Bücher der Reihe The MIT Press

This classic guide teaches the art of programming to first time programmers.

A personal story of the ways in which persistence, chance, and creativity interact in biomedical research.

Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) was one of the most inventive scientists of his time and one of the few truly scientific inventors. Because he saw no reason for making sharp separations between the pure and the applied, between science and technology, he was able to illuminate each aspect of his work with the light of his experience in the other. The result, as his correspondence confirms, was a progressive reaching out into numerous areas, some far removed from the electrical studies on which his fame has chiefly rested.This collection of letters on scientific topics, both to and from Thomson, displays his interest in and knowledge of astronomy, telescope making, physical chemistry, x-ray studies, the history of science, industrial research and production, scientific education, military and naval armament, acoustics, air pollution, noise abatement, and other matters. His electrical and electromechanical interests are of course well represented in this selection. These areas the reader will in large part be able to match against the well-known scientists and inventors among those included in the book who shared concerns and exchanged letters with Thomson: Sir William H. Bragg, William D. Coolidge, R. E. B. Crompton, Thomas A. Edison, George E. Hale, Irving Langmuir, Robert A. Millikan, Michael I. Pupin, George W. Ritchey, George A. Sarton, Harlow Shapley, Samuel W. Stratton, and Willis R. Whitney.Thomson is credited with almost 800 electrical inventions. The process by which some of these were made are revealed in his letters in discussing generators, arc lights, measuring instruments, transformers, and other implements. Other letters reflect the rise of his company, which merged with Edison's to become the General Electric Company. It is of interest that Thomson chose to remain at General Electric all his life, as a consultant, even though he could have had almost any academic post he desired, including the M.I.T. presidency. Thomson was in fact an early advocate of the value of in-house industrial support of scientific activity of a sort transcending narrow and obvious self-interest; such support he felt would mutually benefit both science and industry. Some of the most interesting of the letters deal with his advice to Hale and others on the making of the great 100- and 200-inch telescope mirrors. Others describe how, as a young Philadelphia high school teacher, he was able to produce electromagnetic waves and detect them at a distance some twelve years before the experiments of Hertz. At that time, he realized their utility as a medium of communication twenty years before Marconi's successful transmissions.Thomson's letters to and from each correspondent are grouped together in order to show with greater continuity the development of Thomson's warm personal relationships and the unfolding of ideas and results in the various fields. The editors have provided an introduction, biographical accounts, and annotations. The latter are extensive and varied in nature, comprising explanations, anecdotes, commentaries, and identifications of now-obscure references.

It is generally known that the United States, a large country, has spawned business corporations that transcend international boundaries--multinationals. What is not generally known is that many smaller countries are rapidly following suit--they too are opening and expanding international operations for their own local firms. This book is the first organized effort by scholars to deal with non-American international corporations as a general phenomenon. Initially presented at a colloquium devoted to the subject held at MIT in January 1976, these seven essays bring to light the relatively unpublicized international activities of firms originating in a number of geographically and economically diverse smaller countries.

The first systematic study of approximation methods in queueing network modeling and how these methods are developed.

A case study that explains the present location pattern of the synthetic-fiber industry, forecasts the regional distribution of future growth in terms of employment and capital investment, and evaluates the advantages of Puerto Rico as a site for fiber production.

Exchange-Rate Devaluation in a Semi-Industrialized Country analyzes the impact, of the exchange rate on the domestic economy and the balance of payments of Argentina during the period 1955-1961. It contains a study of the short-run mechanism of adjustment of the balance of payments of that country during the nineteen-fifties and early sixties, concentrating especially on an analysis of the effects of the December 1958 devaluation of the peso. This book is one of the few case studies to consider fully the impact of devaluation in semi-industrialized economies.After reviewing the existing theoretical literature on devaluation, the author presents a model that deals explicitly with the redistributive effect. This model serves as a guide to the empirical analysis of other chapters in the book and is far more usable than the standard devaluation models normally employed. Other chapters study the demand and supply conditions for importable and exportable goods in Argentina. The mechanics of the inflationary process are also discussed. The last two chapters present a detailed description of the evolution of the Argentine economy during 1955-1961 and the conclusions reached by this study. Exchange-Rate Devaluation in a Semi-Industrialized Country contains an intensive analysis of the redistributive effect, and its main conclusion is that one must take explicitly into account the redistributive effect when analyzing the impact of devaluation in a semi-industrialized country. In recent years a great debate has arisen on the appropriateness of economic policies recommended by the International Monetary Fund in several Latin American countries, aimed at correcting disequilibrium in the balance of payments; this book can be useful in providing an objective account of one experience where the I.M.F. policies were at least partially followed. This book will prove valuable to the economist as well as to anyone interested in international and, especially, Latin American economics. Volume No.5 in the M.I.T. Economics Monograph Series

An overview and synopsis of European connectionist research from both classical and mathematical perspectives.

Understanding the impact of economic growth rates of countries on individual firms.

Research collected from many disciplines, including computer architecture, computer-aided design, parallel algorithms, semiconductor technology, and testing.

