From Cosmos to Chaos

The Science of Unpredictability
Erscheinungsjahr 2010
ISBN: 978-0-19-958814-5
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten, Format (B × H): 138 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 314 g

Cosmology has undergone a revolution in recent years. The exciting interplay between astronomy and fundamental physics has led to dramatic revelations, including the existence of the dark matter and the dark energy that appear to dominate our cosmos. But these discoveries only reveal themselves through small effects in noisy experimental data. Dealing with such observations requires the careful application of probability and statistics.

But it is not only in the arcane world of fundamental physics that probability theory plays such an important role. It has an impact in many aspects of our everyday life, from the law courts to the lottery.

Why then do so few people understand probability? And why do so few people understand why it is so important for science? Why do so many people think that science is about absolute certainty when, at its core, it is actually dominated by uncertainty?

This book attempts to explain the basics of probability theory, and illustrate their application across the entire spectrum of science.

Zielgruppe

Graduates, researchers and professionals accross physics, astrophysics, statistics and cosmology. General readers interested in science or probability.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Coles, Peter

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Kosmologie, Urknalltheorie
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Angewandte Physik Statistische Physik, Dynamische Systeme

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1: Probable Nature
2: The Logic of Uncertainty
3: Lies, Damned Lies, and Astronomy
4: Bayesians Versus Frequentists
5: Randomness
6: From Engines and Entropy
7: Quantum Roulette
8: Believing the Big Bang
9: Cosmos and Its Discontents
10: Life, the Universe and Everything
11: Summing Up

Über Autor(innen)

Professor Peter Coles is Chair in Theoretical Astrophysics at Cardiff University, UK.