Symbolic Computation Group

Using the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences and Maple, I found an analytic formula for the values of the Mandelbrot polynomials near x = -2. The Mandelbrot polynomials are defined by p_0 = 0 and p_{n+1} = xp_n^2 + 1. This talk explains that discovery , and exhibits some areas where one could wish for new functionality in Maple (solving functional equations, for instance).

This work was stimulated by a question from Neil Calkin, and a paper describing the work has been published with Piers W. Lawrence.