Thanks for the replies - having been out of formal academia since around 1982 my only (easy) access to documents/books etc. on such matters is via commercially/publicly available works and even then via the local library so I had absolutely no clue as to whether I was missing something or not - also knowing which works to order at the library (£1 each if ordered from elsewhere in the library system) is not so easy either. Mostly I rely on what I can read (or watch) for "free" on the web. On 27 Jul 2011, at 22:45, Dan Asimov wrote:

I certainly give Mandelbrot credit for inventing the word "fractal" and popularizing the notion with at least 1 1/2 highly engaging books, to the point that it is now a household word.

But he made no effort to dispel the widespread erroneous notion that he invented the concept of fractional-dimensional sets. That idea goes back at least to Hausdorff, who invented -- surprise! -- Hausdorff measure. (Does it go back further?)

--Dan

Fred wrote:

<< The one time I attended a talk by Mandelbrot, I came away with a very low opinion of his verbal skills: whatever might have been going on in his mind, when he attempted to express it he seemed incapable of anything more than high-flown waffling. The interview you quoted does little to dispel this impression.

. . .

...

...

Sometimes the brain has a mind of its own.

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