An introduction to Henri Poincare and his efforts to prove the mathematical stability of the solar system.

The last universalist

What does mathematics have to do with nature or art? The video tracks in this album trace the origin of the mathematics of chaos and describe how the chance discovery of fractals became the basis for some real - and revolutionary - commercial applications such as the fax and the modem. A closer look at ancient fabric designs and the spiral of a nautilus shell also reveals repeating patterns that can be analysed in a mathematical way. This material forms part of The Open University course MS221 Exploring mathematics.

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The last universalist

The last universalist

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