Springer From Newton to Mandelbrot: A Primer in Theoretical Physics (Graduate Texts in Physics)

This textbook takes the reader on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, as well as the most modern and exciting of all: elementary particles and the physics of fractals. The second edition has been supplemented with a new chapter devoted to concise though complete presentation of dynamical systems, bifurcations and chaos theory. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, presenting all the central concepts and equations at an accessible level. Chapters 1 to 4 contain the standard material of courses in theoretical physics and are supposed to accompany lectures at the university; thus they are rather condensed. They are supposed to fill one year of teaching. Chapters 5 and 6, in contrast, are written less condensed since this material may not be part of standard lectures and thus could be studied without the help of a university teacher. An appendix on elementary particles lies somewhere in between: It could be a summary of a much more detailed course, or studied without such a course. Illustrations and numerous problems round off this unusual textbook. It will ideally accompany the students all along their course in theoretical physics and prove indispensable in preparing and revising the exams. It is also suited as a reference for teachers or scientists from other disciplines who are interested in the topic. From the Back Cover This textbook takes the reader on a tour of the most important landmarks of theoretical physics: classical, quantum, and statistical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics, as well as the most modern and exciting of all: elementary particles and the physics of fractals. The second edition has been supplemented with a new chapter devoted to concise though complete presentation of dynamical systems, bifurcations and chaos theory. The treatment is confined to the essentials of each area, presenting all the central concepts and equations at an accessible level. Chapters 1 to 4 contain the standard material of courses in theoretical physics and are supposed to accompany lectures at the university; thus they are rather condensed. They are supposed to fill one year of teaching. Chapters 5 and 6, in contrast, are written less condensed since this material may not be part of standard lectures and thus could be studied without the help of a university teacher. An appendix on elementary particles lies somewhere in between: It could be a summary of a much more detailed course, or studied without such a course. Illustrations and numerous problems round off this unusual textbook. It will ideally accompany the students all along their course in theoretical physics and prove indispensable in preparing and revising the exams. It is also suited as a reference for teachers or scientists from other disciplines who are interested in the topic. About the Author CV of D. Stauffer 1980/81 Guest Professor in Marseille, France 1985 Humboldt Prize for French-German Scientific Cooperation 1987 James Chair Professor; Canada 1988-90 first manager of many-body research group at German Supercomputer Center HLRZ Julich 1993/94 first Canada-Germany Research Awardee; spends one year in Antigonish 1994 and 1996 Guest professor at UFF, Niteroi, Brazil; 2000/2001 and 2005, sabbatical there 1999 French-German Kastler-Genter physics prize 1999 Foreign member of Brazilian Academy of Sciences 1999 Prize of Polish Education Minister 2004/6 Honorary doctorate, Université de Liege, Belgium 1990-2002 Member of Senate teaching committee, Cologne University; coordinated 13 curricula in the sciences in 1994/96. 1990-96 Member of Computational Physics Board, European Physical Society Edited Annual Reviews of Computational Physics, World Scientific, Singapore Past or present member of editorial board for : J.Aerosol Sci., J.Stat.Phys., J.Phys.A., J.Physique, Physica A, Physics World, Com