KNP89: Kinetics of nonhomogeneous processes (KNP) and nonlinear dynamics
Most systems in nature are nonhomogeneous: at least one component is not distributed homogeneously. A nonhomogeneous process is one that occurs in a nonhomogeneous system. The new subject Kinetics of Nonhomogeneous Processes (KNP) deals with processes in all aspects of nature. Examples range from quantum mechanics to membranes and to the evolution of the large scale structure of the universe. Models dealing with molecules and galaxies have common features: each has translational and rotational motions as an entity, and it has internal motions that are governed by the internal masses, fields and energies. To make progress towards understanding behaviour of a complex system, simplifications are needed. The formulation of a model requires identification of essential features of the behaviour, finding correlations between the features, and then representing them by equations. There is interplay between the structure of a system and the kinetics of processes that occur in it. To identify essential elements of any process we visualize it. Visualization is a powerful tool, especially the visualization of behaviour represented by equations. Models of KNP are of two general kinds: deterministic and stochastic. Deterministic models involve an assumption that events are the inevitable result of preceding conditions. The mathematical description of KNP involves nonlinear equations. Part of the physics community has therefore come to speak of nonlinear dynamics, which is a subdivision of KNP. An example of a deterministic model is the time dependent Landau–Ginzberg equation and modifications of it, which apply to pattern formation, self-localization, instabilities, and chaos. A stochastic model involves a step-by-step process and considers the probability of events as a function of time. In a system that contains many zones and each zone contains a relatively small number of entities, for example two ion–electron pairs or a group of seven galaxies, the probable reaction or deflection of any given entity is strongly affected by the actual number of entities initially in the zone, by their relative motions and separation distances, and by the forces that act between and within them. Scientific literacy in the future will require an understanding of both deterministic and stochastic models.