Exploring the Infinite
This fun site calls attention to all the great math problems that work themselves out in our roadway signs. For instance, here's a sign found on Highway 85-ALT southbound out of Warm Springs, Georgia showing a simple multiplication problem, 3 x 12 = 36. Neat right? Well, consider the genius that figured this one out… LINK WOW. Just… wow. For
You might not have realized this, but the award winning and longest running television sitcom, The Simpsons, contains over a hundred instances of mathematics ranging from arithmetic to geometry. In fact, you probably didn't realize that Executive Producer and head writer, Al Jean, has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University either. That's quite alright, I didn't know that
At the age of 81, Benoit Mandelbrot, recognized for originating the field of fractal geometry and applying it in mathematics, science and engineering, has joined the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a DOE Office of Science laboratory that solves complex problems in energy, national security, the environment and life sciences by advancing the
Artist George W. Hart creates geometric sculptures out of common household objects, paper, plastic, metal and wood. When asked how he gets ideas for his work, he says he just visualizes the forms and usually knows exactly which material he wants to use to execute the visualization. He often makes paper models woven with ribbon to work out the details
Bathsheba Grossman is an artist who creates 3D geometric scupltures out of metal. They are remarkably beautiful, not just because of their unusual shapes, but because of the 3D printing technology that allows the artist to build a physical metal sculpture from a digital 3D object created in CAD. The handheld sculptures are very reasonably priced. I love miniature objects,
When I was a youngster, I was the master Rubik's-cube-solver. Someone could hand me a messed up cube and I'd masterfully solve it in less than a minute. Timed solving contests ruled the day at Turrill Elementary. I remember getting a pair of Rubik's Cube hair ties from a girl in my second grade Brownies pack for Christmas. They had
What happens if you took the basic parametric equations for plotting a circle – x = radius * cos (q) y = radius * sin (q) – and add them to the equation for another circle, turning more than one circle in the time it takes to draw the first one? You get something like this: Animated Virtual Harmonograph by
Yeah, you heard right, check this out! http://mu-j.com/mufrac/ Interactive fractals that allow the user to zoom and pan without having to wait long for calculations to finish because that is done remotely using the HTTP protocol. Users can bookmark their favorite fractals and e-mail images in high resolution. The program is lightweight and it adapts to the capabilities of your
An animated introduction to the world of fractals: link tres cool.
Queen of Wands
“There is no question of Mandelbrot’s genius and contribution to the science of fractal geometry. However, it is only fair that credit go where it is due. According to James Gleick's book Chaos (pp. 111-112), Mandelbrot over the years has been accused by colleagues of habitually taking credit for far more than he should. We believe that this time, he
The Universality of Fractals What are fractals? Fractals are repetitions of the same general patterns, even the same details, at both ascending and descending scales. They tell us that the universe and all that it contains is made up of folded realities within self-similar worlds. The term fractal itself was invented by Benoit Mandelbrot, an IBM researcher, to describe the
Pink Floyd provides the soundtrack to this informative movie that explores the Mandelbrot fractal set, aka “The thumbprint of God”. Arthur C. Clarke narrates as the viewer is taken on a magical journey of color, science, and mathematics with a little theory thrown into the mix for good measure. Though incredibly complex, fractals are based on simple mathematic principles. In Paris, in