Description
Book SynopsisThis book provides an intimate, highly readable tour of the sciences of complexity, which seek to explain how large-scale complex, organized, and adaptive behavior can emerge from simple interactions among myriad individuals. The author, a leading complex systems scientist, describes the history of ideas, current research, and future prospects in this vital scientific effort.
Trade ReviewShe captures the excitement of research. * Ian D. Couzin, Science *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Part I: Background and History Chapter 1: What is Complexity? Chapter 2: Dynamics, Chaos, and Prediction Chapter 3: Information Chapter 4: Computation Chapter 5: Evolution Chapter 6: Genetics, Simplified Chapter 7: Defining and Measuring Complexity Part II: Life and Evolution in Computers Chapter 8: Self-Reproducing Programs Chapter 9: Genetic Algorithms Part III: Computation Writ Large Chapter 10: Cellular Automata, Life, and the Universe Chapter 11: Computing with Particles Chapter 12: Information Processing in Living Systems Chapter 13: How to Make Analogies (If You Are A Computer) Chapter 14: Prospects of Computer Modeling Part IV: Network Thinking Chapter 15: The Science of Networks Chapter 16: Applying Network Science to Real-World Networks Chapter 17: The Mystery of Scaling Chapter 18: Evolution, Complexified Part V: Conclusion Chapter 19: The Past and Future of the Sciences of Complexity Notes Bibliography Index
