Think Complexity

Author: Allen B. Downey
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
ISBN: 1449331696
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 159

Book Description
Expand your Python skills by working with data structures and algorithms in a refreshing context—through an eye-opening exploration of complexity science. Whether you’re an intermediate-level Python programmer or a student of computational modeling, you’ll delve into examples of complex systems through a series of exercises, case studies, and easy-to-understand explanations. You’ll work with graphs, algorithm analysis, scale-free networks, and cellular automata, using advanced features that make Python such a powerful language. Ideal as a text for courses on Python programming and algorithms, Think Complexity will also help self-learners gain valuable experience with topics and ideas they might not encounter otherwise. Work with NumPy arrays and SciPy methods, basic signal processing and Fast Fourier Transform, and hash tables Study abstract models of complex physical systems, including power laws, fractals and pink noise, and Turing machines Get starter code and solutions to help you re-implement and extend original experiments in complexity Explore the philosophy of science, including the nature of scientific laws, theory choice, realism and instrumentalism, and other topics Examine case studies of complex systems submitted by students and readers

New Thinking in Complexity for the Social Sciences and Humanities

Author: Ton Jörg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400713037
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Book Description
The underlying idea and motive for the book is that the notion of complexity may humanize the social sciences, may conceive the complex human being as more human, and turn reality as assumed in our doing social science into a more complex, that is a richer reality for all. The main focus of this book is on new thinking in complexity, with complexity to be taken as derived from the Latin word complexus: ‘that which is interwoven.’ The trans-disciplinary approach advocated here will be trans-disciplinary in two ways: firstly, by going beyond the separate disciplines within the fields of both natural sciences and social sciences, and, secondly, by going beyond the separate cultures of the natural sciences and of the social sciences and humanities.

Embracing Complexity

Author: Jean G. Boulton
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199565252
Category : Complexity
Languages : en
Pages : 282

Book Description
The book describes what it means to say the world is complex and explores what that means for managers, policy makers and individuals. The first part of the book is about the theory and ideas of complexity. This is explained in a way that is thorough but not mathematical. It compares differing approaches, and also provides a historical perspective, showing how such thinking has been around since the beginning of civilisation. It emphasises the difference between a complexity worldview and the dominant mechanical worldview that underpins much of current management practice. It defines the complexity worldview as recognising the world is interconnected, shaped by history and the particularities of context. The comparison of the differing approaches to modelling complexity is unique in its depth and accessibility. The second part of the book uses this lens of complexity to explore issues in the fields of management, strategy, economics, and international development. It also explores how to facilitate others to recognise the implications of adopting a complex rather than a mechanical worldview and suggests methods of research to explore systemic, path-dependent emergent aspects of situations. The authors of this book span both science and management, academia and practice, thus the explanations of science are authoritative and yet the examples of changing how you live and work in the world are real and accessible. The aim of the book is to bring alive what complexity is all about and to illustrate the importance of loosening the grip of a modernist worldview with its hope for prediction, certainty and control.

Think Simple

Author: Ken Segall
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241970369
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
The secrets to Apple's success and how to use them, from the Apple insider Ken Segall In Think Simple, Apple insider and New York Times bestselling author Ken Segall gives you the tools to Apple's success - and shows you how to use them. It's all about simplicity. Whether you're in a multinational corporation or a lean startup, this guide will teach you how to crush complexity and focus on what matters; how to perform better, faster and more efficiently. Combining his insight from Apple with examples from companies across industries all over the world - including Ben & Jerry's, Whole Foods, Intel and HyundaiCard - Segall provides a simple roadmap for any company to find success.

Think Before You Think

Author: Stafford Beer
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780954519469
Category : Cybernetics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Stafford Beer was one of the foremost holistic thinkers of the second half twentieth century. He pioneered the use of cybernetics and systems theory to increase our awareness and understanding of how complex systems learn, adapt and evolve - or fail. The editor has selected pieces that exhibit Beer's major ideas for the transformation of self and society - they have a timeless relevance for a world in permanent distress.

Growing Wings on the Way

Author: Rosalind Armson
Publisher: Triarchy Press
ISBN: 1908009292
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
This book is about dealing with messes. Sometimes known as 'wicked problems', messes (or messy situations) are fairly easy to spot:it's hard to know where to startwe can't define them everything seems to connect to everything else and depends on something else having been done first we get in a muddle thinking about them we often try to ignore some aspect/s of themwhen we finally do something about them, they usually get worse they're so entangled that our first mistake is usually to try and fix them as we would fix a simple problem.

