Math and Art

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Pattriana Perry
Unit 2: Math and Art
I never really thought about the connection between Math and Arts until this lecture. The two fields seemed to be on opposite ends of the spectrum in my eyes. However, Professor Vesna proclaims math to be the reason we are able to form art and see art. Mathematics allows people to utilize sequences and numbers to create codes which are used to display images. Math is especially important when it pertains to art that deals with coding and programming, whether it is for an individual to create or view art over the computer. Furthermore, shapes such as triangles, circles, and squares, which are the foundations of geometry, are used to create art. The article "Of the Nature of Flatland" explains how these shapes "move freely about, on or in the surface" and make up the building blocks of different art pieces. For example, figures 1, 2, and 3 are all the same triangle. Although they appear to be different when an individual looks at it from a different perspective or angle.
MandelbrotSet

 Fractals are another example of the interdisciplinary connection between math and art. Fractals "display self-similarity, in a somewhat technical sense, on all scales. The object need not exhibit exactly the same structure at all scales, but the same "type" of structures must appear on all scales." The most famous type of fractal is the mandelbrot set shown to the right. In this https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=63&v=ivRQDbAduoM video, the narrator breaks down the structure of the mandelbrot set. It uses a quadratic recurrence equation:  z_(n+1)=z_n^2+C  in order to formulate its shape from its original building block. Such beautiful visuals are only made possible through intricate designs and painstaking calculations. Thus, it is fair to say that the mandelbrot set is a prime example of the many unions between math and art.
References 
Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>
Abbott, Edwin. “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.” N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <https://cole.uconline.edu/content>.
“DlimitR. “Fractals - Mandelbrot.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 June 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=63&v=ivRQDbAduoM.l.

 “Fractal.” From Wolfram MathWorld, mathworld.wolfram.com/Fractal.html.

 Mandelbrot Set.” From Wolfram MathWorld, mathworld.wolfram.com/MandelbrotSet.htm

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