statman's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting topic if you've never heard of chaos. Has some beautiful pictures of patterns. It can be a little bit tough to follow as the topic is not an easy one to get.
wwatts1734's review against another edition
4.0
Many of us have heard of Chaos Theory without really understanding what it is. It seems to be the stuff of rocket scientists, far beyond the grasp of ordinary men, the non-theoretical physicists. But in this book, Gleick makes Chaos Theory accessible to the ordinary, mere mortal reader. Not only does he explain what it is, but he traces the origins of it from its beginnings as an aide to meteorological theory to fractal geometry and into its applications in the world of economics and finance. It certainly is a great ride.
Chaos theory is not so much a science as it is a paradigm of science. It seeks to explain phenomena that seem to be random but in fact may be the result of very complicated non-linear forces that are difficult to model and identify. Gleick takes the reader through the explanations of sensitivity to initial conditions, ie the "butterfly flapping its wings" phenomenon. He explains fractal geometry, and how non-linear forces can be modeled using odd shapes and complicated patterns. He talks about the complicated mathematical techniques that must be harvested in order to understand the processes inherent to Chaos. But he does all this in a way that a non-technical reader can understand, almost like a scientific detective novel. By the end, the reader actually feels as though he can explain Chaos Theory to bewildered friends.
Chaos Theory was extremely influencial back in the late 1980s and early 1990s when this book was written. Entire sciences were being reworked to accommodate it, and fractal geometry was even getting attention in the art world. What ever happened to Chaos Theory since 2000? Perhaps its tenets are so accepted that it is now a given in many fields and no longer an exciting research opportunity. Perhaps it is because of this fadishness that I would have to rate this book with less than 5 stars. However, if you are fascinated by science and in for a good scientific thriller, you will find this book to be enjoyable.
Chaos theory is not so much a science as it is a paradigm of science. It seeks to explain phenomena that seem to be random but in fact may be the result of very complicated non-linear forces that are difficult to model and identify. Gleick takes the reader through the explanations of sensitivity to initial conditions, ie the "butterfly flapping its wings" phenomenon. He explains fractal geometry, and how non-linear forces can be modeled using odd shapes and complicated patterns. He talks about the complicated mathematical techniques that must be harvested in order to understand the processes inherent to Chaos. But he does all this in a way that a non-technical reader can understand, almost like a scientific detective novel. By the end, the reader actually feels as though he can explain Chaos Theory to bewildered friends.
Chaos Theory was extremely influencial back in the late 1980s and early 1990s when this book was written. Entire sciences were being reworked to accommodate it, and fractal geometry was even getting attention in the art world. What ever happened to Chaos Theory since 2000? Perhaps its tenets are so accepted that it is now a given in many fields and no longer an exciting research opportunity. Perhaps it is because of this fadishness that I would have to rate this book with less than 5 stars. However, if you are fascinated by science and in for a good scientific thriller, you will find this book to be enjoyable.
anadantas's review against another edition
5.0
É muito didático como ele mostra cada pesquisador isolado encontrando as bases do caos em áreas completamente diferentes, e depois que esses pesquisadores começam a se encontrar, ler os trabalhos uns dos outros... fica até emocionante. Dava para fazer um seriado haha. É uma leitura gostosa e útil para quem quer conhecer a área.
bookclubtrivia's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like people who work in math/science would enjoy this more than I did. It has some great insights and cool history, but was just kind of slow to get through.
benjamin_manning's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Gleick's other book on Feynman, but this didn't do it as much for me. It was too much in that middle ground of science writing that kind of explained what went on, but made me wanting the details more. If someone wants what I think is. REALLY good book about the beginnings of complexity science and the Santa Fe institute, I would suggest, Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos. It was sooooo good albeit I didn't review as it was before I started reviewing books this winter.
A few things I learned/thought about:
1. I still can't define chaos despite having read several books about it; maybe the order of disorder? Or the the disorder of order? Problematic that both seem relevant.
2. The fundamental concept of entropy is so befuddling! How can randomness always be increasing, and yet life came to be and the earth came to be and we reproduce? Does that just mean the universe has finite energy, but since we are so small that it's practically infinite?
3. I'm thoroughly convinced that our education system needs to drop high school calculus, and instead switch to stats. However, I'm now also swayed that some practical geometry (not just proofs) would be a really important addition to people's knowledge base. The geometry of nature, I'm sure Jordan Ellenberg would agree!
A few things I learned/thought about:
1. I still can't define chaos despite having read several books about it; maybe the order of disorder? Or the the disorder of order? Problematic that both seem relevant.
2. The fundamental concept of entropy is so befuddling! How can randomness always be increasing, and yet life came to be and the earth came to be and we reproduce? Does that just mean the universe has finite energy, but since we are so small that it's practically infinite?
3. I'm thoroughly convinced that our education system needs to drop high school calculus, and instead switch to stats. However, I'm now also swayed that some practical geometry (not just proofs) would be a really important addition to people's knowledge base. The geometry of nature, I'm sure Jordan Ellenberg would agree!
the_count's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5