Mixing : chaos and turbulence ; [proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute on Mixing: Chaos and Turbulence, held July 7-20, 1996 in Cargèse, France

Mixing may be thought of as the operation by which a system evolves from one state of simplicity (initial segregation) to another state of simplicity (complete uniformity). Between these two extremes, complex patterns emerge and die. Questions naturally arise-- how can the geometry of complex patterns be characterised, what is the time scale of the process, what structures are involved in the flow? This volume, comprising the proceedings of the NATO ASI on Mixing, attempts to address these questions from the approaches of geometry, kinetics and structure. The ASI which brought together diverse communities with a common interest in the problem of mixing, now provides us with a comprehensive work on the problem of mixing. A host of international scholars gathered for the NATO Advanced Studies Institute to discuss questions arising from the study of mixing. Although mixing does not have a reputation for being very scientific, the articles in this book analyze it in a scientific manner from the approaches of geometry, kinetics, and structure, addressing questions involving the characterization of the geometry of complex patterns, the time-scale of a process, and the structures involved in the flow. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR