COSMIC STRINGS IN THE WIRE APPROXIMATION

This free book is a comprehensive survey of the current state of knowledge about the
dynamics and gravitational properties of cosmic strings treated in the idealized
classical approximation as line singularities described by the Nambu-Goto
action. The author’s purpose is to provide a standard reference to all work that
has been published since the mid-1970s and to link this work together in a
single conceptual framework and a single notational formalism. A working
knowledge of basic general relativity is assumed. The ebook will be essential
reading for researchers and postgraduate students in mathematics, theoretical
physics, and astronomy interested in cosmic strings.

One of the most striking successes of modern science has been to reduce the
complex panoply of dynamical phenomena we observe in the world around usfrom
the build-up of rust on a car bumper to the destructive effects of cyclonic
winds-to the action of only four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism,
and the strong and weak nuclear forces. This simple picture of four fundamental
forces, which became evident only after the isolation of the strong and weak
nuclear forces in the 1930s, was simplified even further when Steven Weinberg in
1967 and Abdus Salam in 1968 independently predicted that the electromagnetic
and weak forces would merge at high temperatures to form a single electroweak
force.
The Weinberg-Salam model of electroweak unification was the first practical
realization of the Higgs mechanism, a theoretical device whereby a system of
initially massless particles and fields can be given a spectrum of masses by
coupling it to a massive scalar field. The model has been extremely successful
not only in describing the known weak reactions to high accuracy, but also in
predicting the masses of the carriers of the weak force, the W± and ZO bosons,
which were experimentally confirmed on their discovery in 1982-83.

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With the surge of popularity of PHP 5, and with PHP 6 just around the
corner, Object-Oriented Programming is now an important consideration
for PHP developers. This version-neutral book is a gentle introduction
to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) that wont overburden you with
complex theory. It teaches you the essential basics of OOP that youll
need to know before moving onto a more advanced level, and includes a
series of pre-packaged scripts that you can incorporate into your
existing sites with the minimum of effort. It shows how OOP can be used
to create reusable and portable code by walking you through a series of
simple projects. The projects feature the sorts of things developers run
up against every day, and include a validator for filtering user input,
a simple Date class that avoids the need to remember all the esoteric
format codes in PHP, and an XML generator.
- Teaches the fundamentals of OOP
- Simple projects show how OOP concepts work in the real world
- Pre-packaged scripts can easily be added to your own projects
What youll learn
- PHP features, such as the Standard PHP Library (SPL), that are
poorly documented or ignored by existing books
- How to develop classes of their own
- OOP in easy-to-understand language without getting bogged down in
dense theory
- Solid foundations for developers wishing to delve more deeply into
OOP
- How to leverage the strengths of OOP as a means for creating
reusable code that can be used successfully within a procedural context
- How to code for both PHP 5 and 6

David Powers is the author of a series of highly successful books on
PHP, including PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy
(friends of ED, ISBN: 978-1-59059-731-6) and The Essential Guide to
Dreamweaver CS3 with CSS, Ajax, and PHP (friends of ED, ISBN: 978-
1-59059-859-7). As a professional writer, he has been involved in
electronic media for more than 30 years, first with BBC radio and television,
both in front of the microphone (he was a BBC correspondent
in Tokyo from 1987 to 1992) and in senior editorial positions. His clear
writing style is valued not only in the English-speaking world—several
of his books have been translated into Spanish and Polish.
Since leaving the BBC to work independently, David has devoted most of his time to web
development, writing books, and teaching. He is active in several online forums, giving advice
and troubleshooting PHP problems. David’s expertise was recognized by his designation as an
Adobe Community Expert in 2006.
When not pounding the keyboard writing books or dreaming of new ways of using PHP and
other programming languages, David enjoys nothing better than visiting his favorite sushi
restaurant. He has also translated several plays from Japanese.

