Reflecting Telescope Optics I: Basic Design Theory and its Historical Development (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)

Book Description

R.N. Wilson's two-volume treatise on reflecting telescope optics has become a classic in its own right. It is intended to give a complete treatment of the subject, addressing professionals in research and industry as well as students of astronomy and amateur astronomers. This first volume, Basic Design Theory and its Historical Development, is devoted to the theory of reflecting telescope optics and systematically recounts the historical progress. The author's approach is morphological, with strong emphasis on the historical development. The book is richly illustrated including spot-diagrams analysing special systems in modern form. In this second edition, the historical section has been revised. Also, various improvements to the text have been made, and new systems such as the 4-lens corrector of Delabre and the LADS corrector are now covered. The concluding Part II treats manufacture, testing, alignment, and modern techniques.

Customer Reviews:

A superb and most complete reference about telescope optics.......1998-01-01

Since the mid-19th century and the application by Foucault of chemical silvering to glass mirrors, reflecting telescopes have gradually taken over from refracting ones, to eventually become the dominant telescope concept over the entire 20th century. Reflecting Telescope Optics I (RTO I) is an unequaled reference for those who have interest in the field, be they students, telescope designers, professional or amateur astronomers. In Chapter 1 the author takes us on a short, fascinating and at times surprising, journey through the history of telescope design. A delightful story of men, ideas and fascinating machines. It stems from the account by the author that optics is one of those sciences whose progress is inescapably tied to the progress of experimentation and technology. Chapter I tells about great ideas which, sometimes, had to wait for centuries before being understood and recognized. The second and third chapters deal with Gaussian optics and aberration theory, respectively. Fundamental aspects of Gaussian optics are reviewed in a concise manner, albeit to a level of detail sufficient to make the book a valuable reference for an advanced course on geometrical optics. The same comment applies to the third chapter, which deals with aberration theory of telescopes -in the broadest sense. All relations necessary to set up a design, understand and evaluate its first order (paraxial) properties and third order aberrations are clearly demonstrated and their implications thoroughly analyzed. Section 2.2.5.2, in particular, will be invaluable to set up the basis for a two-mirror telescope design, while section 3.2.4 provides all necessary information to evaluate its aberrations. Tables and practical examples provide most useful illustrations to the theory, and serve as well for quick reference when reviewing properties of existing designs. A thorough review of one- and two-mirror design solutions is provided in sections 3.2.6 and 3.2.7, together with detailed illustrations and numerical examples. Section 3.3 provides much detailed and useful information on third order aberrations. A unique and most complete review of wide-field telescope designs, from Schmidt and Maksutov solutions to less known three- and four-mirror designs, is proposed in section 3.6; off-axis designs are addressed in section 3.7, together with a detailed analysis of the effects of decentering of 2-mirror telescopes. Even if this is certainly not its main purpose, there is little doubt that these sections will retain the attention of amateur telescope makers as well. Elaborating on a generalization of the Schwarzschild Theorem, the author demonstrates the relation between the number of optical surfaces and the achievable compensation of third order aberrations. The four-mirror designs with spherical primary and secondary mirrors derived in section 3.6.5.3 pave the way for giant telescopes beyond the 10-m range. Despace effects are reviewed in much detail (section 3.8), unfortunately in the restricted case of two-mirror designs only. As such effects can be of utmost importance with regards to preservation of optical quality and may come to play a role in a trade-off between otherwise equivalent designs, it seems to me that a broader -and, in view of its tremendous complexity, simplified- account would have usefully complemented the review of three- and four mirror designs of section 3.6. A brief but quite complete account of diffraction theory and its relation to aberrations is provided in section 3.10. This section is essential to the completeness of RTO I; it provides the key to understanding image formation and properties, and appeals to the broadest range of readers. Chapter 4 covers field correctors and focal extenders/reducers in great detail, and provides a brief account of atmospheric dispersion correctors, thereby adding to the completeness of RTO I. Finally, theory meets reality in chapter 5, which provides a delectable and most instructive account of major telescope projects -and ideas related to them- from the early 19th century until the mid-1980's. It should be pointed out that, although RTO I deals with telescope optics in a largely theoretical manner, realistic constraints and limitations are given due regard, a consequence of the author's impressive experience in telescope design and fabrication. This review would be incomplete if no acknowledgment were made to the rigorous and consistent formalism of the author, as well as to the useful indices, list of symbols, tables and figures, the most complete bibliography, and the unique portrait gallery of major figures in the field. Indeed, a unique reference in a superb presentation.

