Chaotic vibrations: an introduction for applied scientists and engineers

Fifteen years ago, Francis Moon’s Chaotic Vibrations introduced, in practical language, the new ideas of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. Since then, the field has grown tremendously, and "chaos" has entered the vocabulary of not only physicists and mathematicians but also the general public. Researchers in nonlinear dynamics have broadened their scope to investigate ideas of complexity in natural and human-made systems, including networks in the brain, electric energy grids, and the Internet.

With this paperback reissue of Professor Moon’s classic, we hope to interest a new generation of readers intrigued by unpredictability in the laws of physics and its manifestation in the physical world in the form of chaotic dynamics.

Written for engineers and applied scientists, Chaotic Vibrations gives specific examples and applications of chaotic dynamics in the physical world. It also describes how to perform both computer and physical experiments in chaotic dynamics. Topics covered include:

• Poincaré maps
• Fractal dimensions
• Lyapunov exponents
• Experiments in chaos
• Chaos in engineering

Similar in its broad scope to James Gleick’s Chaos, only geared to a more technically curious reader, Chaotic Vibrations features an extensive guide to the literature, especially as it relates to more mathematically-oriented works; a glossary of nonlinear dynamics terms; a list of computer experiments; and details for a demonstration experiment on chaotic vibrations. This handy paperback version of Chaotic Vibrations arms engineers and researchers with the new tools of dynamical systems and prepares them to make their own contributions to this exciting and rapidly developing field.