Foundation Honorable Mention for the 2005 National Outdoor Book Awards, Nature Guidebook Category "The book's comprehensive geographical coverage, as well as the quality of information it provides, will ensure that it will find a broad audience around the world."--Gerhard M. Van Den Top, Times Literary Supplement "Nature's Strongholds ... offers conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, travel professionals, ecotourists and armchair travelers detailed information about the world's best reserves and parks... [N]o other book compares with this one in scope. It serves as a reminder of what humanity stands to lose in the battle to preserve the world's last natural 'strongholds."--Roger Harris, American Scientist "Wife and husband team the Rileys spent 10 years researching this guide to 600 nature reserves in more than 80 countries visited by 40 million people each year. The weighty result of their endeavors is a lavishly illustrated ... book that will tempt any armchair traveler to get up and go... If we're lucky, what's recorded here will save some amazing creatures and plants from extinction. But the Rileys note the threats, from human settlement growth, logging, mineral and oil exploitation, to war, that make these reserves so necessary."--Paul Nettleton, The Guardian "Outstanding in layout, design, and photography ... this book provides concise, well-written descriptions that capture the essence of each reserve and park... The book makes delightful reading for the armchair traveler and serves as an excellent overview and reference source for hard-to-find information on wildlife and wildlife habitats in more remote areas of the world."--Choice "This exhaustive guide is a veritable encyclopedia... Covering 600 of the world's best reserves, the book summarizes the history and ecology of each and includes the best time to visit, types of animals, nearby lodging and transportation and temperature and rainfall charts... [T]he brilliant photography will have you packing your bags."--San Francisco Chronicle "The Rileys' book has the potential to close ... gaps in protection. It will inspire more people to visit reserves... From aardwolf to zubr (European bison), this volume fills an information gap for scientists, environmental organizations, and anyone interested in the best wild places."--Karlene Schwartz,Bioscience
£55.80
Princeton University Press Fly Me to the Moon
Book SynopsisIntroduces readers to advances in American space exploration. This book discusses ways to capture and redirect asteroids; presents research on the origin of the Moon; weighs in on discoveries like 2003 UB313, a dwarf planet detected in the far outer reaches of our solar system - and, more.Trade Review"[This book] will truly excite anyone interested in the future of space travel... Grounded in real physics, Belbruno's ideas will tantalize the space audience."--Gilbert Taylor, Booklist "A small group of scientists has worked on new orbits that take into account the inherently chaotic motion of object in a multibody system... One of the innovators in what is known as 'capture dynamics', Ed Belbruno, provides a basic and eminently readable introduction to the topic in Fly Me to the Moon."--Jeff Foust, The Space Review "This book does for mathematics what The Double Helix did for biochemistry, without the gossip and diatribe that made The Double Helix so controversial...Overall, this book is a superb introduction to the life of a real mathematician, and a gentle introduction to some very complex mathematics."--Jeff Suzuki, MAA Review "Fly Me to the Moon provides a fast, very readable account of new developments in chaotic celestial mechanics, especially low-fuel space travel, at a level appropriate for a general audience. By the end, nonmathematicians will have gained some intuition about one of the hallmarks of chaos, sensitive dependence on initial conditions, and how chaos can be harnessed to good purpose. All readers will walk away thinking differently about the cosmos. Far from being a clockwork, it will seem more dynamic, more turbulent, and full of diverse possibilities."--Shane Ross, Notices of the American Mathematical Society "Belbruno beautifully describes his novel low-fuel concept in Fly Me to the Moon, using copious sketches to explain his theory without resorting to a single equation... The author has laid out the book very well--a teaser of an introduction with just enough details of the Hiten rescue to whet the appetite, but leaving you hungry for more. The language is friendly yet enticing, with nice snappy chapter lengths and informative illustrations in just the right places. There is a good story line running through the book with little surprises like the author being granted a patent for his special route to the Moon in 2003, with many more patents to follow for routes to other destinations."--Gerard McMahon, Astronomy and Space "[A] wonderfully informative book... For anyone with an interest in this remarkable development in spaceflight the book is a must."--Colin Keay, Australian PhysicsTable of ContentsForeword by Neil deGrasse Tyson ix Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii Chapter 1 A Moment of Discovery 1 Chapter 2 An Uncertain Start 5 Chapter 3 Conventional Way to the Moon 9 A Fuel Hog 14 Chapter 4 A Question 17 Chapter 5 Chaos and Surfing the Gravitational Field 29 What Is Chaos? 31 Chapter 6 Using Art to Find Chaotic Regions 37 An Oil Painting Unveiling Dynamical Processes 37 Chapter 7 WSB--A Chaotic No-Man's-Land 41 Chapter 8 Getting to the WSB--Low Energy Transfers 49 Chapter 9 Rescue of a Lunar Mission 55 Skepticism, Politics, and a Bittersweet Success 63 Chapter 10 Significance of Hiten 69 Chapter 11 Salvage of HGS-1, and a Christmas Present 77 Chapter 12 Other Space Missions and Low Energy Transfers 83 LGAS Reincarnated: SMART 1 83 Europa Orbiter and Prometheus 85 A Lunar Transportation System 91 Chapter 13 Hopping Comets and Earth Collision 95 Potential Earth Collision 108 Lexell 109 Jupiter-Hopping Earth-Crossing Comets Present a Danger 111 Kuiper Belt Objects and Neptune Hopping 113 Ballistic Escape from the Earth-Moon System, and Asteroid Capture 115 Chapter 14 The Creation of the Moon by Another World 119 Chapter 15 Beyond the Moon and to the Stars 129 Pluto to Alpha Centauri 129 Comets Moving between the Sun and Alpha Centauri 133 Chapter 16 A Paradigm Shift and the Future 137 Bibliography 141 Index 147
£15.29
Princeton University Press Pollination and Floral Ecology
Book SynopsisCovers various aspects of pollination biology. This book describes how flowers use colors, shapes, and scents to advertise themselves; how they offer pollen and nectar as rewards; and, how they share complex interactions with beetles, birds, bats, bees, and other creatures. It also covers the ecology of these interactions.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2011 "In this accessibly written reference, Willmer provides a thorough, up-to-date review of floral biology and pollination... This book is comprehensive and well written, combining informative text and many helpful in-text figures and tables with 39 beautiful color plates. Additionally, the book contains a complete reference section and a useful glossary, which increases the utility of this resource for students or practitioners of pollination ecology."--Choice "[Pollination and Floral Ecology] is a big book that I unhesitatingly consider a 'must-have' reference for anyone working in this field or thinking about entering it... For now, there is nothing like it."--James D. Thomson, Quarterly Review of Biology "[T]he book should largely be used as a reference book, which, again, can be used by those with any level of experience. It is inexpensive relative to the amount of material covered. I commend Willmer for the presumably massive undertaking of the compiling of this vast subject into this relatively small volume. Like other reference books, the material will not become obsolete for many years, and it should be the companion of any pollination ecologist entering the field."--Plant Science Bulletin "Pollination and Floral Ecology is the most comprehensive single-volume reference to all aspects of pollination biology and the first fully up-to-date resource of its kind to appear in decades."--World Book Industry "In Pollination and Floral Ecology Wilmer has certainly achieved her aim, and has provided us with a comprehensive, easy to read summary of the subject, providing somewhat of a one-stop shop for background information on pollination ecology. This book should be recommended as essential reading for any postgraduate or undergraduate working anywhere within the realm of pollination ecology, and will also be an indispensable reference tool for established pollination researchers and ecosystem managers around the world."--Tobias Smith, Austral EcologyTable of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgments ix Part I: Essentials of Flower Design and Function Chapter 1 Why Pollination Is Interesting 3 Chapter 2 Floral Design and Function 11 Chapter 3 Pollination, Mating, and Reproduction in Plants 55 Chapter 4 Evolution of Flowers, Pollination, and Plant Diversity 88 Part II Floral Advertisements and Floral Rewards Chapter 5 Advertisements 1: Visual Signals and Floral Color 105 Chapter 6 Advertisements 2: Olfactory Signals 134 Chapter 7 Rewards 1: The Biology of Pollen 154 Chapter 8 Rewards 2: The Biology of Nectar 190 Chapter 9 Other Floral Rewards 221 Chapter 10 Rewards and Costs: The Environmental Economics of Pollination 234 Part III Pollination Syndromes? Chapter 11 Types of Flower Visitors: Syndromes, Constancy, and Effectiveness 261 Chapter 12 Generalist Flowers and Generalist Visitors 288 Chapter 13 Pollination by Flies 304 Chapter 14 Pollination by Butterflies and Moths 322 Chapter 15 Pollination by Birds 337 Chapter 16 Pollination by Bats 356 Chapter 17 Pollination by Nonflying Vertebrates and Other Oddities 370 Chapter 18 Pollination by Bees 378 Chapter 19 Wind and Water: Abiotic Pollination 418 Chapter 20 Syndromes and Webs: Specialists and Generalists 434 Part IV Floral Ecology Chapter 21 The Timing and Patterning of Flowering 483 Chapter 22 Living with Other Flowers: Competition and Pollination Ecology 503 Chapter 23 Cheating by Flowers: Cheating the Visitors and Cheating Other Flowers 524 Chapter 24 Flower Visitors as Cheats and the Plants' Responses 542 Chapter 25 The Interactions of Pollination and Herbivory 554 Chapter 26 Pollination Using Florivores: From Brood Site Mutualism to Active Pollination 565 Chapter 27 Pollination in Different Habitats 575 Chapter 28 The Pollination of Crops 605 Chapter 29 The Global Pollination Crisis 620 Appendix 639 Glossary 643 References 663 Subject Index 751 Index of Animal Genera 768 Index of Plant Genera 771
£98.10
Princeton University Press Biodemography
Book SynopsisTrade Review"An accessible and practical overview of the demographic approaches that may offer insights into a range of important biological questions."---Marlène Gamelon and Hannah Froy, Trends in Ecology & Evolution"In their new book, [James R. Carey & Deborah A. Roach] provide an excellent introduction to the concepts and methods that form the foundation of biodemography."---Marlène Gamelon and Hannah Froy, Trends in Ecology & Evolution"Biodemography deserves to prove itself a useful resource for both those taking their first steps in biodemography as well as for more experienced researchers seeking to broaden their horizons or reference a single resource. . . . The success of the book is in relating those equations to modern life and, in doing so, describing how we might better understand the risks, challenges and opportunities of the ways in which populations change through time."---Thomas H. G. Ezard, Biometrical Journal"[An] excellent resource for demographers, population biologists, epidemiologists, and other professionals who study population-level outcomes."---K.R. Thompson, CHOICE
£55.25
Princeton University Press Mutualistic Networks
Book SynopsisMutualistic interactions among plants and animals have played a paramount role in shaping biodiversity. Making a case for why we should care about mutualisms and their complex networks, this book offers a perspective on the study and synthesis of this growing area for ecologists and evolutionary biologists.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2016 BES Marsh Christian Trust Book Award, British Ecological Association "[A]ll ecologists will benefit from reading [Mutualistic Networks], giving this audience a better understanding of the network perspective on mutualism."--Choice "Making a case for why we should care about mutualisms and their complex networks, this book offers a new perspective on the study and synthesis of this growing area for ecologists and evolutionary biologists. It will serve as the standard reference for any future work on mutualistic interactions in biological communities."--Biotechnology, Agronomy, Society and Environment "Mutualistic Networks is a book that presents a highly dynamic field in its entire breadth and historic development. [A]nyone interested in a passionate layout of a multifaceted and ecologically exciting research area will want to read it."--Carsten F. Dormann, Basic and Applied Ecology "[T]his excellent and unique book provides novel insights into ecological and coevolutionary dynamics of interacting species."--Wesley Dattilo, Journal of Complex Networks "Bascompte and Jordano ... logically and thoroughly guide the reader through the theories and tools used to understand, and the importance of understanding, the complexity of mutualistic networks."--Luke S. O'Loughlin, Austral EcologyTable of ContentsPreface xi Chapter 1. Biodiversity and Plant-Animal Coevolution 1 Historical Overview 1 A Bit of Natural History 6 Coevolution in Multispecific Mutualisms 12 Summary 14 Chapter 2. An Introduction to Complex Networks 15 A Network Approach to Complex Systems 17 Measures of Network Structure 21 Models of Network Buildup 31 Ecological Networks 32 Summary 41 Chapter 3. The Structure of Plant-Animal Mutualistic Networks 42 Degree Distribution 42 Nestedness 44 Small World 48 Modularity 50 Weighted Networks 54 Comparisons with other Ecological Networks 60 Summary 62 Chapter 4. Ecological and Evolutionary Mechanisms 64 Single Ecological Traits 67 Phylogenetic Effects 77 Summary 85 Chapter 5. Mutualistic Networks in Time and Space 87 Network Dynamics 88 Spatial Mosaics 98 Sampling and Robustness 102 Summary 106 Chapter 6. Consequences of Network Structure 107 Coextinction Cascades 108 Dynamic Stability 113 Global Change and Mutualistic Networks 120 Coevolutionary Implications 126 Implications for Nonbiological Systems 132 Summary 134 Chapter 7. Epilogue 136 Appendix A. Indices Used in Mutualistic Network Analyses 139 Appendix B. Fitting Degree Distributions 143 Appendix C. Measures of Nestedness 147 Appendix D. Measures of Modularity 150 Appendix E. Phylogenetic Methods and Network Analysis 154 Appendix F. Null Models for Assessing Network Structure 160 Appendix G. An Analytical Theory of Mutualistic Networks 167 Fixed Points and Local Stability 167 Effects of Network Structure on Competition and Biodiversity 169 Appendix H. Software for the Analysis of Complex Networks 175 Bibliography 179 Index 201
£40.50
Princeton University Press Food Webs
