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Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
The Open University
10 episodes
3 months ago
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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Education
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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.
Show more...
Courses
Education
Episodes (10/10)
Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
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.
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10 years ago
1 minute 18 seconds

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
Transcript -- 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.
Show more...
10 years ago

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
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…
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10 years ago
1 minute 25 seconds

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
Transcript -- 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…
Show more...
10 years ago

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
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.
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10 years ago
1 minute 24 seconds

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
Transcript -- 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.
Show more...
10 years ago

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
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.
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10 years ago
1 minute 7 seconds

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
Transcript -- 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.
Show more...
10 years ago

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
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.
Show more...
10 years ago
1 minute 29 seconds

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
Transcript -- 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.
Show more...
10 years ago

Patterns of Life - for iPod/iPhone
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.