Fractal

A fractal is a geometric object which is rough or irregular on all scales of length, and so which appears to be 'broken up' in a radical way. Some of the best examples can be divided into parts, each of which is similar to the original object. Fractals are said to possess infinite detail, and they may actually have a self-similar structure that occurs at different levels of magnification. In many cases, a fractal can be generated by a repeating pattern, in a typically recursive or iterative process. The term fractal was coined in 1975 by Benoît Mandelbrot, from the Latin fractus or "broken". Before Mandelbrot coined his term, the common name for such structures (the Koch snowflake, for example) was monster curve.

External links

• The Chaos Hypertextbook. An introductory primer on chaos and fractals.
• Fractals, in Layman's Terms
• Fractals, fractal dimension, chaos, plane filling curves
• Fractal properties
• Information on fractals from FAQS.org
• Fractal dimensions
• Fractal calculus
• Fractal Dimension
• Natural fractals in Grand Canyon

; Multiplatform generator programs

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• Xaos ? Realtime generator ? Windows, Mac, Linux, etc
• FLAM3 ? Advanced iterated function system designer and renderer for all platforms.
• Fract ? A Web-based fractal zoomer

; Linux generator programs

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• Gnofract4d ? Interactive editor which can use many fractint formulas
• Review of fractal software packages which run under X11 on Linux

; Windows generator programs

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• Fractovia's listing of fractal generators is a fairly complete listing of free fractal generators.
• Online Fractal Generator Java-Plugin required.
• Ultra Fractal ? popular software for Microsoft Windows
• ChaosPro ? for Microsoft Windows
• MSPlotter a great free Windows-based fractal generator, using fractals to create bitmap images and AVI video clips.
• Fractal Explorer ? free Windows-based generator

; Mac generator programs

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• Altivec Fractal Carbon Mac-based benchmarking utility, using fractals to determine performance.

; MorphOS generator programs

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• Zone Explorer with support for custom formulas

; Fractal Art Galleries

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• Fractovia ? authoritative source of fractal generators, as well as a listing of tutorials regarding fractals in general, and specific programs.
• Fractal Artwork, Spot files for Fractal Explorer
• C82
• Fractal landscapes
• Mitchell-Green gravity set
• Several fractal art galleries with parameter files and programs for re-creating the images
• Fractal Zoom movies
• Galleries and softwares
• Fractal Art Gallery