Images Dated 22nd January 2004

Coloured SEM of 3-core electric cable

Electric flex. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a domestic 13 amp 3 core electrical flex. Within the flex are three insulated wires; live, neutral and earth. Each wire is connected to the appropriate pin of a British 3-pin plug. The 3-pin plug is used in the U.K. to connect domestic appliances and tools to the national 240 volt alternating current supply. The earth wire is an electrical connection between the appliance and the ground. In the event of a fault in the appliance the current flows to earth causing no harm to the user. The colours of the insulation around the wires in this image do not correspond to those found in an actual electrical flex. Magnification: x12 at 6x7cm size. x30 at 8x6ins, x16 at 10x7cm master size

© POWER AND SYRED/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Mathematical model

Mathematical model. Computer model of a repeated mathematical operation (iteration) to generate a random wave. The iteration involved random drawing of sets of parallel lines. The ends of these lines are seen around the edge of the pattern. Because the positioning of the lines was random, it formed this central pattern approximating a random wave. A random wave is an example of quantum chaos where quantum wavepackets are added at random. If the parallel lines had been added at regular angles, instead of at random, then a quasicrystal would have been formed (see image A900/080). Created as an artwork by Professor Eric Heller. Similar techniques were used by the artist Sol Le Witt

© ERIC HELLER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

JML02964

Central common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) group of four in mangrove roots above the river, Conkouati-Douli National Park, Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), West Africa, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Nigeria, and Congo, in rainforests and open woodland forests

© Jean-Michel Labat/AUSCAPE All rights reserved