Book SynopsisArguing that various classical food web theories can be looked at collectively and in a consistent and testable way, this book synthesizes modern and classical perspectives into a general unified theory. It brings together outcomes from population, community, and ecosystem-level approaches under the common currency of energy or material fluxes.Trade Review"This is a must-read for ecologists interested in ecosystem dynamics."--Choice "This is potentially an indispensable book for ecologists and paleoecologists alike, synthesizing food-web theory and outcomes from population-level up to whole-ecosystem-level approaches. McCann offers clear explanations of the dynamics of food webs using a mathematical approach, and while the book will be of particular use to graduate students, it may also be of substantial use to undergraduate students as an advanced but very thorough introduction to the subject."--Jo Hellawell, Priscum "Food Webs is an imaginative but very concise book in terms of methodology and selection of concepts. It is extremely coherent, though some may think extremely selective in the models and concepts used. But to build a food web theory across different scales of organization, from single populations to real multispecies interaction networks, this selectivity is needed, and the unifying concept of stability makes it fascinating."--Jose M. Montoya, Ecology "[T]his is a very exciting book that communicates theoretical concepts to a broad ecological audience. In addition, the overview over the countless seminal studies by McCann and co-workers make this book unique and a highly recommended read for all ecologists."--Ulrich Brose, Basic & Applied EcologyTable of ContentsPreface xi Part 1: THE PROBLEM AND THE APPROACH Chapter 1. The Balance of Nature: What Is It and Why Care? 3 1.1 Balancing a Noisy System 3 1.2 Ecosystem Stability and Sustainability 6 1.3 Of Food Webs, Stability, and Function 9 1.4 Ecological Instability and Collapse 10 1.5 A Theory for Food Webs 17 Chapter 2. A Primer for Dynamical Systems 20 2.1 Qualitative Approaches to Complex Problems 20 2.2 Dynamical Systems 22 2.3 Case Study: Hopf Bifurcation in an Aquatic Microcosm 42 2.4 Summary of Key Points 45 Chapter 3. Of Modules, Motifs, and Whole Webs 47 Part 2: FOOD WEB MODULES: FROM POPULATIONS TO SMALL FOOD WEBS Chapter 4. Excitable and Nonexcitable Population Dynamics 53 4.1 Continuous Resource Dynamics 53 4.2 From Nonexcitable to Excitable Population Dynamics 56 4.3 Stage-Structured Resource Dynamics 61 4.4 Empirical Evidence for Excitable Dynamics 63 4.5 Summary: The Dual Nature of Population Growth Rates 65 Chapter 5. Consumer-Resource Dynamics: Building Consumptive Food Webs 67 5.1 Interaction Strength 67 5.2 Consumer-Resource Interactions: Two Qualitative Responses to Changes in a Parameter 71 5.3 Summary 79 5.4 Further Assumptions about the C-R Model 80 5.5 Some Nonequilibrium Thoughts 83 5.6 C-R Dynamics in Nature 84 5.7 Summary 88 Chapter 6. Lagged Consumer-Resource Dynamics 89 6.1 Discrete Consumer-Resource Interactions 90 6.2 Stage-Structured Consumer-Resource Dynamics 94 6.3 Stage-Structured Interactions and Alternative States 97 6.4 Empirical Results 100 6.5 Summary 101 Chapter 7. Food Chains and Omnivory 103 7.1 A Familiar Modular Example: Food Chains 105 7.2 Omnivory 110 7.3 Stage Structure and Food Chain Stability 116 7.4 Empirical Results 118 7.5 Summary 121 Chapter 8. More Modules 123 8.1 Generalists and Food Web Dynamics 123 8.2 The Diamond and the Intraguild Predator 132 8.3 Empirical Results 137 8.4 Summary 140 Part 3: TOWARD WHOLE SYSTEMS Chapter 9. Coupling Modules in Space: A Landscape Theory 145 9.1 Variability, Space, and Food Webs 145 9.2 Individual Traits and a Landscape-Scale Module 147 9.3 Mobile Adaptive Consumers 151 9.4 Food Webs in Space 155 9.5 Asymmetric Flux Rates through Food Webs 160 9.6 Dynamical Implications on the Landscape 162 9.7 Empirical Evidence 164 9.8 Summary 169 Chapter 10. Classic Food Web Theory 170 10.1 The Classic Approach 170 10.2 Matrices and Local Stability 172 10.3 Gershgorin Discs for Community Matrices: An Intuitive Approach to Eigenvalues 172 10.4 A Controlled Approach to Food Web Matrices 175 10.5 Some Classic Whole-Matrix Results 178 10.6 Recent Whole Community Approaches 184 10.7 Summary 188 Chapter 11. Adding the Ecosystem 189 11.1 Grazing Food Webs and Whole Ecosystems 189 11.2 The N-R-D Module 192 11.3 Detritus and C-R Interactions 194 11.4 Nonequilibrium Dynamics and Detritus as a Distributor 197 11.5 Discussion 199 11.6 Summary 199 Chapter 12. Food Webs as Complex Adaptive Systems 201 12.1 Searching for Empirical Signatures 201 12.2 Adaptive Behavior, Changing Food Web Topology, and Ecosystem Size 202 12.3 Empirical Results for Canadian Shield Lake Ecosystems 206 12.4 Subsidies, Opportunists, and Homogenization 213 12.5 Humans in the Food Web 215 Bibliography 219 Index 235
£49.50
Princeton University Press Quantum Mechanics in a Nutshell
Book SynopsisEmphasizing the use of quantum mechanics to describe actual quantum systems such as atoms and solids, and rich with interesting applications, this book proceeds from solving for the properties of a single particle in potential; to solving for two particles (the helium atom); to addressing many-particle systems.Trade Review"Praises in no way can do full justice to the strength and detail of Mahan's well crafted and superb nutshell book. I found the book fascinating, stimulating and convincing and one can easily observe that the book is bursting with intellectual energy and ambition. I am not a rated scientist but as a student and follower of science and scientific projects since the beginning of my academic career, I have come across several books of topical interest but this time I enjoyed Quantum Mechanics in A Nutshell as a whole for its intelligence and manner of treatment of topics. All said and done, it is a book that can be enjoyed by any science student interested in quantum mechanics."--Uwe C. Tauber, Current Engineering Practice "[A] comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of quantum mechanics."--Nature Physics "This book, in spite of 11 chapters densely written, consists of a quick and very readable presentation of basic principles and an impressive number of applications of quantum mechanics. It can be profitably used in courses for beginning, intermediate and, in some cases, advanced students of physics."--Valter Moretti, Zentralblatt MATHTable of ContentsPreface xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Schrodinger's Equation 2 1.3 Eigenfunctions 4 1.4 Measurement 8 1.5 Representations 8 1.5.1 Schrodinger Representation 9 1.5.2 Heisenberg Representation 10 1.6 Noncommuting Operators 11 Chapter 2: One Dimension 14 2.1 Square Well 14 2.2 Linear Potentials 26 2.3 Harmonic Oscillator 29 2.4 Raising and Lowering Operators 34 2.5 Exponential Potential 39 2.5.1 Bound State 40 2.5.2 Continuum State 42 2.6 Delta-Function Potential 45 2.7 Number of Solutions 48 2.8 Normalization 49 2.8.1 Bound States 49 2.8.2 Box Normalization 50 2.8.3 Delta-Function Normalization 51 2.8.4 The Limit of Infinite Volume 54 2.9 Wave Packets 56 Chapter 3: Approximate Methods 62 3.1 WKBJ 62 3.2 Bound States by WKBJ 68 3.2.1 Harmonic Oscillator 71 3.2.2 Morse Potential 71 3.2.3 Symmetric Ramp 73 3.2.4 Discontinuous Potentials 74 3.3 Electron Tunneling 76 3.4 Variational Theory 77 3.4.1 Half-Space Potential 80 3.4.2 Harmonic Oscillator in One Dimension 82 Chapter 4: Spin and Angular Momentum 87 4.1 Operators, Eigenvalues, and Eigenfunctions 87 4.1.1 Commutation Relations 88 4.1.2 Raising and Lowering Operators 89 4.1.3 Eigenfunctions and Eigenvalues 90 4.2 Representations 95 4.3 Rigid Rotations 100 4.4 The Addition of Angular Momentum 102 Chapter 5: Two and Three Dimensions 108 5.1 Plane Waves in Three Dimensions 108 5.2 Plane Waves in Two Dimensions 112 5.3 Central Potentials 114 5.3.1 Central Potentials in 3D 114 5.3.2 Central Potential in 2D 118 5.4 Coulomb Potentials 119 5.4.1 Bound States 119 5.4.2 Confluent Hypergeometric Functions 121 5.4.3 Hydrogen Eigenfunctions 121 5.4.4 Continuum States 125 5.5 WKBJ 126 5.5.1 Three Dimensions 126 5.5.2 3D Hydrogen Atom 127 5.5.3 Two Dimensions 128 5.6 Hydrogen-like Atoms 130 5.6.1 Quantum Defect 131 5.6.2 WKBJ Derivation 132 5.6.3 Expectation Values 134 5.7 Variational Theory 134 5.7.1 Hydrogen Atom: n 1 135 5.7.2 Hydrogen Atom: l 1 136 5.7.3 Helium Atom 137 5.8 Free Particles in a Magnetic Field 143 5.8.1 Gauges 143 5.8.2 Eigenfunctions and Eigenvalues 144 5.8.3 Density of States 146 5.8.4 Quantum Hall Effect 147 5.8.5 Flux Quantization 150 Chapter 6: Matrix Methods and Perturbation Theory 157 6.1 H and H0 157 6.2 Matrix Methods 158 6.2.1 2 x 2 160 6.2.2 Coupled Spins 160 6.2.3 Tight-Binding Model 163 6.3 The Stark Effect 166 6.4 Perturbation Theory 170 6.4.1 General Formulas 170 6.4.2 Harmonic Oscillator in Electric Field 174 6.4.3 Continuum States 176 6.4.4 Green's Function 180 6.5 The Polarizability 181 6.5.1 Quantum Definition 182 6.5.2 Polarizability of Hydrogen 183 6.6 Van der Waals Potential 188 6.7 Spin-Orbit Interaction 194 6.7.1 Spin-Orbit in Atoms 195 6.7.2 Alkali Valence Electron in Electric Field 199 6.8 Bound Particles in Magnetic Fields 202 6.8.1 Magnetic Susceptibility 204 6.8.2 Alkali Atom in Magnetic Field 205 6.8.3 Zeeman Effect 207 6.8.4 Paschen-Back Effect 209 Chapter 7: Time-Dependent Perturbations 213 7.1 Time-Dependent Hamiltonians 213 7.2 Sudden Approximation 215 7.2.1 Shake-up and Shake-off 216 7.2.2 Spin Precession 218 7.3 Adiabatic Approximation 220 7.4 Transition Rates: The Golden Rule 222 7.5 Atomic Excitation by a Charged Particle 226 7.6 Born Approximation to Scattering 231 7.6.1 Cross Section 232 7.6.2 Rutherford Scattering 235 7.6.3 Electron Scattering from Hydrogen 236 7.7 Particle Decay 237 Chapter 8: Electromagnetic Radiation 244 8.1 Quantization of the Field 245 8.1.1 Gauges 246 8.1.2 Lagrangian 250 8.1.3 Hamiltonian 253 8.1.4 Casimir Force 256 8.2 Optical Absorption by a Gas 258 8.2.1 Entangled Photons 268 8.3 Oscillator Strength 269 8.4 Polarizability 273 8.5 Rayleigh and Raman Scattering 278 8.6 Compton Scattering 283 Chapter 9: Many-Particle Systems 288 9.1 Introduction 288 9.2 Fermions and Bosons 289 9.2.1 Two Identical Particles 290 9.3 Exchange Energy 291 9.3.1 Two-Electron Systems 291 9.3.2 Parahelium and Orthohelium 293 9.3.3 Hund's Rules 293 9.4 Many-Electron Systems 295 9.4.1 Evaluating Determinants 295 9.4.2 Ground-State Energy 297 9.4.3 Hartree-Fock Equations 299 9.4.4 Free Electrons 301 9.4.5 Pair Distribution Function 303 9.4.6 Correlation Energy 304 9.4.7 Thomas-Fermi Theory 304 9.4.8 Density Functional Theory 307 9.5 Second Quantization 309 9.5.1 Bosons 309 9.5.2 Fermions 312 9.6 Bose-Einstein Condensation 313 9.6.1 Noninteracting Particles 313 9.6.2 Off-Diagonal Long-Range Order 314 Chapter 10: Scattering Theory 320 10.1 Elastic Scattering 320 10.1.1 Partial Wave Analysis 323 10.1.2 Scattering in Two Dimensions 326 10.1.3 Hard-Sphere Scattering 328 10.1.4 Ramsauer-Townsend Effect 330 10.1.5 Born Approximation 332 10.2 Scattering of Identical Particles 333 10.2.1 Two Free Particles 333 10.2.2 Electron Scattering from Hydrogen 335 10.3 T-Matrices 337 10.4 Distorted Wave Scattering 340 10.5 Scattering from Many Particles 343 10.5.1 Bragg Scattering 343 10.5.2 Scattering by Fluids 344 10.5.3 Strong Scattering 346 10.6 Wave Packets 347 10.6.1 Three Dimensions 347 10.6.2 Scattering by Wave Packets 348 Chapter 11: Relativistic Quantum Mechanics 352 11.1 Four-Vectors 352 11.2 Klein-Gordon Equation 354 11.2.1 Derivation 354 11.2.2 Free Particle 354 11.2.3 Currents and Densities 355 11.2.4 Step Potential 356 11.2.5 Nonrelativistic Limit 356 11.2.6 -Mesonic Atoms 357 11.3 Dirac Equation 360 11.3.1 Derivation 361 11.3.2 Current and Charge Density 364 11.3.3 Gamma-Matrices 364 11.3.4 Free-Particle Solutions 366 11.3.5 Spin-Projection Operators 369 11.3.6 Scattering of Dirac Particles 371 11.4 Antiparticles and Negative Energy States 374 11.5 Spin Averages 377 11.6 Nonrelativistic Limit 379 11.6.1 First Approximation 379 11.6.2 Second Approximation 380 11.6.3 Relativistic Corrections for Hydrogenic States 382 11.7 Relativistic Interactions 384 11.7.1 Photon Green's Function 384 11.7.2 Electron Green's Function 387 11.7.3 Boson Exchange 387 11.8 Scattering of Electron and Muon 388 Index 397
£73.60
Princeton University Press The Balance of Nature Ecologys Enduring Myth
Book SynopsisThe idea of a balance of nature has been a dominant part of Western philosophy since before Aristotle, and it persists in the public imagination and even among some ecologists today. This book demonstrates that nature in fact is not in balance, nor has it ever been at any stage in Earth's history.Trade Review"The author conveys his message in a clear writing style without using highly technical concepts or terminology."--B.R. Shmaefsky, Choice "Kricher's book is of interest to environmental historians and historians of science not only on account of the information it contains, but also because within it there is so little of the scholarship of the history of the environmental sciences with which we, in the humanities and social sciences, are familiar."--Jane Carruthers, Environment and History "With The Balance of Nature, John Kricher has done us the favor of producing the book our non-ecological parents should read. In a scant 200 pages of accessible prose, Kricher weaves together three themes about which any literate citizen should be aware... The Balance of Nature hits its mark. Buy a copy for your parents, your students, and your children today."--Aaron M. Ellison, Ecology "The relationship between science and non-science belief systems especially religious belief system has always been an uneasy one. Even though this book clearly sides with science in disclaiming the notion of the 'balance of nature', it is still relevant to people who hold to the Judeo-Christian creation belief and of other religious backgrounds who are interested in the workings of the natural world."--Richard S. Mbatu, International Journal of Environmental StudiesTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER 1: Why It Matters 1 CHAPTER 2: Of What Purpose Are Mosquitoes? 8 CHAPTER 3: Creating Paradigms 20 CHAPTER 4: Ecology B.C. ("Before Charles") 40 CHAPTER 5: Ecology A.D. ("After Darwin") 53 CHAPTER 6: The Twentieth Century: Ecology Comes of Age 67 CHAPTER 7: A Visit to Bodie: Ecological Space and Time 84 CHAPTER 8: Ecology and Evolution: Process and Paradigm 97 CHAPTER 9: Be Glad to Be an Earthling 113 CHAPTER 10: Life Plays the Lottery 128 CHAPTER 11: Why Global Climate Is Like New England Weather 140 CHAPTER 12: Taking It from the Top--or the Bottom 155 CHAPTER 13: F or the Love of Biodiversity (and Stable Ecosystems?) 170 CHAPTER 14: Facing Marley's Ghost 186 Epilogue 203 Acknowledgments 207 Notes 209 Index 229
£25.20
Princeton University Press Natures Compass
Book SynopsisWe know that animals cross miles of water, land, and sky with pinpoint precision on a daily basis. But scientists have learned how these astounding feats of navigation are actually accomplished. This book explores the methods by which animals find their way both near home and around the globe.Trade ReviewLonglisted for the 2013 Society of Biology Book Awards in General Biology "Though animals are the book's stars, animal-navigation scientists come a close second. The innovation and sometimes pure cheek of experiments contrived to learn about nature's compasses are fun to read about."--Barbara J. King, Times Literary Supplement "What the Goulds have written is both an absorbing tale of biological discovery and a tantalizing scientific cliffhanger."--Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History "Nature's Compass provides a wonderful account of efforts to unravel the mysteries of animal migration. Effectively drawing on their own experiences and the extensive scientific literature in the field, the Goulds explain what we currently know about how animals locate their positions. Their survey also offers an accessible starting point for those who might wish to improve our understanding of the topic."--Homare Yamahachi, Science "James L. Gould and science writer Carol Gould explain the amazing ways in which animals orient themselves and make their way through the world. Scientist James details biology experiments that reveal how animals measure time, locate landmarks, and direct themselves across the globe, while writer Carol eloquently shows readers the beauty of the monarch butterfly's trip across the United States and into Mexico, the complex dance of honey bees, and homing pigeons' internal GPS system. Throughout the book, the authors combine their strengths to demonstrate both the scientific wonder and beauty of the internal compasses in animals. With an eye toward larger issues, the Goulds also examine the ways in which global warming and habitat destruction affect and endanger these magnificent and complex animals... Recommended."--Susan E. Brazer, Library Journal "Nature's Compass: The Mystery of Animal Navigation is an excellent resource for interested arm-chair ecologists and also undergraduate students who wish to understand the scientific history of analysis of how animal navigation occurs. At the same time, Nature's Compass: The Mystery of Animal Navigation is also an excellent book describing how sometimes it is difficult for Home sapiens to accept the cognitive intelligence and capacity of others who reside in our animal kingdom even when we are presented with the bare facts supporting these obvious assertions."--Gabriel Thoumi, MongaBay.com "Research on animal navigation sits at the interface of physics, biology, and many different cultures, and has seen many heated debates, past and present. Nature's Compass is an excellent introduction to the field and hopefully will serve as inspiration for new research... I found it enjoyable and would recommended it to anyone interested in the subject."--Anders Hedenstrom, Times Higher Education "This scholarly and engaging book is the first in more than twenty years to summarize for the layman the latest research on the wonders of animal navigation... Comprehensive and fascinating, the book cites extensive research, including a significant amount conducted by the authors themselves. While illuminating, the book also raises many questions that it cannot yet answer. We have much to learn from these wondrous creatures but, as this book makes clear, much of their mystery remains."--Kristen Rabe, Foreword Reviews "Nature's Compass is as much about navigation as it is about animals' abilities to navigate. Biologist James Gould and science writer Carol Gould fully describe the information needed for navigation, accurately pointing out that this applies equally to a diversity of organisms ranging from butterflies to humans. Their description serves the work well since readers gain an appreciation of the challenges and mysteries surrounding animal navigation... Overall, this is a fascinating treatment of animal navigation. Readers will gain insight into how animals manage to navigate in three dimensions, including a profound appreciation of their ability to 'solve' complex problems."--Choice "While this is certainly a book for birders, beekeepers, and lovers of the natural world, it's also a book for sailors, pilots, and anyone who has ever had trouble finding their car in the parking lot."--Susan Meadows, Santa Fe New Mexican "I found this to be an enjoyable and informative read. I would recommend it to any biologist interested in animal navigation and I would make it part of any curious student's reading list."--Verner P. Bingman, Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xiii 1 Navigating Problems and Strategies 1 2 When and Where 19 3 A Matter of Time 35 4 Insect Compasses 69 5 Vertebrate Compasses 117 6 Piloting and Inertial Navigation 155 7 The Map Sense 185 8 Migration and the Future: Conservation and Extinction 227 Bibliography 245 Illustration Credits 281 Index 289
