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A New Kind of Science

Amazon.com Price:  $23.33 (as of 17/03/2019 20:30 PST- Details)

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Description

Starting from a collection of simple computer experiments illustrated by striking computer graphics Stephen Wolfram shows in this landmark book how their unexpected results force a whole new way of having a look at the operation of our universe. Wolfram uses his approach to tackle a remarkable array of fundamental problems in science, from the origins of apparent randomness in physical systems, to the development of complexity in biology, the ultimate scope and limitations of mathematics, the potential for a really fundamental theory of physics, the interplay between free will and determinism, and the character of intelligence in the universe.
Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram, whose Mathematica computer language launched a multimillion-dollar company, now sets his sights on a more daunting goal: understanding the universe. Wolfram lets the world see his work in A New Roughly Science, a gorgeous, 1,280-page tome more than a decade in the making. With patience, insight, and self-confidence to spare, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modeling complex systems.

On the frontier of complexity science since he used to be a boy, Wolfram is a champion of cellular automata–256 “programs” governed by simple nonmathematical rules. He points out that even the most complex equations fail to correctly model biological systems, but the most simple cellular automata can produce results straight out of nature–tree branches, stream eddies, and leopard spots, for example. The graphics in A New Roughly Science show striking resemblance to the patterns we see in nature on a daily basis.

Wolfram wrote the book in a distinct style meant to make it easy to read, even for nontechies; a basic familiarity with logic is helpful but not essential. Readers will find themselves swept away by the elegant simplicity of Wolfram’s ideas and the accidental artistry of the cellular automaton models. Whether or not Wolfram’s revolution in the end gives us the keys to the universe, his new science is absolutely awe-inspiring. –Therese Littleton

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