The closer you look, the longer it gets: The Coastline Paradox

When you want to measure something you take your ruler or tape measure and read off the length right?

But when it comes to measuring the length of a coastline, things get a bit tricky and totally counter intuitive. 🌊

The science and maths of measuring wiggly coastlines reveal that the smaller the unit of measure, the longer the coastline becomes. Jono recounts the origins of this phenomenon from polymath, Lewis Fry Richardson and its further exploration by Benoit B. Mandelbrot. The trio also relate the concept to various other real-world examples, including the surfaces of the brain and lungs, Romanesco cauliflower, and stock market patterns. Additionally, they touch on the philosophical implications of measurement and delve into the concept of infinity.

Episode Summary:

00:00 Introduction the Coastline Paradox

04:12 Historical Context and Discovery

14:10 Fractals and Natural World Applications

17:26 Modern Implications and Analogies

24:36 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

External Links and mentions on the show:

• Jono refers to and leans heavily on the writing of Geoffrey West in his book "Scale" to tell the story of how this was discovered.
• Rob's half-baked fact about The Standardised Meter can be expanded on here.
• This is what the self-similarity of a Romanesco Cauliflower looks like
• Here is the avenue of trees in Bushy Park, in Southwest London that Jono slalomed.
• Here are more facts on who originally defined the number 'zero' as we know it today.

All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli

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