1st Edition

Understanding Physics and Physical Chemistry Using Formal Graphs

By Eric Vieil Copyright 2012
    815 Pages 680 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    816 Pages 680 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    The subject of this book is truly original. By encoding of algebraic equations into graphs—originally a purely pedagogical technique—the exploration of physics and physical chemistry reveals common pictures through all disciplines. The hidden structure of the scientific formalism that appears is a source of astonishment and provides efficient simplifications of the representation of physical laws.

    Understanding Physics and Physical Chemistry Using Formal Graphs is organized according to the structures emerging from formal graphs, from simple to elaborate, providing after each series of case studies the theoretical elements necessary for understanding their common features. More than 80 case studies are tackled in domains ranging from translational mechanics to Newtonian gravitation to chemical reactions.

    With the help of this new tool, the modeling of physical phenomena becomes a fascinating cross-disciplinary exploration. The graphs encourage a visual, unified comprehension of the relationships between physical concepts and variables, properties, and operators. Out-of-the-box and thought provoking, this book inspires lively discussions and fruitful thinking about the connections between mechanics, chemical reactivity, electrodynamics, thermodynamics, and more.

    Introduction
    Aim of this Book
    An Imperfect State of Science
    Improvement through Graphs

    Nodes of Graphs
    Energy and State Variables

    Links and Organization
    System Constitutive Properties
    Formal Objects and Organization Levels

    Poles
    The Pole as Elementary Collection
    Formal Graph Representation of a Pole
    Composition of Poles
    Definition of a Pole and Its Variables

    Space Distributed Poles
    The Role of Space
    Formal Graph Representation of a Space Distributed Pole
    Space Operators
    Translation Problems and Generalization

    Dipoles
    The Dipole
    Formal Graph Representation of a Dipole
    Interaction through Exchange between Poles
    Dipole Properties
    Common Features Result in New Ideas

    Influence between Poles
    Interaction between Poles
    Poles–Dipole Constitutive Properties
    Influence Theory
    In Short

    Multipoles
    The Multipole
    Decomposition into Dipoles
    Decomposition into Poles
    Theory of Conduction

    Dipole Assemblies
    The Dipole Assembly
    Evolution and Time
    Formal Graph Representation of a Dipole Assembly
    Temporal Oscillator
    Spatial Oscillator
    Spatiotemporal Oscillator

    Transfers
    Definition of Transfer
    Comparison between Energy Varieties
    Energy Behaviors
    Convection
    Assemblies and Circuits

    Assemblies and Dissipation
    Dissipation and Conversion
    Basic Processes Involving Dissipation
    Relaxation Models
    Damped Oscillator (Temporal)
    Spatially Damped Oscillator
    Attenuated Propagation

    Coupling between Energy Varieties
    Passages of Energy
    Energetic Equivalence
    Energetic Coupling
    Properties of Coupling

    Multiple Couplings
    Ideal Gas
    The Energy of Coupling
    The Scaling Chemical Potential
    Map of Energetic Couplings

    Conclusion and Perspectives
    Characteristics of the Theory
    Perspectives
    Conclusion

    Appendices
    Glossary
    Symbol List
    Graph Coding
    List of Case Studies
    CD-ROM content

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Dr. Eric Vieil is a researcher in physical chemistry at the French Atomic Energy Agency (CEA) in Grenoble, France. He is a specialist with more than 80 publications in theoretical and experimental studies on the electrochemical mechanisms of conducting materials.

    Vieil presents a universal toolkit—Formal Graphs—for understanding a wide range of scientific domains. … mainly for graduate students, researchers and specialists, and engineers; the process itself would even be accessible to undergraduate students … . The disk contains all the graphs, in color bitmap files, and software for building simple electric circuits and translating them into Formal Graphs.
    —SciTech News, Vol. 66, September 2012

    Vieil (French Atomic Energy Agency) discusses the use of formal graphs in physics and chemistry to facilitate an understanding of these subjects. This method has four primary purposes. First, pedagogically, students can benefit from considering theoretical systems in a non-algebraic way. With pictorial representations, students can more easily see relationships between elements of a theory and the similarities of formal graph structures among theories. Second, since formal graphs are neural networks, it is much easier to translate the science into algorithms if one starts with the graphs. Third, scientists already familiar with one area can more easily learn and gain insight into a new area that is using the same formal graph. Finally, researchers can benefit by examining the work of researchers in other disciplines that are considering the same formal graphs. This is an intriguing way to represent the science. The author provides more than 80 case studies to illustrate this method. A companion CD-ROM includes all of the book's formal graphs as well as software for translating simple examples into formal graphs. The related website contains a variety of supplementary materials. Recommended.
    —E. Kincanon, Gonzaga University, CHOICE, August 2012