Fractals in Nature

Janessa Tran
Jennifer Rapoport
What is a fractal?
 A geometric figure in which
a pattern is repeated at
different scales.
 Exact self-similarity
 Quasi self-similarity
 Statistical self-similarity
Mandelbrot Set
 Benoit Mandelbrot
 The set of all complex
numbers (z) for which a
sequence defined by the
iteration remains
bounded.
 zn+1 = zn2 + c, z0 = 0
 c = 1 gives the sequence
0, 1, 2, 5, 26,…,
Features of a fractal

 Iterative patterns
 Copies of itself at
different scales
 Too irregular to be
described in geometric
language
Fractal Dimension
 The Hausdorff Dimension
 Sierpinski Triangle
Seashells
 The perfect pattern of
a sea shell is called a
Fibonacci spiral.
 Looking deeper into
the center, you see the
same spiral repeated.
Lightning

 The fractals
created by
lightning can be
different ever
single time.
Ferns

 Each leaf of a fern is a

smaller version of the
actual fern.
Trees
 Repeating v shape
Romanescu
 It is very
familiar to the
broccoli and
the cabbage.
Pineapples

 If you look
closely, you can
see tiny
pineapples that
form one big
pineapple.
Queen Anna’s Lace
 Floral fractal, each blossom produces smaller blooms.
Snowflakes
 One famous fractal is
known as the Koch
Snowflake.
 divide line into three
segments of equal length.
 Use the two segments to
form triangle on the base
of the beginning triangle.
 Repeat.
Works Cited

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandelbrot_set
 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal_dimension
 http://math.bu.edu/DYSYS/chaos-game/node
6.html