Predictability, Stability, and Chaos in N-Body Dynamical Systems

by Archie E. Roy (Editor)

The reader will find in this volume the Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy between August 6 and August 17, 1990 under the title "Predictability, Stability, and Chaos in N-Body Dynamical Systems." The Institute was the latest in a series held at three-yearly inter vals from 1972 to 1987 in dynamical astronomy, theoretical mechanics and celestial mechanics. These previous institutes, held in high esteem by the international community of research workers, have resulted in a series of well-received Proceedings. The 1990 Institute attracted 74 participants from 16 countries, six outside the NATO group. Fifteen series of lectures were given by invited speakers; additionally some 40 valuable presentations were made by the younger participants, most of which are included in these Proceedings. The last twenty years in particular has been a time of increasingly rapid progress in tackling long-standing and also newly-arising problems in dynamics of N-body systems, point-mass and non-point-mass, a rate of progress achieved because of correspondingly rapid developments of new computer hardware and software together with the advent of new analytical techniques. It was a time of exciting progress culminating in the ability to carry out research programmes into the evolution of the outer Solar 8 System over periods of more than 10 years and to study star cluster and galactic models in unprecedented detail."

616 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1992

About the author

Professor Archie Edminston Roy, also published as Archie Roy, and A.E. Roy, was educated at Hillhead High School and the University of Glasgow. He was married to Frances with three sons; Dr. Archie W.N. Roy, Ian Roy and David Roy.

Professor Roy was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the British Interplanetary Society. He was also a Member and past President of the Society for Psychical Research and Founding President of The Scottish Society for Psychical Research.

The asteroid (5806) Archieroy is named after him, with a registration in the IAU's Minor planet center. He has also been elected a member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and the Humanities. He was a Patron of the Churches Fellowship (Scotland) for Psychical and Spiritual Studies and a member of the Scientific and Medical Network. Archie Roy conducted research in astrodynamics, celestial mechanics, archaeoastronomy, psychical research, and neural networks.

In addition Roy has published 20 books, six of them novels, some 70 scientific papers and scores of articles. His books have been published in the United Kingdom, United States, France, Russia, Italy and India.

In 2004 he was awarded the Myers Memorial Medal for outstanding contributions to psychical research by the Society for Psychical Research.