Reality Rules, The Fundamentals - John Casti

"Casti Tours offers the most spectacular vistas of modern appliedmathematics" Nature
Mathematical modeling is about rulesthe rules of reality.Reality Rules explores the syntax and semantics of the language inwhich these rules are written, the language of mathematics.Characterized by the clarity and vision typical of the author'sprevious books, Reality Rules is a window onto the competingdialects of this languagein the form of mathematical modelsof real-world phenomenathat researchers use today to frametheir views of reality.

Moving from the irreducible basics of modeling to the upper reachesof scientific and philosophical speculation, Volumes 1 and 2, TheFundamentals and The Frontier, are ideal complements, equallymatched in difficulty, yet unique in their coverage of issuescentral to the contemporary modeling of complex systems.

Engagingly written and handsomely illustrated, Reality Rules is afascinating journey into the conceptual underpinnings of realityitself, one that examines the major themes in dynamical systemtheory and modeling and the issues related to mathematical modelsin the broader contexts of science and philosophy. Far-reaching andfar-sighted, Reality Rules is destined to shape the insight andwork of students, researchers, and scholars in mathematics,science, and the social sciences for generations to come.

Of related interest . . .

ALTERNATE REALITIES

Mathematical Models of Nature and Man

John L. Casti

A thoroughly modern account of the theory and practice ofmathematical modeling with a treatment focusing on system-theoreticconcepts such as complexity, self-organization, adaptation,bifurcation, resilience, surprise and uncertainty, and themathematical structures needed to employ these in a formalsystem.

An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all theproblems in the book is available from the Wiley editorialdepartment.