Numberscope

Date started: Fall 2018
Leads: Katherine Stange, Sebastian Bozlee, participants of the Experimental Mathematics Lab @ CU Boulder

Abstract

Integer sequences arise in all areas of mathematics, sciences and beyond.  Our goal is to create an online tool, suitable for mathematicians, hobbyists and artists, which actually consists of a suite of user-friendly tools for importing integer sequences from OEIS (On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences) data and other sources, and combining them with p5.js/WebGL/javascript visualization tools.  The special-built tools will meet several goals, including (1) harnessing the human visual system to detect properties of sequences and make conjectures, e.g. self-similarity, correlations and randomness, factorization patterns, growth rates, etc. (2) providing engaging and easy-to-use interfaces to promote curiosity and exploration and (3) creating beautiful patterns.

Media

A screenshot of a Turtle Walk visualization tool, displaying a Racaman sequence path.
A screenshot of a self-similarity tool comparing a sequence with its own subsequences.
A Chaos Game image produced using the terms of a random sequence with short-range correlations (at left) and a totally random sequence (at right).

References