THE BEAUTY OF FRACTALS: Images Of Complex Dynamical Systems. With 184 Figures, Many In Color

Peitgen, H.~O. & P.H. Richter

ISBN 10: 3540158510 / ISBN 13: 9783540158516

Published by Berlin etc~. 1986. Springer~Verlag, 1986

About this Item

shiny silver & full color illustrated hardcover 4to ~ 4º (quarto ~ 8.5"x11"). large "coffee table" book, international or priority shipping will cost extra. no dustwrapper (as issued). fine cond. binding square & tight. covers clean. couple of tiny dings bottom edge of front cover. edges clean. contents free of markings. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings etc~. first edition. first printing (nap). decorative 1/2 title pg. b&w frontis. illustration. xii+199p+ads. 101 glossy full color plates. b&w figures & illustrations throughout. documentation. index. mathematics. art history. art books. physics. history of science. ~ This book is an unusual attempt to publicize the field of Complex Dynamics, an exciting mathematical discipline of respectable tradition that recently sprang to new life under the impact of modern computer graphics. Where previous generations of scientists had to develop their own inner eye to perceive the abstract aesthetics of their work in lonely enjoyment of what seemed forever inaccessible to the uninitiated, the astounding pictures assembled here invite a general public to share in a new mathematical experience, to revel in the charm of fractal frontiers. In 88 full color pictures, and many more black and white illustrations, the authors present variations of a theme whose repercussions reach far beyond the realms of mathematics. They show how structures of unseen complexity unfold by repeated action of simple rules, how territorial boundaries of bewildering entanglement may be generated in straightforward competition processes. The implied unpredictability of many details of these processes, in spite of their complete determination by the given rules, reflects a major challenge to the prevailing scientific conception.

Seller Inventory # 2052401

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE BEAUTY OF FRACTALS: Images Of Complex Dynamical Systems. With 184 Figures, Many In Color
• Publisher: Berlin etc~. 1986. Springer~Verlag
• Publication Date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3540158510
• ISBN 13: 9783540158516
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Seller catalogs:
  • mathematics
  • art books
  • physics

About this title

Synopsis

In 1953 I realized that the straight line leads to the downfall of mankind. But the straight line has become an absolute tyranny. The straight line is something cowardly drawn with a rule, without thought or feeling; it is the line which does not exist in nature. And that line is the rotten foundation of our doomed civilization. Even if there are places where it is recognized that this line is rapidly leading to perdition, its course continues to be plot­ ted . . . Any design undertaken with the straight line will be stillborn. Today we are witnessing the triumph of rationalist knowhow and yet, at the same time, we find ourselves confronted with emptiness. An esthetic void, des­ ert of uniformity, criminal sterility, loss of creative power. Even creativity is prefabricated. We have become impotent. We are no longer able to create. That is our real illiteracy. Friedensreich Hundertwasser Fractals are all around us, in the shape of a mountain range or in the windings of a coast line. Like cloud formations and flickering fires some fractals under­ go never-ending changes while others, like trees or our own vascular systems, retain the structure they acquired in their development. To non-scientists it may seem odd that such familiar things have recently become the focus of in­ tense research. But familiarity is not enough to ensure that scientists have the tools for an adequate understanding.

Review

"..a rare and extraordinary book...anyone who has ever explored the intricate folds of the Mandelbrot set will want this book and will be delighted by it...above all, a celebration of fractal forms and as such it works superbly...buy this book and enjoy it" Personal Computer World
"A literally wonder-ful book!" Physikalische Blätter