Does God Play Dice: The New Mathematics of Chaos is a non-fiction book about chaos theory written by British mathematician Ian Stewart. The book was initially published by Blackwell Publishing in 1989.
Summary
In this book, Stewart explains chaos theory to an audience presumably unfamiliar with it. As the book progresses the writing changes from simple explanations of chaos theory to in-depth, rigorous mathematical study. Stewart covers mathematical concepts such as differential equations, resonance, nonlinear dynamics, and probability. The book is illustrated with diagrams and graphs of mathematical concepts and equations when applicable.
The back of the book, and a summary of its content, reads, "The science of chaos is forcing scientists to rethink Einstein's fundamental assumptions regarding the way the universe behaves. Chaos theory has already shown that simple systems, obeying precise laws, can nevertheless act in a random manner. Perhaps God plays dice within a cosmic game of complete law and order. Does God Play Dice? reveals a strange universe in which nothing may be as it seems. Familiar geometric shapes such as circles and ellipses give way to infinitely complex structures known as fractals, the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can change the weather, and the gravitational attraction of a creature in a distant galaxy can change the fate of the solar system."
The title of the book is a reference to a famous quote by Albert Einstein.
Book
Ian Stewart: Does God Play Dice: The New Mathematics of Chaos, Blackwell Publishing, 1989, ISBN 978-0-631-23251-3
References
Percival, Ian (July 1989), "The order in chaos (review of Does God Play Dice?, Blackwell, 1989)", New Scientist
Dembart, Lee (October 31, 1989), "Mathematician's journey into the regions of chaos (review of Does God Play Dice?, Blackwell, 1989)", Los Angeles Times
Richardson, W. P. (December 1989), "Review of Does God Play Dice? (Blackwell, 1989)", The Mathematical Gazette, 73 (466): 360–361, doi:10.2307/3619343, JSTOR 3619343
Joel, J. S. (1990), "Review of Does God Play Dice? (Blackwell, 1989)", Mathematical Reviews and zbMATH, MR 0997093, Zbl 0717.00001
Pickover, Clifford A. (1990), "Review of Does God Play Dice? (Blackwell, 1989)", Leonardo, 23 (2–3): 323, doi:10.2307/1578633, JSTOR 1578633
"Review of Does God Play Dice? (Blackwell, 1989)", Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 11 (3): 178–179, June 1991, doi:10.1177/027046769101100311
Lord, Nick (October 1990), "Review of Does God Play Dice? (Penguin, 1990)", The Mathematical Gazette, 74 (469): 334–334, doi:10.1017/s0025557200147436
Holmes, Philip (December 2002), "Review of Does God Play Dice? (2nd ed., Blackwell, 2002) and What Shape Is a Snowflake? (W. H. Freeman, 2002)" (PDF), Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 49 (11): 1392–1396
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