'Fractal Geometry is not just a chapter of mathematics, but one that
helps Everyman to see the same old world differently'. - Benoit
Mandelbrot
The world of mathematics usually tends to be thought of as abstract.
Complex and imaginary numbers, real numbers, logarithms, functions, some
tangible and others imperceivable. But these abstract numbers, simply
symbols that conjure an image, a quantity, in our mind, and complex
equations, take on a new meaning with fractals - a concrete one.
Fractals go from being very simple equations on a piece of paper to
colorful, extraordinary images, and most of all, offer an explanation to
things. The importance of fractal geometry is that it provides an
answer, a comprehension, to nature, the world, and the universe.
Fractals occur in swirls of scum on the surface of moving water, the
jagged edges of mountains, ferns, tree trunks, and canyons. They can be
used to model the growth of cities, detail medical procedures and parts
of the human body, create amazing computer graphics, and compress
digital images.
The first 3 iterations of the type 2 quadratic Koc...
English: Aid to defining fractal dimensions
Quadratic Koch fractal.Fractals are about us, and our existence, and they are
present in every mathematical law that governs the universe. Thus,
fractal geometry can be applied to a diverse palette of subjects in
life, and science - the physical, the abstract, and the natural.
We were all astounded by the sudden revelation that the output of a
very simple, two-line generating formula does not have to be a dry and
cold abstraction. When the output was what is now called a fractal,
no one called it artificial... Fractals suddenly broadened the realm
in which understanding can be based on a plain physical basis.
(McGuire, Foreword by Benoit Mandelbrot)
A fractal is a geometric shape that is complex and detailed at every
level of magnification, as well as self-similar.