The Computational Beauty of Nature

Author: Gary William Flake
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262561273
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 524

Book Description
Gary William Flake develops in depth the simple idea that recurrent rules can produce rich and complicated behaviors. In this book Gary William Flake develops in depth the simple idea that recurrent rules can produce rich and complicated behaviors. Distinguishing "agents" (e.g., molecules, cells, animals, and species) from their interactions (e.g., chemical reactions, immune system responses, sexual reproduction, and evolution), Flake argues that it is the computational properties of interactions that account for much of what we think of as "beautiful" and "interesting." From this basic thesis, Flake explores what he considers to be today's four most interesting computational topics: fractals, chaos, complex systems, and adaptation. Each of the book's parts can be read independently, enabling even the casual reader to understand and work with the basic equations and programs. Yet the parts are bound together by the theme of the computer as a laboratory and a metaphor for understanding the universe. The inspired reader will experiment further with the ideas presented to create fractal landscapes, chaotic systems, artificial life forms, genetic algorithms, and artificial neural networks.

The Nature of Computation

Author: Cristopher Moore
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191620807
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1498

Book Description
Computational complexity is one of the most beautiful fields of modern mathematics, and it is increasingly relevant to other sciences ranging from physics to biology. But this beauty is often buried underneath layers of unnecessary formalism, and exciting recent results like interactive proofs, phase transitions, and quantum computing are usually considered too advanced for the typical student. This book bridges these gaps by explaining the deep ideas of theoretical computer science in a clear and enjoyable fashion, making them accessible to non-computer scientists and to computer scientists who finally want to appreciate their field from a new point of view. The authors start with a lucid and playful explanation of the P vs. NP problem, explaining why it is so fundamental, and so hard to resolve. They then lead the reader through the complexity of mazes and games; optimization in theory and practice; randomized algorithms, interactive proofs, and pseudorandomness; Markov chains and phase transitions; and the outer reaches of quantum computing. At every turn, they use a minimum of formalism, providing explanations that are both deep and accessible. The book is intended for graduate and undergraduate students, scientists from other areas who have long wanted to understand this subject, and experts who want to fall in love with this field all over again.

Fundamentals of Natural Computing

Author: Leandro Nunes de Castro
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1420011448
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 674

Book Description
Natural computing brings together nature and computing to develop new computational tools for problem solving; to synthesize natural patterns and behaviors in computers; and to potentially design novel types of computers. Fundamentals of Natural Computing: Basic Concepts, Algorithms, and Applications presents a wide-ranging survey of novel techniqu

Computational Philosophy of Science

Author: Paul Thagard
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262700481
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
By applying research in artificial intelligence to problems in the philosophy of science, Paul Thagard develops an exciting new approach to the study of scientific reasoning. This approach uses computational ideas to shed light on how scientific theories are discovered, evaluated, and used in explanations. Thagard describes a detailed computational model of problem solving and discovery that provides a conceptually rich yet rigorous alternative to accounts of scientific knowledge based on formal logic, and he uses it to illuminate such topics as the nature of concepts, hypothesis formation, analogy, and theory justification.

Technological Nature

Author: Peter H. Kahn, Jr.
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262294834
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Book Description
Why it matters that our relationship with nature is increasingly mediated and augmented by technology. Our forebears may have had a close connection with the natural world, but increasingly we experience technological nature. Children come of age watching digital nature programs on television. They inhabit virtual lands in digital games. And they play with robotic animals, purchased at big box stores. Until a few years ago, hunters could "telehunt"—shoot and kill animals in Texas from a computer anywhere in the world via a Web interface. Does it matter that much of our experience with nature is mediated and augmented by technology? In Technological Nature, Peter Kahn argues that it does, and shows how it affects our well-being. Kahn describes his investigations of children's and adults' experiences of cutting-edge technological nature. He and his team installed "technological nature windows" (50-inch plasma screens showing high-definition broadcasts of real-time local nature views) in inside offices on his university campus and assessed the physiological and psychological effects on viewers. He studied children's and adults' relationships with the robotic dog AIBO (including possible benefits for children with autism). And he studied online "telegardening" (a pastoral alternative to "telehunting"). Kahn's studies show that in terms of human well-being technological nature is better than no nature, but not as good as actual nature. We should develop and use technological nature as a bonus on life, not as its substitute, and re-envision what is beautiful and fulfilling and often wild in essence in our relationship with the natural world.

A Neurocomputational Perspective

Author: Paul M. Churchland
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262531061
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 348

Book Description
"A Bradford book."Includes index. Bibliography: p. [305]-313.

The Nature of Code

Author: Daniel Shiffman
Publisher: Nature of Code
ISBN: 9780985930806
Category : Computer programming
Languages : en
Pages : 498

Book Description
How can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software? How can understanding the mathematical principles behind our physical world help us to create digital worlds? This book focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results. Readers will progress from building a basic physics engine to creating intelligent moving objects and complex systems, setting the foundation for further experiments in generative design. Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms. The book's examples are written in Processing, an open-source language and development environment built on top of the Java programming language. On the book's website (http: //www.natureofcode.com), the examples run in the browser via Processing's JavaScript mode.

Nature-Inspired Computation and Swarm Intelligence

Author: Xin-She Yang
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128197145
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 442

Book Description
Nature-inspired computation and swarm intelligence have become popular and effective tools for solving problems in optimization, computational intelligence, soft computing and data science. Recently, the literature in the field has expanded rapidly, with new algorithms and applications emerging. Nature-Inspired Computation and Swarm Intelligence: Algorithms, Theory and Applications is a timely reference giving a comprehensive review of relevant state-of-the-art developments in algorithms, theory and applications of nature-inspired algorithms and swarm intelligence. It reviews and documents the new developments, focusing on nature-inspired algorithms and their theoretical analysis, as well as providing a guide to their implementation. The book includes case studies of diverse real-world applications, balancing explanation of the theory with practical implementation. Nature-Inspired Computation and Swarm Intelligence: Algorithms, Theory and Applications is suitable for researchers and graduate students in computer science, engineering, data science, and management science, who want a comprehensive review of algorithms, theory and implementation within the fields of nature inspired computation and swarm intelligence.

Physical Computation

Author: Gualtiero Piccinini
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199658854
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
Computation permeates our world, but a satisfactory philosophical theory of what it is has been lacking. Gualtiero Piccinini presents a mechanistic account of what makes a physical system a computing system. He argues that computation does not entail representation or information-processing, although information-processing entails computation.

Probably Approximately Correct

Author: Leslie Valiant
Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
ISBN: 0465032710
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Book Description
Presenting a theory of the theoryless, a computer scientist provides a model of how effective behavior can be learned even in a world as complex as our own, shedding new light on human nature.