£22.50
Princeton University Press The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein Volume 12
Book SynopsisDocuments Albert Einstein's visible public persona in his correspondence, honors and prizes, lectures and travels, articles, and the many solicitations asking him to join public initiatives.Table of ContentsList of Texts xiii List of Illustrations xxv INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL Introduction to Volume 12 xxvii Editorial Method of the Series lxi Acknowledgments lxx Note on the Translation lxxiii Location Symbols lxxiv Descriptive Symbols lxxvi TEXTS 1 Alphabetical List of Texts 405 Calendar 419 Appendixes 489 Literature Cited 549 Index 569 Index of Citations 604
£135.15
Princeton University Press High Energy Radiation from Black Holes Gamma
Book SynopsisAn exposition of black-hole astrophysics and general relativity that help you to understand how gamma rays, cosmic rays, and neutrinos are produced by black holes. It presents a mathematical description of fundamental astrophysical radiation processes, including Compton scattering of electrons and photons.Trade Review"Filling an important gap in a topical and fast-evolving area, this interesting book will be a valuable addition to the astrophysics literature. The scientific content is of a high quality, and includes a notable level of rigor in the derivations."—Peter Mészáros, Pennsylvania State University"There is definite need for a book on this topic. Dermer and Menon have gathered together a wide range of useful results and the book's rigorous and comprehensive coverage of high-energy processes will be valuable to the advanced researcher in the field. Astronomers working on black-hole processes, jets, AGN, and gamma-ray bursts will want to have this for reference."—Andrew Fabian, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsPreface xix Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Chapter 2. Relativistic Kinematics 14 Chapter 3. Introduction to Curved Spacetime 25 Chapter 4. Physical Cosmology 36 Chapter 5. Radiation Physics of Relativistic Flows 50 Chapter 6. Compton Scattering 70 Chapter 7. Synchrotron Radiation 117 Chapter 8. Binary Particle Collision Processes 160 Chapter 9. Photohadronic Processes 187 Chapter 10. delta Pair Production 227 Chapter 11. Blast-Wave Physics 258 Chapter 12. Introduction to Fermi Acceleration 314 Chapter 13. First-Order Fermi Acceleration 327 Chapter 14. Second-Order Fermi Acceleration 351 Chapter 15. The Geometry of Spacetime 379 Chapter 16. Black-Hole Electrodynamics 417 Chapter 17. High-Energy Radiations from Black Holes 452 Appendix A: Essential Tensor Calculus 473 Appendix B: Mathematical Functions 488 Appendix C: Solutions of the Continuity Equation 492 Appendix D: Basics of Monte Carlo Calculations 497 Appendix E: Supplementary Information 499 Appendix F: Glossary and Acronym List 505 Bibliography 509 Index 531
£85.00
Princeton University Press The First Galaxies in the Universe
Book SynopsisSuitable for students and researchers on early galaxies, this title offers an introduction to frontiers in astrophysics: the quest to understand how the oldest and most distant galaxies in our universe first formed. It bridges the gap between theory and observation.Trade Review"Loeb and Furlanetto, highly respected experts in the field, have written an up-to-date book that explores the early stages of the universe from the big bang through the formation of the first stars and galaxies."--Choice "[R]eaders who are genuinely into the subject will take pleasure in reading this book, even if they already know some of the analyses presented in the more basic chapters."--B. Ishak, Contemporary Physics "Everybody who is interested in the topics such as formation and evolution of the first Galaxies, black Holes, Sun and Earth in the Universe will benefit from this book."--Gasanbek T. Arazov, Zentralblatt MATH "[G]raduate students or senior undergraduates will find The First Galaxies in the Universe a thorough introduction to the topic. Interested professionals will find it a helpful entry point to the specialist literature on one of the most exciting frontiers in astrophysics."--Jason Tumlinson, Physics TodayTable of ContentsPreface xi PART I. FUNDAMENTALS OF STRUCTURE FORMATION 1 Chapter 1 Introduction and Cosmological Background 3 *1.1 Preliminary Remarks 3 *1.2 Standard Cosmological Model 5 *1.3 Milestones in Cosmic Evolution 15 *1.4 Most Matter Is Dark 20 Chapter 2 Linear Growth of Cosmological Perturbations 25 *2.1 Growth of Linear Perturbations 25 *2.2 The Thermal History during the Dark Ages 35 Chapter 3 Nonlinear Structure and Halo Formation 41 *3.1 Spherical Collapse 41 *3.2 Cosmological Jeans Mass 45 *3.3 Halo Properties 51 *3.4 Abundance of Dark Matter Halos 56 *3.5 Halo Clustering in Linear Theory 65 *3.6 The Nonlinear Power Spectra of Dark Matter and Galaxies 68 *3.7 Numerical Simulations of Structure Formation 78 Chapter 4 The Intergalactic Medium 92 *4.1 The Cosmic Web 92 *4.2 Lyman-alpha Absorption in the Intergalactic Medium 95 *4.3 Theoretical Models of the Lyman-alpha Forest 100 *4.4 The Metagalactic Ionizing Background 114 *4.5 The Helium-Ionizing Background 120 *4.6 Metal-Line Systems 121 *4.7 The Lyman-alpha Forest at z > 5 125 PART II. THE FIRST STRUCTURES 131 Chapter 5 The First Stars 133 *5.1 From Virialized Halos to Protostars 136 *5.2 From Protostars to Stars 144 *5.3 The Second Generation of Stars: "Population III.2" 157 *5.4 Properties of the First Stars 163 *5.5 The End States of Population III Stars 168 *5.6 Gamma-Ray Bursts: The Brightest Explosions 170 Chapter 6 Stellar Feedback and Galaxy Formation 174 *6.1 The Ultraviolet Background and H2 Photodissociation 174 *6.2 The X-ray Background: Positive Feedback 184 *6.3 Radiative Feedback: Mechanical Effects 186 * 6.4 Galactic Superwinds and Mechanical Feedback 192 *6.5 Metal Enrichment and the Transition to Population II Star Formation 201 *6.6 The First Galaxies 211 Chapter 7 Supermassive Black Holes 217 *7.1 Quasars and Black Holes: An Overview 217 *7.2 Basic Principles of Astrophysical Black Holes 222 *7.3 Accretion of Gas onto Black Holes 225 *7.4 The First Black Holes and Quasars 232 *7.5 Black Holes and Galaxies 237 * 7.6 Black Hole Binaries 244 *7.7 Gravitational Waves from Black Hole Mergers 247 Chapter 8 Physics of Galaxy Evolution 251 *8.1 High-Redshift Galaxies 251 *8.2 Gas Accretion 253 *8.3 Halo Mergers 255 *8.4 Disk Formation 256 *8.5 Star Formation in Galaxies 258 *8.6 Black Hole Growth in Galaxies 263 *8.7 Feedback and Galaxy Evolution 264 *8.8 From Galaxy Model to Stellar Spectra 266 *8.9 Signatures of the Interstellar Medium 269 *8.10 Gravitational Lensing 275 Chapter 9 The Reionization of Intergalactic Hydrogen 283 *9.1 Propagation of Ionization Fronts 283 *9.2 Global Ionization History 288 *9.3 The Phases of Hydrogen Reionization 291 * 9.4 The Morphology of Reionization 293 *9.5 Recombinations inside Ionized Regions 302 *9.6 Simulations of Reionization 308 *9.7 Statistical Properties of the Ionization Field 315 *9.8 Reionization by Quasars and Other Exotic Sources 319 *9.9 Feedback from Reionization: Photoheating 326 PART III. OBSERVATIONS OF THE COSMIC DAWN 335 Chapter 10 Surveys of High-Redshift Galaxies 337 *10.1 Telescopes for Observing High-Redshift Galaxies 337 *10.2 Methods for Identifying High-Redshift Galaxies 340 *10.3 Luminosity and Mass Functions 350 *10.4 The Statistics of Galaxy Surveys 357 Chapter 11 The Lyman-alpha Line as a Probe of the Early Universe 367 *11.1 Lyman-alpha Emission from Galaxies 367 *11.2 The Gunn-Peterson Trough 375 *11.3 IGM Scattering in the Blue Wing of the Lyman-alpha Line 376 *11.4 The Red Damping Wing 382 *11.5 The Lyman-alpha Forest as a Probe of the Reionization Topology 388 *11.6 Lyman-alpha halos around Distant Sources 390 *11.7 Lyman-alpha Emitters during the Reionization Era 396 Chapter 12 The 21-cm Line 408 *12.1 Radiative Transfer of the 21-cm Line 410 *12.2 The Spin Temperature 412 *12.3 The Brightness Temperature of the Spin-Flip Background 420 *12.4 The Monopole of the Brightness Temperature 428 *12.5 Statistical Fluctuations in the Spin-Flip Background 432 *12.6 Spin-Flip Fluctuations during the Cosmic Dawn 439 *12.7 Mapping the Spin-Flip Background 446 Chapter 13 Other Probes of the First Galaxies 459 *13.1 Secondary Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies from the Cosmic Dawn 459 *13.2 Diffuse Backgrounds from the Cosmic Dawn 470 *13.3 The Cross-Correlation of Different Probes 484 *13.4 The Fossil Record of the Local Group 488 Appendix A Useful Numbers 495 Appendix B Cosmological Parameters 497 Notes 499 Further Reading 509 Index 513
£78.20
Princeton University Press Mathematical Modeling of Earths Dynamical Systems
Book SynopsisGives earth scientists the essential skills for translating chemical and physical systems into mathematical and computational models that provide enhanced insight into Earth's processes. This book identifies the important geological variables of physical-chemical geoscience problems and describes the mechanisms that control these variables.Trade Review"The authors do a good job of deriving the mathematical models from physical considerations, and then showing how the equations can be solved by finite difference methods."--Choice "Where was this book when I was in university? ... I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to students and researchers with an interest in this field."--Ray Wood, Leading EdgeTable of ContentsPreface xi Chapter 1: Modeling and Mathematical Concepts 1 Pros and Cons of Dynamical Models 2 An Important Modeling Assumption 4 Some Examples 4 Example I: Simulation of Chicxulub Impact and Its Consequences 5 Example II: Storm Surge of Hurricane Ivan in Escambia Bay 7 Steps in Model Building 8 Basic Definitions and Concepts 11 Nondimensionalization 13 A Brief Mathematical Review 14 Summary 22 Chapter 2: Basics of Numerical Solutions by Finite Difference 23 First Some Matrix Algebra 23 Solution of Linear Systems of Algebraic Equations 25 General Finite Difference Approach 26 Discretization 27 Obtaining Difference Operators by Taylor Series 28 Explicit Schemes 29 Implicit Schemes 30 How Good Is My Finite Difference Scheme? 33 Stability Is Not Accuracy 35 Summary 37 Modeling Exercises 38 Chapter 3: Box Modeling: Unsteady, Uniform Conservation of Mass 39 Translations 40 Example I: Radiocarbon Content of the Biosphere as a One-Box Model 40 Example II: The Carbon Cycle as a Multibox Model 48 Example III: One-Dimensional Energy Balance Climate Model 53 Finite Difference Solutions of Box Models 57 The Forward Euler Method 57 Predictor-Corrector Methods 59 Stiff Systems 60 Example IV: Rothman Ocean 61 Backward Euler Method 65 Model Enhancements 69 Summary 71 Modeling Exercises 71 Chapter 4: One-Dimensional Diffusion Problems 74 Translations 75 Example I: Dissolved Species in a Homogeneous Aquifer 75 Example II: Evolution of a Sandy Coastline 80 Example III: Diffusion of Momentum 83 Finite Difference Solutions to 1-D Diffusion Problems 86 Summary 86 Modeling Exercises 87 Chapter 5: Multidimensional Diffusion Problems 89 Translations 90 Example I: Landscape Evolution as a 2-D Diffusion Problem 90 Example II: Pollutant Transport in a Confined Aquifer 96 Example III: Thermal Considerations in Radioactive Waste Disposal 99 Finite Difference Solutions to Parabolic PDEs and Elliptic Boundary Value Problems 101 An Explicit Scheme 102 Implicit Schemes 103 Case of Variable Coefficients 107 Summary 108 Modeling Exercises 109 Chapter 6: Advection-Dominated Problems 111 Translations 112 Example I: A Dissolved Species in a River 112 Example II: Lahars Flowing along Simple Channels 116 Finite Difference Solution Schemes to the Linear Advection Equation 122 Summary 126 Modeling Exercises 128 Chapter 7: Advection and Diffusion (Transport) Problems 130 Translations 131 Example I: A Generic 1-D Case 131 Example II: Transport of Suspended Sediment in a Stream 134 Example III: Sedimentary Diagenes Influence of Burrows 138 Finite Difference Solutions to the Transport Equation 143 QUICK Scheme 144 QUICKEST Scheme 146 Summary 147 Modeling Exercises 147 Chapter 8: Transport Problems with a Twist: The Transport of Momentum 151 Translations 152 Example I: One-Dimensional Transport of Momentum in a Newtonian Fluid (Burgers' Equation) 152 An Analytic Solution to Burgers' Equation 157 Finite Difference Scheme for Burgers' Equation 158 Solution Scheme Accuracy 160 Diffusive Momentum Transport in Turbulent Flows 163 Adding Sources and Sinks of Momentum: The General Law of Motion 165 Summary 166 Modeling Exercises 167 Chapter 9: Systems of One-Dimensional Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations 169 Translations 169 Example I: Gradually Varied Flow in an Open Channel 169 Finite Difference Solution Schemes for Equation Sets 175 Explicit FTCS Scheme on a Staggered Mesh 175 Four-Point Implicit Scheme 177 The Dam-Break Problem: An Example 180 Summary 183 Modeling Exercises 185 Chapter 10: Two-Dimensional Nonlinear Hyperbolic Systems 187 Translations 188 Example I: The Circulation of Lakes, Estuaries, and the Coastal Ocean 188 An Explicit Solution Scheme for 2-D Vertically Integrated Geophysical Flows 197 Lake Ontario Wind-Driven Circulation: An Example 202 Summary 203 Modeling Exercises 206 Closing Remarks 209 References 211 Index 217
£49.50
Princeton University Press Ecology of Climate Change The Importance of
Book SynopsisRising temperatures are affecting organisms in all of Earth's biomes, but the complexity of ecological responses to climate change has hampered the development of a conceptually unified treatment of them. In a remarkably comprehensive synthesis, this book presents past, ongoing, and future ecological responses to climate change in the context of twTrade Review"In this book ... Post steps outside this traditional approach to offer a detailed exploration of the role that biotic interactions might play in ecosystem responses to climate change. The book is a highly detailed, well-illustrated, and thoroughly explained argument that these biotic interactions are not just factors that must be taken into consideration, but rather might be in fact determining how individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems respond to climate change."--Choice "A truly extraordinary amount of information is contained in this book, ranging from historic climate change to future predictions, and from species through ecosystems. Post certainly achieves his stated goal of showcasing the role of biotic interactions in determining how ecological systems respond to climate change. I plan to assign course readings from this book in my future teaching career, and I foresee myself pulling it off the shelf frequently as a reference."--Amy M. Iler, Ecology "Eric Post's recent book, Ecology of Climate Change: The Importance of Biotic Interactions, has an important role to play. It can increase understanding among budding and established biologists by serving as a reference and tutorial... No volume can provide the definitive answer on a topic as broad and complex--or as important--as climate change ecology, but Post's contribution is a useful start."--BioScience "Researchers in the fields of ecology and conservation will greatly benefit from having this book."--Richard Kotter, International Journal of Environmental Studies "Post challenges the reader to think deeply about how climate change is intrinsic to ecosystem complexity. Post elegantly draws upon important theories in ecology (e.g., life history, niche, biodiversity) and rolls out the red carpet for clearly understanding the ecological impacts of climate change, while providing a theoretical structure for the direction of future research... Ecology of Climate Change is comprehensive and thorough, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to push the limits of our understanding of how ecosystems are responding to climate change."