Excellent introductory text in this topic

books:

	• Nonlinear Dynamics And Chaos: With Applications To Physics, Biology, Chemistry, And Engineering (Studies in ... Steven H. Strogatz Westview Press, 2001 - 512 pages average customer review:based on 36 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent introductory text in this topic

This is one of the best, most easy to read introductory texts on the topic of non-linear dynamics....
Must read for students who want to enter this area.

Wonderful

This is simply the best math book ever made. You can just sit down and read it and understand it, plus Nonlinear Dynamics is really interesting stuff.

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(Technical + Concept) / Accessability > 1

Overall, best book on dynamic systems I've found. There is a lot of math but with a basic understanding of calculus, matrix algebra and with time it is understandable (at least in concept), even for a non-mathematician; it is clearly a textbook and does well at this. The concept development is great and walks the reader through developing, in building block fashion, an understanding of components of action in dynamic systems. Strogatz then ties these together toward the end (last 1/3 of book)when introducing the tour-de-force, chaotic systems.

What would it take for 5-stars, in my estimate?
1. I thought the many examples were too esoteric, primarily serving to guide solutions to the chapter exercises. Perhaps examples illustrating dynamics in the accessible world would be a more engaging use of the ~1/3 of the total book space allocated to the examples.
2. It is not until pg. 301 (of 453 text pages) that nonlinear dynamics is assembled into chaos and it's associates. Personally, I would like to see less development of nonlinear dynamics with more emphasis on the later (or at least more of the later).

Overall, an excellent read; it is worthy of a hardcover (next printing?)!

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A must have for researchers in the area

Easy and fun to read while covering the area widely. There are examples provided in the book that help a lot to understand the topic. This is my area of research and I found this book as a must in this field. Even of you are doing research in other related areas, this book provides a very good perception of this field.

Great read, even casually

Strogatz is a great writer and makes reading this even for pleasure very enjoyable!
I especially loved the section where he talked about fireflies.

I did cover some of these topics in a class, and it helped greatly. I understood the topics probably more than anyone else in the class. And Strogatz makes it very easy to learn, with his casual writing style. Best math-related book I've ever boughten. I wish all books were so great!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

An introductory text in nonlinear dynamics and chaos, emphasizing applications in several areas of science, which include vibrations, biological rhythms, insect outbreaks, and genetic control systems. Contains a rich selection of illustrations, with many exercises and examples. Softcover.

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