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From rainbows, river meanders, and shadows to spider webs, honeycombs, and the markings on animal coats, the visible world is full of patterns that can be described mathematically. Examining such readily observable phenomena, this book introduces readers to the beauty of nature as revealed by mathematics and the beauty of mathematics as revealed in nature. Generously illustrated, written in an informal style, and replete with examples from everyday life, Mathematics in Nature is an excellent and undaunting introduction to the ideas and methods of mathematical modeling. It illustrates how mathematics can be used to formulate and solve puzzles observed in nature and to interpret the solutions. In the process, it teaches such topics as the art of estimation and the effects of scale, particularly what happens as things get bigger. Readers will develop an understanding of the symbiosis that exists between basic scientific principles and their mathematical expressions as well as a deeper appreciation for such natural phenomena as cloud formations, halos and glories, tree heights and leaf patterns, butterfly and moth wings, and even puddles and mud cracks. Developed out of a university course, this book makes an ideal supplemental text for courses in applied mathematics and mathematical modeling. It will also appeal to mathematics educators and enthusiasts at all levels, and is designed so that it can be dipped into at leisure.

Mathematics in nature. --- Mathematical models. --- Models, Mathematical --- Simulation methods --- Biological systems --- Atmospheric waves --- Ondes atmosphériques --- Mathématiques --- Météorologie --- Modèles mathématiques --- Atmospheric waves. --- Mathématiques --- Météorologie --- Modèles mathématiques --- Ondes atmosphériques. --- Biomathematique

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This one-of-a-kind book presents many of the mathematical concepts, structures, and techniques used in the study of rays, waves, and scattering. Panoramic in scope, it includes discussions of how ocean waves are refracted around islands and underwater ridges, how seismic waves are refracted in the earth's interior, how atmospheric waves are scattered by mountains and ridges, how the scattering of light waves produces the blue sky, and meteorological phenomena such as rainbows and coronas.Rays, Waves, and Scattering is a valuable resource for practitioners, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates in applied mathematics, theoretical physics, and engineering. Bridging the gap between advanced treatments of the subject written for specialists and less mathematical books aimed at beginners, this unique mathematical compendium features problems and exercises throughout that are geared to various levels of sophistication, covering everything from Ptolemy's theorem to Airy integrals (as well as more technical material), and several informative appendixes.Provides a panoramic look at wave motion in many different contextsFeatures problems and exercises throughoutIncludes numerous appendixes, some on topics not often coveredAn ideal reference book for practitionersCan also serve as a supplemental text in classical applied mathematics, particularly wave theory and mathematical methods in physics and engineeringAccessible to anyone with a strong background in ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, and functions of a complex variable

Mathematical physics. --- Physical mathematics --- Physics --- Mathematics --- Airy approximation. --- Airy functions. --- Airy integral. --- Airy theory. --- Airy wavefront. --- Alexander's dark band. --- Bessel functions. --- Earth. --- Fermat's principle. --- Fresnel integrals. --- Hamilton's principle. --- Hamilton-Jacobi equation. --- Hamilton-Jacobi theory. --- Hamiltonian. --- Hooke's law. --- Kepler's laws of planetary motion. --- Lagrangian. --- Liouville transformation. --- Love waves. --- Navier equations. --- Ptolemy's theorem. --- Rayleigh scattering. --- Schrödinger equation. --- Sir George Biddle Airy. --- Snell's laws. --- Taylor–Goldstein equation. --- WKB(J) approximation. --- Wiechert-Herglotz inverse problem. --- acoustic wave propagation. --- action. --- angle of minimum deviation. --- applied mathematics. --- atmospheric waves. --- billow clouds. --- boundary-value problem. --- buoyancy waves. --- caustics. --- classical mechanics. --- classical wave equation. --- colors. --- complex plane. --- constant phase lines. --- contours. --- corona. --- currents. --- cusp catastrophes. --- deep water waves. --- differential equations. --- diffraction catastrophes. --- diffraction. --- dispersion relations. --- dispersion. --- divergence problem. --- earthquakes. --- eikonal equation. --- elastic solid. --- elastic waves. --- elementary mathematics. --- equations of motion. --- fluid equations. --- fold catastrophes. --- free surface. --- geometric wavefronts. --- geometrical optics. --- glory. --- inhomogeneous medium. --- integrals. --- intensity law. --- internal gravity waves. --- inverse scattering problem. --- islands. --- leading waves. --- lee waves. --- light waves. --- long waves. --- mathematics. --- meteorological optics. --- mountain waves. --- ocean acoustic waveguides. --- ocean acoustics. --- ocean waves. --- one-dimensional waves. --- optics. --- path. --- plane wave incident. --- plane waves. --- polarization. --- potential well. --- rainbow. --- ray equations. --- ray optics. --- ray theory. --- rays. --- reflection. --- refraction. --- ridge. --- scattering. --- seafloor. --- seismic rays. --- seismic tomography. --- seismic waves. --- semicircle theorem. --- shallow water waves. --- ship waves. --- short waves. --- strain. --- stratified fluid. --- stress. --- surface gravity waves. --- surface waves. --- transient waves. --- tsunami propagation. --- tsunamis. --- wave energy. --- wave refraction. --- wave trapping. --- wavefront. --- wavepackets. --- waves. --- wind shear.

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• Reference Manager
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