Laws and Models: Science, Engineering, and Technology
Features
Summary
The "laws" that govern our physical universe come in many guises-as principles, theorems, canons, equations, axioms, models, and so forth. They may be empirical, statistical, or theoretical, their names may reflect the person who first expressed them, the person who publicized them, or they might simply describe a phenomenon. However they may be named, the discovery and application of physical laws have formed the backbone of the sciences for 3,000 years.
They exist by thousands. Laws and Models: Science, Engineering, and Technology-the fruit of almost 40 years of collection and research-compiles more than 1,200 of the laws and models most frequently encountered and used by engineers and technologists. The result is a collection as fascinating as it is useful. Each entry consists of a statement of the law or model, its date of origin, a one-line biography of the people involved in its formulation, sources of information about the law, and cross-references.
Illustrated and highly readable, this book offers a unique presentation of the vast and rich collection of laws that rule our universe. Everyone with an interest in the inner workings of nature-from engineers to students, from teachers to journalists-will find Laws and Models to be not only a handy reference, but an engaging volume to read and browse.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction-Dr. George Hazelrigg
Laws and Models: Definitions and Descriptions
List of Illustrations
Alphabetical Presentation of Laws And Models
Abbreviations
Physical Constants
References and Sources
Editorial Reviews
"An excellent purchase and one not likely to become dated for many years"
-Choice, April 2000
"…we see that the process of discovery is a process that proceeds on the margins of extant knowledge. We build models on data and collect data on models…and the most fundamental of these models we call laws. And such is the subject of this book."
- From the introduction by George A. Hazelrigg
"…we see that the process of discovery is a process that proceeds on the margins of extant knowledge. We build models on data and collect data on models…and the most fundamental of these models we call laws. And such is the subject of this book."
- From the introduction by George A. Hazelrigg
