NOVA: Fractals - Hunting the Hidden Dimension
by Michael Schwarz, Bill Jersey
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DVD details
Director: Bill Jersey, Michael SchwarzBrand: Wgbh Wholesale
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 56 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-03-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
Product features:
- What do movie special effects, the stock market, and heart attacks have in common? They are connected by a revolutionary new branch of math called fractals, which changed the way we see the world and opened up a vast new territory to scientific analysis and understanding. Meet the mathematicians who developed fractals from a mere curiosity to an approach that touches nearly every branch of underst
DVD Reviews of NOVA: Fractals - Hunting the Hidden Dimension
DVD Review: Interesting and Engaging Documentary with Excellent Visuals
Summary: 5 Stars
I stumbled across this Nova documentary at the public library. It looked interesting, so I watched it with my two sons, who I homeschool, aged twelve and nine. I found the show to be fascinating. As a non-math person I found the show engaging and completely understandable. My twelve year old seemed to understand everything also. The show was not that dumbed down, as while watching it, it was apparent that some of it was going over the head of my nine year old but some of it stuck. (This is not a documentary for elementary grade aged children.)
If you don't know what it is, fractal geometry is a different geometry than classic or plane geometry. Fractal geometry is applied to three dimensional objects. That's about the simplest explanation I can give.
One thing I loved about the content and production of the show is that at first it seemed very abstract and possibly unimportant to the layperson's life but the show clearly showed how fractal geometry is relevant to modern living and has applications in the real world. When they explained that fractal geometry principals were used to create a new cell phone antennae that makes them more usable for customers around the world it was made clear that knowledge of fractals is important to daily life. It was said that engineers can use this new information in daily applications. Any time I can show my sons that math has applications in the real world that affect people's daily lives, I'm happy.
Another story of interest was that the tallest tree in a rainforest was studied. Measurements were taken of its trunk and branches and the fractal geometry calculations were in alignment with its size of growth. Of further interest was the same mathematical computation matched the design of the whole rainforest, the spread of the other trees, the smaller trees, the width and size of the forest was all in alignment with the fractal geometry computation. The scientists also gathered samples from the leaves to check CO2 content and the point was to calculate the effect of the rainforest had in relation to global warming. The idea that fractal geometry is being used by environmentalists and scientists on the issue of climate was fascinating to us.
It was also interesting when it was explained that when Benoit Mandelbrot, the mathematician who created formulas for fractal geometry shared his thoughts there were many people who doubted him and the entire theory. The issue of the old school way of thinking not liking new theories proposed was something to think about.
Another cool thing was it was said that for thousands of year's artists and architects have used principals of balance and eye-pleasing proportion inspired by nature, and that nature's designs matched the mathematical computation. Thus some artist's work that looks pleasing to the eye actually is in alignment with that fractal geometry mathematical operation also (without a math operation ever having been done). This was brought full circle by showing a story of a textile design artist who used the fractal geometry formulas to create patterns for fabrics to use to make colorful printed men's shirts (similar to Hawaiian shirts).
My twelve year old son says he can't stop thinking about fractals now. He loves the idea and wants to learn more. He has asked me to get the book by Benoit Mandelbrot for him to read. I fear it will be too far above his head. I am now searching for book for upper middle school or high school level on this topic.
The graphics in this documentary were fantastic. The pace of the show moved right along and the hour went by almost too quickly.
I feel this documentary has interest to non-math people. Teachers or parents who would like children or teens to see real world applications of math principles or who wants to show that math can be cool should show this documentary to them. This would make a good addition to a public library where it can be borrowed and viewed by numerous curious-minded patrons.
Description of NOVA: Fractals - Hunting the Hidden Dimension
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