A list of errata for this title is available upon request directed to A. Bers at bers@mit.edu.

An empirical study evaluating the choice of manufacturing equipment by firms in developing nations.

Studies based on the Rankine-Hugoniot relations have classified MHO shock waves as fast, switch-on, intermediate, switch-off, and slow. Any waves found in nature must also: (a) possess steady-state structures and (b) be stable in the presence of small-flow disturbances. In this monograph, Dr. Anderson examines these criteria in relation to plane shocks for which the collision frequency is large compared with cyclotron frequency. It contains a three-dimensional graphic representation of shock end states and presents an exact solution for the shock adiabatic curve in a convenient form. An MIT Press Research Monograph.

A set of related papers dealing with the meaning of causality in simulataneous dynamic equation systems. Investigation of the systems which only approximately satisfy the conditions enabling the definition of causality, leads to a set of limiting theorems concerning the dynamic behavior of such systems over time, and estimation procedures for the parameters of such systems. Implications of these theorems for some well-known propositions in economics and other social sciences are considered.

Leading academics and prominent economists of central banks and international organizations analyze and discuss the key problems and issues of monetary policy of developed countries.

The title of this book is derived from a graduate course in which Professor Egon Orowan presented to M.I.T. students a clear and simple picture of the basic concepts in crystal plasticity and the mechanics of fracture of materials. Since the publication of his pioneering papers on dislocations and atomic mechanisms of fracture in the early 1930's, Professor Orowan has been one of the principal contributors to the field of physics of plasticity and strength. During the past 10 to 15 years, the perfection of many direct experimental methods has caused a great increase of activity in the elucidation of the effects of dislocations on mechanical and physical properties. Equally intensive activity is taking place in the field of physics and mechanics of fracture processes. Professor Ali Argon felt that the retirement of Professor Orowan from the M.I.T. faculty was an appropriate occasion to take stock of the developments in the immediate past and to produce a needed synthesis of this technologically important field. For this purpose he invited 37 of the world's leading figures in the field to contribute theoretical papers of original work. The 17 papers on the Physics of Plasticity fall into two categories: (1) Individual Dislocations and Basic Deformation Mechanisms, and (2) Hardening Mechanisms and Dislocation Dynamics. The 10 papers on the Physics of Strength concentrate on (1) Cracks and Fracture, and (2) Geology.

A detailed history of one instance of a vanishing phenomenon, the small New England textile town.

How social and economic conditions have precipitated advances in engineering.

This book identifies and takes up an important problem in international economics--the split in theoretical and empirical work in international finance and in international trade.

A useful and integrated perspective on tariffs and quotas in imperfect competition.

A theoretical and empirical study of agricultural contracts and organization based on the transaction cost framework.

A study of the pragmatic roots of American environmentalism-as seen in the work of Liberty Hyde Bailey, Lewis Mumford, Benton MacKaye, and Aldo Leopold-and how it can inform a new, civic-minded environmentalism today.

An environmentalist maps the hidden costs of overconsumption in a globalized world by tracing the environmental consequences of five commodities.The Shadows of Consumption gives a hard-hitting diagnosis: many of the earth's ecosystems and billions of its people are at risk from the consequences of rising consumption. Products ranging from cars to hamburgers offer conveniences and pleasures; but, as Peter Dauvergne makes clear, global political and economic processes displace the real costs of consumer goods into distant ecosystems, communities, and timelines, tipping into crisis people and places without the power to resist. In The Shadows of Consumption, Peter Dauvergne maps the costs of consumption that remain hidden in the shadows cast by globalized corporations, trade, and finance. Dauvergne traces the environmental consequences of five commodities: automobiles, gasoline, refrigerators, beef, and harp seals. In these fascinating histories we learn, for example, that American officials ignored warnings about the dangers of lead in gasoline in the 1920s; why China is now a leading producer of CFC-free refrigerators; and how activists were able to stop Canada's commercial seal hunt in the 1980s (but are unable to do so now). Dauvergne's innovative analysis allows us to see why so many efforts to manage the global environment are failing even as environmentalism is slowly strengthening. He proposes a guiding principle of "balanced consumption” for both consumers and corporations. We know that we can make things better by driving a high-mileage car, eating locally grown food, and buying energy-efficient appliances; but these improvements are incremental, local, and insufficient. More crucial than our individual efforts to reuse and recycle will be reforms in the global political economy to reduce the inequalities of consumption and correct the imbalance between growing economies and environmental sustainability.

How science consultants make movie science plausible, in films ranging from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Finding Nemo.

Philosophical reflections on creativity in science, humanities, and human experience as a whole.

A proposal for a set of social indicators that assess the quality of our social system and the quality of life.

An examination of art education in secondary schools and colleges, asking what kinds of courses best fulfill educational and personal needs.

Experts consider the nature and distribution of life in the universe--from the origin of life on earth to the search for intelligent life on other planets.

Assessing the role of government regulation in occupational safety issues.

Essays by leading figures in linguistics, artificial intelligence, and psychology explore the problems involved in creating a general cognitive science that will treat language, thought, and behavior in an integrated fashion.