Structural Topology (Topologie Structurale)/The Journal of Experimental Mathematics

and tools. Art, code and research results are presented. The contributors to the journal include some wellknown mathematicians and computer scientists. A particularly striking supplement was contributed byJohn Sullivan. Entitled "Generating and Rendering FourDimensional Polytopes", it is an example of the hands-on, open-ended quality of articles that include software supplements: it is easy to reproduce , modify and extend the results given in the article by using Mathematica with Sullivan's software 4-D Polytopes. This article is of general interest (even to non-users of Mathematica ) and is full of examples, such as the relationship between polytopes and soap bubbles, which is discussed in some detail. The article continues with a discussion of the geometrical symmetries of the polytopes and ways to use these symmetries to make the computing of the polytope images proceed more efficiently. For Mathematica users, Sullivan includes discussion of alternative tools available for generating the images with Mathematica . This part of the article is a tutorial that aids interested readers in best using Sullivan's methods and the capabilities of his software. The combination of subject matter and the interactive possibilities of the journal contribute to the trend of ineluding examples and working algorithms in papers. This is particularly useful as the volume and sophistication of computer-based art increase. It is helpful to have some familiarity with Mathematica or access to reference material [l]. A l-year subscription to the journal BOOKS Recent Works (Since 1980) Applied Geometry and Discrete Mathematics P. Gritzmann and B. Sturmfels, eds. American Mathematical Society, 1991. The Beauty ofFractals H.-O. Peitgen and P. H. Richter. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1986. may be obtained from: Miller Freeman , 600 Harrison Street, San Francisco , CA 94107, U.S.A., for $55 (individuals), $85 (individuals, includes diskettes), $125 (institutions) and $150 (institutions, includes diskettes ) . Reference 1. One resource is Stephan Wolfram's book, Mathematica (2nd Ed.) (Redwood City, CA: Addison Wesley, 1991). Mathematica is a registered trademark of Wolfram Research, Incorporated. Nonlinear Science Today Reviewed Uy RobertS. Lansdon, 3830 Annapolis Ct., So. San Francisco, CA 94080, U.S.A. Nonlinear ScienceToday has been published for one year as a companion periodical to theJournal ofNonlinear Science .The periodical seeks to publish information concerning a wide base ofsubject matter. The field of nonlinear studies can be mathematical or can be oriented towards applications in the physical sciences, life sciences and social sciences . For example, Nonlinear Science Today, Vol. 1, No.4, contains an article , by 1.Gelfand, concerning the effects on culture of natural languages and archetypes. An article titled "Chaos: Science or Non-Science?" byJohn Guckenheimer of the Center for Applied Mathematics , Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, U.S.A., presents views on the mathematics of chaos-writing clearly about the history, applications and misapplications of dynamical systems theory. He also discusses the important and increasing use of computer graphics v. Bibliography The Beauty ofFractals Lab H.-O. Peitgen. Springer-Verlag, Berlin , Germany. ISBN: 3-540-14205-3. Computer Graphics-Computer Art H. W. Franke. 2nd Ed. SpringerVerlag , Berlin, Germany, 1985. Computers, Pattern, Chaos and Beauty: Graphicsfrom an Unseen World Clifford Pickover. St. Martin's Press, New York, NY,U.S.A., 1990.391 pp., illus. Trade, $29.95. ISBN: 0-31204123 -3, (Simultaneously published by Alan Sutton Publishers, in attempts to understand several classic examples of complex systems. The application of fractals to the study and modelling of turbulence is the subject of the cover article·of issue No.2-the three-dimensional structure of a flame is an example. It is good to have this interdisciplinaryjournal ofwide scope available. As technology has increasing impact on culture, Nonlinear ScienceToday helps make recent knowledge more accessible to nonspecialists. In particular , the journal should prove to be an interesting source of concepts, tools, raw materials and subject matter for artists. A l-year subscription to the journal may be obtained from: Springer-Verlag , New York, NY,U.S.A., for $25. ISSN: 0938-9008. Structural Topology (Topologie Structurale) Published twice a year, in an English and French format, by the Structural Topology Research Group, Structural Topologyseeks to be an interdisciplinaryjournal concerning geometry applied to problems of structure and morphology in design, architecture and engineering...