--Jerod A. Merkle, Journal of Wildlife ManagementTable of ContentsPreface: Purpose, Perspective, and Scope xiii The Tension and Facilitation Hypotheses of Biotic Response to Climate Change xiv Acknowledgments xxi 1. A Brief Overview of Recent Climate Change and Its Ecological Context 1 * Climate Change versus Global Warming 3 * Temperature Changes 3 * Precipitation Changes 9 * Changes in Snow and Ice Cover 11 * El Nino-Southern Oscillation 13 * Paleoclimatic Variation 15 * Studying the Ecological Effects of Climate Change 16 * The Study Site at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland 21 2. Pleistocene Warming and Extinctions 24 * The Pleistocene Environment As Indicated by Its Fauna 24 * Biogeography and Magnitude of Pleistocene Extinctions and Climate Change 29 * Case Studies of Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinctions 35 * Pleistocene Microfaunal Extinctions and Species Redistributions 44 * Spatial, Temporal, and Taxonomic Heterogeneity in * Pleistocene Redistributions: Lessons to Be Learned 46 * Reconsidering the Megafaunal Extinctions: The Zimov Model 50 * Relevance to Contemporary Climate Change 52 3. Life History Variation and Phenology 54 * Geographic and Taxonomic Variation in Phenological Response to Climate Change 54 * Pattern and Scale in Phenological Dynamics 59 * Phenology and the Aggregate Life History Response to Climate Change 64 * Temporal Dependence and a Model of Phenological Dynamics 67 * The Iwasa-Levin Model and Its Relevance to Climate Change 75 * Modeling the Contribution of Phenology to Population Dynamics 86 * Trends and Statistical Considerations 88 * Empirical Examples Linking Climate, Phenology, and Abundance 91 * More Complex and Subtle Forms of Phenological Variation 92 4. Population Dynamics and Stability 96 * Establishing the Framework for Addressing Population Response to Climate Change 97 * Classic Treatments of Population Stability Viewed Afresh through the Lens of Climate Change 102 * Incorporation of Climate into Time Series Models 106 * Simultaneous Thresholds in Population-Intrinsic and Population-Extrinsic Factors 111 * Population Synchrony and Extinction Risk 119 * Erosion of Population Cycles 124 * Global Population Dynamics, Population Diversity, and the Portfolio Effect 128 5. The Niche Concept 132 * Grinnellian Niches and Climate Change 134 * Niche Vacancy 138 * Niche Evolution 139 * Phenotypic Plasticity and Evolutionary Response to Climate Change 144 * Niche Conservatism 146 * Modes of Niche Response to Climate Change 149 * Bioclimatic Envelope Modeling and Environmental Niche Models 155 6. Community Dynamics and Stability 163 * Communities Defined through Lateral and Vertical Structuring 164 * Regional versus Local Diversity and the Community Concept 165 * Exploitation and Interference Interactions 167 * Gleasonian and Clementsian Communities 169 * Non-analogues: The Community Is Dead-Long Live the Community 171 * The Role of Climate in Mediating Species Interactions versus the Role of Species Interactions in Mediating Community Response to Climate Change 176 * Phenology and the Ephemeral Nature of Communities 181 * The Green World Hypothesis, and Phenology As an Index of Resource Availability 186 * Asynchrony and Trophic Mismatch 187 * The Cafeteria Analogy of Trophic Mismatch in Time and Space 198 * Gleasonian Dynamics and Stability in Laterally Structured Communities 200 * Dynamics and Stability in Vertically Structured Communities 203 * Development of the Process-Oriented Model for Vertical Communities 205 * Derivation of the Predator-Level Statistical Model 207 * Derivation of the Herbivore-Level Statistical Model 208 * Derivation of the Vegetation-Level Statistical Model 210 * The Community Matrix and Its Stability Properties 211 * Trophic Interactions, Dynamic Complexity, and Stability in Vertical Communities 213 7. Biodiversity, Distributions, and Extinction 217 * Distributional Shifts in Species' Ranges 222 * Scale and Pattern in Distribution and Abundance 224 * Biodiversity Changes through Elevational Colonization and Extinction 226 * Amphibian Extinction and the Climate-Pathogen Hypothesis 230 * Biodiversity and Stability 233 * Tropical Deforestation and Climate Change 245 * Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Human Exploitation 248 8. Ecosystem Function and Dynamics 249 * Stability, Diversity, and Ecosystem Resilience 254 * Nutrient, Temperature, and CO2 Manipulations 257 * Carbon Dynamics and Projected Responses to Global Climate Change 265 * Tropical Deforestation, Carbon Turnover, and Model Projections of Changes in Carbon Dynamics 276 * Role of Animals in Ecosystems of Relevance to Climate Change 286 * Herbivores, Warming, and Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics 289 9. Brief Remarks on Some Especially Important Considerations 297 * Trends and Variability Revisited 297 * Community Response to Climate Change: Further Considerations 299 * The Scale-Invariant Nature of Non-analogues 300 * Lack of Detection Does Not Always Mean Lack of Response 300 * A Greater Emphasis on Phenology 301 * Direct versus Indirect Ecological Responses and the Thief in the Night 302 References 303 Index 359
£55.80
Princeton University Press The Princeton Guide to Evolution
Book SynopsisContains some articles on the important topics in seven major areas: phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society.Trade Review"Biology students will find this material helpful, and those with a desire to learn more about the history of life, genes, evolutionary processes, and the like might also find this a worthwhile title to peruse. A comprehensive guide to all aspects of evolution. Great for students and teachers of the subject."--Library Journal "This comprehensive reference covers an enormous breadth of information on the major subjects and key concepts in evolutionary biology... The list of international contributors consists of leading evolutionary biologists from a variety of academic institutions."--Booklist "The writers have worked hard (and succeeded) to make the text as easily readable to the non-specialist reader ... losing the textbook rigor that will be required by the specialist, who wants an up to date and comprehensive reference. I would thoroughly recommend this book both for those who are struggling with epigenetics and for experts who need all the arguments for the facts about evolution easily to hand."--Brian Livingstone, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society "This massive compendium of 107 chapters covers just about everything there is to know about evolution... Overall, an excellent starting point for deeper investigation."--Choice "Princeton University Press, together with the editors and contributors to The Princeton Guide to Evolution, deserve massive congratulations for having produced an exhaustive and fascinating guide to one of the most important of all scientific truths."--Charles H. Middleburgh, Charles Middleburgh Blog "All in all, a good and useful book."--John Goodier, Reference Reviews "I will make extensive use ofThe Princeton Guide to Evolution, and I recommend it to everyone who has questions (and answers) about evolution--what it is, and how it works. Congratulations to the editors and the contributors for a work that will serve a very broad readership well."--Marvalee H. Wake, Reports of the National Center for Science Education "A fascinating tour de force through the multifaceted ideas and facts of one of the most important scientific fields."--Christoph Oberprieler, Journal of Plant PhysiologyTable of Contents837
£98.10
Princeton University Press The Princeton Guide to Ecology
Book SynopsisOriginal publication and copyright date: 2009.Trade Review"Every ecology graduate student studying for their comprehensive examination needs this book. For that matter, every practicing ecologist interested in keeping up with aspects of the field, particularly outside of their own subdiscipline, would be well served to have this book on hand."--Jonathan M. Chase, Quarterly Review of Biology "[A] content-rich volume presenting the diversity of ecology, from basic to applied."--Library Journal "The Princeton Guide to Ecology is a comprehensive assemblage of contemporary ecological research studies and issues related to the different disciplines of the ecological sciences... Technical information throughout the book is presented in a simple-to-understand manner; a comprehensive glossary facilitates further understanding of terminology/concepts. This volume will be useful to students as well as professionals in areas related to environmental health and public policy."--Choice "Edited by eminent ecologist Simon Levin, with contributions from leading ecologists, the book explains key topics in more than ninety concise and authoritative articles."--Blackwells Recommends "Because ecology and conservation are such hot topics as of late, this title could be useful to a number of people. The obvious choice is that of university libraries; however, researchers in the field, scientists in related fields, as well as policy makers and journalists could use this title in their work."--Shannon Graff Hysell, American Reference Books Annual "I think that the most valuable contribution that this book makes is to integrate ideas across ecology, to showcase the diversity of ecology and to give that ecology currency."--John Morgan, Austral EcologyTable of ContentsPreface vii Contributors ix Part I: Autecology 1 I.1 Ecological Niche 3 I.2 Physiological Ecology: Animals 14 I.3 Physiological Ecology: Plants 20 I.4 Functional Morphology: Muscles, Elastic Mechanisms, and Animal Performance 27 I.5 Habitat Selection 38 I.6 Dispersal 45 I.7 Foraging Behavior 51 I.8 Social Behavior 59 I.9 Phenotypic Plasticity 65 I.10 Life History 72 I.11 Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems 79 I.12 Geographic Range 87 I.13 Adaptation 93 I.14 Phenotypic Selection 101 I.15 Population Genetics and Ecology 109 I.16 Phylogenetics and Comparative Methods 117 I.17 Microevolution 126 I.18 Ecological Speciation: Natural Selection and the Formation of New Species 134 I.19 Adaptive Radiation 143 Part II: Population Ecology 153 II.1 Age-Structured and Stage-Structured Population Dynamics 155 II.2 Density Dependence and Single- Species Population Dynamics 166 II.3 Biological Chaos and Complex Dynamics 172 II.4 Metapopulations and Spatial Population Processes 177 II.5 Competition and Coexistence in Plant Communities 186 II.6 Competition and Coexistence in Animal Communities 196 II.7 Predator-Prey Interactions 202 II.8 Host-Parasitoid Interactions 213 II.9 Ecological Epidemiology 220 II.10 Interactions between Plants and Herbivores 227 II.11 Mutualism and Symbiosis 233 II.12 Ecology of Microbial Populations 239 II.13 Coevolution 247 Part III: Communities and Ecosystems 253 III.1 Biodiversity: Concepts, Patterns, and Measurement 257 III.2 Competition, Neutrality, and Community Organization 264 III.3 Predation and Community Organization 274 III.4 Facilitation and the Organization of Plant Communities 282 III.5 Indirect Effects in Communities and Ecosystems: The Role of Trophic and Nontrophic Interactions 289 III.6 Top-Down and Bottom-Up Regulation of Communities 296 III.7 The Structure and Stability of Food Webs 305 III.8 Spatial and Metacommunity Dynamics in Biodiversity 312 III.9 Ecosystem Productivity and Carbon Flows: Patterns across Ecosystems 320 III.10 Nutrient Cycling and Biogeochemistry 330 III.11 Terrestrial Carbon and Biogeochemical Cycles 340 III.12 Freshwater Carbon and Biogeochemical Cycles 347 III.13 The Marine Carbon Cycle 358 III.14 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning 367 III.15 Ecological Stoichiometry 376 III.16 Macroecological Perspectives on Communities and Ecosystems 386 III.17 Alternative Stable States and Regime Shifts in Ecosystems 395 III.18 Responses of Communities and Ecosystems to Global Changes 407 III.19 Evolution of Communities and Ecosystems 414 Part IV: Landscapes and the Biosphere 423 IV.1 Landscape Dynamics 425 IV.2 Landscape Pattern and Biodiversity 431 IV.3 Ecological Dynamics in Fragmented Landscapes 438 IV.4 Biodiversity Patterns in Managed and Natural Landscapes 445 IV.5 Boundary Dynamics in Landscapes 458 IV.6 Spatial Patterns of Species Diversity in Terrestrial Environments 464 IV.7 Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions in Landscapes 474 IV.8 Seascape Patterns and Dynamics of Coral Reefs 482 IV.9 Seascape Microbial Ecology: Habitat Structure, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Function 488 IV.10 Spatial Dynamics of Marine Fisheries 501 Part V: Conservation Biology 511 V.1 Causes and Consequences of Species Extinctions 514 V.2 Population Viability Analysis 521 V.3 Principles of Reserve Design 529 V.4 Building and Implementing Systems of Conservation Areas 538 V.5 Marine Conservation 548 V.6 Conservation and Global Climate Change 557 V.7 Restoration Ecology 566 Part VI: Ecosystem Services 573 VI.1 Ecosystem Services: Issues of Scale and Trade-Offs 579 VI.2 Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Ecosystem Services 584 VI.3 Beyond Biodiversity: Other Aspects of Ecological Organization 591 VI.4 Human-Dominated Systems: Agroecosystems 597 VI.5 Forests 606 VI.6 Grasslands 614 VI.7 Marine Ecosystem Services 619 VI.8 Provisioning Services: A Focus on Fresh Water 625 VI.9 Regulating Services: A Focus on Disease Regulation 634 VI.10 Support Services: A Focus on Genetic Diversity 642 VI.11 The Economics of Ecosystem Services 652 VI.12 Technological Substitution and Augmentation of Ecosystem Services 659 VI.13 Conservation of Ecosystem Services 670 Part VII: Managing the Biosphere 679 VII.1 Biological Control: Theory and Practice 683 VII.2 Fisheries Management 689 VII.3 Wildlife Management 695 VII.4 Managing the Global Water System 701 VII.5 Managing Nutrient Mobilization and Eutrophication 712 VII.6 Managing Infectious Diseases 718 VII.7 Agriculture, Land Use, and the Transformation of Planet Earth 724 VII.8 The Ecology, Economics, and Management of Alien Invasive Species 731 VII.9 Ecological Economics: Principles of Economic Policy Design for Ecosystem Management 740 VII.10 Governance and Institutions 748 VII.11 Assessments: Linking Ecology to Policy 754 Milestones in Ecology 761 Glossary 775 Index 793
£52.20
Princeton University Press How Do You Find an Exoplanet
Book SynopsisAn authoritative primer on the four key techniques that today's planet hunters use to detect the feeble signals of planets orbiting distant stars.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016 "Johnson's enthusiasm for his vibrant field is palpable in this valuable, concise guide for amateur astronomers and anyone else not afraid of a few technicalities."--Lewis Dartnell, New Scientist "Johnson ... takes us on an enjoyable journey to the world of exoplanet hunters... An excellent book for anyone interested but also for astronomy students if their curriculum includes one?semester course in exoplanets."--Read about Science "This little red book is a thorough yet very understandable introduction to one of the hottest topics in astronomy--planets outside the solar system. Johnson, one of the leading scientists in the field, has created a great primer for undergraduate students wishing to gain enough knowledge to undertake a project or perhaps win an internship in the field."--ChoiceTable of ContentsPREFACE ix 1. Introduction 1 1.1 My Brief History 1 1.2 The Human Activity of Watching the Sky 3 1.3 Asking Why the Planets Move as They Do 8 1.4 Exoplanets and Completing the Copernican Revolution 16 2. Stellar Wobbles 23 2.1 At the Telescope 23 2.2 For Every Action 28 2.3 Eccentric Orbits 39 2.4 Measuring Precise Radial Velocities 45 2.5 Stellar Jitter 49 2.6 Design Considerations for a Doppler Survey 52 2.7 Concluding Remarks 57 3. Seeing the Shadows of Planets 59 3.1 Measuring and Reading Transit Signals 62 3.2 The Importance of a/R 71 3.3 Transit Timing Variations 74 3.4 Measuring the Brightness of a Star 77 3.5 Radial Velocities First, Transits Second 81 3.6 Transit First, Radial Velocities Second 83 3.7 From Close In to Further Out 89 4. Planets Bending Space-Time 90 4.1 The Geometry of Microlensing 94 4.2 The Microlensing Light Curve 103 4.3 The Microlensing Signal of a Planet 106 4.4 Microlensing Surveys 109 5. Directly Imaging Planets 114 5.1 The Problem of Angular Resolution 115 5.2 The Problem of Contrast 122 5.3 The Problem of Chance Alignment 129 5.4 Measuring the Properties of an Imaged Planet 130 6. The Future of Planet Hunting 132 6.1 Placing the Solar System in Context 133 6.2 Learning How Planets Form 138 6.3 Finding Life Outside the Solar System 141 6.4 Giant Planets as the Tip of the Iceberg 144 6.5 The Future of the Doppler Method: Moving to Dedicated Instrumentation 148 6.6 The Future of Transit Surveys 153 6.7 The Future of Microlensing 155 6.8 The Future of Direct Imaging 158 6.9 Concluding Remarks 160 BIBLIOGRAPHY 163 GLOSSARY 171 INDEX 177
£31.50
Princeton University Press Extended Heredity A New Understanding of
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The most compelling and accessible account of this topic to date."---Kevin Laland, Science"Extended Heredity [shows] how far the mainstream has shifted to include epigenetic forces alongside genes as drivers of who and what we are."---Liz Else and Simon Ings, New Scientist"Bonduriansky & Day have written a book of great clarity, and have done so with great care. Whether you are open to the idea of non-genetic inheritance or not, this thought provoking book deserves a close reading." * Inquisitive Biologist *"Extended Heredity (EH) has posed a challenge for twentieth and early twenty-first century ‘normal’ evolutionary biology, but the accumulation of models and experi-mental evidence for it obliges us to acknowledge its importance. This book . . . aims at making space for EH by systematizing its potential for explanation and prediction . . . this volume offers a particularly valuable state of the art of the literature on this important topic"---Gaëlle Pontarotti; Arantza Etxeberria, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
£31.50
Princeton University Press The Phytochemical Landscape
