Optima for Animals: Revised Edition - Softcover

Alexander, R. McNeill

  • 4.33 out of 5 stars
    6 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780691027982: Optima for Animals: Revised Edition
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0691027986 ISBN 13: 9780691027982
Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1996

Synopsis

Optimization theory is designed to find the best ways of doing things. The structures of animals, their movements, their behavior, and their life histories have all been shaped by the optimizing processes of evolution or of learning by trial and error. In this revised edition of R. McNeill Alexander's widely acclaimed Optima for Animals, we see how extraordinarily diverse branches of biology are illuminated by the powerful methods of optimization theory.


What is the best strength for a bone? Too weak a bone will probably break but an excessively stout one will be cumbersome. At what speed should humans change from walking to running? Should a bird take only big juicy worms or should it eat every worm it finds, and do birds make the best choices? Why do the males of some species of fishes and the females of others look after the young, while the young of others are looked after by both parents or neither? Is it possible that all these policies can be optimal, in different circumstances? This book shows how these and many other questions can be answered. The mathematics involved is explained very simply, with biology students in mind, but the book is not just for them. It is also for professionals, ranging from teachers to researchers.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

R. McNeill Alexander is Professor of Zoology at the University of Leeds and Secretary of the Zoological Society of London. The author of fourteen books, most of them on the mechanics of human and animal movement, Alexander is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a recipient of the Muybridge Medal of the International Society for Biomechanics.

From the Back Cover

In this revised edition of R. McNeill Alexander's widely acclaimed 'Optima for Animals, ' we see how extraordinarily diverse branches of biology are illuminated by the powerful methods of optimization theory.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Princeton University Press
Publication date
1996
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0691027986
ISBN 13 
9780691027982
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
176
Rating
  • 4.33 out of 5 stars
    6 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780691027999: Optima for Animals: Revised Edition

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0691027994 ISBN 13:  9780691027999
Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1996
Hardcover