Scaling [Paperback]

An advanced 2003 textbook on how to discover and use scaling laws in natural sciences and engineering.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 consequences 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.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 consequences 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.Starting from dimensional analysis and physical similarity, G. Barenblatt describes the art of discovering scaling laws. He demonstrates the concepts of intermediate asymptotics and the renormalization group as natural consequences of self-similarity and shows how and when these tools can tackle the task at hand, and when they cannot. Based on courses taught to undergraduate and graduate students, the book can also be used independently by biologists, chemists, astronomers, engineers and geoscientists.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 anl%