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Welcome to Windows Server 2008 For Dummies, the ebook that helps
anyone who’s unfamiliar with Windows Server 2008 (or Windowsbased
networks) find his or her way around a Windows Server 2008–based
network. In a wired world, networks provide the links that tie all users
together. This free ebook tells you what’s going on, in basic, straightforward terms.
Although a few fortunate individuals may already be acquainted with
Windows Server 2008 and the networks it supports, many more people are
not only unfamiliar with server-based networking but downright scared of it.
To those who may be concerned about facing new and difficult technologies,
we say, “Don’t worry. Be happy.” Using a server-based network isn’t beyond
anyone’s wits or abilities — it’s mostly a matter of using a language that ordinary
people can understand.
Ordinary folks are why this free book talks about using Windows Server 2008 and
networks in simple — and deliberately irreverent — terms. Nothing is too
highfalutin to be mocked, nor too arcane to state in plain English. And when
we do have to get technical, we warn you and make sure to define our terms
to boot.
This free ebook aims to help you meet your needs. You’ll find everything you need
to know about Windows Server 2008 in here, so you’ll be able to find your
way around — without having to learn lots of jargon or obtain an advanced
degree in computer science along the way. We want you to enjoy yourself.
Because server-based networking really is a big deal, it’s important that you
be able to get the most out of it. We really want to help!

This free ebook is designed so you can pick it up and start reading at any point —
like you might read a reference book. In Parts I and II, we cover server basics:
concepts and terminology in Part I, and the installation and deployment of
Windows Server 2008 in Part II. In Parts III through V, you’ll find tons of information
on how to run or build a Windows Server 2008–based network. Part III
covers running a Windows Server 2008–based network, whereas Part IV
describes how you might design, build, and use a do-it-yourself network
server PC. Part V includes tips and tricks to help smooth out installing, configuring,
and using Windows Server 2008.

Ed Tittel is an increasingly grizzled, if not wizened, veteran of the publishing
game, with over a thousand magazine articles and more than 140 books to his
credit. Ed has worked on numerous For Dummies books, including HTML 4
For Dummies, 5th Edition (with Mary Burmeister) and XML For Dummies, 4th
Edition (with Lucinda Dykes), as well as books on many other topics. Ed
runs a small professional IT practice in Round Rock, TX, that specializes in
network-oriented training, writing, and consulting. When Ed’s not busy writing,
he likes to spend time with his wife, Dina, and son, Gregory. He also likes
to shoot pool, cook, and read sci-fi. You can reach Ed by e-mail at etittel@
yahoo.com or through his Web page at www.edtittel.com.
Justin Korelc has been working with computers and technology for over 15
years. Justin is an independent consultant working as a writer and trainer. His
work focuses on security, Windows and Linux operating systems, and PC
hardware. Justin has coauthored several books on media PCs, including Build
the Ultimate Home Theater PC (an ExtremeTech BuildIt Guide) and Hacking
MythTV (an ExtremeTech title). He has developed online training materials on
information security, PC tune-ups, file transfer technologies, and more.
Justin’s computer knowledge is self-taught and based on nearly 20 years of
hands-on experience. He spends his spare time practicing the fine art of
bricolage, playing with computers, and improving his culinary skills. You can
reach Justin by e-mail at jusphikor@yahoo.com.

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Over the years, the “Red Book” has become the authoritative reference for
each new version of the OpenGL API. Now we have the “Gold Book” for
OpenGL ES 2.0—a cross-platform open standard ushering in a new era of
shader programmability and visual sophistication for a wide variety of
embedded and mobile devices, from game consoles to automobiles, from
set top boxes to mobile phones.

OpenGL ES 2.0 is a software interface for rendering sophisticated 3D graphics
on handheld and embedded devices. OpenGL ES 2.0 is the primary
graphics library for handheld and embedded devices with programmable
3D hardware including cell phones, PDAs, consoles, appliances, vehicles,
and avionics. With OpenGL ES 2.0, the full programmability of shaders has
made its way onto small and portable devices. This book details the entire
OpenGL ES 2.0 API and pipeline with detailed examples in order to provide
a guide for developing a wide range of high-performance 3D applications
for handheld devices.

