“I always saw a close kinship between the needs of "pure" mathematics and a certain hero of Greek mythology, Antaeus. The son of Earth, he had to touch the ground every so often in order to reestablish contact with his Mother; otherwise his strength waned. To strangle him, Hercules simply held him off the ground. Back to mathematics. Separation from any down-to-earth input could safely be complete for long periods — but not forever. In particular, the mathematical study of Brownian motion deserved a fresh contact with reality.”

— Benoît Mandelbrot

A Theory of Roughness (2004)

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Benoît Mandelbrot 56

Polish-born, French and American mathematician 1924–2010

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Benoît Mandelbrot 56

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