The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature

Ball, Philip

ISBN 10: 0198502443 / ISBN 13: 9780198502449

Edité par Oxford University Press (edition First Edition), 1999

It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting. N° de réf. du vendeur 0198502443-8-1

Synopsis :

This text explains how nature's patterns - the markings on animals, windblown ripples of sand, the forms of water in motion - are woven by self-organization, through simple, local interactions between their component parts. The products of self-organization are universal patterns: spirals, spots and stripes, branches and honeycombs.

Présentation de l'éditeur: Why do similar patterns and forms appear in nature in settings that seem to bear no relation to one another? The windblown ripples of desert sand follow a sinuous course that resemles the stripes of a zebra or a marine fish. In the trellis-like shells of microscopic sea creatures we see the same angles and intersections as for bubble walls in a foam. The forks of lightning mirror the branches of a river or a tree. l This book explains why these are no coincidences. Nature commonly weaves its tapestry by self-organization, employing no master plan or blueprint but by simple, local interactions between its component parts - be they grains of sand, diffusing molecules or living cells - give rise to spontaneous patters that are at the same time complex and beautiful. Many of these patterns are universal: spirals, spots, and stripes, branches, honeycombs. Philip Ball conducts a profusely illustrated tour of this gallery, and reveals the secrets of how nature's patterns are made.

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in...
Éditeur : Oxford University Press (edition First Edition)
Date d'édition : 1999
Reliure : Hardcover
Etat : Very Good
Edition : First Edition.