Breathing Spaces: Qigong, Psychiatry, and Healing in China

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Interesting Read

Breathing Spaces: Qigong, Psychiatry, and Healing in China
Nancy N. Chen
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0231128045

Book Description

The charismatic form of healing called qigong, based on meditative breathing exercises, has achieved enormous popularity in China during the last two decades. Qigong served a critical social organizational function, as practitioners formed new informal networks, sometimes on an international scale, at a time when China was shifting from state-subsidized medical care to for-profit market medicine. The emergence of new psychological states deemed to be deviant led the Chinese state to "medicalize" certain forms while championing scientific versions of qigong. By contrast, qigong continues to be promoted outside China as a traditional healing practice. Breathing Spaces brings to life the narratives of numerous practitioners, healers, psychiatric patients, doctors, and bureaucrats, revealing the varied and often dramatic ways they cope with market reform and social changes in China.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Read.......2006-10-23

This book is a good read for anyone interested in the cultural rise of qigong in China post 1920's as well as other cultural influences on the health care in China. This book is more of a report of events and research than of any type of teachings that other qigong books may offer. The book covers a wide variety of topics and attempts to answer some tough questions with regards to qigong and health care. A good read on Chinese culture.

Average customer rating:

GOOD for control theory theory
A Tantalizing Introduction to Hilbert Space
Very Clear,short and useful
An unusually readable book on Hilbert space
Concise and accurate introduction to Hilbert space

An Introduction to Hilbert Space
N. Young
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Theory of Linear Operators in Hilbert Space
Integral Equations
A Course in Functional Analysis
A Hilbert Space Problem Book (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Introduction to Hilbert Spaces with Applications

ASIN: 0521337178

Book Description

This textbook is an introduction to the theory of Hilbert spaces and its applications. The notion of a Hilbert space is a central idea in functional analysis and can be used in numerous branches of pure and applied mathematics. Dr. Young stresses these applications particularly for the solution of partial differential equations in mathematical physics and to the approximation of functions in complex analysis. Some basic familiarity with real analysis, linear algebra and metric spaces is assumed, but otherwise the book is self-contained. The book is based on courses given at the University of Glasgow and contains numerous examples and exercises (many with solutions). The book will make an excellent first course in Hilbert space theory at either undergraduate or graduate level and will also be of interest to electrical engineers and physicists, particularly those involved in control theory and filter design.

Customer Reviews:

GOOD for control theory theory.......2002-10-02

This book is good to any control engineer who wants to know the background theory of optimization and robust control, but read read an analysis book first.

A Tantalizing Introduction to Hilbert Space.......2002-02-27

Young has done an admirable job at presenting some really beautiful and useful aspects of Hilbert spaces in a manner comprehendable for advanced undergraduates. After reading the book and reflecting on the experience, I'm somewhat amazed at the amount of nice ideas that were presented in such a compact text. The book cannot be compared with more rigorous and comprehensive texts such as Rudin, but you still get all the fundamentals of Hilbert space plus some wonderful applications.

I must strongly disagree with the reader from Sao Paolo who says that chapters 12 and 13 are poorly motivated. These chapters are crucial for the final theorem of the book in chapter 16. Parrott's Theorem in chapter 12 is the key to the foundational Nehari's theorem of chapter 15. Chapter 13 explores Hardy spaces which are the setting place for the major theorem of Adamyan, Arov, and Krein in chapter 16. In fact, I found the movement of ideas from chapter 12 to chapter 16 to be marvelously compelling. These chapters have extreme importance for theoretically oriented control engineers.

Only a modicum of real and complex analysis is necessary to understand the book. Knowledge of measure theory is not required.

