Chaos: The New Science

With the popularity of James Gleick's bestselling book, Chaos, this winner of a "Best in Festival" award at the Science Festival International Competition, should prove to be of equal interest with the general populace. Examining phenomena from many different fields, Chaos details the history of civilization's models of the universe, and how each has finally succumbed to some new, unexplainable discovery. The science of chaos, which incorporates critical theory from both physics and fractal geometry, studies the way systems break down--whether it's forecasting the weather or running the stock market--and why. The strange thing about chaos is that there is a method to the madness, so to speak. Within boundaries, the chaotic activity of systems is surprisingly repetitive. And this predictable part of chaos may lead to groundbreaking new ideas and methods. For example, the heart apparently displays telltale signs up to six months before the onset of a heart attack (ergo, once the equipment is widely available, people will be able to drastically reduce the chance of heart attack, simply by having semi-annual checkups). Interviewing a number of scientists from various divisions, and incorporating computer animated clips to explain different concepts, this program offers an excellent introduction to the new science of chaos--the art of finding order within disorder. Highly recommended for high school libraries and those public libraries who can afford it. (See A DIFFERENT TWIST for availability.)