Mathematics And The Natural Sciences: The Physical Singularity Of Life

Mathematics And The Natural Sciences: The Physical Singularity Of Life
Author: Giuseppe Longo
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2011-03-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1908977795

This book identifies the organizing concepts of physical and biological phenomena by an analysis of the foundations of mathematics and physics. Our aim is to propose a dialog between different conceptual universes and thus to provide a unification of phenomena. The role of “order” and symmetries in the foundations of mathematics is linked to the main invariants and principles, among them the geodesic principle (a consequence of symmetries), which govern and confer unity to various physical theories. Moreover, an attempt is made to understand causal structures, a central element of physical intelligibility, in terms of both symmetries and symmetry breakings. A distinction between the principles of (conceptual) construction and of proofs, both in physics and in mathematics, guides most of the work.The importance of mathematical tools is also highlighted to clarify differences in the models for physics and biology that are proposed by continuous and discrete mathematics, such as computational simulations.Since biology is particularly complex and not as well understood at a theoretical level, we propose a “unification by concepts” which in any case should precede mathematization. This constitutes an outline for unification also based on highlighting conceptual differences, complex points of passage and technical irreducibilities of one field to another. Indeed, we suppose here a very common monist point of view, namely the view that living objects are “big bags of molecules”. The main question though is to understand which “theory” can help better understand these bags of molecules. They are, indeed, rather “singular”, from the physical point of view. Technically, we express this singularity through the concept of “extended criticality”, which provides a logical extension of the critical transitions that are known in physics. The presentation is mostly kept at an informal and conceptual level./a

The Natural Sciences

The Natural Sciences
Author: John A. Bloom
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2015-02-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433539381

Whether it’s widely promoted debates streamed over the internet or a big-budget documentary series on TV, the supposed “conflict” between science and faith remains as prominent as ever. In this accessible guide for students, a well-regarded science professor introduces readers to the natural sciences from a distinctly Christian perspective. Starting with the classical view of God as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, this book lays the biblical foundation for the study of the natural world and explores the history of scientific reflection from Kepler to Darwin. This informative resource argues that the Christian worldview provides the best grounds for scientific investigation, offering readers the framework they need to think and speak clearly about this important issue.

Language, Syntax, and the Natural Sciences

Language, Syntax, and the Natural Sciences
Author: Ángel J. Gallego
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2018-10-18
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1107152941

An exploration of human language from the perspective of the natural sciences, this outstanding book brings together leading specialists to discuss the scientific connection of language to disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.

Applied Factor Analysis in the Natural Sciences

Applied Factor Analysis in the Natural Sciences
Author: Richard A. Reyment
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 388
Release: 1996-09-28
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780521575560

This graduate-level text aims to introduce students of the natural sciences to the powerful technique of factor analysis and to provide them with the background necessary to be able to undertake analyses on their own. A thoroughly updated and expanded version of the authors' successful textbook on geological factor analysis, this book draws on examples from botany, zoology, ecology, and oceanography, as well as geology. Applied multivariate statistics has grown into a research area of almost unlimited potential in the natural sciences. The methods introduced in this book, such as classical principal components, principal component factor analysis, principal coordinate analysis, and correspondence analysis, can reduce masses of data to manageable and interpretable form. Q-mode and Q-R-mode methods are also presented. Special attention is given to methods of robust estimation and the identification of atypical and influential observations. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on application rather than theory.

Critical Phenomena in Natural Sciences

Critical Phenomena in Natural Sciences
Author: Didier Sornette
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 366204174X

A modern up-to-date introduction for readers outside statistical physics. It puts emphasis on a clear understanding of concepts and methods and provides the tools that can be of immediate use in applications.

Revealed Sciences

Revealed Sciences
Author: Justin K. Stearns
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2021-07-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107065577

Provides a detailed overview of the place of the natural sciences in the scholarly and educational landscape of Early Modern Morocco, this study challenges previous negative depictions of the natural sciences in the Muslim world to demonstrate the vibrancy of an Early Modern Muslim society in seventeenth-century Morocco.