Very Clear,short and useful.......2000-10-20

The first eleven chapters are an excellent introduction to functional analysis . Both Hilbert and Banach spaces are introduced carefully. Then there are two short chapters on orthogonal expansions and classical fourier series and then linear operators are studied. From the point of view of a person who is interested in applications to physics and engineering one can say that the book is well motivated mainly because is so compact and because of the many notes on applications. Chapters nine , ten and eleven on Green's functions and eigenfunctions expansions are extremely good. Chapters twelve and thirteen are poorly motivated from the point of view of applications.Finally chapters fourteen to sixteen try to exhibit the applications to complex analysis of operator theory and be helpfull to eletrical engineers.I think the book fails in this. So the ten first chapters of the book are excellent . The remaining less so

An unusually readable book on Hilbert space.......2000-06-12

An unusually readable book on Hilbert space. Very clean notation and very detailed proofs. There are also numerous diagrams. There are also answers to selected problems, but no detailed solutions. If you own one book on Hilbert space, or even functional analysis, this should be it. The author takes great pains to illustrate the ideas involved, not just pound out the theorems.

Concise and accurate introduction to Hilbert space.......2000-01-14

I found this book a concise, well written and accurate introduction to linear algebra. Although some fellow students told me they found it too dry, I had no problem with that.

Average customer rating:

Delightful
Half Magic - Review
Half Magic
Half Magic
Half Magic

Half Magic
Edward Eager
Manufacturer: Odyssey Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Perfect Nest
Anatole
Magic by the Lake
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Seven-Day Magic (Books for Young Readers)

ASIN: 0152020683

Amazon.com

Edward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 years with stories that mix magic and reality. Half Magic, the most popular of his tales about four children who encounter magical coins, time-travel herb gardens, and other unlikely devices, is a warm, funny, original adventure. The title refers to a coin that the children find. Through a comical series of coincidences, they discover that the coin is magic. Well, it's not totally magic--it's only (you guessed it) half magic. That means there's a certain logic to the wishes one must make to generate a desired outcome. Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: half invisible, half rescued, half everything! Half Magic is never too cute, and with just enough emotion to complement the magic, this classic is sure to hold a special place in any child's library. If you love Half Magic, its sequels--Knight's Castle, The Time Garden, and Magic by the Lake--have also been reissued in lovely hardcover editions, complete with N.M. Bodecker's original illustrations and covers by Quentin Blake. (Ages 8 to 12)

Book Description

Since Half Magic first hit bookshelves in 1954, Edward Eager’s tales of magic have become beloved classics. Now four cherished stories by Edward Eager about vacationing cousins who stumble into magical doings and whimsical adventures are available in updated hardcover and paperback formats. The original lively illustrations by N. M. Bodecker have been retained, but eye-catching new cover art by Kate Greenaway Medalist Quentin Blake gives these classics a fresh, contemporary look for a whole new generation.

Customer Reviews:

Delightful.......2007-09-28

This book was delightful. It was recommended to me by my aunt and I was not disappointed in the least! Funny and inventive. Can't wait to read Eager's other books.

Half Magic - Review .......2007-07-09

This is quite an enjoyable uncomplicated story with characters that are singular in their personalities. The story flowed from one chapter into the next. This is great book for young readers!!

Half Magic.......2007-04-20

Is Jane's theory of magic real?
Jane found a quarter lying on the ground, so she picked it up and wished that there would be a fire nearby. After a few minutes her wish came true. Did the fire just happen by accident or did the quarter do it?
The main characters in the story are Jane, Katherine, Mark, and Martha. Jane is the oldest and smartest. She is also a nice girl.
Katherine is hard to explain because she doesn't show herself that much. She is a shy, but very sweet girl. Mark is the only boy in his family, he is a brave boy, but sometimes he wishes he had a brother. Martha is the youngest in the family and can't stay stare into space doing nothing then she will get bored and will want to go on an adventure.
Jane is very secretive about her quarter because she thinks it is magic, but is it? Will they ever know what Jane is hiding from them? Later in the story their mom meets Mr. Smith. They like Mr. Smith but Jane has other thoughts about him. Jane doesn't want Mr. Smith to marry her mom because she doesn't want anybody to replace her dad. She loves him and misses him a lot. Will their mom get married to Mr. Smith? This is a fun, exciting, and adventures book. If you like magic this is a perfect story for you. It doesn't let the book down. So don't just sit there, go to a library or a store an get your hands on Half Magic.

-Kelsey Bischot

Half Magic.......2007-04-17

Half Magic is about these kids who have to spend the summer with their baby sitter, and it is very hot and they have nothing to do. So, on the way to the library, they find something on the side walk that is magic. The kids have discovered things that were odd and are excited about what will happen next. So read and see what will happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes things that will appear randomly.

