fractal
pronunciation
How to pronounce fractal in British English:
UK [ˈfræktl]
How to pronounce fractal in American English:
US [ˈfræktl]
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- Noun:
- (mathematics) a geometric pattern that is repeated at every scale and so cannot be represented by classical geometry
Word Origin
- fractal (n.)
- "never-ending pattern," 1975, from French fractal, from Latin fractus "interrupted, irregular," literally "broken," past participle of frangere "to break" (see fraction). Coined by French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-2010) in "Les Objets Fractals."Many important spatial patterns of Nature are either irregular or fragmented to such an extreme degree that ... classical geometry ... is hardly of any help in describing their form. ... I hope to show that it is possible in many cases to remedy this absence of geometric representation by using a family of shapes I propose to call fractals -- or fractal sets. [Mandelbrot, "Fractals," 1977]
Example
- 1. There are several fractal geometry software programs available for download .
- 2. This variant form of cauliflower is the ultimate fractal vegetable .
- 3. These features are referred to as self-similar , or fractal laws .
- 4. The mandelbrot set has inspired some nerd-tastic creations , like fractal ties and even this cross-stitch found on flickr .
- 5. You might even claim to live in a fractal landscape , more or less so depending on where you are in the world .