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Modelling nature with fractals

September 1998

Computer games and cinema special effects owe much of their realism to the study of fractals. Martin Turner takes you on a journey from the motion of a microscopic particle to the creation of imaginary moonscapes.

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Computer games and cinema special effects owe much of their realism to the study of fractals. Martin Turner takes you on a journey from the motion of a microscopic particle to the creation of imaginary moonscapes.

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Letters

September 1998

Why stop?

The PASS Maths "magazine" is great! Why did publishing stop with the May '98 issue?

Jon Revelos

It didn't, PASS Maths is still going strong. We publish once per term: January, May and September. A new editorial team will be publishing the January 1999 issue, see "Time to change" in the issue 7 Editorial.

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Editorial

  • Roll-over malevolence
  • Time to change
  • Understanding science
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Geometer's corner

September 1998

In the first instalment of a series of articles on the use of Geometry software at A-level, Paul Blythin of Peter Symonds' College takes us through his experiences with Geometer's Sketchpad.

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Mathematical mysteries: the three body problem

On June 25th 1998 the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory known as SOHO, a small spacecraft that monitors the sun, went missing. An error in the instructions given to it from ground control left it spinning out of control. However, there is a glimmer of hope.

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Career interview - Electronic engineer

Geraldine Paxton, an electronics engineer, is a member of the Ford Motor Company Limited's graduate trainee scheme. Geraldine tells us about her work there, from driving cars on the German autobahns to ensuring production lines keep working.
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Pilgrims, planes and postage stamps

Practical problems often have no exact mathematical solution, and we have to resort to using unusual techniques to solve them. From navigation in the 17th century to postage stamps, see how this principle applies to a variety of real-life problems - and also learn how to use a piece of string to locate a German bomber!
Article

The origins of fractals

The term fractal, introduced in the mid 1970's by Benoit Mandelbrot, is now commonly used to describe this family of non-differentiable functions that are infinite in length. Find out more about their origins and history.
Article

Modelling nature with fractals

Computer games and cinema special effects owe much of their realism to the study of fractals. Martin Turner takes you on a journey from the motion of a microscopic particle to the creation of imaginary moonscapes.