Randomness and Realism
Author : John W. Fowler
Publisher :
Page : 536 pages
File Size : 12,38 MB
Release : 2021
Category : Electronic books
ISBN : 9789811243479
Author : John W. Fowler
Publisher :
Page : 536 pages
File Size : 12,38 MB
Release : 2021
Category : Electronic books
ISBN : 9789811243479
Author : John W Fowler
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 536 pages
File Size : 14,54 MB
Release : 2021-07-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9811243484
Randomness is an active element relevant to all scientific activities. The book explores the way in which randomness suffuses the human experience, starting with everyday chance events, followed by developments into modern probability theory, statistical mechanics, scientific data analysis, quantum mechanics, and quantum gravity. An accessible introduction to these theories is provided as a basis for going into deeper topics.Fowler unveils the influence of randomness in the two pillars of science, measurement and theory. Some emphasis is placed on the need and methods for optimal characterization of uncertainty. An example of the cost of neglecting this is the St. Petersburg Paradox, a theoretical game of chance with an infinite expected payoff value. The role of randomness in quantum mechanics reveals another particularly interesting finding: that in order for the physical universe to function as it does and permit conscious beings within it to enjoy sanity, irreducible randomness is necessary at the quantum level.The book employs a certain level of mathematics to describe physical reality in a more precise way that avoids the tendency of nonmathematical descriptions to be occasionally misleading. Thus, it is most readily digested by young students who have taken at least a class in introductory calculus, or professional scientists and engineers curious about the book's topics as a result of hearing about them in popular media. Readers not inclined to savor equations should be able to skip certain technical sections without losing the general flow of ideas. Still, it is hoped that even readers who usually avoid equations will give those within these pages a chance, as they may be surprised at how potentially foreboding concepts fall into line when one makes a legitimate attempt to follow a succession of mathematical implications.
Author : John Fowler
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 38,27 MB
Release : 2020-08
Category :
ISBN : 9781792346521
Author : Anastasios A. Tsonis
Publisher : Imperial College Press
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 35,2 MB
Release : 2008
Category : Mathematics
ISBN : 1848161980
This unique book explores the definition, sources and role of randomness. A joyful discussion with many non-mathematical and mathematical examples leads to the identification of three sources of randomness: randomness due to irreversibility which inhibits us from extracting whatever rules may underlie a process, randomness due to our inability to have infinite power (chaos), and randomness due to many interacting systems. Here, all sources are found to have something in common: infinity. The discussion then moves to the physical system (our universe). Through the quantum mechanical character of small scales, the second law of thermodynamics and chaos, randomness is shown to be an intrinsic property of nature - this is consistent with the three sources of randomness identified above. Finally, an explanation is given as to why rules and randomness cannot exist by themselves, but instead have to coexist. Many examples are presented, ranging from pure mathematical to natural and social processes, that clearly demonstrate how the combination of rules and randomness produces the world we live in.
Author : Tanya Bub
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 19,92 MB
Release : 2018-08-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 140089039X
An eccentric comic about the central mystery of quantum mechanics Totally Random is a comic for the serious reader who wants to really understand the central mystery of quantum mechanics--entanglement: what it is, what it means, and what you can do with it. Measure two entangled particles separately, and the outcomes are totally random. But compare the outcomes, and the particles seem as if they are instantaneously influencing each other at a distance—even if they are light-years apart. This, in a nutshell, is entanglement, and if it seems weird, then this book is for you. Totally Random is a graphic experiential narrative that unpacks the deep and insidious significance of the curious correlation between entangled particles to deliver a gut-feel glimpse of a world that is not what it seems. See for yourself how entanglement has led some of the greatest thinkers of our time to talk about crazy-sounding stuff like faster-than-light signaling, many worlds, and cats that are both dead and alive. Find out why it remains one of science's most paradigm-shaking discoveries. Join Niels Bohr's therapy session with the likes of Einstein, Schrödinger, and other luminaries and let go of your commonsense notion of how the world works. Use your new understanding of entanglement to do the seemingly impossible, like beat the odds in the quantum casino, or quantum encrypt a message to evade the Sphinx's all-seeing eye. But look out, or you might just get teleported back to the beginning of the book! A fresh and subversive look at our quantum world with some seriously funny stuff, Totally Random delivers a real understanding of entanglement that will completely change the way you think about the nature of physical reality.
