Dramatic Problem Solving

In problem solving, as in street fighting, rules are for fools: do whatever works—don't just stand there! Yet we often fear an unjustified leap even though it may land us on a correct result. T

The new edition of an introduction to the art of computational problem solving using Python.This book introduces students with little or no prior programming experience to the art of computational pro

Why solving the information problem should be at the core of our pandemic response: essential reading about the long-term implications of our current crisis. COVID-19 is caused by a virus. The COVID-1

When organizations apply old methods of problem-solving to new kinds of problems, they may accomplish only temporary fixes or some ineffectual tinkering around the edges. Today's problems are a new br

This book introduces students with little or no prior programming experience to the art of computational problem solving using Python and various Python libraries, including PyLab. It provides student

In Things and Places, Zenon Pylyshyn argues that the process of incrementallyconstructing perceptual representations, solving the binding problem (determining which propertiesgo together), and, more g

In Things and Places, Zenon Pylyshyn argues that the process of incrementallyconstructing perceptual representations, solving the binding problem (determining which propertiesgo together), and, more g

To be effective, an international regime must play a significant role in solving or at least managing the problem that led to its creation. But because regimes--social institutions composed of roles,

To be effective, an international regime must play a significant role in solving or at least managing the problem that led to its creation. But because regimes—social institutions composed of roles, r

Over time the field of artificial intelligence has developed an "agent perspective" expanding its focus from thought to action, from search spaces to physical environments, and from problem-solving to

Offers both first-time and seasoned programmers an ideal environment for developing math and general problem solving skills, combining the educational philosophy of Logo and the power of object-orient

How Hansel and Gretel, Sherlock Holmes, the movie Groundhog Day, Harry Potter, and other familiar stories illustrate the concepts of computing.Picture a computer scientist, staring at a screen and clicking away frantically on a keyboard, hacking into a system, or perhaps developing an app. Now delete that picture. In Once Upon an Algorithm, Martin Erwig explains computation as something that takes place beyond electronic computers, and computer science as the study of systematic problem solving. Erwig points out that many daily activities involve problem solving. Getting up in the morning, for example: You get up, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast. This simple daily routine solves a recurring problem through a series of well-defined steps. In computer science, such a routine is called an algorithm. Erwig illustrates a series of concepts in computing with examples from daily life and familiar stories. Hansel and Gretel, for example, execute an algorithm to get home from the fore

A broad introduction to algorithms for decision making under uncertainty, introducing the underlying mathematical problem formulations and the algorithms for solving them.Automated decision-making systems or decision-support systems―used in applications that range from aircraft collision avoidance to breast cancer screening―must be designed to account for various sources of uncertainty while carefully balancing multiple objectives. This textbook provides a broad introduction to algorithms for decision making under uncertainty, covering the underlying mathematical problem formulations and the algorithms for solving them. The book first addresses the problem of reasoning about uncertainty and objectives in simple decisions at a single point in time, and then turns to sequential decision problems in stochastic environments where the outcomes of our actions are uncertain. It goes on to address model uncertainty, when we do not start with a known model and must learn how to act through inte

Techniques for applying mathematical concepts in the real world: six rarely taught but crucial tools for analysis, research, and problem-solving.Many young graduates leave school with a solid knowledge of mathematical concepts but struggle to apply these concepts in practice. Real scientific and engineering problems are different from those found in textbooks: they are messier, take longer to solve, and standard solution recipes might not apply. This book fills the gap between what is taught in the typical college curriculum and what a practicing engineer or scientist needs to know. It presents six powerful tools for analysis, research, and problem-solving in the real world: dimensional analysis, limiting cases, symmetry, scaling, making order of magnitude estimates, and the method of successive approximations. The book does not focus on formulaic manipulations of equations, but emphasizes analysis and explores connections between the equations and the application. Each chapter introdu

A guide to computational thinking education, with a focus on artificial intelligence literacy and the integration of computing and physical objects. Computing has become an essential part of today’s primary and secondary school curricula. In recent years, K–12 computer education has shifted from computer science itself to the broader perspective of computational thinking (CT), which is less about technology than a way of thinking and solving problems―“a fundamental skill for everyone, not just computer scientists,” in the words of Jeanette Wing, author of a foundational article on CT. This volume introduces a variety of approaches to CT in K–12 education, offering a wide range of international perspectives that focus on artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and the integration of computing and physical objects. The book first offers an overview of CT and its importance in K–12 education, covering such topics as the rationale for teaching CT; programming as a general problem-solving

