Fractal AttractionTM: A Fractal Design System for the Macintosh® provides information pertinent to fractal attraction, a Macintosh application. This book introduces the Iterated Function Systems (IFS). Organized into eight chapters, this book begins with an overview of the standard and enhanced versions of fractal attraction. This text then explains the ideas and basic principles behind generating fractals based on sets of equations. Other chapters explain an alternative algorithm, the random algorithm, and how to use it. This book discusses as well the Design window wherein the user can translate, rotate, shear, and re-size transformations all by pointing, clicking and dragging. The final chapter deals with an overview of the windows and the menu items are explained in detail. This book is a valuable resource for readers who are interested in using fractal attraction application.
Our universe, science reveals, began in utter simplicity, then evolved into burgeoning complexity. Starting with subatomic particles, dissimilar entities formed associations—binding, bonding, growing, branching, catalyzing, cooperating—as “self” joined “other” following universal laws with names such as gravity, chemical attraction, and natural selection. Ultimately life arose in a world of dynamic organic chemistry, and complexity exploded with wondrous new potential. Fast forward to human evolution, and a tension that had existed for billions of years now played out in an unprecedented arena of conscious calculation and cultural diversity. Cooperation interleaving with competition; intimacy oscillating with integrity—we dwell in a world where yin meets yang in human affairs on many levels. In The Fractal Self, John Culliney and David Jones uncover surprising intersections between science and philosophy. Connecting evidence from evolutionary science with early insights of Daoist and Buddhist thinkers, among others, they maintain that sagely behavior, envisioned in these ancient traditions, represents a pinnacle of human achievement emerging out of our evolutionary heritage. They identify an archetype, “the fractal self,” a person in any walk of life who cultivates a cooperative spirit. A fractal self is a sage in training, who joins others in common cause, leads from within, and achieves personal satisfaction in coordinating smooth performance of the group, team, or institution in which he or she is embedded. Fractal selves commonly operate with dedication and compassionate practice in the service of human society or in conserving our planet. But the competitive side of human nature is susceptible to greed and aggression. Self-aggrandizement, dictatorial power, and ego-driven enforcement of will are the goals of those following a self-serving path—individuals the authors identify as antisages. Terrorist leaders are an especially murderous breed, but aggrandizers can be found throughout business, religion, educational institutions, and governments. Humanity has reached an existential tipping point: will the horizon already in view expand with cooperative progress toward godlike emergent opportunities or contract in the thrall of corrupt oligarchs and tribal animosities? We have brought ourselves to a chaotic edge between immense promise and existential danger and are even now making our greatest choice.
Arti?cial Immune Systems have come of age. They are no longer an obscure computersciencetechnique,workedonbyacoupleoffarsightedresearchgroups. Today, researchers across the globe are working on new computer algorithms inspired by the workings of the immune system. This vigorous ?eld of research investigates how immunobiology can assist our technology, and along the way is beginning to help biologists understand their unique problems. AIS is now old enough to understand its roots, its context in the research community, and its exciting future. It has grown too big to be con?ned to s- cial sessions in evolutionary computation conferences. AIS researchers are now forming their own community and identity. The International Conference on Arti?cial Immune Systems is proud to be the premiere conference in the area. As its organizers, we were honored to have such a variety of innovative and original scienti?c papers presented this year. ICARIS 2004 was the third international conference dedicated entirely to the ?eld of Arti?cial Immune Systems (AIS). It was held in Catania, on the beautiful island of Sicily, Italy, during September 13–16, 2004. While hosting the conference, the city of Catania gave the participants the opportunity to enjoy the richness of its historical and cultural atmosphere and the beauty of its natural resources, the sea, and the Etna volcano.
I know that most men, including those at ease with the problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives. Joseph Ford quoting Tolstoy (Gleick, 1987) We are used to thinking that natural objects have a certain form and that this form is determined by a characteristic scale. If we magnify the object beyond this scale, no new features are revealed. To correctly measure the properties of the object, such as length, area, or volume, we measure it at a resolution finer than the characteristic scale of the object. We expect that the value we measure has a unique value for the object. This simple idea is the basis of the calculus, Euclidean geometry, and the theory of measurement. However, Mandelbrot (1977, 1983) brought to the world's attention that many natural objects simply do not have this preconceived form. Many of the structures in space and processes in time of living things have a very different form. Living things have structures in space and fluctuations in time that cannot be characterized by one spatial or temporal scale. They extend over many spatial or temporal scales.
Fractals for the Classroom breaks new ground as it brings an exciting branch of mathematics into the classroom. The book is a collection of independent chapters on the major concepts related to the science and mathematics of fractals. Written at the mathematical level of an advanced secondary student, Fractals for the Classroom includes many fascinating insights for the classroom teacher and integrates illustrations from a wide variety of applications with an enjoyable text to help bring the concepts alive and make them understandable to the average reader. This book will have a tremendous impact upon teachers, students, and the mathematics education of the general public. With the forthcoming companion materials, including four books on strategic classroom activities and lessons with interactive computer software, this package will be unparalleled.
Fractals are intricate geometrical forms that contain miniature copies of themselves on ever smaller scales. This colorful book describes methods for producing an endless variety of fractal art using a computer program that searches through millions of equations looking for those few that can produce images having aesthetic appeal. Over a hundred examples of such images are included with a link to the software that produced these images, and can also produce many more similar fractals. The underlying mathematics of the process is also explained in detail.Other books by the author that could be of interest to the reader are Elegant Chaos: Algebraically Simple Chaotic Flows (J C Sprott, 2010) and Elegant Circuits: Simple Chaotic Oscillators (J C Sprott and W J Thio, 2020).
