Stauffer D., Oliveira de S.M., Oliveira de P.M.C., Martins Sá J.S. Biology, Sociology, Geology by Computational Physicists

Amsterdam: Elsevier. – 2006. – 286 p. Physicists pretend not only to know everything, but also to know everything better. This applies in particular to computational statistical physicists like US. Thus many of our colleagues have applied their computer simulation techniques to fields outside of physics, and have published sometimes in biological, economic or sociological journals, and publication flow in the opposite direction has also started. The present book reviews selected applications to evolutionary biology (Chapters 3 and 4), social sciences (5 and 6) and geosciences (7), while Chapter 2 explains the general concepts of evolutionary dynamical systems, and why computer simulations of agent-based-models are the basic tool for these studies. The book as a whole is intended for graduate students and researchers not only in physics. No deep knowledge concerning the many different subjects or computer programming is required to follow the book, which can therefore be useful (we hope) to a wide and general audience. The parts we marked with asterisks contain mostly additional information, not fundamental for the comprehension of the book as a whole.Evolution
Biological Ageing
Biological Speciation
Languages
Social Sciences
EarthquakesProgramsSubject Index