The Elastic Fractal – digital image by Noel Giffin. Fractals are generated
with statistical rules for “self similarity.”
QUOTES
Philip
J. Davis & Reuben Hersh
The universe has imposed mathematics upon humanity.
William J. Adams
The Central Limit is one of the most remarkable results in all of mathematics.
Mark Kac
In my dreams I saw the normal law coming out naturally in contexts close
to some kind of physical reality.
David Mumford
Probability theory and statistical inference will affect virtually all
of mathematics in the next century.
Daniel
Z. Freedman
A physical law must possess mathematical beauty
W.J. Youden
The Normal Law of Error (typesetting by the author)
ARTICLES
Student
Seminars on “Famous Equations,”
by Richard Mongomery
The ideas captured by these germinal equations are body and soul for much of
mathematics. They evoke reactions such as “That's neat!,” “Clever!,” “I
don't believe it!,” “Hmm...” or “Curious!” (pdf)
On the Law of Normal Probability,
by Abraham De Moivre
The first statement of the formula for the “normal curve.” (pdf)
Leibniz medallion comes to life after 300 years in celebration of Greg
Chaitin’s career
Anime Ex Machina
In the mid 1960s, while still a teenager, Chaitin created algorithmic information
theory (AIT). In the three decades since, he has been
the principal architect of AIT. See also Greg
Chaitlin's website.
BOOKS
The Fourth Dimension Simply Explained
ed. Henry P. Manning
A collection of essays selected from those submitted in Scientific American's
prize competition. (full text online)
POWER POINT
A Very Brief and Shallow Introduction to:
Chaos Theory and
Fractals
by Faisal Hosein
VIDEOS
Gaussian probability distribution curve demonstration
Demonstration of the bell curve and its appearance in nature, even in the
simplest phenomena.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Pascal's
Triangle
An animation demonstrating the construction of the famous geometric arrangement
of integers.
Estimating
Experiencing Mathematics Exhibition
Are most of us average? If we classify the inhabitants of a town, the leaves
on a tree..., according to a characteristic (size, weight, IQ, level of competence...)
the more one approaches the average for each criterion the more individuals
there are. The further from the average, the fewer they are. At the extremities,
there is almost no one. The graphic representation of this fact is called
a Gaussian curve.
LINKS TO BOOK DESCRIPTIONS
The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers
by Alfred S. Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann
An utterly fscinating tour of the many ramifications of the Fibonacci numbers.
Pascal's Arithmetical Triangle: The Story of a Mathematical Idea
by A. W. F. Edwards
This book traces the Arithmetical Triangle back to its roots, and gives an
account of the progressive solution of combinatorial problems.
LINKS
Math
Subject Guide
The Subject Guide of Mathematics Resources provided by Ying Zhong, Subject Librarian
at Walter W. Stiern Library.
The Gaussian Distribution
The Gaussian Distribution, also called the Frequency Curve, Bell Curve, or
Normal Distribution, is one of the most widely studied topics in all mathematics.
National
Curve Bank
Mapping the landscape of mathematics.
