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Abstract

We already know the laws that govern the behavior of matter under all but the most extreme situations. In particular, we know the basic laws that underlie all of chemistry and biology. Yet we have certainly not reduced these objects to the status of solved problems; we have, as yet, had little success in predicting human behavior from mathematical equations. So even if we do find a complete set of basic laws, there will still be in the years ahead the intellectual challenging task of developing better approximation methods, so that we can make useful predictions of the probable outcomes in complicated and realistic situations. (S. Hawking in A Brief History of Time)

It is especially difficult to find exact solutions of the equations, as the equations (Einstein’s equations) are non-linear. (Einstein)

Inasmuch as a propagating flame may be considered as a wave of chemical reactions sweeping across a flowing gas, it offers an excellent proving ground for the analytical skills of a fluid dynamicist, a heat and mass transfer specialist and a physical chemist, all put together into a well-rounded applied mathematician. (M. Kanury)

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© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Eriksson, K., Johnson, C., Estep, D. (2004). Chemical Reactions. In: Applied Mathematics: Body and Soul. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05800-8_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05800-8_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-05660-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-05800-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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