Fractals for the Classroom: Arbeitsbuch Band 4 (Chaos und Fraktale)

by Heinz-Otto Peitgen

This third and final volume of Strategic Activities on fractal geometry and chaos theory focuses upon the images that for many people have provided a compelling lure into an investigation of the intricate properties embedded within them. By themselves the figures posses fascinating features, but the mechanisms by which they are formed also highlight significant approaches to modeling natural processes and phenomena. The general pattern and specific steps used to construct a fractal image illustrated throughout this volume, comprise an iterated function system. The objective of this volume is to investigate the processes and often surprising results of applying such systems. These strategic activities have been developed from a sound instructional base, stressing the connections to the contemporary curriculum as recommended in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. Where appropriate, the activities take advantage of the technological power of the graphics calculator. The contents of this volume joined with the details contained in the prior two books. Together they provide a comprehensive survey of fractal geometry and chaos theory. The dynamic nature of the research and the experimental characteristics of related applications provides an engaging paradigm for classroom activity.

Paperback

Published June 1, 1999

About the author

Peitgen studied mathematics, physics and economics from 1965 until 1971 in Bonn, later working for six years at the Institute for Applied Mathematics at the University of Bonn under Christian Fenske, where he received his PhD in 1973. His doctoral dissertation was Asymptotische Fixpunktsätze und Stabilität (en: Asymptotic fixed-point theorems and stability).

After receiving his habilitation in 1977, he first taught as private docent in Bonn before obtaining a professorship for mathematics at the University of Bremen.

In 1986 Peitgen and Peter Richter published their lavishly illustrated and very influential book The Beauty of Fractals, which was amongst the first books popularizing the concept of fractals to the general public. This book was followed up in 1988 by The Science of Fractal Images and in 1992 by a large and authoritative volume entitled Chaos and Fractals: New Frontiers of Science, written in collaboration with Hartmut Jürgens and Dietmar Saupe.

Peitgen is director of the Centre for Complex Systems and Visualization (Centrum für Complexe Systeme und Visualisierung - CeVis) at the University of Bremen. His research work emphasises dynamical systems, numerical analysis, image analysis, and data analysis, as well as the use of computers in image-based medical diagnostics.