UCSC: Porter 34B, Chaos, Fractals, and the Arts, Winter 2005


Lecture meetings are in Porter D-241, Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:45 am.

Tentative Syllabus

  • Meeting #1, 01/06/05:
    A: Course intro
    B: Guest lecture by Gerd Stern, Poet and Media Artist
    HW: Read Ch 1 of Bolts from the Blue
  • Meeting #2, 01/13/05:
    A: Ralph, Discuss Ch 1
    B: Pablo, Monochord, Andy Goldsworthy
    C: Ralph, Lecture on chaos theory (stairway, attractors of logistic)
    HW, due next meeting:
    • Lab #1: Logistic lab, experiments and notes
    • Essay #1: Short writing assignment on Ch 1
    • Read Ch 2
  • Meeting #3, 01/20/05:
    A: Logistics
    B: The response diagram of the logistic map family
    C: Guest lecture/demonstration by Scott Draves, Digital Artist
    HW, due next meeting:
    • Lab #2: 1D map lab, response diagram experiments and notes
    • Essay #2: Short writing assignment on Ch 2
    • Read Ch 3
  • Meeting #4, 01/27/05:
    Quiz #2 On Chs 1-2-3
    Discuss Chs 1-2-3
    Lecture on 2D maps
    Experimental aesthetics
    HW:
    • Lab #3: 2D map attractors
    • Essay #3: Short writing assignment on Ch 3
    • Read Ch 4, Dante and the Fra
  • Meeting #5, 02/03/05:
    • Discuss Ch 4, Dante and the Fra
    • Demo Labs 1-2-3
    • Show first video of bifurcations in Dorband family of 2D iterations
    • Chaos theory: chaotic attractors and fractal basin boundaries
    • Fractal dimension
    • Experimental aesthetics
    • HW: take-home quiz #3 on Labs 1-2-3, read Ch 6 (skip Ch 5)
  • Meeting #6, 02/10/05:
    • Quiz #3 due (on Labs 1-2-3)
    • Show second video of bifurcations in Dorband family of 2D iterations
    • Discuss all chapters as rection-diffusion scenarios
  • Meeting #7, 02/17/05:
    • Project proposals due
    • View video on toral logistic lattice
    • Work of R. P. Taylor on Jackson Pollack
  • Meeting #8, 02/24/05:
    • Quiz #4 due (on chs 4, 6)
    • Show Steve Rooke video
    • Discuss creation vs evolution for chaos fractals
    • Show video of simulation of Rupert Sheldrake's telepathy
  • Meeting #9, 03/03/05:
    • Review of basin and separatrix concepts
    • Demo of Lab #4: basin discovery
    • the Julia set
    • Discussion of math anxiety and gender differences
  • Meeting #10,03/10/05: Review, project reports due
  • Meeting #11,03/17/05: PRESENTATIONS, Final exam period, 4-7 pm
Revised 05 Mar 2005 by Ralph