Branches

Nature's patterns: a tapestry in three parts
Erscheinungsjahr 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-960488-3
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 232 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 139 mm x 194 mm, Gewicht: 261 g

As part of a trilogy of books exploring the science of patterns in nature, acclaimed science writer Philip Ball here looks at the form and growth of branching networks in the natural world, and what we can learn from them.

Many patterns in nature show a branching form - trees, river deltas, blood vessels, lightning, the cracks that form in the glazing of pots. These networks share a peculiar geometry, finding a compromise between disorder and determinism, though some, like the hexagonal snowflake or the stones of the Devil's Causeway fall into a rigidly ordered structure. Branching networks are found at every level in biology - from the single cell to the ecosystem. Human-made networks too can come to share the same features, and if they don't, then it might be profitable to make them do so: nature's patterns tend to arise from economical solutions.

Zielgruppe

Of great interest to general readers of popular science, for its accessible and broad-ranging introduction to topics like self-organization, emergence, and complexity. Also people interested in natural history, looking for an explanation of the science behind many of the incredible forms to be found in nature. The book cuts across the boundaries of many disciplines - physics, chemistry, biology, engineering - and will be of interest to students and professionals in those areas. The theme of forms, shapes, and 'natural creativity' will also be of interest to artists and architects.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ball, Philip

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Naturwissenschaften, Technik, Medizin
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Populärwissenschaftliche Werke
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Informatik Künstliche Intelligenz Mustererkennung, Biometrik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- 1: A Winter's Tale: The Six-Pointed Snowflake

- 2: Tenuous Monsters: Shapes Between Dimensions

- 3: Just For the Crack: Clean Breaks and Ragged Ruptures

- 4: Water Ways: Labyrinths in the Landscape

- 5: Tree and Leaf: Branches in Biology

- 6: Web Worlds: Why We're All in This Together

- 7: The Threads of the Tapestry: Principles of Pattern

- Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Ball, Philip
Philip Ball, Freelance writer and consultant editor for Nature
Philip Ball is a freelance writer and a consultant editor for Nature, where he previously worked as an editor for physical sciences. He is a regular commentator in the scientific and popular media on science and ist interactions with art, history and culture. His ten books on scientific subjects include The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature, H2O: A Biography of Water, The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science, and Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads To Another, which won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. He was awarded the 2006 James T. Grady - James H. Stack award by the American Chemical Society for interpreting chemistry for the public. Philip studied chemistry at Oxford and holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Bristol. His latest book The Music Instinct published in February 2010

Philip Ball is a freelance writer and a consultant editor for Nature, where he previously worked as an editor for physical sciences. He is a regular commentator in the scientific and popular media on science and its interactions with art, history and culture. His ten books on scientific subjects include The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature, H2O: A Biography of Water, The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science, and Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads To Another, which won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. He was awarded the 2006 James T. Grady - James H. Stack award by the American Chemical Society for interpreting chemistry for the public. Philip studied chemistry at Oxford and holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Bristol. His latest book The Music Instinct published in February 2010.