Fractals: The Patterns of Chaos: A New Aesthetic of Art, Science, and Nature

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. 192 pages, illustrations (some colour); 31 cm. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Lower right corner lightly bumped. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by arrangement. Richly illustrated with colour plates. "Fractals are unique patterns left behind by the unpredictable movements -- the chaos -- of the world at work. The branching patterns of trees, the veins in a hand, water twisting out of a running tap -- all of these are fractals. Learn to recognize them and you will never again see things in quite the same way. Fractals permeate our lives, appearing in places as tiny as the surface of a virus and as majestic as the Grand Canyon. From ancient tribal peoples to modern painters to the animators of Star Wars, artists have been captivated by fractals and have utilized them in their work. Computer buffs are wild about fractals as well, for they can be generated on ordinary home computers. In Fractals: The Patterns of Chaos, science writer John Briggs uses over 170 illustrations to clearly explain the significance -- and more importantly, the beauty -- of fractals. He describes how fractals were discovered, how they are formed, and the unique properties different fractals share. Fractals is a breathtaking guided tour of a brand new aesthetic of art, science, and nature. It will revolutionize the way you see the world and your place within it. Contains a special bibliography listing fractal generating software for desktop computers. / John Briggs is a science writer with a Ph.D. in Aesthetics and Psychology. His work has appeared in Omni, and he is the author of Fire in the Crucible and coauthor of Turbulent Mirror. He is currently at wok on his next book, The Universe as a Work of Art." - Publisher.. 1st. Paperback. Very Good. 4to.