Scaling
Scaling
Many phenomena in nature, engineering or society when seen at an intermediate distance, in space or time, exhibit the remarkable property of self-similarity: they reproduce themselves as scales change, subject to so-called scaling laws. It's crucial to know the details of these laws, so that mathematical models can be properly formulated and analysed, and the phenomena in question can be more deeply understood. In this 2003 book, the author describes and teaches the art of discovering scaling laws, starting from dimensional analysis and physical similarity, which are here given a modern treatment. He demonstrates the concepts of intermediate asymptotics and the renormalisation group as natural attributes of self-similarity and shows how and when these notions and tools can be used to tackle the task at hand, and when they cannot. Based on courses taught to undergraduate and graduate students, the book can also be used for self-study by biologists, chemists, astronomers, engineers and geoscientists.
- Barenblatt is the world's leading figure in self-similarity
- Approach is via examples, rather than purely theoretical, so that students can see how the ideas are used in practice
- Can be used for a course or for self-study, and as such will appeal to workers in other areas who wish to know how scaling methods can be applied
Reviews & endorsements
"This book describes and teaches the art of discovering scaling laws, starting from dimensional analysis and physical similarity, which are given a modern treatment here." Mechanical Engineering
"The book is accessible to a general mathematically literate audience: the complex physical phenomena are presented clearly and economically. Readers will be rewarded with a wealth of examples, with guiding general principles and with profound insights." American Mathematical Society Reviews
Product details
December 2003Paperback
9780521533942
188 pages
228 × 154 × 10 mm
0.27kg
5 b/w illus. 1 colour illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Foreword
- Introduction
- 1. Dimensional analysis and physical similarity
- 2. Self-similarity and intermediate asymptotics
- 3. Scaling laws and self-similar solutions which cannot be obtained by dimensional analysis
- 4. Complete and incomplete similarity
- 5. Scaling and transformation groups and the renormalisation group
- 6. Self-similar solutions and traveling waves
- 7. Scaling laws and fractals
- 8. Scaling laws for turbulent wall-bounded shear flows at very large Reynolds numbers
- References
- Index.
