Fractals Everywhere (Paperback)

by Michael F. Barnsley (Author) "Fractal geometry will make you see everything differently..." (more)
Key Phrases: associated shift dynamical system, escape time algorithm, random iteration algorithm, Escape Time Algorithm, Box Counting Theorem, Great Britain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The material contained in the second edition is quite obviously more extensive in detail and scope...the style of writing is technically excellent, informative, and entertaining... ."
-Robert McCarty

"The problems and examples are well-chosen and interesting...difficult concepts are introduced in a clear fashion with excellent diagrams and graphs."
-Alan E. Wessel
Santa Clara University -- Review

Review
"The material contained in the second edition is quite obviously more extensive in detail and scope...the style of writing is technically excellent, informative, and entertaining... ."
—Robert McCarty

"The problems and examples are well-chosen and interesting...difficult concepts are introduced in a clear fashion with excellent diagrams and graphs."
—Alan E. Wessel, Santa Clara University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 531 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 2nd edition (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0120790696
• ISBN-13: 978-0120790692
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,938 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #6 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Programming > Algorithms > Fractals
  #25 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics > Geometry & Topology > Algebraic Geometry
  #26 in	Books > Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Fractals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good computer graphics book. Bad mathematics book., April 11, 2000

By	Bernardo Vargas (Weimar, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fractals Everywhere (Hardcover)

This book was written by a regarded expert in the fields of digital image processing and data compression, and illustrates well how some "abstract" mathematical concepts can be applied successfully to such purposes.

However, it is evident that it was written in a rush, and the results can be seen. I have found a lot of typographic mistakes, errors in the exercises, and even errors in some of its mathematical proofs. Also, the author pays almost no attention to the fundamental concept of fractal geometry: the fractal dimension.

I read this book because I needed a strong background in fractal geometry to write my Bachelor's thesis, but got dissapointed because of its mathematical defficiencies, and eventually decided to move to better sources on the subject.

Please check my other reviews in my member page (just click on my name above).

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for applications of fractal geometry, but...., June 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fractals Everywhere (Hardcover)

This is a good book on applications of fractals; the chapters on modeling natural objects with iterated function systems (IFS) and fractal interpolation are especially useful. Many standard topics are included, for example, fractal dimension, Julia and Mandelbrot sets, chaos and the shift dynamical system. Some of the illustrations are captivating.

However, the book is not well organized, and the writing is extremely wordy to the point of being irritating. Some paragraphs read as if they belonged to a "Dummies" handbook. Also, I have to agree with one reviewer that the treatment of fractal dimension is poor. For one thing, it does not fully develop the intuition behind the concept-- much less the math. This same remark holds for the chapter on chaotic dynamics.

In summary, the book is fine for applications, but supplement your reading with a more substantial text.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barnsley's Overview of Fractals is Stunning, May 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fractals Everywhere: The First Course in Deterministic Fractal Geometry (Hardcover)

This book is an eye popping experience for anyone wishing to explore the nature of fractal geometry. A must have reference for anyone seriously studying the subject. If you are trying to Model objects in the physical world using fractals this is the book to get you jump started.