A new approach to Hume's problem of induction that justifies the optimality of induction at the level of meta-induction.Hume's problem of justifying induction has been among epistemology's greatest ch

Philosophers from Descartes to Kripke have struggled with the glittering prize of modern and contemporary philosophy: the mind-body problem. The brain is physical. If the

Solving Geometric Constraints records and explains the formal basis for graphical analysis techniques that have been used for decades in engineering disciplines. It describes a novel computer implemen

A cognitive ethnography of how bioengineering scientists create innovative modeling methods.In this first full-scale, long-term cognitive ethnography by a philosopher of science, Nancy J. Nersessian offers an account of how scientists at the interdisciplinary frontiers of bioengineering create novel problem-solving methods. Bioengineering scientists model complex dynamical biological systems using concepts, methods, materials, and other resources drawn primarily from engineering. They aim to understand these systems sufficiently to control or intervene in them. What Nersessian examines here is how cutting-edge bioengineering scientists integrate the cognitive, social, material, and cultural dimensions of practice. Her findings and conclusions have broad implications for researchers in philosophy, science studies, cognitive science, and interdisciplinary studies, as well as scientists, educators, policy makers, and funding agencies. In studying the epistemic practices of scientists, Ner

The power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity: lessons from a Black professional’s journey through corporate America.Design offers so much more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner, a beautification add-on after the heavy lifting. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune shows how design provides a unique angle on problem-solving―how it can be leveraged strategically to cultivate innovation and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. As he does so, he describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. Bethune, who began as an engineer at Westinghouse, moved on to Nike (where he designed Air Jordans), and now works as a sought-after consultant on design and innovation, shows how design can transform both individual lives and organizations. In Bethune’s account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage

An argument for a Copernican revolution in our consideration of mental features—a shift in which the world-brain problem supersedes the mind-body problem.Philosophers have long debated the mind-body p

This collection of articles and associated discussion papers focuses on a problem that has attracted increasing attention from linguists and psychologists throughout the world during the past several

This book probes the stable marriage problem and its variants as a rich source ofproblems and ideas that illustrate both the design and analysis of efficient algorithms. It coversthe most recent struc

A short, rigorous introduction to intermediate microeconomic theory that offers worked-out examples, tools for solving exercises, and algebra support.This book takes a concise, example-filled approach

An argument that-despite dramatic advances in the field-artificial intelligence is nowhere near developing systems that are genuinely intelligent. In this provocative book, Brian Cantwell Smith argu

Solutions to odd-numbered problem set questions in Modern Macroeconomics.

The Cold War period saw a dramatic expansion of state-funded science and technologyresearch. Government and military patronage shaped Cold War technoscientific practices, imposingmethods that were pro

The Cold War period saw a dramatic expansion of state-funded science and technologyresearch. Government and military patronage shaped Cold War technoscientific practices, imposingmethods that were pro

This book offers a unified, comprehensive, and up-to-date treatment of analytical andnumerical tools for solving dynamic economic problems. The focus is on introducing recursive methods-- an important

Today we are witnessing dramatic changes in the way scientific and scholarlyknowledge is created, codified, and communicated. This transformation is connected to the use ofdigital technologies and the

Today we are witnessing dramatic changes in the way scientific and scholarlyknowledge is created, codified, and communicated. This transformation is connected to the use ofdigital technologies and the

Architecture has always been intimately intertwined with its social, political, andeconomic contexts; major events in world history have had correspondingly dramatic effects on thediscipline. The Grea

Over the past sixty years, powerful methods of model-based control engineering havebeen responsible for such dramatic advances in engineering systems as autolanding aircraft,autonomous vehicles, and e

Greater knowledge and transparency are often promoted as the keys to solving a widearray of governance problems. In Instituting Nature, Andrew Mathews describes Mexico's efforts overthe past hundred y

Greater knowledge and transparency are often promoted as the keys to solving a widearray of governance problems. In Instituting Nature, Andrew Mathews describes Mexico's efforts overthe past hundred y

After World War II, a systems approach to solving complex problems and managingcomplex systems came into vogue among engineers, scientists, and managers, fostered in part by thediffusion of digital co

Modern European cities viewed as complex constructs entangled with technology: themost dramatic changes in the urban environment over the last century and half, abundantlyillustrated with rare photogr

The last explosive change in art education came nearly a century ago, when the German Bauhaus was formed. Today, dramatic changes in the art world—its increasing professionalization, the pervas

The move to 3D graphics represents a dramatic artistic and technical development in the history of video games that suggests an overall transformation of games as media. The experience of space has b

A new book by Boris Groys acknowledges the problem and potential of art's complex relationship to power.