The Science of Fractal Images

by Heinz-Otto Peitgen

Book Overview

This book is based on notes for the course Fractals: lntroduction, Basics and Perspectives given by MichaelF. Barnsley, RobertL. Devaney, Heinz-Otto Peit- gen, Dietmar Saupe and Richard F. Voss. The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0387966080
• ISBN13: 9780387966083
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Springer
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.3" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Fractals -- Applied Mathmatics and Computer Programming

From page 25" Fractals (a word coined by Mandelbrot in 1975) have blossomed tremendously in the past few years (written in 1988) and have helped reconnect pure mathematics research with both the natural sciences and computing." This book has both Mathmatical equations and Computer Programs along with explanations and results (many graphs, plots, and color plate images). If you have an interest in Fractals, Recursion, Computer programming, Image creation, this is a great book and filled with examples.

Great book on fractals and imaging

This old book is a timeless gem. It goes into the details of the mathematics of fractals and also shows well-commented C code for producing fractal imagery along with good color illustrations. Chapter 1, "Fractals in Nature", uses computer generated images to build a visual intuition for fractal as opposed to Euclidian shapes. There is also a mathematical characterization with Brownian motion as the prototype. In chapter 2, "Random Fractal Algorithms", randomness is introduced into the algorithms discussed in chapter one as a way of simulating natural phenomena. Ideas are extended to higher dimensions. C programs that produce mountain ranges using these ideas are presented, along with the resulting imagery. Chapter 3, "Fractal Patterns Arising in Chaotic Dynamical Systems", turns to the topic of dynamical systems and is less mathematical than the first two chapters. There is some mathematics and some illustrations in 2D and black and white that should be familiar to any student of dynamical systems. Chapter 4, "Fantastic Deterministic Fractals", demonstrates how genuine mathematical research experiments open a door to a new reservoir of fantastic shapes and images. Programs are shown that extend the ideas of chapter 3 into truly beautiful fractals. Ideas here stay mainly in 2D. The final chapter, "Fractal Modelling of Real World Images", draws from the material of the previous chapters to present C programs that produce clouds, vegetation, smoke, and mountain ranges, all by altering a few of the parameters in the sample code presented by the authors. This book is much better than more recent titles that bury their algorithms in complex high level languages or "toy books" on the subject that provide dumbed-down applications and in which the simplest possible explanation of fractals is given with no insight. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding fractal mathematics and in using that mathematics to produce stunning visual effects.

One of the best (if no the best) in the feild

You cant go past this book,This book reads at any level, Great introduction to the field as well as an indespencible reference. Shows easy to implement code examples, and has lots of pictures showing what can be acheived.This has been a main reference for a theisis I am currently working on. The question is, why is it out of print. If you can find it it's worth it's wheight in gold.

A must

In my opinion, the best work ever written in the category not-for-beginner-but-available-to-non-specialist (such as Beauty of Fractals, by the same authors). An easy answer to question "How can I generate a fractal image with my PC?", from brownian motion to Julia sets. A must for reader interested in fractals (a bit out-of-fashion but still very interesting field).