Strategic Thinking and the New Science

Author: T. Irene Sanders
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684842688
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
The future is happening today, and the most successful organizations will be those that understand the dynamics of the "big picture" in which their decisions are being made. This book describes how to understand and influence that picture. Irene Sanders pioneered the application of chaos theory and complexity to strategic thinking -- the most essential skill in today's fast-paced business environment. Now, in this straightforward, easy-to-read book, she shows how the most up-to-date strategic thinking is done, and how you can begin using it in your enterprise. Sanders' original and practical approach moves far beyond traditional forecasting, futuring and scenario-building. The new science of chaos and complexity has shown scientists and business professionals alike the importance of looking at the world as a whole system, rather than as a collection of deterministic principles. Consequently, the human mind -- through the integration of intuition and intellect -- is now recognized as the only information processor capable of understanding the level of complexity in today's global business environment. By engaging the mind's eye through the use of visual thinking, Sanders shows you how to develop insight about the present and foresight about the future, thereby allowing you to see and influence the future as it is emerging. The new planning paradigm presented in Strategic Thinking and the New Science is nothing less than a transformation of the science of business. For the first time in history, we have the knowledge, tools and techniques to develop visual thinking as the essential insight/foresight skill of the future. In addition to breakthroughs neuroscientists have made about brain-mind interactions, artists and psychologists are revealing the role of imagery in the creative process. And now, the new field of scientific visualization brings all of this information together with computer graphics to demonstrate how visual images can be used to engage our imaginations, enhance learning -- and stimulate our deeper levels of awareness. In this groundbreaking book, Sanders is the first to define the new model of strategic thinking -- a model that is bound to revolutionize organizations of all types as they begin to see and influence their futures -- today.

Think Java

Author: Allen B. Downey
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
ISBN: 1491929537
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Book Description
Currently used at many colleges, universities, and high schools, this hands-on introduction to computer science is ideal for people with little or no programming experience. The goal of this concise book is not just to teach you Java, but to help you think like a computer scientist. You’ll learn how to program—a useful skill by itself—but you’ll also discover how to use programming as a means to an end. Authors Allen Downey and Chris Mayfield start with the most basic concepts and gradually move into topics that are more complex, such as recursion and object-oriented programming. Each brief chapter covers the material for one week of a college course and includes exercises to help you practice what you’ve learned. Learn one concept at a time: tackle complex topics in a series of small steps with examples Understand how to formulate problems, think creatively about solutions, and write programs clearly and accurately Determine which development techniques work best for you, and practice the important skill of debugging Learn relationships among input and output, decisions and loops, classes and methods, strings and arrays Work on exercises involving word games, graphics, puzzles, and playing cards

Empirical Paradox, Complexity Thinking and Generating New Kinds of Knowledge

Author: Paolo Grigolini
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527535525
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
Is another world war inevitable? The answer is a resounding “yes” if we continue to think in terms of “either/or” outcomes. Adversaries think in such terms, you either get what you want, or you do not. Can a different way of thinking produce a different outcome? This book shows that the consistency demanded by the linear, logical either/or thinking is disrupted by paradox, whose resolution forces a consequent decision: war or peace, with no middle ground. If this were the only way of thinking then a person would be either a protagonist or an antagonist, but a person can be both, either, or neither; this opens the door to novel solutions. This is “both/and” thinking, which the book shows can be achieved by a dynamic resolution of paradox. Thus, a basically selfish individual can also be a hero; a consequence of the complexity of being human.

Think DSP

Author: Allen B. Downey
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
ISBN: 149193851X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 172

Book Description
If you understand basic mathematics and know how to program with Python, you’re ready to dive into signal processing. While most resources start with theory to teach this complex subject, this practical book introduces techniques by showing you how they’re applied in the real world. In the first chapter alone, you’ll be able to decompose a sound into its harmonics, modify the harmonics, and generate new sounds. Author Allen Downey explains techniques such as spectral decomposition, filtering, convolution, and the Fast Fourier Transform. This book also provides exercises and code examples to help you understand the material. You’ll explore: Periodic signals and their spectrums Harmonic structure of simple waveforms Chirps and other sounds whose spectrum changes over time Noise signals and natural sources of noise The autocorrelation function for estimating pitch The discrete cosine transform (DCT) for compression The Fast Fourier Transform for spectral analysis Relating operations in time to filters in the frequency domain Linear time-invariant (LTI) system theory Amplitude modulation (AM) used in radio Other books in this series include Think Stats and Think Bayes, also by Allen Downey.