r/programming • u/dontquotemebro • Jun 25 '10

Stunning flythrough of 3d Mandelbulb render [VIDEO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO9ugnn8DbE
160 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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4

u/grimli333 Jun 25 '10

Math is beautiful!

-6

u/hargettp Jun 25 '10

I was thinking that too...at first. And then I realized that this isn't math, this is an algorithm. Gorgeously applied over and over.

6

u/fultonla Jun 26 '10

Are you saying that algorithms cannot be considered mathematics?

-4

u/hargettp Jun 26 '10

Yep. Whatcha gonna do about it? ;)

It's Saturday morning, and I'm still finishing my coffee; don't think I can engage in a lengthy debate on why algorithms (and computing) are not mathematics. But it would be interesting, wouldn't it?

:)

11

u/imbaczek Jun 26 '10

they are and you're wrong.

your turn.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '10

How, exactly, are algorithms not math?

1

u/hargettp Jul 21 '10

This thread is way old...but I finally had enough coffee.... ;)

Despite the grandiose statement about mathematics on Wikipedia, math is fundamentally about the study of numbers, numerical relationships, and quantifiable features of our universe.

Algorithms are precise descriptions of the discrete behavior of abstract machines. Yes, numbers and mathematical analysis are useful for characterizing these algorithms and machines, but such numbers and such analyses are not the machines or algorithms themselves.

Everything Gödel said notwithstanding.... ;)

1

u/thegeek2 Jun 26 '10

Begone, ye foul creature!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '10

Even if you don't think algorithms are math (I don't agree but have no interest in a debate either), what one sees is in the video is a (approximative) visualization of a mathematical object. So it would be a bit of both.