Genreville notes with sadness the passing of Benoît Mandelbrot. Both Rose and I were fortunate enough to have met him in person at the Ig Nobel Awards. For those not in the know, Mandelbrot was best known for his work in the mathematics of fractal geometry. He formulated the classic fractal formula for what became known as the “Mandelbrot Set“.
Mandelbrot’s influence on genre fiction is huge, ranging from Piers Anthony’s whimsical Fractal Mode to Connie Willis’ arguably hard SF novel Bellwether.
He will be missed.
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His contribution to art was also a big influence on many designers and artists. I have a calender which consists of designs based on his equation, and many of them are quite stunning. Art and science have always gone hand in hand.