Author : Igor I. Gorban
Publisher : Springer
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 22,67 MB
Release : 2018-08-11
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9783319869315
The monograph compares two approaches that describe the statistical stability phenomenon – one proposed by the probability theory that ignores violations of statistical stability and another proposed by the theory of hyper-random phenomena that takes these violations into account. There are five parts. The first describes the phenomenon of statistical stability. The second outlines the mathematical foundations of probability theory. The third develops methods for detecting violations of statistical stability and presents the results of experimental research on actual processes of different physical nature that demonstrate the violations of statistical stability over broad observation intervals. The fourth part outlines the mathematical foundations of the theory of hyper-random phenomena. The fifth part discusses the problem of how to provide an adequate description of the world. The monograph should be interest to a wide readership: from university students on a first course majoring in physics, engineering, and mathematics to engineers, post-graduate students, and scientists carrying out research on the statistical laws of natural physical phenomena, developing and using statistical methods for high-precision measurement, prediction, and signal processing over broad observation intervals. To read the book, it is sufficient to be familiar with a standard first university course on mathematics.
Author :
Publisher :
Page : 64 pages
File Size : 22,55 MB
Release : 1955-04
Category :
ISBN :
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is the premier public resource on scientific and technological developments that impact global security. Founded by Manhattan Project Scientists, the Bulletin's iconic "Doomsday Clock" stimulates solutions for a safer world.
Author : Karl Svozil
Publisher :
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 21,99 MB
Release : 2020-10-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781013269837
This book addresses the physical phenomenon of events that seem to occur spontaneously and without any known cause. These are to be contrasted with events that happen in a (pre-)determined, predictable, lawful, and causal way.All our knowledge is based on self-reflexive theorizing, as well as on operational means of empirical perception. Some of the questions that arise are the following: are these limitations reflected by our models? Under what circumstances does chance kick in? Is chance in physics merely epistemic? In other words, do we simply not know enough, or use too crude levels of description for our predictions? Or are certain events "truly", that is, irreducibly, random? The book tries to answer some of these questions by introducing intrinsic, embedded observers and provable unknowns; that is, observables and procedures which are certified (relative to the assumptions) to be unknowable or undoable. A (somewhat iconoclastic) review of quantum mechanics is presented which is inspired by quantum logic. Postulated quantum (un-)knowables are reviewed. More exotic unknowns originate in the assumption of classical continua, and in finite automata and generalized urn models, which mimic complementarity and yet maintain value definiteness. Traditional conceptions of free will, miracles and dualistic interfaces are based on gaps in an otherwise deterministic universe. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.
Author :
Publisher :
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 13,51 MB
Release : 1992-05
Category :
ISBN :
Author : Ryan Hurd
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 707 pages
File Size : 39,7 MB
Release : 2014-07-29
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN :
In this fascinating new collection, an all-star team of researchers explores lucid dreaming not only as consciousness during sleep but also as a powerful ability cultivated by artists, scientists, and shamans alike to achieve a variety of purposes and outcomes in the dream. The first set of its kind, Lucid Dreaming: New Perspectives on Consciousness in Sleep provides a comprehensive showcase of the theories, research, and direct experience that serve to illuminate how certain people can maintain conscious awareness while dreaming. The text is organized into two sections, covering science, psychology, and education; and religious traditions, creativity, and culture. Contributors to this two-volume work include top dream experts across the globe—scholars sharing knowledge gained from deep personal explorations and cutting-edge scientific investigations. Topics covered include the neuroscience of lucid dreaming, clinical uses of lucid dreaming in treating trauma, the secret history of lucid dreaming in English philosophy, and spiritual practices of lucid dreaming in Islam, Buddhism, and shamanic traditions. The work also addresses lucid dreaming in movies including The Matrix and literature such as the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien and explains how modern video gaming enhances lucidity. This set serves as an ideal text and reference work for school libraries and academic courses in anthropology, psychology, religious studies, and cognitive science as well as for graduate-level study in holistic education—an increasingly popular specialization.