Fractals are “infinite maps of
dimensions such as 2-d and 3-d”
[www.miqel.com]. 2-d means to be flat, like 
a square drawn on a piece
of paper. 3-d means to be a solid, like a box. Their shapes
repeat, making them go on forever. Some basic examples of fractals
are Mandelbrots and Julia sets. Fractals are created by a set of
mathematical algorithm
(mathematical equation used for finding the patterns in fractals).
Each pixel of a fractal is set by an algorithm. It could take
months to create a fractal by hand, but computers can do it in a
matter of seconds. Fractals have been around since the beginning of
time. The original fractals were found in nature.
 |
 |
| Mandelbrot | Julia set |
Some examples of natural fractals
include the rings of Saturn, ferns, and snowflakes. The rings 
of
Saturn are made out of shapes that repeat. Since the shapes repeat it
is a fractal. Fern leaves are shaped in such a way that they repeat
like fractals do. Snowflakes are the most common examples of natural
fractals. Each snowflake has branches on it, each of which have
branches on them. This cycle goes on forever, therefore, a snowflake
is a fractal in nature.
Blood veins, tree bark, leaf veins, clouds, mountain chains, and rivers are some natural fractals not normally thought of as fractals in nature. When you think of fractals in nature, you have to keep your eyes open for things you might not see at first.
All fractals follow a pattern,
unless the fractals are used in the chaos theory. The chaos theory is
the further
development of a fractal. Like fractals, chaos follows a
pattern, but, unlike fractals, the pattern chaos
follows is very unpredictable. The pattern the chaos theory follows
is a pattern of complete randomness, in which the original fractal is
changed into a completely new object. Randomness means the lack of
any predictable order or plan. Even a subtle change in the pattern
can completely change the resulting fractal. It is believed that like
fractals, chaos can also be found in nature. One example of the chaos
theory in nature is a crystal. The shape of a crystal follows a
pattern, but, like chaos, the pattern is hard to find, and very
unpredictable.
Natural fractals are an amazing
and wonderful thing. Maybe you should go outside and try and find
some of your own!
This is a list of the sites we got our information from.
www.wikipedia.org www.google.com