An Eye for Fractals: A Graphic and Photographic Essay

by Benoît B. Mandelbrot and Michael McGuire

Book Overview

Fractional geometry posits that a natural visual complexity can arise from iteration of simple rules and simple shapes. An Eye for Fractals is a fascinating study of the converse premise: that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201554402
• ISBN13: 9780201554403
• Release Date: July 1991
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 165 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.9" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A good primer on fractals and an excellent introduction to their appearance in nature

Looking around in nature, it is easy to find examples of fractals. Individual plants, forests, volcanic activity, wind and water erosion, the flow of water and the movement of plants with the wind can all be described by an appropriate fractal function. Most of the pages of this book are taken up with spectacular images of such natural fractals. A few of the pages are devoted to the mathematical background used to generate the images. It is not rigorous; it was the author's intention to only give some of the general ideas rather than a complete description. They are understandable, even if your math background stops at algebra. Although it was written in 1991, this book is still an excellent primer on what fractals are as well as the large number of ways that they appear in nature.

beautiful BW photographs

I just got this book from the library. It many well printed BW photographs. There is some math discussion on fractals but there is no discussion of computer software for generating fractals pictures. Still a great book.

A beautiful journey through math and nature

One of the only fractal books available for non-mathematicians, An Eye for Fractals interweaves beautiful photographs of natural scenes with explanations of their fractal geometric characteristics. It gives enough information about fractals for a beginner to understand what they are and how they apply to nature. Its photography makes it a perfect book to leave out on the coffee table.Fractal geometry is revolutionizing the way that scientists perceive the universe and its underlying order. Anyone can benefit greatly from this understanding by reading this book.