Mathematics
Title: What are fractals? Do you know where I can find pictures of fractals that occur in nature?
Information: Thank you for your question. Here's one definition of a fractal: "any pattern that reveals greater complexity as it is enlarged. Thus, fractals graphically portray the notion of 'worlds within worlds' which has obsessed Western culture from its tenth-century." Benoit Mandelbrot introduced the term, "fractal," approximately twenty years ago. You can read this definition and more about fractals in the piece, "What Is A Fractal? And who is this guy Mandelbrot?" by Alan Beck athttp://polymer.bu.edu/museum/. There are some fantastic images of fractals that occur in the world in the online exhibit, "Dance of Chance," produced by the Center for Polymer Studies at Boston University and the Boston Museum of Science. The Galleries are titled: "Music of the Heart," "Bacteria," "Frozen Lightning," "Metal Deposition," "Erosion," "Termites" and "Viscous Fingering." Check them out athttp://polymer.bu.edu/museum/. The NSDL Collections also offer a wealth of information on fractals. Go tohttp://www.nsdl.org and search on the word, "fractal." I investigated a few of the results that are listed below, and there are many more that you may wish to explore. MathWorld, Wolfram Research: Fractals--Illustrations of fractals and a brief explanation of the "coastline paradox." There are links at the bottom of this page for specific fractals.http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Fractal.html Explore the Frontier: Fantastic Fractals Online--This website offers tutorials at different levels, including one for kids. There are galleries of images, workshops and message boards, too. The "Reference Desk" lists resources for downloadable software programs to learn about and create your own fractals. http://www.techlar.com/fractals/websys.exe?file=index.html Welcome to Fractal Explorer-This tutorial aims "to explain, in simple terms, how the Mandelbrot set and Julia sets are generated." The author, Fabio Cesari, a computer engineering student, intended for this site to be an introduction to fractals and fractal geometry. http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2854/ Have fun exploring the world of fractals. Be sure to ask the librarian at your school or public library if you need more information on your topic. The AskNSDL Staff
Category: Mathematics