Philosophy
It seems the world has just lost another good one. Benoir Mandelbrot, the mathematician who created fractal geometry, passed away on Thursday from pancreatic cancer.
Fractal geometry, if you don't know, is a mathematical development of theoretical and applied mathematics that can be used to understand the apparently rough and irregular patterns found in nature, from the branches of trees and broccoli to river networks, mountain ranges, crystals, the circulatory and respiratory systems, etc.
A great deal of the beauty of fractals has to do with the recursive nature of its shapes: it is driven by an iterative and self-referential process in which the output of any step in the algorithm becomes the input for the next step, creating patterns that can be explored literally to infinity. To give you an idea of what this simple equation looks like, let's try zooming in on it for just 10 minutes:
If you want to understand just how fractals explain many of the patterns found in nature, check out Jim Al-Khalili's excellent documentary The Secret Life of Chaos.
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- Doodling In Math - Spirals, Fibonacci And Plants - 1
Time for some math. No, don't run away! I guarantee even the greatest of mathophobes among you are going to love this, not only because it's a new episode of the Doodling in Math Class series (narrated by the future mother of my children, although...
- Fractals - The Colors Of Infinity (by Arthur C. Clarke)
Still saddened by the recent passing of Benoit Mandelbrot, I did some digging this weekend and found a treasure: a fantastic documentary about the Mandelbrot Set, and fractals in general, narrated by none other than the great Arthur C. Clarke. Can scientific/mathematical...
- Deceased--benoît B. Mandelbrot
Benoît B. Mandelbrot November 20th, 1924 to October 14th, 2010 "Benoît Mandelbrot, Novel Mathematician, Dies at 85" by Jascha Hoffman October 16th, 2010 The New York Times Benoît B. Mandelbrot, a maverick mathematician who developed the field of fractal...
- Nova--"hunting The Hidden Dimension"
Dan Lindeberg Being aired this Tuesday evening, October 28th, on most PBS stations is a program on fractals where art and science meet..."Hunting the Hidden Dimension". Hunting the Hidden Dimension How ancient the relationship is. Such a relationship...
- Aesthetics/science
How ancient the relationship is. Such a relationship embraces epistemology, ontology, metaphysics, theology, mythology, and all the real sciences. It can be a codified or individual interpretation passed on by oral tradition, the written word, visual/auditory...
Philosophy
Mandelbrot Fractal Set Mind Trip
It seems the world has just lost another good one. Benoir Mandelbrot, the mathematician who created fractal geometry, passed away on Thursday from pancreatic cancer.Fractal geometry, if you don't know, is a mathematical development of theoretical and applied mathematics that can be used to understand the apparently rough and irregular patterns found in nature, from the branches of trees and broccoli to river networks, mountain ranges, crystals, the circulatory and respiratory systems, etc.
A great deal of the beauty of fractals has to do with the recursive nature of its shapes: it is driven by an iterative and self-referential process in which the output of any step in the algorithm becomes the input for the next step, creating patterns that can be explored literally to infinity. To give you an idea of what this simple equation looks like, let's try zooming in on it for just 10 minutes:If you want to understand just how fractals explain many of the patterns found in nature, check out Jim Al-Khalili's excellent documentary The Secret Life of Chaos.
.
- Doodling In Math - Spirals, Fibonacci And Plants - 1
Time for some math. No, don't run away! I guarantee even the greatest of mathophobes among you are going to love this, not only because it's a new episode of the Doodling in Math Class series (narrated by the future mother of my children, although...
- Fractals - The Colors Of Infinity (by Arthur C. Clarke)
Still saddened by the recent passing of Benoit Mandelbrot, I did some digging this weekend and found a treasure: a fantastic documentary about the Mandelbrot Set, and fractals in general, narrated by none other than the great Arthur C. Clarke. Can scientific/mathematical...
- Deceased--benoît B. Mandelbrot
Benoît B. Mandelbrot November 20th, 1924 to October 14th, 2010 "Benoît Mandelbrot, Novel Mathematician, Dies at 85" by Jascha Hoffman October 16th, 2010 The New York Times Benoît B. Mandelbrot, a maverick mathematician who developed the field of fractal...
- Nova--"hunting The Hidden Dimension"
Dan Lindeberg Being aired this Tuesday evening, October 28th, on most PBS stations is a program on fractals where art and science meet..."Hunting the Hidden Dimension". Hunting the Hidden Dimension How ancient the relationship is. Such a relationship...
- Aesthetics/science
How ancient the relationship is. Such a relationship embraces epistemology, ontology, metaphysics, theology, mythology, and all the real sciences. It can be a codified or individual interpretation passed on by oral tradition, the written word, visual/auditory...