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.

Fractals in nature

Approximate fractals are easily found in nature. These objects display complex structure over an extended, but finite, scale range. These naturally occurring fractals (like clouds, snowflakes, mountains, river networks, and systems of blood vessels) have both lower and upper cut-offs, but they are separated by several orders of magnitude. Despite being ubiquitous, fractals were not much studied until well into the twentieth century, and general definitions came later.

Related Topics:
River - Orders of magnitude - Twentieth century

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Trees and ferns are fractal in nature and can be modelled on a computer using a recursive algorithm. This recursive nature is clear in these examples — a branch from a tree or a frond from a fern is a miniature replica of the whole: not identical, but similar in nature.

Related Topics:
Recursive - Algorithm - Frond

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Image:Glue1_800x600.jpg|Pulling two glue-covered acrylic sheets apart forms a natural fractal.

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Image:Square1.jpg|High voltage breakdown within a 4″ block of acrylic creates a fractal Lichtenberg figure.

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Image:Microwaved-DVD.jpg|Fractal branching occurs on a microwave-irradiated DVD

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Image:Fractal Broccoli.jpg|Romanesco broccoli showing very fine natural fractals

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