The Algorithmic Beauty of Sea Shells (Virtual Laboratory) - Hardcover

Hans Meinhardt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3540578420 ISBN 13: 9783540578420

Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG, 1995

Synopsis

For centuries scientists have tried to understand the growth and development of multicellular organisms. More recently, with the help of mathematical models and computerized simulations, they have discovered algorithmic patterns and models that seem to describe the dynamic processes in which organisms grow, reproduce, and respond to external factors. In this fascinating and beautifully illustrated book, Hans Meinhardt explains and illustrates these structural growth patterns in the case of sea shells. The book delightfully conveys the intuitive appeal and the "touch of magic" in this research. A diskette packaged with the book contains a program that allows the reader to run the simulations on a PC. New patterns can be generated interactively to provide an insight into the process of biological pattern formation.

About this title

From the Back Cover

The patterns on the shells of tropical sea snails are not only compellingly beautiful but also tell a tale of biological development. The decorative patterns are records of their own genesis, which follows laws like those of dune formation or the spread of a flu epidemic. Hans Meinhardt has analyzed the dynamical processes that form these patterns and retraced them faithfully in computer simulations. His book is exciting not only for the astonishing scientific knowledge it reveals but also for its fascinating pictures.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 3540578420
• ISBN 13: 9783540578420
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 204