This book questions the physics of diversity—why diversity happens by itself, why it is a phenomenon that has a mind of its own, and why it opposes any effort of being shoehorned into a few distinct (antagonistic) classes. Physics is not opinion; physical facts can be put to the test. The book begins with fundamentals of design evolution in nature—movement, time direction, freedom to change, size, shape, structure. It continues with pictorial examples of distinct evolutionary doma...

Time and beauty are two of our most visceral perceptions. Yet, their nature is seldom questioned. In this ground-breaking new work, Adrian Bejan — a true 'original' among physicists — explains, in a scholarly yet colorful style, the scientific basis for the perception of time and beauty.Organized into three main ideas, the book begins first with the perception of time. The author expounds on why we feel that time flies faster as we get older. Perceived time, also called 'mind time,' is dif...

The book begins with familiar designs found all around and inside us (such as the ‘trees’ of river basins, human lungs, blood and city traffic). It then shows how all flow systemsare driven by power from natural engines everywhere, and how they are endlessly shaped because of freedom. Finally, Professor Bejan explains how people, like everything else that moves on earth, are driven by power derived from our “engines” that consume fuel and food, and that our movement dissipates the power co...

The renowned scientist examines the mysteries of life and evolution through the lens of physics in this "riveting and poetic" book ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)In The Physics of Life, Adrien Bejan presents persuasive answers to such profound questions as "What is life, as physics?" and "Why do life, death, and evolution happen?" He argues that the phenomenon of evolution is much broader and older than the evolutionary designs that constitute th...

This updated edition of a widely admired text provides a user-friendly introduction to the field that requires only routine mathematics. The book starts with the elements of fluid mechanics and heat transfer, and covers a wide range of applications from fibrous insulation and catalytic reactors to geological strata, nuclear waste disposal, geothermal reservoirs, and the storage of heat-generating materials. As the standard reference in the field, this book will be essential to researchers ...

This book presents the diverse and rapidly expanding field of Entropy Generation Minimization (EGM), the method of thermodynamic optimization of real devices. The underlying principles of the EGM method - also referred to as "thermodynamic optimization," "thermodynamic design," and "finite time thermodynamics" - are thoroughly discussed, and the me

Convection in Porous Media, 4th Edition, provides a user-friendly introduction to the subject, covering a wide range of topics, such as fibrous insulation, geological strata, and catalytic reactors. The presentation is self-contained, requiring only routine mathematics and the basic elements of fluid mechanics and heat transfer. The book will be of use not only to researchers and practicing engineers as a review and reference, but also to graduate students and others entering the field. Th...

Design happens everywhere, whether in animate objects (e.g., dendritic lung structures, bacterial colonies, and corals), inanimate patterns (river basins, beach slope, and dendritic crystals), social dynamics (pedestrian traffic flows), or engineered systems (heat dissipation in electronic circuitry). This “design in nature” often takes on remarkably similar patterns, which can be explained under one unifying Constructal Law. This book explores the unifying power of the Constructal Law and...

In this groundbreaking book, Adrian Bejan takes the recurring patterns in nature—trees, tributaries, air passages, neural networks, and lightning bolts—and reveals how a single principle of physics, the Constructal Law, accounts for the evolution of these and all other designs in our world.Everything—from biological life to inanimate systems—generates shape and structure and evolves in a sequence of ever-improving designs in order to facilitate flow. River...

Ever since the beginning of mankind's efforts to pursue scientific inquiry into the laws of nature, visualization of the very distant and the very small has been paramount. The examples are numerous. A century ago, the atom appeared mysterious, a “raisin or plum pie of no structure,” until it was visualized on the appropriate length and time scales. Similarly, with telescopic observations, a central dogma of the cosmos was changed and complexity yielded to simplicity of the heliocentric st...

Catalysis literature can be difficult to read if there is not a sufficient understanding of the underlying connections between the chemical, materials and engineering aspects of catalysis. As a result, many students lack the depth of knowledge to effectively understand the topic.Introduction to Heterogeneous Catalysis solves this issue by presenting not only the basic concepts of catalysis but also, right from the beginning, integrating the chemical, materials and engineering aspects of ca...

The second edition of Nanochemistry covers the main studies of nanoparticle production, reactions, and compounds, and reviews the work of leading scientists from around the world. This book is the first monograph on nanochemistry, giving perspectives on the present status and future possibilities in this rapidly advancing discipline. It provides the solid fundamentals and theory of nanoscience, and progress through topics including synthesis and stabilization of nanoparticles, cryochemistr...