History of Science

How Math is Visual

Dec 19, 2012

Share
Email

Papers from Benoit Mandelbrot's office offer a peek into the mathematician's thinking process. His work and that of his contemporaries show how images can inform theory and discovery.

All Videos tab arrow

Scientific American Exclusives tab arrow

Instant Egghead tab arrow

Cicadas - Making Sense of the 17-Year Emergence Why Stress Is Good for You Hovering "Home Drone" Puts Burglars on Display Penitent Hacker Aims to Protect World's ATMs 'Apps for Asia' Offers Solutions to Poverty-Re... Audubon's Birds Live On Long After His Death

Showing 1-6 of 782

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Why Stress Is Good for You Cicadas - Making Sense of the 17-Year Emergence How Do Tornadoes Form?

Showing 1-3 of 3
Why Stress Is Good for You
Santander Claims Title as Europe's "Smartest" ... Wooden Solar Cells Shine Light on Cleaner Power Urban Algae Turns Wastewater into Energy Wooden Radio Broadcasts Sustainable Message Lagos School Girls Harness the Power of Pee Green Toilet Saves Water, Feeds Garden

Showing 1-6 of 101

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Bird 'Crouch' Developed in Dinosaur Ancestors What Color Were Dinosaurs? - Instant Egghead Who Was the First Human Ancestor? - Instant Eg... How Does Radiocarbon Dating Work?- Instant Egg... How Do Animals Become Zombies? - Instant Egghead Instant Egghead - Are We Facing the Sixth Mass...

Showing 1-6 of 52

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Decades-Old Stroke Damage Reversible with Oxyg... Going Viral to Stop Superbugs China Bird Flu Spurs Drive for Universal Vaccine 3D Printer Produces Artificial Ears New Implant Brings High Hopes for Back Pain Re... 3D Printer Builds Human Tissue-Like Substance

Showing 1-6 of 96

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Why Stress Is Good for You Billion Dollar Project to Recreate the Human B... Curved Glass Linked to Fast Beer Drinking Instant Egghead - What Is the Ames Illusion? Mind-Controlled Aircraft No Longer Unthinkable Instant Egghead - How Do 3-D Glasses Work?

Showing 1-6 of 54

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Why Barns Are Red - The Countdown #22 Gemini's Paraglider Landing System How Do Astronomers Find Exoplanets? Antarctica's Supernova Sand - The Countdown #21 Missing Mars Lander Found? - The Countdown #20 How Massive Stars Are Born - The Countdown #19

Showing 1-6 of 90

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Hovering "Home Drone" Puts Burglars on Display Penitent Hacker Aims to Protect World's ATMs 'Apps for Asia' Offers Solutions to Poverty-Re... Autonomous Attack Drone Flies into History The World's Lightest Material Unmanned Combat Jet Passes Flight Test

Showing 1-6 of 335

1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Cicadas - Making Sense of the 17-Year Emergence Why Stress Is Good for You 'Apps for Asia' Offers Solutions to Poverty-Re... Why Barns Are Red - The Countdown #22 Autonomous Attack Drone Flies into History The World's Lightest Material

Showing 1-6 of 372

1 2 3 4 5 > >>

Post a Comment | Read Comments (0)

submit to reddit

Comments

More from Scientific American

News | 9 hours ago
Studies Cast Doubt on Cancer Drug as Alzheimer's Treatment
News | 10 hours ago | 1
An Itch Is Not a Low-Level Form of Pain
Extinction Countdown | 13 hours ago
Amphibians in U.S. Declining at `Alarming and Rapid Rate'
News | 17 hours ago | 7
Will Great Wines Prove a Moveable Feast under Global Warming?
The Thoughtful Animal | 18 hours ago
Once Upon A Time, The Catholic Church Decided That Beavers Were Fish

Follow Us:

See what we're tweeting about

Scientific American Editors

Dhunterauthor Nuevo Verdad: We Have Special Geologist Vision: Sometimes, science feels like you’ve been given a superpower, ... http://t.co/CiifD0lPrY
7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite
kahoakes You Didn't Have Any Lions to Run From, So You Clicked on This http://t.co/1g3BXRGCVr
24 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite
notscientific The Muslim faith does not turn men to terror. By @mehdirhasan http://t.co/Hztr7t1dH7
31 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Free Newsletters

Get the best from Scientific American in your inbox

Solve Innovation Challenges

Male/Female Differences in the Pathogenesis and Presentation of Alzheimer’s Disease in Pre-symptomatic, Early Symptomatic and Late Stages
Deadline: Aug 31 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD

The Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative (GBFAI) is launching the 2013 Geoffrey Beene Global NeuroDiscovery Challenge whose
Expose Data Relationships Through Visualization of Thomson Reuters Web of Science Content
Deadline: Jul 25 2013
Reward: Varies

This challenge provides an opportunity for Solvers to build a web-based or mobile “app” to explore data relationships in scholarly conte
More Challenges »

Powered By: Innocentive

SA Digital

Latest from SA Blog Network

#SciAmBlogs Thursday - science diagrams, mental illness art, beavers are fish, amphibian decline, cicadas, and more.

STAFF
The Network Central | 6 hours ago
Hip Hop Evolutionary Tales
Video of the Week | 8 hours ago
Protist-y art continued: the protist zodiac
The Ocelloid | 10 hours ago
Amphibians in U.S. Declining at `Alarming and Rapid Rate'
Extinction Countdown | 13 hours ago
A new way has been found to make truck emissions testing more accurate and less costly
Guest Blog | 14 hours ago

SA Digital

News From Our Partners

Science Jobs of the Week

DMPK Scientist Cancer Research Technology (CRT)
Research Associate in Imaging Analysis and Processing Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, CSIC-UMH
Professor in Secretion Research Uppsala University
More jobs from Naturejobs.com »

risk free title graphic

YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.

cover image

Scientific American is a trademark of Scientific American, Inc., used with permission

© 2013 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc. View Mobile Site All Rights Reserved.

Email this Article

X

Scientific American Magazine

Subscribe Today

Save 66% off the cover price and get a free gift!

X

Please Log In

X

Account Linking

Welcome, . Do you have an existing ScientificAmerican.com account?

X

X

X

Error

X

Share this Article

X