The author integrates discussions of fractal geometry, surface modeling techniques, and applications to real world problems to provide a comprehensive, accessible overview of the field. His work will equip researchers with the basic tools for measurement and interpretation of data, stimulating more work on these problems and, perhaps, leading to an understanding of the reasons that Nature has adopted this geometry to shape much of our world.

In the last few years there has been an explosion of activity in the field of the dynamics of fractal surfaces, which, through the convergence of important new results from computer simulations, analytical theories and experiments, has led to significant advances in our understanding of nonequilibrium surface growth phenomena. This interest in surface growth phenomena has been motivated largely by the fact that a wide variety of natural and industrial processes lead to the formation of rough surfaces and interfaces. This book presents these developments in a single volume by bringing together the works containing the most important results in the field.The material is divided into chapters consisting of reprints related to a single major topic. Each chapter has a general introduction to a particular aspect of growing fractal surfaces. These introductory parts are included in order to provide a scientific background to the papers reproduced in the main part of the chapters. They are written in a pedagogical style and contain only the most essential information. The contents of the reprints are made more accessible to the reader as they are preceded by a short description of what the editors find to be the most significant results in the paper.

Fractal Functions, Fractal Surfaces, and Wavelets, Second Edition, is the first systematic exposition of the theory of local iterated function systems, local fractal functions and fractal surfaces, and their connections to wavelets and wavelet sets. The book is based on Massopust's work on and contributions to the theory of fractal interpolation, and the author uses a number of tools—including analysis, topology, algebra, and probability theory—to introduce readers to this exciting subject. Though much of the material presented in this book is relatively current (developed in the past decades by the author and his colleagues) and fairly specialized, an informative background is provided for those entering the field. With its coherent and comprehensive presentation of the theory of univariate and multivariate fractal interpolation, this book will appeal to mathematicians as well as to applied scientists in the fields of physics, engineering, biomathematics, and computer science. In this second edition, Massopust includes pertinent application examples, further discusses local IFS and new fractal interpolation or fractal data, further develops the connections to wavelets and wavelet sets, and deepens and extends the pedagogical content. - Offers a comprehensive presentation of fractal functions and fractal surfaces - Includes latest developments in fractal interpolation - Connects fractal geometry with wavelet theory - Includes pertinent application examples, further discusses local IFS and new fractal interpolation or fractal data, and further develops the connections to wavelets and wavelet sets - Deepens and extends the pedagogical content

This book brings together two of the most exciting and widely studied subjects in modern physics: namely fractals and surfaces. To the community interested in the study of surfaces and interfaces, it brings the concept of fractals. To the community interested in the exciting field of fractals and their application, it demonstrates how these concepts may be used in the study of surfaces. The authors cover, in simple terms, the various methods and theories developed over the past ten years to study surface growth. They describe how one can use fractal concepts successfully to describe and predict the morphology resulting from various growth processes. Consequently, this book will appeal to physicists working in condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics, with an interest in fractals and their application. The first chapter of this important new text is available on the Cambridge Worldwide Web server: http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk/onlinepubs/Textbooks/textbookstop.html

A review of theories developed for the study of acoustic, elastic and electromagnetic wave scattering from randomly rough surfaces, and a comprehensive summary of the latest techniques. Different theories are illustrated by experimental data.With applications in radar, sonar, ultrasonics and optics this book will be invaluable to graduate students, researchers and engineers.

A fractal is a mathematical set or object whose form is extremely irregular and/or fragmented at all scales. So reads Mandelbrot's definition of the term which he coined and widely popularised in his famous monographs. This volume presents the first systematic summary of the fractal models that have been proposed to explain the irregular features and phenomena of the Earth -- from meandering rivers and rugged coastlines to the pore space of reservoir sandstones and the prediction of earthquakes. No previous knowledge of fractals is assumed. Connections and analogies with other fields of natural and technical sciences (physics, biology, fractography, etc.) are always pointed out. More than 300 illustrations are included, demonstrating how fractal geometry reveals astonishing similarities between natural phenomena at widely different scales. The readership for this book is wide and includes: geological scientists, oceanographers, and meteorologists involved in describing and analysing irregular spatial data; as well as applied mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists looking for new fields of research.