Phase transitions
By: Ricard V. Solé
Series: Primers in complex systems; Primers in complex systems
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 223
ISBN-13: 9780691150758
Subjects: Phase transformations (Statistical physics)
Description: "Phase transitions - changes between different states of organization in a complex system - have long helped to explain physics concepts, such as why water freezes into a solid or boils to become a gas. How might phase transitions shed light on important problems in biological and ecological complex systems? Exploring the origins and implications of sudden changes in nature and society, Phase transitions examines different dynamical behaviors in a broad range of complex systems. Using a compelling set of examples, from gene networks and ant colonies to human language and the degradation of diverse ecosystems, the book illustrates the power of simple models to reveal how phase transitions occur"--Back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [189]-212) and index.
Table of contents: title: Phase changes; title: Stability and instability; title: Bifurcations and catastrophes; title: Percolation; title: Random graphs; title: Life origins; title: Virus dynamics; title: Cell structure; title: Epidemic spreading; title: Gene networks; title: Cancer dynamics; title: Ecological shifts; title: Information and traffic jams; title: Collective intelligence; title: Language; title: Social collapse.