Cool Math in Real Life

I get asked a bit about math being used in real life. What does group theory have to do with my life, anyway? (To pure mathematicians like my friend Victor, "applied" is a four-letter word, but actually group theory has applications in music, chemistry and physics.)

But here's a great example of a mathematical concept - fractals - being applied to a real life situation - inequality.

Fractals are geometric shapes that have the same level of complexity (or irregularity) at every level. Coastlines are fractals - no matter what level you look at, the macro or microscopic, they'll always show you a similar level of complexity. For a great mathematical example of a fractal, check out the Mandelbrot set.

William Easterly observes an interesting thing about inequality: that it is fractal. That is, whether you are mapping income inequality on a local, city, regional, national or global scale, you'll always find relatively similar disparity between regions.

The pictures here are income disparity maps at the world level (above) and in New York City (to right). Easterly's post has larger and more compelling pictures - check it out.

It's an interesting idea without obvious implications - but perhaps with deeper, more subtle ones. In any case, it's a good illustration of how math is relevant and important in life.