Matt Springer is a graduate student of physics at Texas A&M university. He is also an occasional writer and tinkerer, and he is probably too curious for his own good.
when you order from Amazon, and a fraction of the purchase price will be sent to me at zero cost to you. Much obliged, and thanks for your patronage.This rather striking image is the imaginary part of the Airy function. Rather than a lot of words today, I'd like to just present this mathematical function as art.
I've always disagreed with Whitman in his assessment of science, but it is nonetheless a good thing to occasionally look up in silence at the stars - or function plots.
WHEN I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
Physical Science
Comments
I think the point Whitman is trying to make is that the mystery in the stars is a physical one whereby he sees the numbers as a manifestation of the human mind; The bottom-line being that the beauty in mathematics is a different kind of beauty than that of art.
Posted by: Kaz Maslanka | December 7, 2008 1:52 PM
One of my favorite functions. Plays a role in some cool optical effects, including Rainbow scattering (the supernumerary arcs?) if my memory is correct (which it probably isn't).
Posted by: CCPhysicist | December 11, 2008 11:53 PM