Computations, Complexity, Experiments, and the World Outside Physics

Computer Models in the Sciences and Social Sciences. 1. Simulation and Prediction in Complex Systems: the Good the Bad and the Awful. This lecture deals with the history of large-scale computer modeling mostly in the context of the U.S. Department of Energy's sponsorship of modeling for weapons development and innovation in energy sources. 2. Complexity: Making a Splash-Breaking a Neck - The Making of Complexity in Physical System. For ages thinkers have been asking how complexity arise. The laws of physics are very simple. How come we are so complex? This lecture tries to approach this question by asking how complexity arises in physical fluids. 3. Forrester, et. al. Social and Biological Model-Making The partial collapse of the world's economy has raised the question of whether we could improve the performance of economic and social systems by a major effort on creating understanding via large-scale computer models. (author)