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This free ebook is about one big idea: You can synthesize a variety of complicated
functions from pure sinusoids in much the same way that you produce a major chord
by striking nearby C, E, G keys on a piano. A geometric version of this idea forms
the basis for the ancient Hipparchus-Ptolemy model of planetary motion (Almagest,
2nd century see Fig. 1.2). It was Joseph Fourier (Analytical Theory of Heat, 1815),
however, who developed modern methods for using trigonometric series and integrals
as he studied the flow of heat in solids. Today, Fourier analysis is a highly
evolved branch of mathematics with an incomparable range of applications and with
an impact that is second to none (see Appendix 1). If you are a student in one of
the mathematical, physical, or engineering sciences, you will almost certainly find
it necessary to learn the elements of this subject. My goal in writing this book is
to help you acquire a working knowledge of Fourier analysis early in your career.
If you have mastered the usual core courses in calculus and linear algebra, you
have the maturity to follow the presentation without undue difficulty. A few of the
proofs and more theoretical exercises require concepts (uniform continuity, uniform
convergence, . . . ) from an analysis or advanced calculus course. You may choose to
skip over the difficult steps in such arguments and simply accept the stated results.
The text has been designed so that you can do this without severely impacting
your ability to learn the important ideas in the subsequent chapters. In addition, I
will use a potpourri of notions from undergraduate courses in differential equations
[solve y
(x) + ?y(x) = 0, y
(x) = xy(x), y

(x) + ?2y(x) = 0, . . . ], complex analysis
(Euler’s formula: ei? = cos ?+i sin ?, arithmetic for complex numbers, . . . ), number
theory (integer addition and multiplication modulo N, Euclid’s gcd algorithm, . . . ),
probability (random variable, mean, variance, . . . ), physics (F = ma, conservation
of energy, Huygens’ principle, . . . ), signals and systems (LTI systems, low-pass
filters, the Nyquist rate, . . . ), etc. You will have no trouble picking up these
concepts as they are introduced in the text and exercises.
If you wish, you can find additional information about almost any topic in
this book by consulting the annotated references at the end of the corresponding
chapter. You will often discover that I have abandoned a traditional presentation
in favor of one that is in keeping with my goal of making these ideas accessible
to undergraduates. For example, the usual presentation of the Schwartz theory
of distributions assumes some familiarity with the Lebesgue integral and with
a graduate-level functional analysis course. In contrast, my development of ?,
X, . . . in Chapter 7 uses only notions from elementary calculus. Once you master
this theory, you can use generalized functions to study sampling, PDEs, wavelets,
probability, diffraction, . . . .
The exercises (541 of them) are my greatest gift to you! Read each chapter
carefully to acquire the basic concepts, and then solve as many problems as you
can. You may find it beneficial to organize an interdisciplinary study group, e.g.,
mathematician + physicist + electrical engineer. Some of the exercises provide
routine drill: You must learn to find convolution products, to use the FT calculus,
to do routine computations with generalized functions, etc. Some supply historical
perspective: You can play Gauss and discover the FFT, analyze Michelson and
Stratton’s analog supercomputer for summing Fourier series, etc. Some ask for
mathematical details: Give a sufficient condition for . . . , given an example of . . . ,
show that, . . . . Some involve your personal harmonic analyzers: Experimentally
determine the bandwidth of your eye, describe what would you hear if you replace
notes with frequencies f1, f2, . . . by notes with frequencies C/f1, C/f2, . . . . Some
prepare you for computer projects: Compute ? to 1000 digits, prepare a movie for
a vibrating string, generate the sound file for Risset’s endless glissando, etc. Some
will set you up to discover a pattern, formulate a conjecture, and prove a theorem.
(It’s quite a thrill when you get the hang of it!) I expect you to spend a lot of time
working exercises, but I want to help you work efficiently. Complicated results are
broken into simple steps so you can do (a), then (b), then (c), . . . until you reach
the goal. I frequently supply hints that will lead you to a productive line of inquiry.
You will sharpen your problem-solving skills as you take this course.

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