Tag Archives: Fractals

BOOK REVIEW: Introducing Fractals: A Graphic Guide by Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon & Will Rood

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Introducing Fractals: A Graphic GuideIntroducing Fractals: A Graphic Guide by Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Fractal Geometry is a school of mathematics that contends with the kinds of shapes seen in nature, shapes which often appear irregular (at least on some scale,) but which are also frequently self-similar (i.e. the twig looks like the branch looks like the whole tree.) One problem that led to the discipline’s development was determining the distance of a coastline. The distance between measurements vastly alters the final measurement one gets. From the discipline’s origins in observation of the natural world and the problems found in nature, fractal geometry was put to use for problems in ecology, finance, technology, and art and music. The book touches upon this sprawl of the subject, as well as relating fractal geometry to Euclidian Geometry, Calculus, and theories of Chaos and Complexity.

This book offers a simple and cursory overview of the subject. A reader expecting to learn how to employ Fractal Geometry will come away disappointed, but one who just wants to know the kind of problems its useful for and get a basic and intuitive explanation of why it’s useful can gain a great deal from the book. As the subtitle suggests, the book is illustrated and the graphics are far more useful in this volume than in most of the “Graphic Guide” series. That probably comes as no surprise as the subject is inherently more visual than average.

If you’re starting from ground zero, I’d highly recommend this book. Those with a mathematical background may yearn for more depth.


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BOOK REVIEW: Introducing Chaos: A Graphic Guide by Ziauddin Sardar

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Introducing Chaos: A Graphic Guide (Introducing...)Introducing Chaos: A Graphic Guide by Ziauddin Sardar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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This book provides a brief overview of the mathematical and scientific concept called “Chaos” (as opposed to the colloquial definition.) Chaos theory is most popularly associated with “the butterfly effect” in which small changes in initial conditions can result in large and / or unpredictable variations in outcome (e.g. the Houston butterfly that causes a typhoon in Hong Kong.) Chaos profoundly changed the landscape in many domains of science. Before Chaos, it was generally assumed that if one had a relatively simple model without random elements that one could make short work of developing predictions. Scientists working in Chaos discovered that this wasn’t necessarily the case, despite the intuitive appeal. In fact, one could have a relatively simple model without random elements that still resulted in irregular behaviors / outcomes.

Chaos overlaps with a number of subjects including the science of Complexity and Fractal Geometry. The book explores these connections, and gives the reader a basic understanding of how those subjects differ and what they share in common with Chaos. The book also draws examples from a number of different disciplines including meteorology, biology, city planning, etc. This is a beneficial way to broaden one’s understanding of this fundamentally interdisciplinary science.

I’ve read many titles in this series because they are available on Amazon Prime and provide readable overviews of subjects that are suitable for a neophyte reader. I found this to be one of the better titles in the series. I thought the author did a good job of explaining the concepts in clear, approachable language, aided by graphics. If you’re looking for a non-mathematical overview of Chaos theory, this is a fine book to consider.


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