Ulam Spirals: Image-Based Spiral Incantations

WTF is this?

The images you see on this blog are output from various Ulam spiral generators I built in Flash, Python and most recently using Arduino. Generally, each dot in an image represents a number with integer 1 at center. In addition to writing algorithms to test each number for primality within a set I have discovered that an infinite number of calculations can be performed to create new designs and animation algorithms. The simplicity and speed of these algorithms make them an ideal fit for embedded systems graphics, scientific, mathematical and artistic explorations.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Image-Based Spiral Incantations

Exchange Building, Seattle, Washington.

The goldfinch was placed dynamically by the Python script. You can see that some of the tiles overlay the bird. The tiles are composed of a Letraset sheet for Helvetica and were dynamically ripped into 40 pixel squares before being rearranged using the Ulam algorithm.