Chaos exists in systems all around us. Even the simplest system of cause and effect can be subject to chaos, denying us accurate predictions of its behaviour, and sometimes giving rise to astonishing structures of large-scale order. Our growing understanding of Chaos Theory is having fascinating applications in the real world - from technology to global warming, politics, human behaviour, and even gambling on the stock market. Leonard Smith shows that we all have an intuitive understanding of chaotic systems. He uses accessible maths and physics (replacing complex equations with simple examples like pendulums, railway lines, and tossing coins) to explain the theory, and points to numerous examples in philosophy and literature (Edgar Allen Poe, Chang-Tzu, Arthur Conan Doyle) that illuminate the problems. The beauty of fractal patterns and their relation to chaos, as well as the history of chaos, and its uses in the real world and implications for the philosophy of science are all discussed in this Very Short Introduction. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Talk about chaos is pervasive. Biblical scholars, theologians, and scientists have been using the word chaos for some time, occasionally mingling ideas across disciplines around the shared word. Quite often, discussions of chaos center on the issues of creation's origin and nature, as well as on God's creative methods and relationship to creation. Eric M. Vail investigates the current uses of the word chaos in those areas. A new way of articulating creation out of nothing is offered as both helpful and appropriate in our current milieu. He suggests where we ought to focus our use of the word chaos in Christian discourse and argues that chaos is more fitting for naming where creation has gone awry rather than for naming that state out of which creation comes to be.

A celebration of a unique culture and its experience of design, this sensitive text is a timely examination of Japanese design at the start of a new century. The country's economic boom in the 1980s produced a surge of interest in land and building, and consequently in design in all its forms. From restaurant interiors to products, from private housing to recreational spaces, design received an unprecedented degree of attention. However the bursting in the early 1990s of this so-called 'bubble' economy has prompted a re-examination of design and its role in urban society.

The Nonlinear Workbook provides a comprehensive treatment of all the techniques in nonlinear dynamics together with C++, Java and SymbolicC++ implementations. The book not only covers the theoretical aspects of the topics but also provides the practical tools. To understand the material, more than 100 worked out examples and 150 ready to run programs are included. New topics added to the fifth edition are Langton's ant, chaotic data communication, self-controlling feedback, differential forms and optimization, T-norms and T-conorms with applications.

No detailed description available for "Chaos Bound".

Order on the Edge of Chaos answers the question: how do people today create and sustain order in their lives and in their groups?

This irreverent guide to chaos magic emphasizes experimentation and finding out what works best for you. Andrieh Vitimus presents a revolutionary hands-on course of study for the average Jane or Joe. Vitimus banishes the severe tone of other esoteric orders, offering an accessible and practical approach that makes it easier to perform successful chaos magic that is uniquely your own. Praise: "Andrieh Vitimus is the real deal...honest-to-gods, in-your-face magic. Hands-On Chaos Magic is just what it says, and the next best thing to working with the master himself."--Lon Milo DuQuette, author of The Magick of Aleister Crowley, Homemade Magick, and Low Magick "A must-have for any magician."-- Taylor Ellwood, author of Multi-Media Magic "Written with intelligence, experience, and a genuine desire to empower readers."--Raven Digitalis, author of Shadow Magick Compendium "A usable introduction to the concepts and practical techniques of chaos magic."--Donald Michael Kraig, author of Modern Magick "A well-considered and thorough contribution to the chaos magic current."--Dave Lee, author of Chaotopia

In Jesus and the Chaos of History, James Crossley looks at the way the earliest traditions about Jesus interacted with a context of social upheaval and the ways in which this historical chaos of the early first century led to a range of ideas which were taken up, modified, ignored, and reinterpreted in the movement that followed. Crossley examines how the earliest Palestinian tradition intersected with social upheaval and historical change and how accidental, purposeful, discontinuous, contradictory, and implicit meanings in the developments of ideas appeared in the movement that followed. He considers the ways seemingly egalitarian and countercultural ideas co-exist with ideas of dominance and power and how human reactions to socio-economic inequalities can end up mimicking dominant power. In this case, the book analyzes how a Galilean "protest" movement laid the foundations for its own brand of imperial rule. This evaluation is carried out in detailed studies on the kingdom of God and "Christology," "sinners" and purity, and gender and revolution.

Market globalization is changing the way companies do business. It is now necessary for businesses to use mergers, joint ventures, and research consortia if they want to stay competitive and increase returns. The problem is that venturing into such partnerships has a substantial failure rate. In many cases, failure is due to poor preparation, inability to manage conflict, and simply being overwhelmed by the complexity of the partnership issues. The Nature of Chaos in Business offers answers to why such partnerships fail and how successful partnerships can be fostered through the complexity and supposed chaos of the situation. Based on models of complexity formulated and studied at the esteemed Santa Fe Institute, this guide demonstrates how complexity in business, as in nature, eventually falls into patterns. Through the recognition and use of these patterns, today's businesses can leverage each other's strengths into powerful alliances. The Nature of Chaos in Business is a fascinating, cutting-edge treatise on the application of complexity theory in business. The "war stories" throughout the book offer insight and wisdom from the real-life experiences of some of the world's largest, high-profile corporations and individuals.