You have to read this one. Chapter 12, Chaos, Catastrophes and Engineering , covers chaotic failures in real life. Chapter 13, Chaos on the circuit board , cuts uncomfortably close to home for most of us. The math makes this a hard read for those of us suffering from calculus withdrawal. Still, there's a lot of useful information to be had here.
Various chapters discuss chaos in everyday life, from electronic feedback to cardiac rhythms.
The universe seems held together by chaos, as this book describes so well. There are important islands of stability in chaotic systems, which explain the motion of many of the solar system's moons. A fascinating, very readable account of chaos. This is the best of the Gaia books, from the one who started it all. Back to home page.