1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910790180203321

Autore

Ball Philip <1962->

Titolo

Nature's patterns : a tapestry in three parts Flow / / Philip Ball

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford : , : Oxford University Press, , 2009

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (190 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

500.201185

Soggetti

Chaotic behavior in systems

Pattern formation (Biology)

Pattern formation (Physical sciences)

Physical Sciences & Mathematics

Sciences - General

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

The Man Who Loved Fluids: Leonardo's Legacy -- Patterns Downstream: Ordered Flows -- On a Roll: How Convection Shapes the World -- Riddle of the Dunes: When Grains Get Together -- Follow Your Neighbour: Flocks, Swarms and Crowds -- Into the Maelstrom: The Trouble With Turbulence.

Sommario/riassunto

From the swirl of a wisp of smoke to eddies in rivers, and the huge persistent storm system that is the Great Spot on Jupiter, we see similar forms and patterns wherever there is flow - whether the movement of wind, water, sand, or flocks of birds. It is the complex dynamics of flow that structures our atmosphere, land, and oceans.Part of a trilogy of books exploring the science of patterns in nature by acclaimed science writer Philip Ball, this volume explores the elusive rules that govern flow - the science of chaotic behaviour.