Reasoning About Luck: Probability and Its Uses in Physics (Dover Books on Physics) - Softcover

Ambegaokar, Vinay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486807010 ISBN 13: 9780486807010

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2017

Synopsis

This book introduces college students and other readers to the uses of probability and statistics in the physical sciences, focusing on thermal and statistical physics and touching upon quantum physics. Widely praised as beautifully written and thoughtful, Reasoning About Luck explains concepts in a way that readers can understand and enjoy, even students who are not specializing in science and those outside the classroom — only some familiarity with basic algebra is necessary. Attentive readers will come away with a solid grasp of many of the basic concepts of physics and some excellent insights into the way physicists think and work.
"If students who are not majoring in science understood no more physics than that presented by Ambegaokar, they would have a solid basis for thinking about physics and the other sciences." — Physics Today.
"There is a real need for rethinking how we teach thermal physics—at all levels, but especially to undergraduates. Professor Ambegaokar has done just that, and given us an outstanding and ambitious textbook for nonscience majors. I find Professor Ambegaokar's style throughout the book to be graceful and witty, with a nice balance of both encouragement and admonishment." — American Journal of Physics.

About this title

Book Description

This text develops the basic ideas of mechanical motion, the molecular theory of gases, entropy as a measure of molecular agitation, and the limitations on the conversion of heat to work. It also covers the physics of the direction of time, chaos, and the role of probability in quantum mechanics.

From the Back Cover

"Reasoning About Luck is a beautiful book. I have enjoyed reading it myself, I have encouraged curious high school students to read it, and I have used it in teaching first-year university students interested in a broad range of scientific disciplines. I have also recommended it to more advanced students in the biological sciences who need a refresher course in probability or physics more generally. Ambegaokar has found the right mix of mathematical precision and verbal playfulness, as delightful today as when I first encountered it twenty years ago." —William Bialek, John Archibald Wheeler/Battelle Professor in Physics, Princeton University

This book introduces college students and other readers to the uses of probability and statistics in the physical sciences, focusing on thermal and statistical physics and touching upon quantum physics. Widely praised as beautifully written and thoughtful, Reasoning About Luck explains concepts in a way that readers can understand and enjoy, even students who are not specializing in science and those outside the classroom—only some familiarity with basic algebra is necessary. Attentive readers will come away with a solid grasp of many of the basic concepts of physics and some excellent insights into the way physicists think and work.

Vinay Ambegaokar is a Goldwin Smith Professor of Physics Emeritus at Cornell University. His honors include the 2015 John Bardeen Prize, awarded for "theoretical research that substantially advanced our understanding of certain unique and fundamental features of superconductivity."

Dover (2017) republication of the edition published by Cambridge University Press, 1996.
www.doverpublications.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0486807010
• ISBN 13: 9780486807010
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256