Customer Reviews

Fractals: The Patterns of Chaos: Discovering a New Aesthetic of Art, Science, and Nature (A Touchstone Book)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I don't know enough about the mathematics of fractals to agree with the reader below who points out the author's lack of qualifications, but even with small mistakes like those, the book is a terrific introduction that requires no technical background. The author does an excellent job explaining not just how fractals were discovered and how to calculate them, but also how artists, writers, poets, and scientist use this information to explain and interpret the world around them. Most books I've read on fractals have a narrow focus. Also, with so many illustrations (this is a gorgeous book), layman explanations and far reaching applications, even the average reader can appreciate the beauty and power of fractals. I could not put it down and then had to start all over again!

I just finished this book and wanted something to introduce me to fractal geomerty and chaos theory without having to be a mathematician, physicist, etc. This book is a fascinating trip through the fractal world we live in, written in layman's language, with lots of gorgeous pictures from the worlds of nature, art, science, computer graphics, and space. It describes clearly how these worlds interact, how fractal geometry differs from traditional geometry and how we're on the brink of exciting new discoveries. The ultimate recommendation is I got it for my dad (a retired math teacher) for Father's Day and he really liked it! Easy to read and leaves you anxious for more.

You will not learn how to make a fractal in this book, but it will make you be interested in the field. The pictures are really a marvelous example of fractals and their explanation is just nice. I've bought one for me and one as a present.

This book brings a comprehensive and visually intriguing approach to the study of fractal geometry and the chaos theory. Through thought provoking imagery and discernible explanations & comparisons, John Briggs has sparked my curiosity where I now look more closely at the world around me. I believe this book is intended to captivate those with the ability to visualize and appreciate the aesthetics and interconnectedness of the arts, sciences and the natural phenomena that surrounds us. An insightful & visually stimulating read!

As a teacher of science, I found Briggs's work to be a good example of accessible writing about a subject which, although of interest to many, is made abstruse by too many writers. The disdainful attitude towards the public of an unfortunate number of people in the sciences, including one who has posted here, is one reason that sciences are not as well-funded as they might be with greater popular support. Bravo for Briggs for bringing science to the average intelligent and curious reader.

This book was OK---but it had more fractals in nature and not so much in the way of computer-generated fractal art which is what I was looking for. Not bad if you can find it used.

With a degree in "Psychology/Aesthetics" from a school he won't name, the author has managed to read Scientific American articles and regurgitate them, calling himself a "science author". The new-age arm waving style of this book may be popular, but is quite hollow and often misleading.Statments such as: "A rice-grain-size ice crystal on an airplane wing will make it explode." and references to a photon's length should not be printed since they are so incorrect. I suggest the author and the editor both sign-up for a physics class at their nearest community college before they attach the word "science" to their titles.Sincerely,Michael LeitchPhysics Teacher and Flight InstructorBerkeley, California

Technically this book is good. The images, however, are staggeringly beautiful. I think Dr. Briggs teaches esthetics, which is the study of beauty. Of any book on fractals I have read, this is by far the most beautiful. I really liked this book, so much I donated it to the library of my alma mater.

This is a fantastic source of images on the subject of fractals, but not a great source of learning. Most books on math and science are difficult for the general reader; few authors (like Isaac Asimov) can make complex things easily understood. But the author of this book is, in my opinion, doing the public a disservice by oversimplifying the subject. The explanations underestimate the public's ability to think, and even include a number of things which are either dead wrong or made-up! The subject of fractals is still new, and there are recently more books available to explain fractals to the general public. Again, this is a great source of images, if that's what you're looking for, but look for another source if you want to undersatnd and appreciate this incredible and important topic.

This book is more art than science. It has an incredibly wealth of pictures. It gives you a good visual introduction to factals. A great coffee table book!