Why Is Math So Fascinating?

[Gza]

I think most of the "mind blowing" within learning about math has truly come about after learning quantum mechanics. You really gain an appreciation for how deep and beautiful math can be. I feel that learning quantum has been the only way for me to really grasp linear algebra, as well as many other bits and pieces of mathematics.

 

[turbo]

Graphical representations of the intersection between real and imaginary numbers are not only mind-blowing, but can be beautiful, or even creepy. Here is a plate of alien fried eggs. I've got dozens and dozens of images - all different, and many of which took hours to construct.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2563/eggsye2.jpg

 

[Evo]

Graphical representations of the intersection between real and imaginary numbers are not only mind-blowing, but can be beautiful, or even creepy. Here is a plate of alien fried eggs. I've got dozens and dozens of images - all different, and many of which took hours to construct.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2563/eggsye2.jpg

Beautiful, yet creepy. What exactly is it?

 

[turbo]

Beautiful, yet creepy. What exactly is it?

It is an image that I created with Fractal Magic. You get full control over layers, colors, transparency, etc. There is a HUGE learning curve, but it can be worth it. Here is another one that should appeal to the sisterhood. I chose the colors because they looked like octopi/squid colors, and there are some artifacts (seahorses) that look more like traditional Mandelbrot images.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2779/squidglowch7.jpg

 

[DaveC426913]

As someone who played with Mandelbrot and Julia set generators for a while, I'd say some of those shapes don't look like bona fide fractal constructs - notably the left and right edges of the image.

Is Fractal Magic taking some "liberties" with its designs?

 

[Evo]

It is an image that I created with Fractal Magic. You get full control over layers, colors, transparency, etc. There is a HUGE learning curve, but it can be worth it. Here is another one that should appeal to the sisterhood. I chose the colors because they looked like octopi/squid colors, and there are some artifacts (seahorses) that look more like traditional Mandelbrot images.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2779/squidglowch7.jpg

Wow, post more!

 

[turbo]

As someone who played with Mandelbrot and Julia set generators for a while, I'd say some of those shapes don't look like bona fide fractal constructs - notably the left and right edges of the image.

Is Fractal Magic taking some "liberties" with its designs?

That is the "magic". You get to apply symmetries, inversions, etc to make your images. Most of the horsepower comes from choosing which functions you want to apply in each layer, where to set the transparency limits and how to implement those, and what color schemes and gradients to apply. You can of course recover Mandelbrot and Julia sets in their original iterations and make beautiful images playing with only palettes and gradation slopes, etc, but that is not really satisfying. As I noted in another post recently, my "take" on creativity has a decidedly technical bent.

 

[GeoMike]

Getting my first rough inkling of the incredible size of the field of math.

I agree. When I was younger "Calculus" seemed like the upper limit (no pun intended) of math -- if you knew Calculus you were a math genius. I was amazed (and overwhelmed) when I began seeing how much more existed beyond basic calculus.

-GeoMike-

 

[turbo]

Don't mess with the bug that rules the universe.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/128/ant1ui4.jpg

If you're going to burn in hell (see Steve Vai's "The Audience is Listening"), you might as well have an idea what eternity in fire looks like.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6914/hellfirenonsymrt7.jpg

This one was inspired by my spiderplant.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1174/spiderplantkm2.jpg

I should have titled this one "Gene Simmons"
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/665/spiral4yk3.jpg

 

[Evo]

Turbo, those are really incredible!

 

[turbo]

Do you have a friend in the printing business? I floated a calendar project to a couple of locals, who acted quite underwhelmed.

 

[DaveC426913]

That is the "magic". You get to apply symmetries, inversions, etc to make your images. Most of the horsepower comes from choosing which functions you want to apply in each layer, where to set the transparency limits and how to implement those, and what color schemes and gradients to apply. You can of course recover Mandelbrot and Julia sets in their original iterations and make beautiful images playing with only palettes and gradation slopes, etc, but that is not really satisfying. As I noted in another post recently, my "take" on creativity has a decidedly technical bent.

Not wishing to cast aspersions upon these quite beautful works, but it seems to me, the real charm of Mandelbrot set and Julia sets is that they are entirely natural. This seems like the gilding of a pretty incredible lily.

 

[jacinda10]

I still am amazed at how the ratio of pi was discovered. And how people just purely invented mathematical focuses, like calculus. It would be amazing to be that brilliant...

 

[mathwonk]

the series sum 1/1^2 + 1/2^2 + 1/3^2 + ... is amazing, i think it equals pi^2/6, and was calculated by euler in his precalculus book.