Symmetry in Chaos: A Search for Pattern in Mathematics, Art, and Nature

by Martin Golubitsky and Michael Field

Book Overview

Chaotic dynamics (known popularly as chaos theory or, more simply, chaos) is among the most fascinating new fields in modern science, revolutionizing our understanding of order and pattern in nature. Symmetry, a traditional and highly developed area of mathematics, would seem to lie at the opposite end of the spectrum. From the branching of trees to the rose windows of great cathedrals, symmetric patterns seem the antithesis of such chaotic systems...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198536895
• ISBN13: 9780198536895
• Release Date: December 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.9" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

Fresh approach!

How is this book different from all the other fractal/chaos books on the market? Because of the emphasis on symmetry! Most fractal/chaos books are similar in the sense that they contain the same pictures. But even if you are fed up with Mandelbrot sets, you can safely open this book. You will love the fractal wallpapers. The book is written by mathematicians, too, so it's factually correct, and has some real insight.Just read it!

Symmetry: a powerful concept

This looks like another book of cool fractal pictures, but it's much more than that. The concept of symmetry is subtle and useful in the hard sciences as well as in literature and philosophy. This book provides a solid mathematical treatment of it, with excellent graphical examples. This book is great fun for math nerds, but can also entertain a more general audience that has some interest in fractals or in visualizing mathematical concepts.

A visually delightful book!

Not only is this book filled with eye-catching colorful pictures, it also does a wonderful job of explaining how they were generated. They also draw many interesting parallels between the computer-generated pictures and the structures that occur in nature or are man-made. Check out their Symmetric Chaos site at http://math.uh.edu/~chaos/Welcome.html!