Costa Talalaev gave me a fractal: a 3-dimensional Sierpinski gasket!
He made it using the 3d printer at the Hacklab, a makerspace here in Edinburgh. It was a bit hard to make since it's held together only at tiny spots. He had to build something with more plastic, a kind of scaffolding, and then tear that off. The end result is very light yet sturdy.
@johncarlosbaez
We had someone at our uni present on fractals, and that's where I learned that, just like Barnsley's Fern, Sierpinski's triangle can be generated by random motions in a chaos game.¹ Definitely something I'd love to learn more about - I'm still considering adding a math double major...
Unsolicited advice: fractals are just a tiny piece of the math landscape, so only do a math double major if you enjoy a lot of other math too. For example, to get serious about fractals you need to take advanced calculus and then real analysis, which are tough but to me utterly delightful subjects - and much bigger than fractals in the grand scheme of things.
@johncarlosbaez That is good advice; thank you for it! I didn't mean to imply I'd really concentrate on fractals, though. I think my favorite mathematical topics (that I know of) are numerical analysis (works nicely with CS), and maybe number theory. Not really sure where that fits overall, but I'll keep looking for opportunities to add another major!
@codrusofathens - numerical analysis is a natural road to a job. Number theory is beautiful but there are few jobs in it and it's insanely competitive. But one great thing about a double major is that you can study something just for the love of it.
I'm studying a lot of number theory these days, and the layers of conceptual depth are absolutely enthralling.
@johncarlosbaez
"Citrate synthase, from S. elongatus in particular, has the peculiar capacity to self-assemble into a type of fractal shape known as a Sierpiński triangle."
@johncarlosbaez Oh that's nice - I did a mandelbulb years ago; but that sierpinski gasket is much harder! Now, try and get a good picture of it's shadow; shadows of 3d fractals are neat.
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