The book is about dynamics-the mathematics of how things change in time.The universe around us presents a kaleidoscope of quantities that vary with time, ranging from the extragalactic pulsation of quasars to the fluctuations in sunspot activity on our sun; from the changeing outdoor temperature associated with the four season to the aily temperature gluctuations in our bodies; from the incidence of infectious diseases such as meales to the tumultuous trend of stock prices.
Daniel Kaplan specializes in the analysis of data using tachniques motivated by nonlinear dynamics. His primary interest is in the interpretation of irregular physiological rhythms, but the methods he has developed have been used in geophysics, economics, marine ecology, and other fields. He joined McGill in 1991,after receiving his Ph.D from Harvard University and working at MIT. His undergraduate studies were completed at Swarthomore College. He has worked with several intrumentation companies to develop novel types of medical monitors.
Leon Glass is one of the pioneers of what has come to be callled chaos theory, specializing in applications to medicine and biology. He has worked in areas as diverse as physical chemistry, visual perception, and cardiology, and is one of the originators of the concept of "dynamical disease."
