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MTH 264: Topics in Applied Mathematics


Topic for Fall'04: Dynamical Systems and Phyllotaxis.

Pine cones, artichokes, pineapples, asparagus, sunflowers,... A great number of plants exhibit spirals. Most often, when counting the number of spirals, we get Fibonacci numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,... (each one is the sum of the previous two). This course will be an introduction to the mathematical theory of discrete Dynamical Systems and its applications to this remarkable botanical phenomenon.

Prerequisites: Linear Algebra OR Calculus III OR permission of the instructor.



Nicholas Horton 2006-08-27