[comp.sys.amiga.graphics] Just a basic question...

nnn@po.CWRU.Edu (Nik N. Nik Mahdi) (06/07/91)

Hi,
  Could someone here explain to me what Mandelbrot graphics are,
and why they are so special that everybody is talking about it?
  Thanks.

-Nik.
-- 
afgafhabvnzerwthjwnmberthgjhjnhjknyprtewjhgjklnbaeurgepwrwytiwhjs
fjdkshgjetuwyut THISisMYsignatureFILE!soWHAT? wehudgfhjhdfghjhdgl
ruetowyuiwehgjdfksgbnvcjkblhjgphuipuhgjlhjbhjdfhgyuetrhghfgdhwqvc
nnn@po.CWRU.Edu rteuwthjhjdghbnvmcweqtqpjghdj niknorrosdinikmahdi

peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY) (06/07/91)

In article <1991Jun6.230452.20609@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> nnn@po.CWRU.Edu (Nik N. Nik Mahdi) writes:
>
>Hi,
>  Could someone here explain to me what Mandelbrot graphics are,
>and why they are so special that everybody is talking about it?

This thing develops its own aesthetics, quite appaling to most of the
mathematical and computer oriented folks. You don't have only one 
picture, you can zoom in to different regions, do real explorations
into deep valleys and other stuff that perhaps no-one saw before you.
On the other side you have this effect of self-similarity, which is
really fascinating when you zoom in from a big structure to a very
small structure at its edge, only to find that this microscopic
structure looks nearly identical to the big one.

And then it's really a challenge to programmers. The standard formula 
looks so simple when you use complex variables. But if you use it to 
generate a whole picture, then you can easily occupy a Cray for hours. 
It's a very demanding task to optimize the algorithm to get computed
more of it in greater detail/resolution in less time.

This is the true successor of the Life game that used mainframe
cycles for days and nights some years earlier. But there are still
great implementations for the Amiga of it.

-- 
Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel  // E-Mail to  \\  Only my personal opinions... 
Commodore Frankfurt, Germany  \X/ {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk