A New Kind of Science | 
 agrandir | Auteur: Stephen Wolfram
Créateur: Stephen Wolfram
Éditeur: Wolfram Media
Prix de liste: EUR 32,13
Acheter Neuf: EUR 30,52
Vous épargnez: EUR 1,61 (5%)
Neuf (6) D'occasion (10) de EUR 24,71
Évaluation moyenne des clients:  3 commentaires
Classement parmi les ventes: 20486
Média: Relie
Pages: 1192
Poids (kg): 5.6
Dimension (cm): 9.5 x 8.1 x 2.6
ISBN: 1579550088
Code Décimal Dewey: 500
EAN: 9781579550080
ASIN: 1579550088
Date de publication: Août 1, 2002
Disponibilité: Habituellement expedie sous 24 h
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| Revues éditoriales:
Amazon.co.uk
Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram, sets his sights on a daunting goal: understanding the universe. A New Kind of Science is a gorgeous, 1,280-page tome more than a decade in the making. With patience, insight, and self-confidence to spare, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modelling complex systems. On the frontier of complexity science since he was a boy, Wolfram is a champion of cellular automata--256 "programs" governed by simple non-mathematical rules. He points out that even the most complex equations fail to accurately model biological systems, but the simplest cellular automata can produce results straight out of nature--tree branches, stream eddies, and leopard spots, for instance. The graphics in A New Kind of Science show striking resemblance to the patterns we see in nature every day. Wolfram wrote the book in a distinct style meant to make it easy to read, even for non-techies; a basic familiarity with logic is helpful but not essential. Readers will find themselves swept away by the elegant simplicity of Wolfram's ideas and the accidental artistry of the cellular automaton models. Whether or not Wolfram's revolution ultimately gives us the keys to the universe, his new science is absolutely awe-inspiring. --Therese Littleton
Amazon.com
Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram, whose Mathematica computer language launched a multimillion-dollar company, now sets his sights on a more daunting goal: understanding the universe. Wolfram lets the world see his work in A New Kind of Science, a gorgeous, 1,280-page tome more than a decade in the making. With patience, insight, and self-confidence to spare, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modeling complex systems. On the frontier of complexity science since he was a boy, Wolfram is a champion of cellular automata--256 "programs" governed by simple nonmathematical rules. He points out that even the most complex equations fail to accurately model biological systems, but the simplest cellular automata can produce results straight out of nature--tree branches, stream eddies, and leopard spots, for instance. The graphics in A New Kind of Science show striking resemblance to the patterns we see in nature every day. Wolfram wrote the book in a distinct style meant to make it easy to read, even for nontechies; a basic familiarity with logic is helpful but not essential. Readers will find themselves swept away by the elegant simplicity of Wolfram's ideas and the accidental artistry of the cellular automaton models. Whether or not Wolfram's revolution ultimately gives us the keys to the universe, his new science is absolutely awe-inspiring. --Therese Littleton
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| Commentaires des clients:
 Une arnaque scientifique Décembre 2, 2003
10 sur 14 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile
Wolfram vit depuis des annees reclus de la communaute scientifique et pretend dans ce livre fonder "a new kind of science". Le moins que l'on puisse dire est que le pari est loin d'etre atteint. Certes les idees sous jacentes semblent attrayantes- et d'ailleurs la plupart sont ne sont pas de l'auteur-, mais ce livre ressemble davantage a un catalogue de programmes, destines selon l'auteur a servir de briques de base a une nouvelle interpretation de sciences aussi diverses que la physique ou la biologie. On a parfois l'impression que l'auteur s'est laisse abuse par ses algorithmes Mathematica (programme qu'il a concu) et qu'il a oublie qu'un scientifique ne peut se contenter d'observer: il doit aussi comprendre et eventuellement generaliser ses observations. On voit mal ce que ce (long) catalogue pourrait apporter a la science en general, faute de discussions scientifiques precises et argumentees au-dela du simple constat. C'est la que se situe a mon sens toute la pretention (dans le mauvais sens du terme) de ce livre : pretendre expliquer des principes generaux profonds tels que le second principe de la thermodynamique par une vague analogie avec les comportements de certains programmes est totalement injustifie d'un point de vue scientifique. Mon ecoeurement est a la mesure de l'attente qu'avait suscite en moi ce livre...
 Why take sides! Juillet 6, 2003
Palle E T Jorgensen (Iowa City, Iowa United States)
8 sur 10 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile
I can't really assign stars: Five would be as meaningful as one. It is hard to know what to say about the book, and many reviews have been negative, some extremely so. Yet for a science book, its amazon sales ranking is very good indeed. The book generated several scholarly reviews in major math and science journals, but the reviewers couldn't agree on what the book is about, so I will not try to characterize it is a one-paragraph review. Wolfram tries to identify a simple idea that unifies major trends in science. Many reviewers say that the idea is not original,--- that it is far from new, and that Wolfram doesn't achieve his goal. Judge for yourself. Parts of the book read well, and other parts tend to rant, making it hard to see what the gist of the argument is. The camps of readers and reviewers are very divided. I would say, 'Why take sides!' To me, the book and the many reviews are fun to read, and they generated a lot of discussion. More than what can be said about most math books. So that was reason enough for me to buy the book. Very few of my colleagues will admit to having bought it, even if asked. Some positive features of Wolfram's book. * Opinionated discussions of points of history of science. * It is rare to get a book from a scientist which is personal, but I don't see what is wrong with it. You don't have to agree with the author. Actually, I don't but I had fun reading several parts of the book. * The book is about ideas rather than formulas... --- To no one's surprise, the two Spotlight Reviews on amazon are flaming, devastating, and perhaps over the top...etc etc. The book itself has a lot more negative reviews than positives, not only on the amazon product page, and it seems to have inspired a cult of haters. I am neutral in this flaming war, but the book does have lots of weak points, I should say. No question about it. Its positives shouldn't get completely buried.
 Il faut que les gens qui s'interressent a la sci le lisent Juin 8, 2002
Zheng Cheng (Boston, MA USA)
1 sur 88 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile
Nous sommes dans une ere ou la libre circulation d'information est possible, la science devient plus proche de notre quoditiente. Voici un livre ambitieux qui pourrait revolutionner notre vision du monde. J'ai commande A New Kind Of Science y a 2 semaines, pas encore lu, mais je suis sur que ce livre contient des choses tres interessantes. Achetez le!
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