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The natural world presents a diverse range of intricate patterns: the characteristic stripes and spots of animals, the shifting landscapes of desert sand dunes, the hexagonal forms of honeycombs, the near perfect six-fold symmetry of snowflakes, the branching patterns in the bronchial structure of lungs, propagating cracks in brittle solids, river basin shapes, convection patterns in fluids, and the growth of cities. Recent research has suggested that many of these patterns are related to each other by a few relatively simple mechanisms that are independent of the fine details of each system. We will examine a range of these natural phenomena to develop insights into how diverse morphologies may arise from a relatively small number of pattern-formi ng principles.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: NSM CHEM Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE
Last Updated on MAR-26-2001
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459