The Laboratory of the Mind

The Laboratory of the Mind
Author: James Robert Brown
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2005-09-26
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134865791

Thought experiments are performed in the laboratory of the mind. Beyond this metaphor it is difficult to say just what these remarkable devices for investigating nature are or how they work. Though most scientists and philosophers would admit their great importance, there has been very little serious study of them. This volume is the first book-length investigation of thought experiments. Starting with Galileo's argument on falling bodies, Brown describes numerous examples of the most influential thought experiments from the history of science. Following this introduction to the subject, some substantial and provocative claims are made, the principle being that some thought experiments should be understood in the same way that platonists understand mathematical activity: as an intellectual grasp of an independently existing abstract realm. With its clarity of style and structure, The Laboratory of the Mind will find readers among all philosophers of science as well as scientists who have puzzled over how thought experiments work.

CLEP® Natural Sciences Book + Online

CLEP® Natural Sciences Book + Online
Author: Laurie Ann Callihan, Ph.D
Publisher: Research & Education Assoc.
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2016-06-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0738612073

Earn College Credit with REA's Test Prep for CLEP® Natural Sciences There are many different ways to prepare for the CLEP® Natural Sciences exam. What's best for you depends on how much time you have to study and how comfortable you are with the subject matter. Our test prep for CLEP® Natural Sciences and the free online tools that come with it, will allow you to create a personalized CLEP® study plan that can be customized to fit you: your schedule, your learning style, and your current level of knowledge. Here's how it works: Diagnostic exam at the REA Study Center focuses your study Our online diagnostic exam pinpoints your strengths and shows you exactly where you need to focus your study. Armed with this information, you can personalize your prep and review where you need it the most. Most complete subject review for CLEP® Natural Sciences Written by a science teacher, our CLEP® Natural Sciences test prep features an in-depth review of Biological Science and Physical Science. It covers all the topics found on the official CLEP® exam that you need to know: origin and evolution of life; cell organization; structure, function, and development in organisms; population biology; atomic and nuclear structure and properties; heat, thermodynamics, and states of matter; electricity and magnetism; the universe, and more. The review also includes a glossary of must-know terms. Two full-length practice exams The online REA Study Center gives you two full-length practice tests and the most powerful scoring analysis and diagnostic tools available today. Instant score reports help you zero in on the CLEP® Natural Sciences topics that give you trouble now and show you how to arrive at the correct answer-so you'll be prepared on test day. Our CLEP® test preps are perfect for adults returning to college (or attending for the first time), military service members, high-school graduates looking to earn college credit, or home-schooled students with knowledge that can translate into college credit. REA is the acknowledged leader in CLEP® preparation, with the most extensive library of CLEP® titles available. Our test preps for CLEP® exams help you earn valuable college credit, save on tuition, and get a head start on your college degree. REA's CLEP® Natural Sciences test prep gives you everything you need to pass the exam and get the college credit you deserve!

The Uses of Experiment

The Uses of Experiment
Author: David Gooding
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 506
Release: 1989-05-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780521331852

Experiment is widely regarded as the most distinctive feature of natural science and essential to the way scientists find out about the world. Yet there has been little study of the way scientists actually make and use experiments. The Uses of Experiment fills this gap in our knowledge about how science is practised. Presenting 14 original case studies of important and often famous experiments, the book asks the questions: What tools do experimenters use? How do scientists argue from experiments? What happens when an experiment is challenged? How do scientists check that their experiments are working? Are there differences between experiments in the physical sciences and technology? Leading scholars in the fields of history, sociology and philosophy of science consider topics such as the interaction of experiment; instruments and theory; accuracy and reliability as hallmarks of experiment in science and technology; realising new phenomena; the believability of experiments and the sort of knowledge they produce; and the wider contexts on which experimentalists draw to develop and win support for their work. Drawing on examples as diverse as Galilean mechanics, Victorian experiments on electricity, experiments on cloud formation, and testing of nuclear missiles, a new view of experiment emerges. This view emphasises that experiments always involve choice, tactics and strategy in persuading audiences that Nature resembles the picture experimenters create.