Ebook: The Algorithmic Beauty of Sea Shells

The patterns on the shells of tropical sea snails are not only compellingly beautiful but also tell a tale of biological development. The decorative patterns are records of their own genesis, which follows laws like those of dune formation or the spread of a flu epidemic. Hans Meinhardt has analyzed the dynamical processes that form these patterns and retraced them faithfully in computer simulations. His book is exciting not only for the astonishing scientific knowledge it reveals but also for its fascinating pictures.

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This book is beautiful in its design and illustrations. More, it shows how the natural, semi-random, form of cowries can be modeled by, and generated from, mathematical equations (which are included in the book.) The original edition of the book included a diskette with computer programs to perform the modeling. In these days of the Internet, that's not necessary, but I'm absolutely certain (though without knowing) that you can download that material from Springer Verlag's website. So you can grow your own seashell in your computer. As Max Beerbohm said, "For those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they like [very much!]"