Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone

The Open University
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Everywhere you look in nature you will find patterns. From the seeds in the flower under your nose to the flock of swallows overhead some patterns keep occurring again and again. The essence of mathematics is a series of simple rules that produce complex consequences. And nowhere are these complex consequences more apparent than in the natural world. This collection will look at 5 mathematical theories that were inspired by nature. It will look at the origin of the theory, its impact on research at the time and its continuing relevance.

에피소드

  1. 2014. 11. 26. ·  비디오

    Edward Lorenz and Chaos Theory

    Why can’t we get a good weather forecast? Meteorologist Edward Lorenz tried to predict the weather but in the end all he discovered were chaotic systems, leading him to declare long term weather forecasting is utterly impossible.

    1분

  2. 2014. 11. 26.

    Transcript -- Edward Lorenz and Chaos Theory

    Transcript -- Why can’t we get a good weather forecast? Meteorologist Edward Lorenz tried to predict the weather but in the end all he discovered were chaotic systems, leading him to declare long term weather forecasting is utterly impossible.

  3. 2014. 11. 26. ·  비디오

    Alan Turing and Morphogenesis

    What makes tigers striped and cheetahs spotty? World War II code-breaker and father of computing, Alan Turing, has a simple explanation…

    1분

  4. 2014. 11. 26.

    Transcript -- Alan Turing and Morphogenesis

    Transcript -- What makes tigers striped and cheetahs spotty? World War II code-breaker and father of computing, Alan Turing, has a simple explanation…

  5. 2014. 11. 26. ·  비디오

    Warren Weaver and Complexity Theory

    In 1948, Warren Weaver identified what he called complex systems. These are systems where individual parts act independently of each other, while still following a set of simple rules.

    1분

  6. 2014. 11. 26.

    Transcript -- Warren Weaver and Complexity Theory

    Transcript -- In 1948, Warren Weaver identified what he called complex systems. These are systems where individual parts act independently of each other, while still following a set of simple rules.

  7. 2014. 11. 26. ·  비디오

    D’Arcy Thompson, Structuralism and the Shape of Life

    If evolution is all about random mutations, why do the same patterns keep cropping up in the natural world? Coincidence? Not according to parrot-wielding eccentric, Sir D’Arcy Thompson. He realised that living things grow according to the laws of physics as well as genetics.

    1분

  8. 2014. 11. 26.

    Transcript -- D’Arcy Thompson, Structuralism and the Shape of Life

    Transcript -- If evolution is all about random mutations, why do the same patterns keep cropping up in the natural world? Coincidence? Not according to parrot-wielding eccentric, Sir D’Arcy Thompson. He realised that living things grow according to the laws of physics as well as genetics.

  9. 2014. 11. 26. ·  비디오

    Charles Darwin and Game Theory

    If evolution’s all about survival, why do peacocks have such huge, extravagant tails? This problem preyed on Charles Darwin’s mind. Luckily, in the 1970s, a hip bunch of mathematicians called game theorists came along with an explanation that would have put his mind at rest.

    1분

  10. 2014. 11. 26.

    Transcript -- Charles Darwin and Game Theory

    Transcript -- If evolution’s all about survival, why do peacocks have such huge, extravagant tails? This problem preyed on Charles Darwin’s mind. Luckily, in the 1970s, a hip bunch of mathematicians called game theorists came along with an explanation that would have put his mind at rest.

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소개

Everywhere you look in nature you will find patterns. From the seeds in the flower under your nose to the flock of swallows overhead some patterns keep occurring again and again. The essence of mathematics is a series of simple rules that produce complex consequences. And nowhere are these complex consequences more apparent than in the natural world. This collection will look at 5 mathematical theories that were inspired by nature. It will look at the origin of the theory, its impact on research at the time and its continuing relevance.

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