Binary Trees

John Baez

A binary tree is a mathematical object like this: 
               \   \  /   /
                \   \/   /
                 \  /   /         
                  \/   /
                   \  /
                    \/
and people use Catalan numbers to count them. But binary trees aren't just  mathematical structures! Here's a picture of one that Mike Stay found in New Zealand:

[01]

Do you know what species it is?

© 2004 John Baez
baez@math.removethis.ucr.andthis.edu

home