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Phytochemical Landscape] is written well, carefully documented, and adequately illustrated."--ChoiceTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix 1. Introduction 1 1.1 A Matter of Perspective 3 1.2 The Nature of Feedback 4 1.3 Which Autotrophs and Which Traits? 6 1.4 Trait Variation and Trait Diversity 7 1.5 Which Trophic Interactions? 9 1.6 Which Ecosystem Processes? 10 1.7 Webs of Green and Brown 11 2. The Phytochemical Landscape 13 2.1 Defining the Phytochemical Landscape 13 2.2 Variation on the Phytochemical Landscape 17 3. The Variable Chemistry of Primary Production 24 3.1 The Challenging Chemistry of Autotrophs 24 3.2 Origins of Variation in Autotroph Chemistry on the Phytochemical Landscape 25 3.3 Microbial Symbionts and Variation in Autotroph Chemistry: Whose Phenotype Is It Anyway? 30 3.4 Summary and Conclusions 38 4. Effects of Primary Producer Chemistry on Trophic Interactions 39 4.1 Herbivores and Herbivory: The Interactive Effects of Autotroph Chemistry and Natural Enemies 39 4.2 Effects of the Phytochemical Landscape on Natural Enemies 91 5. Effects of Trophic Interactions on the Chemistry of Primary Producers 109 5.1 Background 109 5.2 Effects of Herbivores and Predators on Autotroph Community Structure 111 5.3 Consumer Effects on Succession-Temporal Change on the Phytochemical Landscape 121 5.4 Phytochemical Induction-A Multiplier of Variation in Autotroph Chemistry on the Phytochemical Landscape 124 6. Effects of Autotroph Chemistry on Nutrient Dynamics 138 6.1 The Elements of Life 138 6.2 Recalcitrant Organic Chemistry 142 6.3 Nutrients, Stoichiometry, and the Decomposition of Autotroph Residues 148 6.4 Effects of Autotroph Identity and Diversity on Nutrient Dynamics 153 6.5 Effects of Phytoplankton Residue Chemistry on Nutrient Dynamics in Aquatic Ecosystems 160 6.6 Effects of Phytoplankton Stoichiometry on Nutrient Dynamics in Aquatic Ecosystems 168 7. Effects of Nutrient Availability on the Chemistry of Primary Producers 173 7.1 Introduction 173 7.2 Effects of Nutrient Dynamics on the Chemical Phenotype of Individual Autotrophs 175 7.3 Effects of Nutrient Availability on Primary Producer Diversity 185 7.4 Evolutionary Effects of Nutrient Availability on Autotroph Chemistry 192 7.5 Conclusions 195 8. Linking Trophic Interactions with Ecosystem Nutrient Dynamics on the Phytochemical Landscape 198 8.1 Putting It All Together: Linking Cycles and Generating Feedback 198 8.2 From Trophic Interactions to Ecosystem Processes 199 8.3 Effects of Herbivory on Nutrient Dynamics 200 8.4 Effects of Predators on Nutrient Dynamics 227 8.5 Effects of Nutrient Dynamics on Trophic Interactions 236 8.6 Final Thoughts on Feedback Loops 247 9. Synthesis and Prospects for Future Work 252 9.1 Introduction 252 9.2 Priority 1: Let's Make Some Maps 253 9.3 Priority 2: Assess the Frequency and Strength of Spatial Correlation 254 9.4 Priority 3: Understanding Time Lags and the Temporal Scale of Spatial Correlation on the Phytochemical Landscape 255 9.5 Priority 4: Exploring Variation in the Strength of Feedback between Trophic Interactions and Nutrient Dynamics on the Phytochemical Landscape 262 9.6 Priority 5: Comparing the Role of the Phytochemical Landscape in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems 272 9.7 Concluding Remarks 274 References Cited 277 Index 347
£55.80
Princeton University Press Dynamics and Evolution of Galactic Nuclei
Book SynopsisDeep within galaxies like the Milky Way, astronomers have found a fascinating legacy of Einstein's general theory of relativity: supermassive black holes. Connected to the evolution of the galaxies that contain these black holes, galactic nuclei are the sites of uniquely energetic events, including quasars, stellar tidal disruptions, and the generaTrade Review"[T]his is a book that would be useful to anybody interested in the astrophysics of galaxies... I can recommend this book enthusiastically."--Anvar Shukurov, Geophysical & Astrophysical Fluid DynamicsTable of ContentsPreface ix Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 1 Chapter 2 OBSERVATIONS OF GALACTIC NUCLEI AND SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES 11 2.1 Structure of galaxies and galactic nuclei 11 2.2 Techniques for weighing black holes 18 2.3 Supermassive black holes in the Local Group 29 2.4 Phenomenology 33 2.5 Evidence for intermediate-mass black holes 45 2.6 Evidence for binary and multiple supermassive black holes 47 2.7 Gravitational waves 52 Chapter 3 COLLISIONLESS EQUILIBRIA 57 3.1 Orbits, integrals, and steady states 59 3.2 Spherical nuclei 72 3.3 The adiabatic growth model 90 3.4 Axisymmetric nuclei 93 3.5 Triaxial nuclei 100 Chapter 4 MOTION NEAR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES 117 4.1 Keplerian orbits 120 4.2 Perturbed orbits 125 4.3 The post-Newtonian approximation 131 4.4 Newtonian perturbations 135 4.5 Relativistic orbits 157 4.6 Capture 176 4.7 Relativistic motion in the presence of a distributed mass 183 4.8 Motion in the presence of a second massive body 192 4.9 Stellar motions at the center of the Milky Way 203 Chapter 5 THEORY OF GRAVITATIONAL ENCOUNTERS 213 5.1 Basic concepts and time of relaxation 213 5.2 Diffusion coefficients 216 5.3 Fokker-Planck equation 236 5.4 Gravitational Brownian motion 246 5.5 Orbit-averaged Fokker-Planck equation 251 5.6 Gravitational encounters near a supermassive black hole 264 5.7 Encounters with a spinning supermassive black hole 277 Chapter 6 LOSS-CONE DYNAMICS 289 6.1 Spherical symmetry 297 6.2 Nonspherical nuclei 326 6.3 Binary and hypervelocity stars 341 6.4 Relativistic loss cones and extreme-mass-ratio inspirals 350 Chapter 7 COLLISIONAL EVOLUTION OF NUCLEI 361 7.1 Evolution of the stellar distribution around a supermassive black hole 366 7.2 Cusp (re)generation 383 7.3 Black-hole-driven expansion 390 7.4 Massive perturbers 391 7.5 Evolution of nuclei lacking massive black holes 395 Chapter 8 BINARY AND MULTIPLE SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES 415 8.1 Interaction of a massive binary with field stars 417 8.2 Massive binary at the center of a galaxy: I. Early evolution 432 8.3 Massive binary at the center of a galaxy: II. Late evolution 446 8.4 Interaction of binary supermassive black holes with gas 462 8.5 Simulations of galaxy mergers 467 8.6 Dynamics of intermediate-mass black holes 468 8.7 Triple supermassive black holes and the final-parsec problem 483 Suggestions for Further Reading 489 References 493 Index 535
£72.00
Princeton University Press Modern Observational Physical Oceanography
Book SynopsisWith the advent of computers, novel instruments, satellite technology, and increasingly powerful modeling tools, we know more about the ocean than ever before. Yet we also have a new generation of oceanographers who have become increasingly distanced from the object of their study. Ever fewer scientists collect the observational data on which theyTrade ReviewHonorable Mention for the 2016 PROSE Award in Textbook/Physical Sciences & Mathematics, Association of American Publishers "[Wunsch's] latest book breaks new ground for an oceanographic text in successfully describing what observations have taught us about the ocean as a time-varying system... A major strength of the book is its clear discussion of what can safely be concluded from observations... In several places in Modern Observational Physical Oceanography, I read with real pleasure about some new insight or neatly described analysis, and I enjoyed diversions such as the discussion of paleotides and the increase by 1.7 microseconds per century in a day's length mostly due to tidal friction. This widely interesting book will be of value to anyone wishing to know more about how to observe the ocean, interpret the data, and gain insights on ocean behavior and on how oceanographers reach their understanding of it."--Stuart A. Cunningham, Physics Today "For physical scientists and engineers interested in oceanography, this book will be a resource for years to come."--S. R. Fegley, Choice "Whether the reader is a graduate student in physical oceanography, or a career scientist working in the field, they will find a wealth of material expertly and accessibly presented... An invaluable companion in teaching and research in ocean dynamics."--Andrew J. Willmott, Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics
£80.75
Princeton University Press Ecological Forecasting
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Shortlisted for the 2018 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards, The Wildlife Society""This book is unique in its scope, and it will be for many years, until ecologists embrace its message: to understand how nature works, we have to propose mechanistic models and test them. Their uncertainties reveal what we do not know, and where prediction error can be minimised by future work. . . . [This book] will give any reader a wider view of the data-model tandem, and dense information on how to step up to the next level of ecological forecasting."---Carsten F. Dormann, Basic and Applied Ecology"[Dietze] does a great job of clearly explaining complex statistical procedures . . . . ecological modelers will find this book invaluable, and students who want to deepen their understanding of these topics will find it worthwhile." * Conservation Biology *Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xi 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Why Forecast? 1 1.2 The Informatics Challenge in Forecasting 3 1.3 The Model-Data Loop 4 1.4 Why Bayes? 6 1.5 Models as Scaffolds 7 1.6 Case Studies and Decision Support 8 1.7 Key Concepts 10 1.8 Hands-on Activities 10 2. From Models to Forecasts 11 2.1 The Traditional Modeler's Toolbox 11 2.2 Example: The Logistic Growth Model 12 2.3 Adding Sources of Uncertainty 14 2.4 Thinking Probabilistically 23 2.5 Predictability 25 2.6 Key Concepts 33 2.7 Hands-on Activities 33 3. Data, Large and Small 34 3.1 The Data Cycle and Best Practices 34 3.2 Data Standards and Metadata 38 3.3 Handling Big Data 40 3.4 Key Concepts 43 3.5 Hands-on Activities 43 4. Scientific Workflows and the Informatics of Model-Data Fusion 44 4.1 Transparency, Accountability, and Repeatability 44 4.2 Workflows and Automation 45 4.3 Best Practices for Scientific Computing 48 4.4 Key Concepts 51 4.5 Hands-on Activities 52 5. Introduction to Bayes 53 5.1 Confronting Models with Data 53 5.2 Probability 101 54 5.3 The Likelihood 56 5.4 Bayes' Theorem 61 5.5 Prior Information 65 5.6 Numerical Methods for Bayes 68 5.7 Evaluating MCMC Output 71 5.8 Key Concepts 74 5.9 Hands-on Activities 75 6. Characterizing Uncertainty 76 6.1 Non-Gaussian Error 76 6.2 Heteroskedasticity 82 6.3 Observation Error 83 6.4 Missing Data and Inverse Modeling 87 6.5 Hierarchical Models and Process Error 90 6.6 Autocorrelation 94 6.7 Key Concepts 96 6.8 Hands-on Activities 97 7. Case Study: Biodiversity, Populations, and Endangered Species 98 7.1 Endangered Species 98 7.2 Biodiversity 104 7.3 Key Concepts 106 7.4 Hands-on Activities 107 8. Latent Variables and State-Space Models 108 8.1 Latent Variables 108 8.2 State Space 110 8.3 Hidden Markov Time-Series Model 111 8.4 Beyond Time 114 8.5 Key Concepts 116 8.6 Hands-on Activities 117 9. Fusing Data Sources 118 9.1 Meta-analysis 120 9.2 Combining Data: Practice, Pitfalls, and Opportunities 123 9.3 Combining Data and Models across Space and Time 127 9.4 Key Concepts 130 9.5 Hands-on Activities 130 10. Case Study: Natural Resources 131 10.1 Fisheries 131 10.2 Case Study: Baltic Salmon 133 10.3 Key Concepts 137 11. Propagating, Analyzing, and Reducing Uncertainty 138 11.1 Sensitivity Analysis 138 11.2 Uncertainty Propagation 145 11.3 Uncertainty Analysis 155 11.4 Tools for Model-Data Feedbacks 158 11.5 Key Concepts 162 11.6 Hands-on Activities 163 Appendix A Properties of Means and Variances 163 Appendix B Common Variance Approximations 164 12. Case Study: Carbon Cycle 165 12.1 Carbon Cycle Uncertainties 165 12.2 State of the Science 166 12.3 Case Study: Model-Data Feedbacks 171 12.4 Key Concepts 174 12.5 Hands-on Activities 174 13. Data Assimilation 1: Analytical Methods 175 13.1 The Forecast Cycle 175 13.2 Kalman Filter 178 13.3 Extended Kalman Filter 183 13.4 Key Concepts 185 13.5 Hands-on Activities 186 14. Data Assimilation 2: Monte Carlo Methods 187 14.1 Ensemble Filters 187 14.2 Particle Filter 190 14.3 Model Averaging and Reversible Jump MCMC 194 14.4 Generalizing the Forecast Cycle 195 14.5 Key Concepts 197 14.6 Hands-on Activities 198 15. Epidemiology 199 15.1 Theory 200 15.2 Ecological Forecasting 201 15.3 Examples of Epidemiological Forecasting 202 15.4 Case Study: Influenza 205 15.5 Key Concepts 207 16. Assessing Model Performance 208 16.1 Visualization 208 16.2 Basic Model Diagnostics 211 16.3 Model Benchmarks 215 16.4 Data Mining the Residuals 217 16.5 Comparing Model Performance to Simple Statistics 217 16.6 Key Concepts 219 16.7 Hands-on Activities 219 17. Projection and Decision Support 221 17.1 Projections, Predictions, and Forecasting 222 17.2 Decision Support 223 17.3 Key Concepts 235 17.4 Hands-on Activities 236 18. Final Thoughts 237 18.1 Lessons Learned 237 18.2 Future Directions 240 References 245 Index 261
£55.80
Princeton University Press The Semiclassical Way to Dynamics and
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This thought-provoking and unique presentation of the semiclassical approach to quantum physics is by a grandmaster of the subject. All the explanations are original and the illustrations are beautiful. The subject deserves to be better known to researchers in physics and chemistry."—Michael Berry, University of Bristol"This book captures a lifetime of research, achievement, and deep understanding of the semiclassical approach to quantum mechanics. I know of no volume that covers the same eclectic mix of topics, and Heller's insights are invaluable. A heroic undertaking, this book will be a tremendous boon to many research fields."—Kieron Burke, University of California, Irvine"Among the books on quantum mechanics, this one is unique due to the originality of its content, presentation, and interpretation of the results. Heller succeeds in demonstrating remarkable and surprising connections between classical and quantum mechanics, which allows him to explain seemingly complicated quantum-mechanical phenomena in very simple terms. Filling an important gap in the field, this book will be welcome by specialists and nonspecialists alike."—Jiri Vanicek, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
£80.75
Princeton University Press How to Solve It
Book SynopsisA perennial bestseller by eminent mathematician G. Polya, How to Solve It will show anyone in any field how to think straight. In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out--from building a bridge to winning aTrade Review"Every prospective teacher should read it. In particular, graduate students will find it invaluable. The traditional mathematics professor who reads a paper before one of the Mathematical Societies might also learn something from the book: 'He writes a, he says b, he means c; but it should be d.' "--E. T. Bell, Mathematical Monthly "[This] elementary textbook on heuristic reasoning, shows anew how keen its author is on questions of method and the formulation of methodological principles. Exposition and illustrative material are of a disarmingly elementary character, but very carefully thought out and selected."--Herman Weyl, Mathematical Review "I recommend it highly to any person who is seriously interested in finding out methods of solving problems, and who does not object to being entertained while he does it."--Scientific Monthly "Any young person seeking a career in the sciences would do well to ponder this important contribution to the teacher's art."--A. C. Schaeffer, American Journal of Psychology "Every mathematics student should experience and live this book"--Mathematics Magazine "In an age that all solutions should be provided with the least possible effort, this book brings a very important message: mathematics and problem solving in general needs a lot of practice and experience obtained by challenging creative thinking, and certainly not by copying predefined recipes provided by others. Let's hope this classic will remain a source of inspiration for several generations to come."--A. Bultheel, European Mathematical Society
£16.14
Princeton University Press In Praise of Simple Physics The Science and
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Nahin's writing style, as in previous books, is clear, conversational, humorous and chatty... [A]nd the discussions in the book are careful and appropriately rigorous."--MAA Reviews "Fun, accessible physics/math problems along with some humor."--Antonio Cangiano, Math-Blog "[Nahin] knows how to catch the attention of his reader. You will not regret buying any of his books, and I am sure after reading it, you will pick up this one to check again on one of his models and his solution methods."--European Mathematical Society "A superb book... [D]emonstrates clever ways to solve simply physics problems."--ChoiceTable of ContentsForeword by T. M. Helliwell ix Preface with Challenge Problems xi 1 How's Your Math? 1 2 The Traffic-Light Dilemma 20 3 Energy from Moving Air 25 4 Dragsters and Space Station Physics 32 5 Merry-Go-Round Physics and the Tides 42 6 Energy from Moving Water 51 7 Vectors and Bad Hair Days 63 8 An Illuminating Problem 67 9 How to Measure Depth with a Stopwatch 74 10 Doing the Preface Problems 79 11 The Physics of Stacking Books 92 12 Communication Satellite Physics 103 13 Walking a Ladder Upright 110 14 Why Is the Sky Dark at Night? 115 15 How Some Things Float (or Don't) 126 16 A Reciprocating Problem 141 17 How to Catch a Baseball (or Not) 146 18 Tossing Balls and Shooting Bullets Uphill 153 19 Rapid Travel in a Great Circle Transit Tube 163 20 Hurtling Your Body through Space 177 21 The Path of a Punt 194 22 Easy Ways to Measure Gravity in Your Garage 200 23 Epilogue Newton's Gravity Calculation Mistake 218 Postscript 227 Acknowledgments
