Reasoning about Luck: Probability and its Uses in Physics - Softcover

Ambegaokar, Vinay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521447372 ISBN 13: 9780521447379

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1996

Synopsis

This book introduces the reader to statistical reasoning and its use in physics. It differs from other treatments of physics for nonscientists in its wide-ranging use of quantitative methods, which assume only that the reader can add, subtract, multiply and divide with confidence. The author begins with a self-contained introduction to the everyday uses of probability, including the quantitative assessment of statistical information. The author develops the basic idea of mechanical motion, the molecular theory of gases, entropy as a measure of molecular agitation, limitations on the conversion of heat to work, the physics of the direction of time; chaos, and the role of probability in quantum mechanics. To aid self instruction, there are solved problems at the end of each chapter. This book is perfect for undergraduate physics students and nonscience majors.

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: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0521447372
• ISBN 13: 9780521447379
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 248