By 1949, the idea of duplicating human thought processes in a computer was starting to surface, as the outgrowth of code-breaking work done by Alan Turing and others in Britain during the Second World War. This ingenious work of speculative scientific fiction reconstructs what might have been said during the animated conversation flowing around Snow's rooms that fateful in Cambridge. The quintet's debate anticipates all of the basic questions which have surrounded artificial intelligence in the fifty years since. Can a machine think or merely process information? Is the brain simply a symbol-processing machine, as Turing suggests, and if so, what is the nature of meaning? Can there be, as Wittgenstein proposes, no thought without language, and no language without the social interaction of human beings?

The Cambridge Quintet: A Work of Scientific Speculation

Casti, John

Science & Math

ABACUS +

Praise for Five Golden Rules "Casti is one of the great science writers of the 1990s. . . . If you'd like to have fun while giving your brain a first-class workout, then check this book out."-Keay Davidson in the San Francisco Examiner. "Five Golden Rules is caviar for the inquiring reader. . . . There is joy here in watching the unfolding of these intricate and beautiful techniques. Casti's gift is to be able to let the nonmathematical reader share in his understanding of the beauty of a good theory." -Christian Science Monitor. "Merely knowing about the existence of some of these golden rules may spark new, interesting-maybe revolutionary-ideas in your mind." -Robert Matthews in New Scientist (United Kingdom). "This book has meat! It is solid fare, food for thought. Five Golden Rules makes math less forbidding and much more interesting." -Ben Bova in the Hartford Courant "With this groundbreaking work, John Casti shows himself to be a great mathematics writer. Five Golden Rules is a feast of rare new delights all made perfectly comprehensible." -Rudy Rucker, author of The Fourth Dimension. "With the lucid informality for which he has become known, John Casti has written an engaging and articulate examination of five great mathematical theorems and their myriad applications." -John Allen Paulos, author of A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper.

Five Golden Rules: Great Theories of 20th-Century Mathematics--and Why They Matter

Mathematics

wiley

Critical acclaim for John Casti's previous book 
"Five Golden Rules is caviar for the inquiring reader. Anyone who enjoyed solving math problems in high school will be able to follow the author's explanations, even if high school was a long time ago. There is joy here in watching the unfolding of these intricate and beautiful techniques. Casti's gift is to be able to let the nonmathematical reader share in his understanding of the beauty of a good theory."—Christian Science Monitor "[Five Golden Rules] ranges into exotic fields such as game theory (which played a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis) and topology (which explains how to turn a doughnut into a coffee cup, or vice versa). If you'd like to have fun while giving your brain a first-class workout, then check this book out."—San Francisco Examiner "Unlike many popularizations, [this book] is more than a tour d'horizon: it has the power to change the way you think. Merely knowing about the existence of some of these golden rules may spark new, interesting—maybe even revolutionary—ideas in your mind. And what more could you ask from a book?"—New Scientist "This book has meat! It is solid fare, food for thought . . . makes math less forbidding, and much more interesting."—Ben Bova, The Hartford Courant "This book turns math into beauty."—Colorado Daily "John Casti is one of the great science writers of the 1990s."—San Francisco Examiner In the ever-changing world of science, new instruments often lead to momentous discoveries that dramatically transform our understanding. Today, with the aid of a bold new instrument, scientists are embarking on a scientific revolution as profound as that inspired by Galileo's telescope. Out of the bits and bytes of computer memory, researchers are fashioning silicon surrogates of the real world—elaborate "artificial worlds"—that allow them to perform experiments that are too impractical, too costly, or, in some cases, too dangerous to do "in the flesh." From simulated tests of new drugs to models of the birth of planetary systems and galaxies to computerized petri dishes growing digital life forms, these laboratories of the future are the essential tools of a controversial new scientific method. This new method is founded not on direct observation and experiment but on the mapping of the universe from real space into cyberspace. There is a whole new science happening here—the science of simulation. The most exciting territory being mapped by artificial worlds is the exotic new frontier of "complex, adaptive systems." These systems involve living "agents" that continuously change their behavior in ways that make prediction and measurement by the old rules of science impossible—from environmental ecosystems to the system of a marketplace economy. Their exploration represents the horizon for discovery in the twenty-first century, and simulated worlds are charting the course. In Would-Be Worlds, acclaimed author John Casti takes readers on a fascinating excursion through a number of remarkable silicon microworlds and shows us how they are being used to formulate important new theories and to solve a host of practical problems. We visit Tierra, a "computerized terrarium" in which artificial life forms known as biomorphs grow and mutate, revealing new insights into natural selection and evolution. We play a game of Balance of Power, a simulation of the complex forces shaping geopolitics. And we take a drive through TRANSIMS, a model of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to discover the root causes of events like traffic jams and accidents. Along the way, Casti probes the answers to a host of profound questions these "would-be worlds" raise about the new science of simulation. If we can create worlds inside our computers at will, how real can we say they are? Will they unlock the most intractable secrets of our universe? Or will they reveal instead only the laws of an alternate reality? How "real" do these models need to be? And how real can they be? The answers to these questions are likely to change the face of scientific research forever.

