Math Whiz Kids Present Fractal Geometry Art Show

February 14, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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BAY RIDGE — The Fractal Math Club of William McKinley, I.S. 259, in conjunction with Gallery 364, is presenting the First Annual Fractal Art Show — a collection of computer-generated, fractal geometry artwork created by middle school students.

The show will take place at Gallery 364, 364 72nd St. An opening night event will be held tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 16. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with a short presentation beginning at 7 p.m. The gallery will also be open for an additional showing on Friday, Feb. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m.

The Fractal Math Club was formed in the fall of 2010 by math teacher Bryan P. Stern, a former practicing accountant. Fractals are very complex shapes that are formed by repeating a simple process over and over, an operation that computer technology makes much easier.

Their pattern repeats itself at different scales, and they are sometimes infinitely complex — meaning you can zoom in and find the same shapes repeating forever.

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The study of fractals is changing the world around us and directly impacting many aspects of our everyday lives — from their use in cell phone antennas to their role in special visual effects used in computer animation and video games. Fractals are influencing how engineers design airplane cockpits, how biologists study global warming and even how doctors analyze the rhythms of a heartbeat.

The Fractal Math Club is modeled after the Fractal Foundation, based in Albuquerque, N.M., whose motto is “inspiring interest in math, science and art.”

As members of the Fractal Math Club at McKinley, students conduct mathematical investigations, construct three-dimensional models, create works of art using computer software, and connect the mathematical patterns in fractals to similar patterns found in the natural world.

For more information, please call the gallery at (917) 767-3848.


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