£22.50
Princeton University Press Exoplanetary Atmospheres
Book SynopsisThe study of exoplanetary atmospheres--that is, of planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system--may be our best hope for discovering life elsewhere in the universe. This dynamic, interdisciplinary field requires practitioners to apply knowledge from atmospheric and climate science, astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry, geology and geophysics, pTrade Review"Winner of the 2018 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award, American Astronomical Society""An essential introduction to the theoretical foundations of this cutting-edge new science. . . . Authoritative and accessible. . . . Exoplanetary Atmospheres prepares Ph.D. students for research careers in the field and is ideal for self-study as well as for use in a course setting." * Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin *Table of ContentsForeword by Sara Seager xi Preface xiii 1 Observations of Exoplanetary Atmospheres: A Theorist's Review of Techniques in Astronomy 1 1.1 The birth of exoplanetary science 1 1.2 Transits and occultations 2 1.3 Radial velocity measurements 8 1.4 Direct imaging 11 1.5 Gravitational microlensing 12 1.6 Future missions and telescopes 12 2 Introduction to Radiative Transfer 14 2.1 The optical depth: The most fundamental quantity in radiative transfer 14 2.2 Basic quantities in radiative transfer 16 2.3 The radiative transfer equation 20 2.4 Simple solutions of the radiative transfer equation 20 2.5 A practical checklist for radiative transfer calculations 23 2.6 Clouds 24 2.7 Atmospheric retrieval 27 2.8 Problem sets 31 3 The Two-Stream Approximation of Radiative Transfer 35 3.1 What is the two-stream approximation? 35 3.2 The radiative transfer equation and its moments 36 3.3 Two-stream solutions with isotropic scattering 39 3.4 The scattering phase function 45 3.5 Two-stream solutions with non-isotropic scattering 46 3.6 Different closures of the two-stream solutions 49 3.7 The diffusion approximation for radiative transfer 51 3.8 Problem sets 53 4 Temperature-Pressure Profiles 56 4.1 A myriad of atmospheric effects: Greenhouse warming and antigreenhouse cooling 56 4.2 The dual-band or double-gray approximation 57 4.3 The radiative transfer equation and the scattering parameter 58 4.4 Treatment of shortwave radiation 60 4.5 Treatment of longwave radiation 64 4.6 Assembling the pieces: Deriving the general solution 65 4.7 Exploration of different atmospheric effects 67 4.8 Milne's solution and the convective adiabat 71 4.9 Problem sets 72 5 Atmospheric Opacities: How to Use a Line List 74 5.1 From spectroscopic line lists to synthetic spectra 74 5.2 The Voigt profile 76 5.3 The quantum physics of spectral lines 78 5.4 The million- to billion-line radiative transfer challenge 81 5.5 Different types of mean opacities 88 5.6 Problem sets 89 6 Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry 92 6.1 Why is atmospheric chemistry important? 92 6.2 Basic quantities: Gibbs free energy, equilibrium constant, rate coefficients 93 6.3 Chemical kinetics: Treating chemistry as a set of mass conservation equations 101 6.4 Self-consistent atmospheric chemistry, radiation and dynamics: A formidable computational challenge 106 6.5 Problem sets 107 7 A Hierarchy of Atmospheric Chemistries 110 7.1 A hierarchy of models for understanding atmospheric chemistry 110 7.2 Equilibrium chemistry with only hydrogen 110 7.3 Equilibrium C-H-O chemistry: Forming methane, water, carbon monoxide and acetylene 113 7.4 Equilibrium C-H-O chemistry: Adding carbon dioxide 115 7.5 Equilibrium C-H-O chemistry: Adding ethylene 121 7.6 Problem sets 122 8 Introduction to Fluid Dynamics 123 8.1 Why is the study of fluids relevant to exoplanetary atmospheres? 123 8.2 What exactly is a fluid? 124 8.3 The governing equations of fluid dynamics 124 8.4 Potential temperature and potential vorticity 128 8.5 Dimensionless fluid numbers 130 8.6 Problem sets 132 9 Deriving the Governing Equations of Fluid Dynamics 135 9.1 Preamble 135 9.2 The mass continuity equation (mass conservation) 135 9.3 The Navier-Stokes equation (momentum conservation) 136 9.4 The thermodynamic equation (energy conservation) 138 9.5 The conservation of potential vorticity 139 9.6 Various approximate forms of the governing equations of fluid dynamics 143 9.7 Magnetohydrodynamics 147 9.8 Problem sets 151 10 The Shallow Water System: A Fluid Dynamics Lab on Paper 155 10.1 A versatile fluid dynamics laboratory on paper 155 10.2 Deriving the shallow water equations 156 10.3 Gravity as the restoring force: The generation of gravity waves 158 10.4 Friction in an atmosphere: Molecular viscosity and Rayleigh drag 160 10.5 Forcing the atmosphere: Stellar irradiation 162 10.6 Like plucking a string: Alfv'en waves 163 10.7 Rotation: The generation of Poincar'e and Rossby waves 165 10.8 General coupling of physical effects 167 10.9 Shallow atmospheres as quantum harmonic oscillators 168 10.10 Shallow water systems and exoplanetary atmospheres 174 10.11 Problem sets 175 11 The de Laval Nozzle and Shocks 182 11.1 What is the de Laval nozzle? 182 11.2 What are shocks? 184 11.3 What does the de Laval nozzle teach us about shocks? 187 11.4 Applications to, and consequences for, exoplanetary atmospheres 191 11.5 Problem sets 192 12 Convection, Turbulence and Fluid Instabilities 196 12.1 Fluid motion induced by physically unstable configurations 196 12.2 Hot air rises and cold air sinks: Schwarzschild's criterion for convective stability 196 12.3 A simplified "theory" of convection: Mixing length theory 199 12.4 Implementing convection in numerical calculations: Convective adjustment schemes 200 12.5 A simple "theory" of turbulence: The scaling laws of Kolmogorov 202 12.6 Water over oil: The Rayleigh-Taylor instability 204 12.7 Shearing fluids: The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability 206 12.8 Weather at mid-latitudes: The baroclinic instability 207 12.9 Problem sets 209 13 Atmospheric Escape 211 13.1 The Knudsen number and Jeans parameter 211 13.2 Jeans escape 213 13.3 The classical Parker wind solution 213 13.4 Non-isothermal Parker winds: Using the nozzle solutions 216 13.5 Detailed processes: Photo-ionization, radiative cooling and nonthermal mechanisms 218 13.6 Problem sets 221 14 Outstanding Problems of Exoplanetary Atmospheres 223 Appendix A: Summary of Standard Notation 228 Appendix B: Essential Formulae of Vector Calculus 233 Appendix C: Essential Formulae of Thermodynamics 235 Appendix D: Gibbs Free Energies of Various Molecules and Reactions 237 Appendix E: Python Scripts for Generating Figures 240 Bibliography 250 Index 271
£55.80
Princeton University Press A Taste for the Beautiful
Book SynopsisFrom one of the world's leading authorities on animal behavior, the astonishing story of how the female brain drives the evolution of beauty in animals and humans Darwin developed the theory of sexual selection to explain why the animal world abounds in stunning beauty, from the brilliant colors of butterflies and fishes to the songs of birds andTrade Review"A delightful and enlightening review of current laboratory and field research into the aesthetic worlds of dozens of species. . . . If there’s a lesson to be learned from Ryan’s survey of sexual aesthetics, it’s that each species perceives the world through a uniquely tuned array of senses with a unique evolutionary history. Put succinctly, romance among the birds and the bees has one thing in common with romance between men and women . . . It’s complicated."---Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History"Ryan charms readers with his account of attraction in the animal kingdom, including humans. As he puts it, beauty is in the ‘brain of the beholder.’" * Scientific American *"The author's work with frogs launched a lifetime interest in discovering how beauty is found not just in animals' calls, but in the scents they give off and the colors they show. He argues that certain domains in the brain help determine what is perceived as beautiful. . . . Small, uncaptioned, black-and-white illustrations open each chapter, and what does come through clearly is the diversity of beauty--and the diversity of sexual behavior." * Kirkus Reviews *"Ryan works hard to write for general readers, and the narrative is replete with entertaining stories of the sexual marketplace that we and the rest of the animal world inhabit." * Kirkus Reviews *"In this appealing book, Ryan, professor of zoology at University of Texas, investigates the potential for a scientific understanding of what makes some biological traits sexually attractive. . . . Ryan leads a thoughtful and enlightening tour of brain function across an array of animals, focusing on three senses: sight, sound, and smell. In each case he presents current research, some of which is his own, detailing the nature of experimental design and the excitement of gaining new insights while discussing what remains unknown. . . . Ryan offers much to enjoy in his provocative book." * Publishers Weekly *"How Darwin would have loved a book such as this." * BBC Wildlife *"This is a hugely enjoyable book written with authority, easy charm and a great deal of wit. . . . This is science communication as it should be done: authoritative but never dull, engaging but never dumbed down. I’m in danger of straying into the territory of bad puns, but it really is a beautiful book."---Simon Underdown, Times Higher Education"Do read the book. You will see in nature a beauty you had previously failed to appreciate. You will evolve."---David Dobbs, Undark"This popular science book presents concepts and supporting research that will not come as any surprise to specialist evolutionary biologists, but it is recommended as an entertaining and very readable introduction to this field of study for the wider reader. And there are enough insect and related examples to keep the entomologist interested."---Andrew Wakeham-Dawson, Entomologist's Gazette"Ryan’s book is a balanced, clear, well-written study of factors affecting how sexual selection works."---Egbert Giles Leigh Jr., Evolution: Education and Outreach"It is a fascinating study, well written and full of interesting details."---Henrick Høgh-Olesen, Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture"A Taste for the Beautiful is a much-welcomed addition to a public spotlight on sexual selection and mate choice. Ryan provides a fascinating take on how mate preferences arise, one that engages contemporary and historical research while simultaneously highlighting areas where further work is needed."---Stephen P. De Lisle, Trends in Ecology & Evolution
£19.80
Princeton University Press The Standard Model in a Nutshell
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This text is another great example of the 'In a Nutshell' series of science books from Princeton University Press. . . . The book offers an abundance of worked out examples and many interesting end-of-chapter problems. This is a text that is obviously designed for the advanced undergraduate or graduate physics student--these groups of individuals will find the work an excellent introduction to the standard model." * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface for Instructors ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii Table of Symbols xv 1 Special Relativity 1 1.1 Galileo 2 1.2 Vectors and Tensors 3 1.3 Foundations of Relativity 13 1.4 Spacetime 15 1.5 Relativistic Dynamics 19 2 Scalar Fields 24 2.1 The Principle of Least Action 25 2.2 Continuous Fields 29 2.3 The Klein-Gordon Equation 32 2.4 Which Lagrangians Are Allowed? 33 2.5 Complex Scalar Fields 35 3 Noether's Theorem 43 3.1 Conserved Quantities for Particles 44 3.2 Noether's First Theorem 46 3.3 The Stress-Energy Tensor 49 3.4 Angular Momentum 52 3.5 Electric Charge 53 3.6 Digression: Inflation 54 4 Symmetry 61 4.1 What Groups Are 62 4.2 Finite Groups 63 4.3 Lie Groups 66 4.4 SU(2) 70 4.5 SU(3) 74 5 The Dirac Equation 79 5.1 Relativity and Quantum Mechanics 80 5.2 Solutions to the Dirac Equation 86 5.3 The Adjoint Spinor 88 5.4 Coordinate Transformations 90 5.5 Conserved Currents 93 5.6 Discrete Transforms 97 5.7 Quantum Free-Field Theory 100 6 Electromagnetism 109 6.1 A Toy Model of Electromagnetism 109 6.2 Gauge Transformations 112 6.3 Interpreting the Electromagnetic Lagrangian 116 6.4 Solutions to the Classical Free Field 122 6.5 The Low-Energy Limit 123 6.6 Looking Forward 126 7 Quantum Electrodynamics 129 7.1 Particle Decay 130 7.2 Scattering 140 7.3 Feynman Rules for the Toy Scalar Theory 148 7.4 QED 153 8 The Weak Interaction 164 8.1 Leptons 165 8.2 Massive Mediators 168 8.3 SU(2) 171 8.4 Helicity 177 8.5 Feynman Rules for the Weak Interaction 180 9 Electroweak Unification 184 9.1 Leptons and Quarks 184 9.2 Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking 192 9.3 The Higgs Mechanism 195 9.4 Higgs-Fermion Interactions 199 9.5 A Reflection on Free Parameters 202 10 Particle Mixing 205 10.1 Quarks 207 10.2 Neutrinos 216 10.3 Neutrino Masses 222 11 The Strong Interaction 229 11.1 SU(3) 229 11.2 Renormalization 238 11.3 Asymptotic Freedom 245 12 Beyond the Standard Model 253 12.1 Free Parameters 253 12.2 Grand Unified Theories 255 12.3 Supersymmetry 259 12.4 The Strong CP Problem 264 12.5 Some Open Questions 266 Appendix A Spinors and c-Matrices 271 Appendix B Decays and Cross Sections 274 Appendix C Feynman Rules 277 Appendix D Groups 281 Bibliography 283 Index 291
£68.00
Princeton University Press Where the River Flows Scientific Reflections on
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] deft primer, brim with surprises when viewed through a physics lens."--Barbara Kiser, Nature "[Fleming] engenders a new appreciation for the waterways around us."--Library Journal "Fleming's decades of experience shine through in this book. Abstract physics concepts feel more relevant when applied to concrete phenomena that readers can visualize."--Laurel Hamers, Science NewsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Why Rivers Are Where They Are 11 3 How Do Rivers Remember? 37 4 Clouds Talking to Fish: The Information Content of Rain 61 5 Searching for Buried Treasure 89 6 The Digital Rainbow 109 7 Landslides, Fractals, and Artificial Life 132 8 The Sky's Not the Limit 149 9 The Hydrologist's Final Exam: Watershed Modeling 168 10 Epilogue 183 Some References and Suggestions for Further Reading 189 Index 199
£31.50
Princeton University Press Fearful Symmetry
Book SynopsisDiscusses symmetry and asymmetry in contemporary physics and tells the story of how contemporary theoretical physicists are following Einstein in their search for the beauty and simplicity of nature.Trade Review"Zee's exposition of the intuitive use by modern theoretical physicists of the concept of symmetry ... in order to fathom nature's laws is superb scientific reading."--Publishers Weekly "[Zee] demonstrates effortless competence over a wide area of theoretical physics. He also displays great enthusiasm and excitement for his subject, which many readers will find infectious."--James W. McAllister, ISIS, A Journal of the History of Science SocietyTable of ContentsForeword xi Preface 1999 xv Preface xvii acknowledgements xix I Symmetry and Design 1 1. In Search of Beauty 3 2. Symmetry and Simplicity 8 3. The Far Side of the Mirror 22 II Einstein's Legacy, 49 4. Marriage of Time and Space 51 5. A Happy Thought 76 6. Symmetry Dictates Design 95 III Into The Limelight 101 7. Where the action is not 103 8. The lady and the Tyger 113 9. Learning to Read the Great Book 122 10. Symmetry Triumphs 133 IV To Know His Thoughts 151 11. The Eightfold Path in the Forest of the Night 153 12. The Revenge of Art 185 13. The Ultimate Design Problem 210 14. The Unity of Forces 228 15. The Rise of Hubris 255 16. The Mind of the Creator 275 Afterword 285 Appendix to Chapter 9 297 Appendix to the Afterword 301 Notes 321 Index 345
£17.09
Princeton University Press Richters Scale Measure of an Earthquake Measure
