Student: I have played with the Chaos Game, the Simple Forest Fire, and An Even Better Fire. What else is there?

Mentor: Chaos has been found in all branches of science; in fact most scientists now think that chaos is the rule in nature -- not the exception! Here is a list of just a few of the people who have studied things in nature using ideas about fractals and chaos:

• Feigenbaum studied dynamic systems in physics.
• Lindermayer studied plant growth.
• Lorenz studied weather and population.
• May studied population dynamics.
• Meinhardt and Klingler studied patterns on sea shells.
• Murray studied fur markings in mammals.
• Nakamori studied coral formation.
• Whitten and Sander studied chemical buildup in the presence of electricity.

Try the next few activities for more experience with chaos: Life and Rabbits and Wolves.

Please direct questions and comments about this project to Addison-Wesley math@aw.com
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