The book is characterized by the illustration of cases of fractal, self-similar and multi-scale structures taken from the mechanics of solid and porous materials, which have a technical interest. In addition, an accessible and self-consistent treatment of the mathematical technique of fractional calculus is provided, avoiding useless complications.

This book is an unique integrated treatise, on the concepts of fractional calculus as models with applications in hydrology, soil science and geomechanics. The models are primarily fractional partial differential equations (fPDEs), and in limited cases, fractional differential equations (fDEs). It develops and applies relevant fPDEs and fDEs mainly to water flow and solute transport in porous media and overland, and in some cases, to concurrent flow and energy transfer. It is an integrated resource with theory and applications for those interested in hydrology, hydraulics and fluid mechanics. The self-contained book summaries the fundamentals for porous media and essential mathematics with extensive references supporting the development of the model and applications.

This book, based on presentations made at the international conference Fractals 2002, is of interest to everyone in the general field of nonlinear dynamics. The abundance of papers from numerous disciplines makes it exciting reading and provides a unifying thread through the topics, such as ray tracing, structure of peptides, modeling fractal surfaces, cancer growth, macaque monkey cortical neurons, occurrence of earthquakes, and patterns of the World Wide Web.

This multi-volume handbook is the most up-to-date and comprehensive reference work in the field of fractional calculus and its numerous applications. This second volume collects authoritative chapters covering the mathematical theory of fractional calculus, including ordinary and partial differential equations of fractional order, inverse problems, and evolution equations.

This textbook presents a rigorous approach to multivariable calculus in the context of model building and optimization problems. This comprehensive overview is based on lectures given at five SERC Schools from 2008 to 2012 and covers a broad range of topics that will enable readers to understand and create deterministic and nondeterministic models. Researchers, advanced undergraduate, and graduate students in mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, and biological sciences will find this book to be a valuable resource for finding appropriate models to describe real-life situations. The first chapter begins with an introduction to fractional calculus moving on to discuss fractional integrals, fractional derivatives, fractional differential equations and their solutions. Multivariable calculus is covered in the second chapter and introduces the fundamentals of multivariable calculus (multivariable functions, limits and continuity, differentiability, directional derivatives and expansions of multivariable functions). Illustrative examples, input-output process, optimal recovery of functions and approximations are given; each section lists an ample number of exercises to heighten understanding of the material. Chapter three discusses deterministic/mathematical and optimization models evolving from differential equations, difference equations, algebraic models, power function models, input-output models and pathway models. Fractional integral and derivative models are examined. Chapter four covers non-deterministic/stochastic models. The random walk model, branching process model, birth and death process model, time series models, and regression type models are examined. The fifth chapter covers optimal design. General linear models from a statistical point of view are introduced; the Gauss–Markov theorem, quadratic forms, and generalized inverses of matrices are covered. Pathway, symmetric, and asymmetric models are covered in chapter six, the concepts are illustrated with graphs.

This multi-volume handbook is the most up-to-date and comprehensive reference work in the field of fractional calculus and its numerous applications. This fourth volume collects authoritative chapters covering several applications of fractional calculus in physics, including classical and continuum mechanics.

This book discusses various novel analytical and numerical methods for solving partial and fractional differential equations. Moreover, it presents selected numerical methods for solving stochastic point kinetic equations in nuclear reactor dynamics by using Euler–Maruyama and strong-order Taylor numerical methods. The book also shows how to arrive at new, exact solutions to various fractional differential equations, such as the time-fractional Burgers–Hopf equation, the (3+1)-dimensional time-fractional Khokhlov–Zabolotskaya–Kuznetsov equation, (3+1)-dimensional time-fractional KdV–Khokhlov–Zabolotskaya–Kuznetsov equation, fractional (2+1)-dimensional Davey–Stewartson equation, and integrable Davey–Stewartson-type equation. Many of the methods discussed are analytical–numerical, namely the modified decomposition method, a new two-step Adomian decomposition method, new approach to the Adomian decomposition method, modified homotopy analysis method with Fourier transform, modified fractional reduced differential transform method (MFRDTM), coupled fractional reduced differential transform method (CFRDTM), optimal homotopy asymptotic method, first integral method, and a solution procedure based on Haar wavelets and the operational matrices with function approximation. The book proposes for the first time a generalized order operational matrix of Haar wavelets, as well as new techniques (MFRDTM and CFRDTM) for solving fractional differential equations. Numerical methods used to solve stochastic point kinetic equations, like the Wiener process, Euler–Maruyama, and order 1.5 strong Taylor methods, are also discussed.

Fractional calculus in terms of mathematics and statistics and its applications to problems in natural sciences is NOT yet part of university teaching curricula. This book is one attempt to provide an approach to include topics of fractional calculus into university curricula. Additionally the material is useful for people who do research work in the areas of special functions, fractional calculus, applications of fractional calculus, and mathematical statistics.

Fractional Calculus and Waves in Linear Viscoelasticity (Second Edition) is a self-contained treatment of the mathematical theory of linear (uni-axial) viscoelasticity (constitutive equation and waves) with particular regard to models based on fractional calculus. It serves as a general introduction to the above-mentioned areas of mathematical modeling. The explanations in the book are detailed enough to capture the interest of the curious reader, and complete enough to provide the necessary background material needed to delve further into the subject and explore the research literature. In particular the relevant role played by some special functions is pointed out along with their visualization through plots. Graphics are extensively used in the book and a large general bibliography is included at the end.This new edition keeps the structure of the first edition but each chapter has been revised and expanded, and new additions include a novel appendix on complete monotonic and Bernstein functions that are known to play a fundamental role in linear viscoelasticity.This book is suitable for engineers, graduate students and researchers interested in fractional calculus and continuum mechanics.