General
| Subtitle: | |
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| Author: | Mandelbrot, Benoit B. |
| Binding: | Hardback |
| Purchase Date: | |
| Purchase Price: | |
| Amazon Link: | Buy from Amazon.com |
Publishing
| Publisher: | W. H. Freeman |
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| Edition: | |
| Copyright Year: | |
| Publication Year: | 1982 |
| ISBN#: | 0-7167-1186-9 |
| LCCN#: | |
| Pages: | 460 |
| Language: |
Comments
Imagine an equilateral triangle. Now, imagine smaller equilateral triangles perched in the center of each side of the original triangle--you have a Star of David. Now, place still smaller equilateral triangles in the center of each of the star's 12 sides. Repeat this process infinitely and you have a Koch snowflake, a mind-bending geometric figure with an infinitely large perimeter, yet with a finite area. This is an example of the kind of mathematical puzzles that this book addresses.
The Fractal Geometry of Nature is a mathematics text. But buried in the deltas and lambdas and integrals, even a layperson can pick out and appreciate Mandelbrot's point: that somewhere in mathematics, there is an explanation for nature. It is not a coincidence that fractal math is so good at generating images of cliffs and shorelines and capillary beds.