This book is about the importance of random phenomena occurring in nature. Cases are selected in which randomness is most important or crucial, such as Brownian motion, certain reactions in Physical Chemistry and Biology, and intermittency in magnetic field generation by turbulent fluid motion, etc. Due to "almighty chance" the structures can originate from chaos even in linear problems. This idea is complementary as well as competes with a basic concept of synergetics where structures appear mainly due to the pan-linear nature of phenomena. This book takes a new look at the problem of structure formation in random media, qualitative physical representation of modern conceptions, intermittency, fractals, percolation and many examples from different fields of science.
"This volume by the well-known and influential Soviet physicist Yakov Zeldovich was completed after his death by his younger colleagues Alexander Ruzmaikin and Dimitri Sokoloff. It presents a novel and personal view of many interesting problems that lie at the interface of statistical mechanics, nonlinear physics and continuum mechanics ... The book contains thoughtful discussions of basic problems that others might have considered to be in need of renewed attention (for example, Brownian motion). In these respects, the character of the look is reminiscent of the Feynman lectures (but at a more advanced level) ... Ruzmaikin and Sokoloff have done a service to physics by bringing this project to completion." Physics Today Jerry P Gollub Haverford College and University of Pennsylvania "Throughout the book a lively and clear style is maintained, which makes it very readable and also helps to keep a clear overview of the mathematical methods discussed ... The book succeeds admirably in providing a clear and accessible introduction to this subject." Mathematics Abstracts, 1993
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