The Perfect Swarm: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life »

Len Fisher, PhD, is author of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Weighing the Soul, and How to Dunk a Doughnut, which was named Best Popular Science Book by the American Institute of Physics. He has been featured in Newsweek, the Washington Post, and Scientific American. He lives in Wiltshire, England, and Blackheath, Australia.

The IgNobel Prize-winner and author of Rock, Paper, Scissors applies science-based solutions to seemingly complex problems in life.

Patterns of the Perfect Swarm: Visions of Complexity in Nature

Introduction 1

1 The Emergence of Swarm Intelligence 9

2 The Locusts and the Bees 23

3 Ant Logic 37

4 A Force in a Crowd 49

5 Group Intelligence: The Majority or the Average? 67

6 Consensus: A Foolish Consistency? 83

7 Crazes, Contagion, and Communication: The Science of Networks 105

8 Decision Rules OK? 133

9 Searching for Patterns: Imagination and Reality 155

10 Simple Rules for Complex Situations 167

Notes 173

Index 247