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The true value of Richter's Scale resides in its unspoken commemoration of a nearly extinct mode of scientific endeavor."--Claudio Vita-Finzi, Times Literary Supplement "One thing this book, written by one professional scientist about another, communicates very clearly, is what it is actually like to be a scientist--a welcome contribution."--Roger M. W. Musson, Times Higher Education Supplement "[An] illuminating biography."--Emily Banham, Nature "[This book] reveals an unfamiliar side of the scientist famous for developing the first magnitude scale for earthquakes in 1935... Most of [Richter's] colleagues remained unaware of the scope of his thoughts and interests. Richter's Scale will change this. It reveals Richter to be an individual with more than his share of flaws, but also as an iconoclastic scientist worthy of his fame and of our admiration."--Gregory C. Beroza, Nature "Hough draws on a wealth of documents left behind by Richter ... to chronicle his rise to fame and explain his place in the history of seismology... The author describes Richter's tumultuous upbringing, his penchant for nudism, and his prolific writing of poems--many included in the book."--Science News "Written by a seismologist about the most famous seismologist, this biography of Charles Richter (1900-85) is the first researched from Richter's papers... Hough's inspections of Richter's psyche may expand her readership beyond that interested in earthquakes... Richter, however difficult to like in life--he had few friends, according to Hough--proves to have had the turbulent inner life and struggles with the external world of which compelling biographies are made."--Gilbert Taylor,Booklist "This is very much a behind-the-headlines portrait of the private man... The portrait that emerges is that of a scientist who was initially far more interested in astronomy and stargazing than seismology; who possessed powerful poetic longings, and, above all, abiding decency."--Steven Carroll, The Age "This thoughtful, well-researched book explores a central question: why Richter--an admittedly quirky, plainspoken scientist--became so much better known than some of his more accomplished colleagues... Richter's ability to communicate his findings with a general audience through the press, Hough demonstrates, gave him the kind of public profile that cemented his position in the popular lexicon."--Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Book World "By developing the scale that bears his name, Charles Richter not only invented the concept of magnitude as a measure of earthquake size, he also turned his name into a household word. This behind-the-scenes look at Richter, the man, is an artful interweaving of the stories of Richter's life with the history of earthquakes exploration and seismology."--Natural Hazards Observer "Richter's Scale will last as long as this earth lasts and so will this story by Susan Hough Her exemplary work the like of which we do not see often, both in terms of content and humane and conscious approach, is of great importance to our present times. While it should have been written earlier, it could not have been written better. One almost falls in love with Susan Hough for this remarkably successful attempt to bring Richter back to life and make him stand before us. Many thanks, Susan Hough! We shall remember you for this wonderer gift to the scientific-minded and to most many others less so minded."--Current Engineering Practice "Susan Hough has done her job extraordinarily well, turning a tangled-up story of a man hardly understood by others into a very fascinating biography."--Pawel Wiejacz, Pure and Applied GeophysicsTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER 1: The Magnitude of the Problem 1 CHAPTER 2: Formative Years 9 CHAPTER 3: Margaret Rose 25 CHAPTER 4: Harnessing the Horses 36 CHAPTER 5: Earthquake Exploration 51 CHAPTER 6: The Kresge Era 62 CHAPTER 7: Beno Gutenberg 82 CHAPTER 8: Earthquake! 102 CHAPTER 9: Richter Scale 112 CHAPTER 10: Charlie 132 CHAPTER 11: Lillian 153 CHAPTER 12: Richter's Women 181 CHAPTER 13: Autumn 192 CHAPTER 14: Asperger's Syndrome 212 CHAPTER 15: Here It Comes Again 241 CHAPTER 16: Predicting the Unpredictable 253 CHAPTER 17: Sizing Up Earthquake Hazard 269 CHAPTER 18: Hazard in a Nuclear Age 276 CHAPTER 19: Supernova 286 APPENDIX A Belated Farewell 309 Bibliography 313 Acknowledgments 325 Index 331 Earthquakes by Date 337
£19.00
Princeton University Press NearEarth Objects
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDonald K. Yeomans, Winner of the 2013 Carl Sagan Medal, American Astronomical Society Donald K. Yeomans, One of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people 2013 "Balancing the wonders of astronomy with the looming potential for an epic, planet-wide disaster, Yeomans, a fellow and research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explores the origins of near-Earth objects--asteroids, comets, meteors, and meteoroids--and the threat they can pose to our planet... Yeomans's book is an accessible and far-ranging primer on the science of near-Earth objects."--Publishers Weekly "As Earth creaks on its course around the Sun, it is exposed to a relentless barrage of asteroids and comets. Donald Yeomans, who manages NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, offers an introduction to the science of these lethal monsters, one of which may have seen off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and created the Chicxulub crater. Yeomans shows how the threats are balanced by potential boons, such as the theoretical delivery of the building blocks of life on Earth. Can these reeling masses even become interplanetary pitstops on the road to Mars?"--Nature "[Near Earth Objects] gives readers an inside account of the latest efforts to find, track and study life-threatening asteroids and comets."--ScientificAmerican.com's Observations blog "Near-Earth Objects is a fascinating tour guide of the asteroids we should worry about."--Marcus Chown, New Scientist "Despite its title, Near-Earth Objects offers a concise and informative overview of the formation of the entire solar system: why the planets differ, the latest theories on how they lined up and the origin of such leftovers as comets and asteroids. Yeomans also makes a good case that a near-Earth asteroid is an accessible target for our next space adventure, readying us for Mars and preparing us for a time when we might depend on them as a source of rare minerals."--Marcia Bartusiak, Washington Post "[C]ompact and readable... [Near-Earth Objects's] main goal is to invite readers to share a topic that is fascinating beyond its practical importance."--Fred Bortz, Dallas Morning News "[Yeomans's] book offers an excellent introduction to the layperson on near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), those objects that can potentially pass within about 29 million miles of Earth as they orbit around the sun... I highly recommend the book. Since it covers so many aspects of these fascinating asteroids, I found it comprehensive and a great read. While Yeomans covers a topic that some of us worry about, he provides the facts needed to stay cool yet informed."--Astro Bob blog "Yeomans makes it seem like we're uncomfortably close to an asteroid-induced apocalypse. Luckily, he has a sense of humor about it, and he has some sensible scientific solutions."--Sarah Rothbard, Slate.com "This is a superb book that brings the reader up-to-speed on those menacing denizens of the deep--Near Earth Objects, or NEOs for short. Moreover, this book is good bedtime reading for those that stay awake at night awaiting celestial calamity."--Leonard David, Coalition for Space Exploration "The book has an impressive from-the-horse's-mouth authority, yet it also has a pleasing, storytelling style, wry humour and some fun facts."--Hazel Muir, BBC Sky at Night "Sixty-five million years ago, a 10-km-wide asteroid slammed into Earth, killing off the dinosaurs. While that's the best-known Earth-asteroid collision, the truth is, space debris rains down on us all the time, notes Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office. He and other scientists are on a mission to track the largest asteroids that swarm around our planet, and his book is a behind-the-scenes look at how they do it--hopefully finding them before they find us."--Maclean's Bookmarked blog "Unlike many books involving space exploration I didn't get the feeling of fantasy, wishful thinking or sabre rattling. Yeomans just gives us good, reasoned arguments, presented in the main in a likeable, friendly fashion... [I]f you are interested in astronomy, the solar system or the survival of the human race, this is a book that should spark your interest."--Brian Clegg, Popular Science "This authoritative book, written in a lucid style well suited to intelligent laypersons, addresses this subject... [E]xcellent."--Choice "Near-Earth Objects is an excellent, short, very detailed, complete reference on rocks flying through Earth-space... [T]his book is highly recommended. It is a wonderful resource, very well written and full of great footnotes."--Haym Benaroya, QuestTable of ContentsIllustrations vii Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1 Earth's Closest Neighbors 1 Chapter 2 The Solar System's Origin: The Classical View 15 Chapter 3 How and Where Do Near-Earth Objects Form? 29 Chapter 4 Near-Earth Objects as the Enablers and Destroyers of Life 47 Chapter 5 Discovering and Tracking Near-Earth Objects 57 Chapter 6 The Nature of Asteroids and Comets 79 Chapter 7 Nature's Natural Resources and the Human Exploration of Our Solar System 100 Chapter 8 Near-Earth Objects as Threats to Earth 109 Chapter 9 Predicting the Likelihood of an Earth Impact 125 Chapter 10 Deflecting an Earth-Threatening Near-Earth Object 140 References 155 Index of Asteroid and Cometary Objects 159 General Index 161
£17.09
Princeton University Press The Strength in Numbers
Book SynopsisOnce upon a time, it was the lone scientist who achieved brilliant breakthroughs. No longer. Today, science is done in teams of as many as hundreds of researchers who may be scattered across continents and represent a range of hierarchies. These collaborations can be powerful, but they demand new ways of thinking about scientific research. When thrTrade Review"This book covers a fascinating piece of research and I truly believe that the ideas within it are ones which every researcher should be thinking about every time they embark on a new team effort."---Jonathan Shock, Mathemafrica"A helpful, well-structured reference point for university managers . . . reflecting on good practice in research collaboration. There is much sound advice, emerging from a synthesis of well-evidenced and diverse experience, that will provide an agenda for any research strategy committee."---Jonathan Adams, Research Fortnight
£28.80
Princeton University Press More Things in the Heavens
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Cosmology and Astronomy, Association of American Publishers""Spitzer . . . merits a detailed and authoritative account of its successes, and More Things in the Heavens is just that."---Michael Rowan-Robinson, Nature"For serious space fans, this ode to NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope reveals what we’ve learned by looking at the universe through an infrared lens." * Science News *"Werner and Eisenhardt, both at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, have been involved with Spitzer for decades and know their subject intimately. After a whirlwind tour of the universe as seen in the infrared, they cover in detail every aspect of astronomy that Spitzer has touched."---Rick Fienberg, Sky & Telescope"A fascinating insight into how the scientific process of discovery works, putting the results made by the huge team using Spitzer in context with the wider research field."---Dr. Chris North, BBC Sky at Night"More Things in the Heavens is a well-written account of the accomplishments of a great observatory over its more than 16-year lifetime."---Edward L. Wright, Physics Today"More Things in the Heavens is an unashamed celebration of one of the great scientific projects of the early 21st century. . . . It is a labour of love by two men who committed their lives to transform a dream into reality, to bringing us a deeper understanding of the Universe with a mirror no bigger than the one in most bathrooms."---Nick Smith, Engineering & Technology"This is a most impressive story, not just for specialists, clearly told and profusely illustrated. I found it a pleasure to read and recommend it strongly."---Peredur Williams, The Observatory"More Things in the Heavens reveals how important infrared astronomy has been to increasing our understanding of the cosmos."---Iain Todd, BBC Sky at Night"A timely and welcome addition to this genre."---Manoj Puravankara, Current Science
£28.80
Princeton University Press Quantum ManyBody Physics in a Nutshell
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book provides an essential introduction to the physics of quantum many-body systems."---T. C. Mohan, Zentralblatt MATH
£68.00
Princeton University Press The Eternal Darkness
Book Synopsis"Featuring a new preface by the author."Trade ReviewWinner of the Commonwealth Award for Science and Invention, Sigma Xi Commonwealth Award for Science and Invention, Sigma Xi Association of American Publishers Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Geography and Earth Sciences Honorable Mention for the 2000 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Geography and Earth Sciences, Association of American Publishers "A straightforward look at a complicated business that shows again not just that exploration is worth doing but that even at home here on earth it is far from over."--Michael Parfit, New York Times Book Review "An excellent book... It is impossible to put down."--Richard Shelton, Times Literary Supplement "The man who found the Titanic, discovered black smokers on the sea floor, and first ventured into the mid-Atlantic ridge tells the story of deep-sea exploration... Scores of photographs highlight the steadily absorbing text; together, words and pictures present a vital and authoritative general history of humanity's adventures deep beneath the waves."--Publishers Weekly "Drawing from the expertise gained during his more than one hundred trips into the abyss, Ballard highlights historical and scientific events that he and Hively weave into a series of scintillating tales."--Loretta DiPietro, Scientific American "Cool technology meets personal obsession in this history that's also a memoir by the discoverer of the wreck of the Titanic. Break out the bathospheres, the minisubs and the ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicles); it's time to take the plunge and see what's Down There."--Washington Post Book World "This book takes the reader into the deep-sea realm along the discovery paths of famous deep-sea explorers as chronicled by the preeminent explorer of our time. Ballard's book will leave readers enlightened and concerned about the expanding role the oceans are playing as the future evolves."--Choice "Pitched to the lay reader, Ballard's The Eternal Darkness is engaging, sometimes thrilling and always authentic... Ballard was also involved in the 1985 discovery of the Titanic, and his account of the sleuthing that went into the hunt makes for terrific reading."--Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post Book World "An informative and interesting book written with authority on a fascinating subject."--Daniel Lenihan, Naval History "A remarkable story of science and adventure, as fascinating as the exploration of space and the landing on the moon."--American Way (Airline Magazine) "The Eternal Darkness is a highly readable book... I am always on the lookout for books that will motivate and enthuse potential and present students. The Eternal Darkness will become a firm favourite on that list, as Ballard shows what can be achieved by hard work, determination and unbounded enthusiasm."--Paul Tyler, New Scientist "Doing science is exciting! This is the main message of Ballard's fascinating combination memoir and history of deep ocean science."--Library Journal "Titanic discoverer Ballard ... handily summarizes a technology unfamiliar to many readers. Ballard has published popular books about his recovery of other famous sunken ships besides the movie's namesake, which adds cachet to this more scholarly work."--Booklist "Dr. Ballard is a passionate advocate of deep-sea exploration, pointing out that all such expeditions so far undertaken have probably surveyed less than 1 percent of the sea floor... One can hardly disagree with Dr. Ballard's proposal that we should expand that 1 percent."--Phoebe-Lou Adams, Atlantic MonthlyTable of ContentsPreface to the 2017 Edition vii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 3 I Depth 1 A Simple Tethered Sphere 13 2 Bathyscaphs Race to the Bottom 33 3 The Tragic Dawn of the Modern Deep Submersible 58 II Discovery 4 Scientists Begin Exploring the Deep 93 5 The Midocean Ridge:Womb of the Earth 117 6 Hydrothermal Vents: Exotic Oases 157 7 Black Smokers: Recipe for a Salty Ocean 187 III Detachment 8 A Tethered Eyeball Races to Find the Titanic 217 9 Recovering Our Past by Remote Control 255 10 Should Humans Continue to Dive? Two Paradigms 299 A Note on Sources 313 Further Reading 315 Index 375
£20.90
Princeton University Press From Dust to Life
