Supercomputing and the Transformation of Science ("Scientific American" Library) - Hardcover

The development of the supercomputer has given scientists an awesome new capability: the power to virtually re-create the physical world on the computer screen, with a stunning degree of precision and sophistication. Everything from weather systems to biochemical interactions to car crashes to air pollution to high speed subatomic particle collisions can now be simulated, manipulated, and observed at the scientist's will. The fascinating, strikingly illustrated Supercomputing and the Transformation often' provides a state of the art look at the capabilities and scientific contributions of the most powerful computers. Written bv noted science author William Kaufmann and supercomputing expert Larry Smarr, the book examines the hardware, software, and techniques of supercomputing, showing how these powerful machines 'solve' the mathematical laws that govern natural phenomena and convert the numbers into comprehensive visual images. The book then explores the impact of this extraordinary technologv on a wide range of endeavors from medicine to environmental protection, from particle physics to astronomy, from automobile'design to meteorologv.