Issue No 7: November 2003
Special fund for SARS research
Q&A: The purpose of monitoring
Work on forensic DNA improves clarity of the probability factor
A closer look at meromorphic functions
Optimisation for production schedules
Reducing interference on mobile phones
Mathematical theory of fluids gives designers data on virtual models
Equation that can predict spots on a seashell
Research shows that filters for sound and images are correct
Short cut to finding best delivery route


Theory on meromorphic functions, used to describe many physical phenomena and engineering problems, is being advanced by research at The University of Hong Kong.
A better understanding of factorisation and the complex dynamics of the functions will help mathematicians and physicists alike, says Dr Tuen-wai Ng.
Factorisation is about how a meromorphic function can become a function within a function. Complex dynamics studies how a function behaves under repeated substitutions.
The behaviors can be represented graphically by Julia Sets (pictured right). One distinctive property of the Julia Set is its self-similarity; individual cells have the same pattern as larger blocks of cells. “The dynamical process is as chaotic as can be,” said Dr Ng.
Many physics and engineering problems involve discovering the location of zeros, or critical points, of a function.
Often, zero-finding algorithms involve repeated substitutions and therefore a good knowledge of complex dynamics is important to understanding their efficiencies, said Dr Ng.

Principal Investigator
Dr Tuen-wai Ng :
ntw@maths.hku.hk