Half Magic.......2007-04-13

Half Magic by Edward Eager is an okay book that I would recommend to people that get entertained easily. It is about these four children who find a magic stone. But there is a catch to the stone. It only grants half of the wish that they wish for. So they half to wish for twice as much as they really need. And with each wish, the stone wears down more and more. Some crazy stuff happens to these kids. But I will tell you about them later.
I told you there was four main characters, the children, but I am only going to tell you about Jane and Mark. Jane is mostly happy all the time, but in a couple parts angry, and she acts like she is really loving to all of her siblings. She is the oldest of the four children, she is one of three girls, and she is the only one with really long hair. She is very adventurous and outgoing. She is fun but sometimes boring, and she is stubborn sometimes. She really acts like a lady, and she is always neat and tidy. And now, on to Mark. Mark is probably the smartest kid that any of the four children know. I think he feels superior to every one else. And he is very confused about the whole stone concept. He is the second tallest out of all of the children. He is the only boy out of the children, and has short hair and wears glasses. He is smart, somewhat nosy, and he acts very mature. He behaves smart, he is sometimes silly, but he is always mature.
The places these kids go to are crazy and amazing. They go to an old town, where everybody talks funny, and there are knights in armor everywhere. Another place they go to is a desert. It's sandy, hot, stuffy, and they can't see anything beyond five feet. The mom takes the stone on accident and wishes she was home, but she was only half way there, so she ended up in the middle of no where at like eleven at night. All there is there is a road, some bushes, and a car that gives her a ride to her house back home. But most of all of the adventures happen at the children's house. You will have to read the book to find out what happens to the children in these places, though.
Half Magic by Edward Eager is a mediocre book that I would suggest this book to mature readers that have nothing to do on a Saturday night but read a book. Have fun!

Reflecting Telescope Optics II: Manufacture, Testing, Alignment, Modern Techniques (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)

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Reflecting Telescope Optics II: Manufacture, Testing, Alignment, Modern Techniques (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)
Raymond N. Wilson
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Reflecting Telescope Optics I: Basic Design Theory and its Historical Development (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)
Astronomical Optics, Second Edition
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Accessories:

Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation: Volume 26 (AIP Conference Proceedings / Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation)
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ASIN: 3540603565

Book Description

This volume is concerned essentially with the modern developments in reflecting telescope optics. In the last twenty years, modern technology has revolutionized not only manufacturing and test procedures but also the whole area of quality specification with the introduction of active control into the functioning telescope. Other subjects covered here are alignment of telescope optics, atmospheric optics, including adaptive optics, reflecting coatings and ancillary equipment (adapters and baffles). Although an independent work, Vol. II is heavily cross-referenced with Vol. I. It is richly illustrated and gives, together with Vol. I, the most complete list of references available; it can also therefore be regarded as a source book.

Quantum Fields in Curved Space (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)

Average customer rating:

Out of date but motivates modern developments
Excellent

Quantum Fields in Curved Space (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)
N. D. Birrell , and P. C. W. Davies
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Geometry, Topology and Physics, Second Edition (Graduate Student Series in Physics)
Cosmological Inflation and Large-Scale Structure

ASIN: 0521278589

Book Description

This book presents a comprehensive review of the subject of gravitational effects in quantum field theory. Although the treatment is general, special emphasis is given to the Hawking black hole evaporation effect, and to particle creation processes in the early universe. The last decade has witnessed a phenomenal growth in this subject. This is the first attempt to collect and unify the vast literature that has contributed to this rapid development. All the major technical results are presented, and the theory is developed carefully from first principles. Here is everything that students or researchers will need to embark upon calculations involving quantum effects of gravity at the so-called one-loop approximation level.

Customer Reviews:

Out of date but motivates modern developments.......2003-09-22

At the time of publication of this book, there was growing interest in how to formulate quantum field theory in spactimes with curved metrics with the intent of studying to what extent a non-flat curvature would change the properties and behavior of quantum fields as compared to the Minkowski case.The authors give an introduction to this research and they do a good job in that regard. Due to the influence of superstring and M-theory on high energy physics at the present time, fewer researchers are studying the problems as they are cast in this book. On the other hand, interest in the Casimir effect and the behavior of quantum fields at boundaries is still very much alive. This book could still be use to motivate this research. It is expected that anyone reading this book will have a background in quantum field theory in flat space, but one could still perhaps read it without such a background.

