A new kind of science
By: Stephen Wolfram
Publisher: Wolfram Media
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Champaign, IL
Language: eng
Number of pages: 1197
Subjects: Computational complexity; Computational Biology; Automate cellulaire; Science; Biological Models; Theoretical Models; Ordinateur; Application; Computer Simulation; Natural Science Disciplines; Découverte scientifique; Automates cellulaires; Kunstmatige intelligentie; Cellular automata; Complexité algorithmique; Anwendung; Ciência; Cellulaire automaten; Zellularer Automat; Complexité de calcul (Informatique)
Description: This work presents a series of dramatic discoveries never before made public. Starting from a collection of simple computer experiments---illustrated in the book by striking computer graphics---Wolfram shows how their unexpected results force a whole new way of looking at the operation of our universe. Wolfram uses his approach to tackle a remarkable array of fundamental problems in science: from the origin of the Second Law of thermodynamics, to the development of complexity in biology, the computational limitations of mathematics, the possibility of a truly fundamental theory of physics, and the interplay between free will and determinism.
Notes: Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 849-1197) and index.

Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Downloadable programs and images available after free registration.
Table of contents: title: The foundations for a new kind of science; title: The crucial experiment; title: The world of simple programs; title: Systems based on numbers; title: Two dimensions and beyond; title: Starting from randomness; title: Mechanisms in programs and nature; title: Implications for everyday systems; title: Fundamental physics; title: Processes of perception and analysis; title: The notion of computation; title: The principle of computational equivalence.