CompuServe Messages

Dietmar: > Do you know of anybody who has read and understood the mathematical > sections of the chaos manual, besides me <g>? Well, no. <g> But then I haven't spoken to too many people about it, either. > Topology is pure math. If you mean the mathematics of formal notation (algebra, calculus, etc.) I'm not so sure that needs to be true. Certainly it's *a lot* of math, but given that topology is descended from geometry, there's got to be a visual element to it that might help some people get a handle (or is that a donut hole?) on the subject. James Gleick points out that Mandelbrot's great genius in his early years depended upon his being able to visualize and manipulate a problem geometrically. – Mark M.