Quantum field theory in flat spacetime is difficult enough, and it is still not entirely understood from a mathematical perspective. Even the physics of interacting quantum fields is still poorly understood in flat spacetime, especially in its ability to predict a bound state. Therefore, it might seem a bit disconcerting to some for researchers to add further complications to quantum field theory by casting them in curved backgrounds. However, cosmological and astrophysical interests drives this research, as well as more practical considerations arising from the Casimir effect.

The renormalization procedures in quantum field theory are further complicated in curved spacetime via the "trace" or "conformal" anomalies. The reader gets a good dose of these in the book in the discussion on the renormalization of the stress. The idea of an "effective" action, which has been exploited with zeal in the flat spacetime case, appears here also.

The most important thing to carry away from this book is that the idea of a particle in curved space quantum field theory is not very well-formulated, i.e. particle detectors in such situations are not related to the quantity of matter present in a region as they are in the flat-space case. Doing quantum field theory when gravity is present has instigated a huge amount of research, related to the still unsolved problem of just how to quantize the gravitational field.

Excellent.......1999-11-30

One of the better books on quantum fields that I have read so far. An especially good treatment of the Casimir effect and boudary terms is given. The authors have a wonderfully conversive manner of discourse which I enjoyed very much.

Average customer rating:

From a fan of the third edition

Allen's Astrophysical Quantities

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 038795189X

Book Description

This new fourth edition of Allen's classic Astrophysical Quantities belongs on every astronomer's bookshelf. It has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date by a team of more than ninety internationally renowned astronomers and astrophysicists. While it follows the basic format of the original, this indispensable reference has grown to more than twice the size of the earlier editions to accommodate the great strides made in astronomy and astrophysics. It includes detailed tables of the most recent data on: - General constants and units - Atoms, molecules, and spectra - Observational astronomy at all wavelengths from radio to gamma-rays, and neutrinos - Planetary astronomy: Earth, planets and satellites, and solar system small bodies - The Sun, normal stars, and stars with special characteristics - Stellar populations - Cataclysmic and symbiotic variables, supernovae - Theoretical stellar evolution - Circumstellar and interstellar material - Star clusters, galaxies, quasars, and active galactic nuclei - Clusters and groups of galaxies - Cosmology. As well as much explanatory material and extensive and up-to-date bibliographies. The CD-ROM contains the full text of the book as a searchable PDF file.

Customer Reviews:

From a fan of the third edition.......2001-01-29

Allen's third edition was one of those reference books that you develop a personal relationship with. It was small enough to get to know, and quirky enough to require getting to know. This fourth is a committee effort, bigger, more authoritative, more up to date. I doubt that I will develop a warm affection for it, as I did it's predecessor, but I will use it just the same.

Average customer rating:

A classic
Unquestionably the best intro to Special Relativity I've read
also good for "specialists"-to-be too
An Essential Guide to Modern Physics
Great for starters

Space and Time in Special Relativity
N. David Mermin
Manufacturer: Waveland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0881334200

Book Description

A classic of elementary relativistic pedagogy! This straight- forward book introduces readers to the conceptually tricky subject of relativity in understandable terms. The writing is crisp and clearly written by someone who is aware of the conceptual difficulties that nonscientists have in coming to grips with relativity.

Customer Reviews:

A classic.......2007-06-16

For anyone who wants to understand special relativity, even those who may not be particularly adept at physics or higher math, this is the book. I spent months searching for a clear resolution of the "twin paradox" (aka, "clock paradox") without success. This is the *only* book I've ever found that accomplishes it, no other physics text I could find (and I examined 23 of them at the UCSD S&E library) provided a comprehensible explanation.

This is nothing short of a spectacular piece of work. There is no way to go wrong with this book if you have any interest in the topic at all. I'm confident that even well-experienced professional physicists could find a good many new and useful insights in it. And the best part is, this book is easily accessible by practically anyone having even entry level scientific awareness. It's a genuine classic.

Unquestionably the best intro to Special Relativity I've read.......2006-04-16

And that includes Epstein's "Relativity Visualized" and Wolfson's "Simply Einstein". My impression is that Mermin is truly intelligent and a good teacher. I found some of the other books talked down to me or spent time explaining how Michelson (or was it Morley) was abused as a child instead of sticking to the subject. I intend to buy Mermin's other book on the subject "It's About Time".