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[T]here is much solid information to be gleaned from careful reading."--Publishers Weekly "A stellar read"--Nature "In this grand chronicle of the science behind the origins of our 4.6-billion-year-old Solar System, John Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton peruse everything from the giant collision thought to have formed our Moon to the nature of meteorites."--Rosalind Metcalfe, Nature "[This book] provides a truly comprehensive overview of our solar system's origins and is written in plain, jargon-free language."--Marcus Chown, New Scientist "Incredibly thorough and detailed, yet very accessible to non-scientists too... A compelling overview of the evolution of the Solar System."--Katia Moskvitch, BBC Sky at Night "This is not your average tour of our solar system. Using clear, relatively jargon-free language, Chambers and Mitton provide a comprehensive examination of our current understanding of its formation, which should readily appeal to the general reader who enjoys scientific detail without getting into equations."--Library Journal "Chambers and Mitton stay focused on the science in From Dust to Life: unlike other books that create narratives around the scientists, they discuss the science and the history of its development, rather than the individuals who made it possible. That's a worthwhile trade: while there have been, and are today, interesting people studying the formation of the solar system, the science is even more fascinating as we find out just how complex the process is to turn a cloud of gas and dust into a star and planets."--Jeff Foust, Space Review "Read From Dust to Life to gain a fascinating perspective on the current state of the science behind solar system formation."--David Dickinson, Astro Guys blog "This wild ride across the cosmos and through time covers a lot of territory but isn't merely a laundry list of observations. Instead, readers will find one lucid explanation piggybacked onto another... The authors ... make celestial mechanics comprehensible even to readers with more curiosity than scientific background... Best of all, the authors help readers glimpse the why of it all."--Science News "This book ... is accessible to a scientifically literate general reader... The author team is eminently qualified ... one is a well-known planetary scientist and the other an experienced science writer. The result of their efforts is a highly readable book."--Star Formation Newsletter "Chambers and Mitton present a well-researched, detailed, big-picture overview of the solar system that shows how all of people's observations of its contents contribute to a coherent model for its origin. The authors place the modern theory and latest observations in historical context by beginning each chapter with an overview of the development of these scientific ideas from their beginning."--Choice "This book is up-to date, thorough, and authoritative. It revels in the latest discussions and controversies... It is a joy to read and is accessible to any student with a scientific background... Read this book. Join the cosmogonists and help change the cosmogony/cosmology ratio."--David W. Hughes, Observatory "From Dust to Lifefurnishes a comprehensive overview of current models for the formation of the solar system."--Cait MacPhee, Times Higher EducationTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi Preface xv 1 Cosmic Archaeology 1 A fascination with the past 1 A solar system to explain 3 Real worlds 9 Winding back the clock 12 Putting the pieces together 16 2 Discovering the Solar System 19 Measuring the solar system 19 From wandering gods to geometrical constructions 22 The Sun takes center stage 25 Laws and order 27 Gravity rules 29 The missing planet 31 Asteroids enter the scene 34 Rocks in space 36 Uranus behaving badly 37 Completing the inventory 40 3 An Evolving Solar System 43 A changing world 43 A nebulous idea begins to take shape 44 The nebular hypothesis in trouble 48 A chance encounter? 50 Nebular theory resurrected 54 4 The Question of Timing 56 Reading the cosmic clock 57 Early estimates: ingenious-but wrong 57 Geology versus physics 58 Radioactivity changes everything 61 Hubble and the age of the universe 63 How radioactive timers work 64 Meteorites hold the key 68 Dating the Sun 71 The age of the universe revisited 73 5 Meteorites 75 A dramatic entrance 75 Where do meteorites come from? 76 Irons and stones 80 Identifying the parents 83 Lunar and Martian meteorites 86 A rare and precious resource 87 What meteorites can tell us 88 6 Cosmic Chemistry 92 Element 43: first a puzzle then a clue 92 An abundance of elements 94 The first elements 96 Cooking in the stellar furnace 98 Building heavier elements 104 Supernovae 105 7 A Star Is Born 108 A child of the Milky Way 108 Where stars are born 110 First steps to a solar system 113 The solar system's birth environment 119 Essential ingredients 121 8 Nursery for Planets 123 An excess of infrared 123 Two kinds of disks 125 Inside the solar nebula 129 Getting the dust to stick 131 The influence of gas 134 How to build planetesimals 135 The demise of the disk 137 9 Worlds of Rock and Metal 140 Sisters but not twins 140 The era of planetesimals 141 Planetary embryos take over 144 The final four 147 Earth 148 Mercury 153 Venus 158 Mars 161 10 the Making of the Moon 168 The Moon today 169 What the Moon is made of 170 The Moon's orbit 172 The fission theory 174 The capture hypothesis 175 The coaccretion hypothesis 176 The giant impact hypothesis 177 Encounter with Theia 179 Earth, Moon, and tidal forces 181 Late heavy bombardment 183 11 Earth, Cradle of Life 186 The Hadean era 186 The tree of life 191 The building blocks of life 193 The rise of oxygen 196 A favorable climate 199 Snowball Earth 202 Future habitability 204 12 Worlds of Gas and Ice 205 Giants of the solar system 205 Building giants by core accretion 211 The disk instability model 214 Spin and tilt 215 Masters of many moons 217 Formation of regular satellites 219 The origin of irregular satellites 220 Rings 221 13 What Happened to the Asteroid Belt? 225 The asteroid belt today 225 Ground down by collisions? 226 Emptied by gravity? 229 Asteroid families 231 The missing mantle problem 233 Asteroids revealed as worlds 236 14 The Outermost Solar System 242 Where do comets come from? 242 Centaurs 246 Looking beyond Neptune 247 The Kuiper belt 248 Sedna 251 The nature of trans-Neptunian objects 252 Where have all the Plutos gone? 256 The Nice model 259 15 Epilogue: Paradigms, Problems, and Predictions 263 The paradigm: solar system evolution in a nutshell 264 Unsolved puzzles 267 Searching the solar system for answers 268 Other planetary systems 271 Future evolution of the solar system 273 Afterword to the 2017 edition 277 Glossary 291 Sources and Further Reading 305 Index 307
£19.00
Princeton University Press Welcome to the Universe
Book SynopsisA companion to Welcome to the Universe, a ... bestseller that was inspired by the ... introductory astronomy course for non-science majors that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton. [It] features more than one hundred problems and exercises used in the original course--Amazon.com.Trade Review"This book provides a very valuable resource for anyone who wants to acquire a reasonably quantitative understanding of introductory astronomy. The questions cover a broad range of interesting topics, and the solutions are thorough and often enlightening, providing additional insights into the subject matter."—Alex Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley"The difference between a good astronomy course and a great astronomy course is great problems. This book is a gold mine of great problems for introductory astronomy, problems that can be solved with high school algebra and run the gamut from earth-smashing asteroids to neutron stars, black holes, the fate of the universe, and the search for life on other worlds. It will be a valuable resource for anyone teaching introductory astronomy and an exhilarating challenge for students who want to sharpen their wits against the cosmos."—David Weinberg, Ohio State University"A fantastic asset. The hardest part of teaching introductory astronomy courses is writing engaging, informative problems at the appropriate level. This book provides a treasure trove of wonderfully instructive material that is much better than anything else out there. I will be using Tyson, Strauss, and Gott for a long time to come."—James H. Applegate, Columbia University"A marvelous compendium. This companion book demonstrates in a playful manner how, with no more than high school algebra, we can obtain a deeper appreciation of the properties of the infinitely large and small, and deepen our conversation with the cosmos."—Trinh X. Thuan, University of Virginia"A wonderful collection of introductory problems that convey the wonders of the universe and fundamental concepts in astronomy through specific examples and numbers. A fantastic resource for the classroom and aspiring astronomers."—Abraham Loeb, Harvard University"Microorganisms on Europa, colliding black holes, cosmic inflation, and much more are covered in this expansive and thoughtfully selected collection of exciting problems in astrophysics—even a two-dimensional Tardis appears! Both students and experienced astronomers should come away enriched through study of these problems and the techniques presented to crack them."—W. Niel Brandt, Pennsylvania State University
£100.30
Princeton University Press In Praise of Simple Physics
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Nahin's writing style, as in previous books, is clear, conversational, humorous and chatty... [A]nd the discussions in the book are careful and appropriately rigorous."--MAA Reviews "Fun, accessible physics/math problems along with some humor."--Antonio Cangiano, Math-Blog "[Nahin] knows how to catch the attention of his reader. You will not regret buying any of his books, and I am sure after reading it, you will pick up this one to check again on one of his models and his solution methods."--European Mathematical Society "A superb book... [D]emonstrates clever ways to solve simply physics problems."--ChoiceTable of ContentsForeword by T. M. Helliwell ix Preface with Challenge Problems xi 1 How's Your Math? 1 2 The Traffic-Light Dilemma 20 3 Energy from Moving Air 25 4 Dragsters and Space Station Physics 32 5 Merry-Go-Round Physics and the Tides 42 6 Energy from Moving Water 51 7 Vectors and Bad Hair Days 63 8 An Illuminating Problem 67 9 How to Measure Depth with a Stopwatch 74 10 Doing the Preface Problems 79 11 The Physics of Stacking Books 92 12 Communication Satellite Physics 103 13 Walking a Ladder Upright 110 14 Why Is the Sky Dark at Night? 115 15 How Some Things Float (or Don't) 126 16 A Reciprocating Problem 141 17 How to Catch a Baseball (or Not) 146 18 Tossing Balls and Shooting Bullets Uphill 153 19 Rapid Travel in a Great Circle Transit Tube 163 20 Hurtling Your Body through Space 177 21 The Path of a Punt 194 22 Easy Ways to Measure Gravity in Your Garage 200 23 Epilogue Newton's Gravity Calculation Mistake 218 Postscript 227 Acknowledgments
£16.14
Princeton University Press How Men Age
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the W.W. Howells Book Award, Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association""2017 Regional Finalist in Science, ForeWord Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards""The best short summation I've seen of a massive body of research."---Michael Shermer, Wall Street Journal"How Men Age is wry, sly, informative, and provocative."---Glenn Altschuler, Psychology Today"Bribiescas makes a wonderful case for considering evolutionary ideas in human health, and provides a great introduction for anyone wishing to join the conversation."---Emily Gregg, Lateral magazine"Charming. . . . [A]n enjoyable and humane look at what could have been a bleak subject, spiced with just the right amounts of humour, anecdote and quirky personal perspective."---David Bainbridge, Literary Review"[T]he lens through which Bribiescas views [male aging], evolutionary biology, offers a nuanced explanation of why, during almost every phase of human life, men die at a higher rate than women."---Brian Bethune, Maclean's"[Richard Bribiescas] applies anthropological and evolutionary biological lenses to a sweeping, succinct review of the phenomenon [of how men age], and does so with good humor." * Harvard Magazine *"Richard Bribiescas covers some interesting uncharted territory. This is not a mere description of ageing. Instead, by considering male ageing in the light of natural selection, it aims to answer big questions. . . . Testosterone peaks in early adulthood, so that men are past their physical prime by the age of 30. It's tempting to see it as all downhill from there. But with wit and insight, Bribiescas shows convincingly that's not the case."---Kate Douglas, New Scientist"[How Men Age] certainly enriches our understanding of male health and well-being."---Wan Lixin, Shanghai Daily
£14.24
Princeton University Press The Cosmic Web
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2017 PROSE Award in Cosmology & Astronomy, Association of American Publishers""One of Symmetry Magazine’s Physics Books of 2016""With an insider's insight and a storyteller's eye for detail. . . . Gott offers a thorough, vivid, and fascinating look at the cosmic web that makes up our universe." * Publishers Weekly *"The Cosmic Webis not just a well-told story about the frontiers of cosmological knowledge. It is also an inspiration to explore them further."---Michael Blanton, Nature"Weaving together personal anecdotes with physics and math, Princeton astrophysicist J. Richard Gott's The Cosmic Web chronicles the nearly 100-year quest to understand the anatomy of the universe. . . . Gott brings detailed insight to how our view of the cosmos has changed, providing a thorough accounting of how cosmologists arrived at these revelations."---Christopher Crockett, Science News"Provides an outstanding summation of [Gott's] search for understanding the spongy cosmic web that characterizes the universe at large scales. . . . [A] magnificent achievement."---David Eicher, Astronomy Magazine"With a style that's rich in fascinating detail, and bolstered by personal memories and anecdotes,The Cosmic Webdelivers everything we need in a book on this subject."---Alastair Gunn, BBC Sky at Night"An extraordinary book guiding the reader through the large scale of the Universe and the structure scientists encounter whilst looking at the Universe as a whole." * Read about Science *"I enjoyed this book hugely. It should be on the shelf of anyone who is intrigued by why the Universe looks the way it does."---Alan Longstaff, Astronomy Now"Full to the brim with wonderful analogies and genuinely interesting anecdotes that should be a component of all popular science books. If you've ever looked up at the night sky and wondered why it looks the way it does, this is one book you should really consider reading."---Amber Hornsby, Popular Astronomy"Fascinating. . . . I think it should be in every library which aims to cover astrophysics and cosmology."---G.W. Gibbons, Contemporary Physics
£15.29
Princeton University Press The SelfAssembling Brain
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Hiesinger elegantly moves through a variety of topics, ranging from biological development to AI and ending with a discussion of the advances that deep neural networks have brought to the field of brain-machine interfaces."---Kamila Maria Jóźwik, Science"Hiesinger suggests that instead of looking at the brain from an endpoint perspective, we should study how information encoded in the genome is transformed to become the brain as we grow. . . . The Self-Assembling Brain is organized as a series of seminar presentations interspersed with discussions between a robotics engineer, a neuroscientist, a geneticist, and an AI researcher. The thought-provoking conversations help to understand the views and the holes of each field on topics related to the mind, the brain, intelligence, and AI."---Ben Dickson, TechTalks"For anyone interested in the brain, or AI, or any of the myriad of branches and subbranches of each, I would highly recommend this!"---Jonathan Shock, Mathemafrica
£31.50
Princeton University Press Time in Ecology
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Every once in a while, someone comes along and changes how we think by revealing something that has been hidden in plain sight. Using an engaging narrative, Eric Post has done just that. His new concept of an ecological space-time continuum will fundamentally enhance our ability to make sense of the contingency in species life-history strategies and associated ecological functioning that we see in nature.”—Oswald J. Schmitz, author of The New Ecology: Rethinking a Science for the Anthropocene“Eric Post poses the view that time is a resource, and that reframing our thinking in this way is essential to understanding how evolution and ecology influence the varied responses of species to environmental changes. Join him on this journey of exploration and discover the important role that time plays in shaping the interactions of species with the world around them.”—Heidi Steltzer, Fort Lewis College“A gem of a book! Post presents compelling theory and credible, concrete examples that demonstrate the ecological role of time as a limiting resource. This work will undoubtedly shape the future of phenological research for years to come.”—Andrew Richardson, Northern Arizona University“Global climate trends are changing the well understood abiotic phenological triggers such as photoperiod, thermal limits, and seasonal rainfall. In this provocative book, Post adds an additional variable, time, in a novel way to interpret observed variations in life history responses of plants and animals. His exploration of the added influence of timing of life history stages is compelling and challenging.”—Steven W. Running, University of Montana “Post argues that time is a resource used by organisms to perpetuate their genes. Changes in the use of the time-space continuum will determine the response of species and communities to rapid and dramatic changes in nature wrought by humans. This book offers a provocative new way to look at how and why species change their use of time and space.”—William H. Schlesinger, president emeritus, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies“Post’s book makes a significant contribution both as a compendium of some of his long-term data and a presentation of some novel perspectives on phenology.”—David William Inouye, coauthor of Techniques for Pollination Biologists
£33.25
