Physicist Stephen Wolfram to speak in Ann Arbor ANN ARBOR—"Random" means random, right? Not necessarily so, says Stephen Wolfram, whose book, "A New Kind of Science," has generated huge sales for a science book, topping Amazon.com’s best seller list for several weeks. Wolfram will speak in Ann Arbor on Oct. 8. The talk will be held in the auditorium of the newly renovated Rackham Building, 915 East Washington, at 4 p.m. Wolfram’s visit is sponsored by the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Complex Systems (CSCS). Wolfram, a physicist, says that there are different kinds of randomness that arise in different situations. He also says that nearly all the systems of interest today, such as cybernetics, chaos theory, fractals, and complexity theory, are too complex for us to understand in detail, and certainly too complex to be described by equation-based models. His solution is to study simple rules, such as the ones embodied in basic computer systems called cellular automata. His notion that you can achieve big, complex results from simple processes that interact in clever ways could have a major effect on the study of complex systems, from developmental biology to business applications such as the complexities of supply networks. Wolfram’s 1197-page volume has been called profound and compelling by some scientists, arrogant and over-promoted by others. Scott Page, associate director of CSCS, says, "This is going to be an exciting event. We have a number of scholars here who are qualified to frame, discuss, and critique or praise Wolfram’s work. We will be giving out more than 100 copies of the book to graduate students, faculty, and alumni so that we can a follow-up meeting after the talk to discuss its implications and importance." Wolfram was educated at Eton, Oxford, and Caltech, receiving his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1979 at the age of 20. His early work in physics and computer science was recognized by a MacArthur award in 1981. He is the founder of Wolfram Research, Inc. and the creator of Mathematica, the world’s leading software system for technical computing and symbolic programming. The U-M is one of the few places in the world where graduate students can study complex systems, defined as those with many components that interact in interesting, nonlinear ways. Faculty associated with the Center for the Study of Complex Systems come from across the University, from business, psychology and political science to epidemiology, biology, engineering and physics. For more information about CSCS, visit http://www.pscs.umich.edu.