A colleague approached me today and asked if I had heard that Mandelbrot had died. Though I only met him once I feel I've lost a friend. Benoit Mandelbrot was a French mathematician who founded the field of fractal geometry - one of my favorite branches of mathematics. The field is innovative, applicable and beautiful. He was often interviewed for science programs, and I am posting a link to a NOVA presentation in which his life and work are explored (click at bottom of post). Even if you are not a math person, this is a presentation I highly recommend. To me he was not just a great mathematician but a great person who got outside the box and looked beyond the received wisdom of his day to bring together something truly ground-breaking that enriches us all.
Click here to view video.
His obituary from the American Mathematical Society can be found at the following link:
http://www.ams.org/news?news_id=892
2 comments:
HI Heidi, I thought of you when I heard that Mandelbrot had died. How fun that you got to meet him. I haven't watched the Nova video yet but will later. Thanks for posting.
Aw...thanks Ellen! Good to hear from you! :-) I know you'll LOVE the NOVA presentation!
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