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a reasonably technical mind and wants to get a firm grasp on this subject.

also good for "specialists"-to-be too.......2001-02-08

I'm writing this review based on my impressions of this book when I read it 9 years ago as an undergraduate physics major at Berkeley. We used it in an honors sophmore-level physics class for physics majors. I'm know a physics grad-student at UCSB. I want to dissavow the impression you might have that this is just a light-weight, pop-science book. This book is very axiomatic and it really tries to "prove" relativity to the reader. The beginning chapters will motivate the postulates of special relativity (eg: "the speed of light is the same in all reference-frames"), and you will learn how to DERIVE the Lorentz transformations from them. (...which is the major thrust of the book. On a side note: topics like why E=mc^2 aren't discussed until the end.) This is why we used it in our class. The students taking the regular Berkeley physics class only memorized the Lorentz transformations and plugged them in blindly. I felt we learned a great deal more than they did. I think this book is billed as a descriptive introduction to relativity for non-specialists because it's clear and easy to read (although perhaps a bit verbose), and because doesn't use any fancy math, just basic geometry (right-triangles, the pythagorean theorem). This doesn't mean it should be shuned by specialists-to-be. This was my first introduction to relativity and at the time, I felt completely satisfied with my understanding of the material after reading it.

An Essential Guide to Modern Physics.......2000-02-07

This book was astounding. I had my share of knowledge in physics: Newtonian Mechanics, Electrodynamics and Magnetism, Optics, etc. This book took my preconceived ideas of how the Universe worked and all but threw them out the window.

Mermin's description of why the old physical model is inadequate was very descriptive and informative - even for someone with a highschool physics background. Numerous examples and analogies bring to understanding many difficult and abstract concepts. As for the skeptic . . . well, he deals with them in the later part of the book (I was one of them).

This book reads like a Science Fiction novel. Yet the topics presented could not be more real.

We have Einstein to thank for the Principles and Theories of Special Relativity, and Mermin to thank for communicating them to the general population.

I recommend this book to everybody; physicist or not. You cannot fool youself into thinking you have an understanding of the universe until you read and comprehend the topics covered in this book.

Enjoy!

Great for starters.......2000-01-16

have to thank Dr. Mermin for being able to interpret and discuss such, in a sense, complex matters effectively and efficiently; great for beginners, like myself, to have a philosophical approach. some of the problems presented are, in fact, not easy.

Gravitational N-Body Simulations: Tools and Algorithms (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)

Average customer rating:

What we have been expecting!!!

Gravitational N-Body Simulations: Tools and Algorithms (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)
Sverre J. Aarseth
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521432723

Book Description

This self-contained book presents basic methods of numerical simulation of gravitational systems, with applications in astronomy and cosmology. The first half of the book presents and explains the fundamental mathematical tools needed to describe the dynamics of a large number of mutually attractive particles. Particular attention is given to the techniques needed to model known planetary and astrophysical phenomena such as Hubble motion. The second half of the book demonstrates how to develop clear and elegant algorithms for models of gravitational systems.

Download Description

This book discusses in detail all the relevant numerical methods for the classical N-body problem. It demonstrates how to develop clear and elegant algorithms for models of gravitational systems, and explains the fundamental mathematical tools needed to describe the dynamics of a large number of mutually attractive particles. Particular attention is given to the techniques needed to model astrophysical phenomena such as close encounters and the dynamics of black hole binaries. The author reviews relevant work in the field and covers applications to the problems of planetary formation and star cluster dynamics, both of Pleiades type and globular clusters. Self-contained and pedagogical, this book is suitable for graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics, astronomy and cosmology.

Customer Reviews:

What we have been expecting!!!.......2004-02-06

This is an excellent book on simulation of n-body systems. The
author gives a very good description of several techniques and
algorithms together with some theoretical background. This is
the book to have on your desk if you don't want to have a pile
of pappers and other books.

Average customer rating:

Attention history and fantasy lovers!
The interesting book
Not as good as Half-Magic
A good place to start with Eager
One of the best children's books ever written!

