Math in Evolution

[NavajoEverclear]

I'm writing a book that deals with the concept of evolution applied to society and life (which is all part a creation of evolution anwyay, but usually (prolly never) are evolution concepts in politics and such). i'm being kinda general on the off-chance that someone would take my specific idea and publish it in a way i don't want.

 

So i was wondering what kind of math is involved in evolution. I know the really basic stuff, i want to know what kind of more complex alogrithims or whatever could be involved in higher types of evolution. Strategys of survival, whatever i don't even know where to start. I regret that i did not have the spine to take AP Calculus with some of my friends this year, else i may have a better concept on things. I may get into it later, cause given the right circumstances i really do enjoy math. My last teacher however as well put by a fellow drop out student, was an always smiling Nazi. I vommit at the thought. The book was also not competently organized, as last year i learned mostly by reading the book later(while i enjoyed the teacher i've always had big trouble staying awake during note taking time)

 

Any Evolution and/or Strategy type stuff (i'd like to know both) books you'd refer me to for self education, so i can put more intelligent concepts in my book?

[admiral_ju00]

writting your own book under the age of 20?

 

geez, what's the world comming to

 

g'luck in your venture.

[Skye]

Read Evolutionary Genetics by John Maynard Smith.

[Z-space]

Read "The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution" by Stuart Kauffman. Here is his home page, on it is a link to this book's TOC that will give you a taste of the depth of his analysis and its results.

http://www.santafe.edu/sfi/People/kauffman/

[Dave]

The modelling of predator-prey situations is usually done by a system of linear differential equations - or so I learnt in my Differential Equations B lecture. That's just about all I know on the subject.

[NavajoEverclear]

admiral ju-- yeah man, startin early, get rich, so i can avoid being a slave to the corporate world, hopefully use some of my money to weaken the chains of others slavery, and have plenty of time to focus on what is important

[Aeschylus]

The modelling of predator-prey situations is usually done by a system of linear differential equations - or so I learnt in my Differential Equations B lecture. That's just about all I know on the subject.

 

yep, I remember it's one of the first things we looked at in chaos theory lectures.

[NavajoEverclear]

chaos theory lectures . . . I WANT I WANT I WANT, GIMME. Where can i get some of those? i guess i could check out what's goin on at the local colleges

[Dave]

chaos theory lectures . . . I WANT I WANT I WANT, GIMME. Where can i get some of those? i guess i could check out what's goin on at the local colleges

 

Just get some books and read up on it It's not too hard to understand the basic principles.

[Aeschylus]

The good thing is that anyone can model them, though at uni we used computers that were a little more advanced, IIRC the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K had a programme that modelled population pressures bundled in with the original release. Jet Set Willy was more entertaining though.

[Dave]

A good one to emulate is the classic double pendulum model (simply because it looks cool ). It's a great example of how a simple system can exhibit chaotic tendancies.

[Z-space]

Here is a very fun site for lectures and labs about pendulum behavoirs.

http://monet.physik.unibas.ch/~elmer/pendulum/

[NavajoEverclear]

Just get some books and read up on it It's not too hard to understand the basic principles.

 

I think i will after i get through some evolution books i got yesterday at the library--- i couldn't find the ones you guys told me about but i got a few by Richard Dawkins and one by someone McFadden, too lazy to go upstairs to see