Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, and Social Organization

Bejan, Adrian,Zane, J. Peder

ISBN 10: 0385534612 / ISBN 13: 9780385534611

Published by Doubleday, 2012

About this Item

The cover shows normal wear. The dust jacket shows normal wear. The pages show normal wear. Fast shipping and order satisfaction guaranteed. A portion of your purchase benefits Non-Profit Organizations, First Aid and Fire Stations!

Seller Inventory # mon0000186026

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, and Social Organization
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385534612
• ISBN 13: 9780385534611
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

In this groundbreaking book, Adrian Bejan takes the recurring patterns in nature—trees, tributaries, air passages, neural networks, and lightning bolts—and reveals how a single principle of physics, the Constructal Law, accounts for the evolution of these and all other designs in our world.
 
Everything—from biological life to inanimate systems—generates shape and structure and evolves in a sequence of ever-improving designs in order to facilitate flow. River basins, cardiovascular systems, and bolts of lightning are very efficient flow systems to move a current—of water, blood, or electricity. Likewise, the more complex architecture of animals evolve to cover greater distance per unit of useful energy, or increase their flow across the land. Such designs also appear in human organizations, like the hierarchical "flowcharts" or reporting structures in corporations and political bodies.

All are governed by the same principle, known as the Constructal Law, and configure and reconfigure themselves over time to flow more efficiently. Written in an easy style that achieves clarity without sacrificing complexity, Design in Nature is a paradigm-shifting book that will fundamentally transform our understanding of the world around us.

About the Author

ADRIAN BEJAN is Duke University's J. A. Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

J. PEDER ZANE is an award-winning columnist who has worked for the New York Times and the Raleigh News.