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The Fractal Geometry of Nature


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Date Created: 2010-09-08
Date Modified: 2010-09-08

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Author: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
Binding: Hardback
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Publishing

Publisher: W. H. Freeman & Company
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Publication Year: 1982
ISBN#: 0-7167-1186-9
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Pages: 480
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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.