Would-Be Worlds: How Simulation is Changing the Frontiers of Science

Computers & Technology

Computer Science

"Casti Tours offers the most spectacular vistas of modern applied mathematics" a Nature Mathematical modeling is about rulesa the rules of reality. Reality Rules explores the syntax and semantics of the language in which these rules are written, the language of mathematics. Characterized by the clarity and vision typical of the author's previous books, Reality Rules is a window onto the competing dialects of this languagea in the form of mathematical models of real-world phenomenaa that researchers use today to frame their views of reality. Moving from the irreducible basics of modeling to the upper reaches of scientific and philosophical speculation, Volumes 1 and 2, The Fundamentals and The Frontier, are ideal complements, equally matched in difficulty, yet unique in their coverage of issues central to the contemporary modeling of complex systems. Engagingly written and handsomely illustrated, Reality Rules is a fascinating journey into the conceptual underpinnings of reality itself, one that examines the major themes in dynamical system theory and modeling and the issues related to mathematical models in the broader contexts of science and philosophy. Far-reaching and far-sighted, Reality Rules is destined to shape the insight and work of students, researchers, and scholars in mathematics, science, and the social sciences for generations to come. Of related interest . . . ALTERNATE REALITIES Mathematical Models of Nature and Man John L. Casti A thoroughly modern account of the theory and practice of mathematical modeling with a treatment focusing on system-theoretic concepts such as complexity, self-organization, adaptation, bifurcation, resilience, surprise and uncertainty, and the mathematical structures needed to employ these in a formal system. An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all the problems in the book is available from the Wiley editorial department.

Reality Rules, The Fundamentals (Reality Rules, Volume 1)

Wiley-Interscience

"Casti Tours offers the most spectacular vistas of modern appliedmathematics."-- Nature Mathematical modeling is about rules--the rules of reality. RealityRules explores the syntax and semantics of the language in whichthese rules are written, the language of mathematics. Characterizedby the clarity and vision typical of the author's previous books,Reality Rules is a window onto the competing dialects of thislanguage--in the form of mathematical models of real-worldphenomena--that researchers use today to frame their views ofreality. Moving from the irreducible basics of modeling to the upper reachesof scientific and philosophical speculation, Volumes 1 and 2, TheFundamentals and The Frontier, are ideal complements, equallymatched in difficulty, yet unique in their coverage of issuescentral to the contemporary modeling of complex systems. Engagingly written and handsomely illustrated, Reality Rules is afascinating journey into the conceptual underpinnings of realityitself, one that examines the major themes in dynamical systemtheory and modeling and the issues related to mathematical modelsin the broader contexts of science and philosophy. Far-reaching andfar-sighted, Reality Rules is destined to shape the insight andwork of students, researchers, and scholars in mathematics,science, and the social sciences for generations to come. Of related interest . . . ALTERNATE REALITIES Mathematical Models of Nature and Man John L. Casti A thoroughly modern account of the theory and practice ofmathematical modeling with a treatment focusing on system-theoreticconcepts such as complexity, self-organization, adaptation,bifurcation, resilience, surprise and uncertainty, and themathematical structures needed to employ these in a formalsystem. 1989 0-471-61842-X 493pp.

Reality Rules, The Frontier (Reality Rules, Volume 2)

This Set contains: Reality Rules, Picturing the World in Mathematics, Volume 1, The Fundamentals by John Casti; Reality Rules, Picturing the World in Mathematics, Volume 2, The Frontier by John Casti

Reality Rules, Set

Astronomy & Space Science

"Casti is one of the great science writers." -San Francisco Examiner "Casti's gift is to be able to let the nonmathematical reader share in his understanding of the beauty of a good theory." -Christian Science Monitor Following up the acclaimed Five Golden Rules, another quintet of gleaming math discoveries With Five More Golden Rules, readers are treated to another fascinating set of theoretical gems from acclaimed popular science author John Casti. Injecting all-new ingredients into his trademark recipe of real-world examples, historical anecdotes, and straightforward explanations, Casti once again brings math to thrilling life. All who enjoyed the unique pleasures of the original will love this follow-up survey highlighting the creme de la creme of math in the last century. Explores how knot theory informs the classic tale of Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot * Considers how the Shannon Coding Theory applies to decoding the human genome John L. Casti, PhD (Santa Fe, NM), a resident member of the Santa Fe Institute, is a professor at the Technical University of Vienna and the author of Would-Be Worlds (Wiley) and Cambridge Quintet.

Five More Golden Rules: Knots, Codes, Chaos and Other Great Theories of 20th-Century Mathematics

Business & Money

Casti Five More Golden Rules

History

John Wiley&Sons

This Set contains: Reality Rules, Picturing the World in Mathematics, Volume 1, The Fundamentals by John Casti; Reality Rules, Picturing the World in Mathematics, Volume 2, The Frontier by John Casti

Reality Rules, 2 Volume Set

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Casti, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Casti, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Casti, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Cambridge Quintet: A Work of Scientific Speculation

Five Golden Rules: Great Theories of 20th-Century Mathematics--and Why They Matter

Would-Be Worlds: How Simulation is Changing the Frontiers of Science

Reality Rules, The Fundamentals (Reality Rules, Volume 1)

Reality Rules, The Frontier (Reality Rules, Volume 2)

Reality Rules, Set

Five Golden Rules: Great Theories of 20th-Century Mathematics--and Why They Matter

Five More Golden Rules: Knots, Codes, Chaos and Other Great Theories of 20th-Century Mathematics

Casti Five More Golden Rules

Reality Rules, 2 Volume Set