Farewell, Dr. Mandelbrot

3 Comments
Posted October 17th, 2010 in Math. Tags: , , , .

Dr. BenoĆ®t B. Mandelbrot passed away last Thursday at the age of 85. He’s best known for coining the term “fractal,” so it might be appropriate to remember him by looking at some pictures of the Mandelbrot set. He discovered this hauntingly beautiful fractal shape while exploring the mathematics of imaginary numbers. His discovery inspired generations of scientists and mathematicians, some of whom have recently found a 3D version that they call a Mandelbulb.

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3 Responses to “Farewell, Dr. Mandelbrot”

  1. I’ve always believed in the fractality of the universe. Just look at the logarithmic spirals of romanesco broccoli’s buds. Probably the transition from the quantum world to the world of classical physics should be interpreted in the light of the idea of fractality.

    • I’ve always believed in the fractality of the universe. Just look at the logarithmic spirals of romanesco broccoli’s buds.

      Fascinating. They look like edible Mandelbulbs.

      Probably the transition from the quantum world to the world of classical physics should be interpreted in the light of the idea of fractality.

      Last year, Tim Palmer suggested something similar.

      • Thanks for leaving a link to Tim Palmer’s article. I didn’t know there were scientists who entertain the same idea.

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