Knight's Castle
Edward Eager
Manufacturer: Odyssey Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Time Garden
Magic by the Lake
Seven-Day Magic (Books for Young Readers)
Magic or Not?
The Well-Wishers

ASIN: 015202073X

Book Description

Roger, Anne, Eliza, and Jack find a magic way to go back into the time of Robin Hood, Rebecca, and Ivanhoe.

Customer Reviews:

Attention history and fantasy lovers!.......2006-07-21

Four children and a magical toy castle, what could happen? Everything! When Ann and Roger visit their cousins in Baltimore, Roger is given a toy castle, with toy figures from Ivanhoe and other legends. But the tables turn when they find they can become part of the world that Robin Hood, Rebecca, and Maurice De Bracey inhabited. Can the children solve the problems that they cause as they change the plots of these famous stories? If you like history, and fantasy this book is a definite read. I absolutely adored it!!!!!!!!!!!!

The interesting book.......2004-06-04

The book is interesting and funny. It's all about four children, two of whom must go to their cousin's house because it is close to the hospital where their dad will be treated. Suddenly, one the children's toys comes to life and starts talking. He tells them about a magic world and offers them a wish. They want their father to be well, but for that to happen, they have to earn the wish by living in the toy's world - in the time of Robin Hood!
As the children play in the world, they end up messing up history. They even play baseball with the Saxons.
This was a funny book. There were so many funny parts, that I don't have a favorite

Not as good as Half-Magic.......2003-03-21

I've read all books by Eager from the Magic Box set, and I would rate them in this order (from best to worst):
1)Half-Magic
2)The Time Garden
3)Magic by the Lake
4)Knight's Castle

Knight's Castle was confusing and not as funny as it tried to be. It is about 4 children that live in the story of Ivanhoe and Robin Hood at night. However, there were some good moments between Roger and his sister Ann.
If I were a child between 9-12, I think I would have loved all of them. However, Eager's books are not as modern as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, and won't be enjoyed as much by adults.

A good place to start with Eager.......2002-08-03

...This is a simple little tale of a group of children who discover a little bit of magic in an old toy soldier. In Eager's work, magic has fairly strict rules (in _Half-Magic_, the charm granted any wish--but only in halves), and here the rules work as a kind of companion to the idea that magic can only work if you continue to believe in it (that is, if you start to think of the creatures you are interacting with simply as dolls, they revert to being dolls again). The plot achieves its urgency through a possible problem in the family, but, with a little help, everything can be solved. A little more moralistic and straight-forward than some of his others, but well worth reading--especially if you've never tried Eager before.

One of the best children's books ever written!.......2002-08-01

I first read Eager's books as a child and I have been reading them on and off for the last twenty-five years (I keep a complete collection in my bedroom and I read them whenever I want a good laugh).

Eager writes on two levels--there is something in this (and all of his books) for both children and adults. As a kid, I loved Roger, Ann, Eliza and Jack because they aren't perfect and because they have their own squabbles and flaws. As an adult, I find them refreshing in their honesty---Eliza, especially, always lets you know how she feels!

The story is wonderful and begins with the scenario of all great children's books (missing or distracted parents). Roger and Ann's father requires emergency surgery and the family travels east to Baltimore for the operation. A visit to Aunt Katherine's is to be dreaded b/c of cousins Jack and Eliza (as Ann puts it "Jack and Eliza---help!). Jack is camera-obsessed while Eliza was the bossiest nine year old on the block before she moved to Baltimore.

But...a magical gift from Uncle Mark brings the cousins together. A castle complete with all the characters from Ivanhoe comes magically alive every three nights and Jack, Eliza, Ann and Roger are soon embarked on a variety of quests. Somehow tho' nothing seems to work out quite as Roger, Jack, Eliza and Ann plan---Ivanhoe is nearly captured when Roger spills the beans about his hidden presence in the castle, an attempt to modernize 'ye merrie England' results in Ivanhoe's experimenting with space travel and so on. Gradually, Roger realizes that he needs to perform a great deed if he is to help his father recover and he, Ann, Jack and Eliza draw on their own inner strengths to perform the necessary quest and save chivalry for ever.

Don't miss out on this book! Half Magic, Magic By the Lake (which deal with Roger and Ann's mom and her siblings) and The Time Garden (which features Jack, Eliza, Ann and Roger) are among the best children's books written this century. I won't compare them to the Harry Potter books (equally great!) but I will say that if you loved Harry Potter, you will love Edward Eager.

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