How long are the Indus and Brahmaputra (Was re: question)

[Harry Spier]

Rajesh Kochhar wrote:

Of the two Himalayan rivers Indus and Brahmaputra ( both about 1800miles /
2900km ) which one is  the longer and by how much?

Allen Thrasher wrote:

This question should be answerable by a consultation of an
encyclopedia, a world almanac, or a visit to your university or public
library.  It is an easy one by that route ...

I thought the mathematicians on the list would jump on this.  The question
of how long is a river is not that simple a question.  Because the shape of
a river is whats known as a "fractal" the length of the river depends on the
scale at which the measurement is taken (in a much more fundamental way than
just the accuracy of the measuring device).  I.e. a river curves back and
forth and as you go to finer and finer scales it still curves back and forth
so the length keeps increasing.

See  http://life.csu.edu.au/complex/tutorials/tutorial3.html
(For "How long is the coast of Britain?" substitute "How long is the Indus
river?".)

Or better yet see "The Fractal Geometry of Nature" by Mandelbrot .

Best,


Harry Spier
371 Brickman Rd.
Hurleyville, New York
USA 12747

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