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| − | [[Image:Mandel zoom 00 mandelbrot set.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The [[Mandelbrot set]] is a famous example of a '''fractal'''.]]
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| − | [[Image:Mandelpart2_red.png|right|300px|thumb|A closer view of the Mandelbrot set.]]
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| − | A '''fractal''' is generally "a rough or fragmented [[Shape|geometric shape]] that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole,"<ref>B.B. Mandelbrot, B.B., 1982, ''The Fractal Geometry of Nature.'' San Francisco, CA: W.H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 0716711869.</ref> a property called [[self-similarity]]. The term was coined by [[Benoît Mandelbrot]] in 1975 and was derived from the [[Latin]] ''[[wikt:fractus|fractus]]'' meaning "broken" or "fractured."
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| − | Because they appear similar at all levels of magnification, fractals are often considered to be infinitely complex (in informal terms). Natural objects that approximate fractals to a degree include clouds, mountain ranges, lightning bolts, coastlines, and snow flakes. However, not all self-similar objects are fractals—for example, the [[real line]] (a straight [[Line_(geometry)|Euclidean]] line) is formally self-similar but fails to have other fractal characteristics; for instance, it is regular enough to be described in Euclidean terms.
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| − | Images of fractals can be created using [[fractal generating software]]. Images produced by such software are normally referred to as being fractals even if they do not have the above characteristics—for example, it is possible to zoom into an empty region and produce a blank image.
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| − | == Features ==
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| − | A mathematical fractal is based on an [[equation]] that undergoes [[iteration]], a form of [[feedback]] based on [[recursion]].<ref name=patterns>John Briggs, 1992, ''Fractals:The Patterns of Chaos''. London, UK: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500276935. 148.</ref>
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| − | A fractal often has the following features:<ref>Kenneth Falconer, 2003, ''Fractal Geometry: Mathematical Foundations and Applications.'' Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 0470848626. xxv.</ref>
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| − | * It has a fine structure at arbitrarily small scales.
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| − | * It is too irregular to be easily described in traditional [[Euclidean geometry|Euclidean geometric]] language.
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| − | * It is [[self-similarity|self-similar]] (at least approximately or [[stochastic]]ally).
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| − | * It has a [[Hausdorff dimension]] which is greater than its [[Lebesgue covering dimension|topological dimension]] (although this requirement is not met by [[space-filling curve]]s such as the [[Hilbert curve]]).
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| − | * It has a simple and [[recursive definition]].
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| − | ==History==
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| − | [[image:animated construction of Sierpinski Triangle.gif|left|thumb|200px|Animated construction of a [[Sierpiński Triangle]], only going nine generations of [[infinity|infinite]]—click for larger image.]]
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| − | [[Image:Von Koch curve.gif|right|thumbnail|250px|To create a [[Koch snowflake]], one begins with an equilateral triangle and then replaces the middle third of every line segment with a pair of line segments that form an equilateral "bump." One then performs the same replacement on every line segment of the resulting shape, ad infinitum. With every [[iteration]], the perimeter of this shape increases by one third of the previous length. The Koch snowflake is the result of an infinite number of these iterations, and has an infinite length, while its area remains [[Wiktionary:finite|finite]]. For this reason, the Koch snowflake and similar constructions were sometimes called "monster curves." <!-- This is NOT merely a matter of "approaching infinity but never reaching it." The actual length of the boundary of the union is infinite. [[User:Michael Hardy]] —>]]
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| − | The [[mathematics]] behind fractals began to take shape in the seventeenth century when mathematician and philosopher [[Gottfried Leibniz|Leibniz]] considered [[recursion|recursive]] self-similarity (although he made the mistake of thinking that only the straight line was self-similar in this sense).
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| − | It took until 1872 before a function appeared whose [[Graph of a function|graph]] would today be considered fractal, when [[Karl Weierstrass]] gave an [[Weierstrass function|example]] of a function with the non-[[intuition (knowledge)|intuitive]] property of being everywhere [[continuous function|continuous]] but [[nowhere differentiable]]. In 1904, [[Helge von Koch]], dissatisfied with Weierstrass's very abstract and analytic definition, gave a more geometric definition of a similar function, which is now called the [[Koch snowflake]]. In 1915, [[Waclaw Sierpinski]] constructed his [[Sierpinski triangle|triangle]] and, one year later, his [[Sierpinski carpet|carpet]]. Originally these geometric fractals were described as curves rather than the 2D shapes that they are known as in their modern constructions. In 1918, [[Bertrand Russell]] had recognized a "supreme beauty" within the mathematics of fractals that was then emerging.<ref name=patterns/> The idea of self-similar curves was taken further by [[Paul Pierre Lévy]], who, in his 1938 paper ''Plane or Space Curves and Surfaces Consisting of Parts Similar to the Whole'' described a new fractal curve, the [[Lévy C curve]].
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| − | [[Georg Cantor]] also gave examples of [[subset]]s of the real line with unusual properties—these [[Cantor set]]s are also now recognized as fractals.
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| − | Iterated functions in the [[complex plane]] were investigated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by [[Henri Poincaré]], [[Felix Klein]], [[Pierre Fatou]] and [[Gaston Julia]]. However, without the aid of modern computer graphics, they lacked the means to visualize the beauty of many of the objects that they had discovered.
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| − | In the 1960s, [[Benoît Mandelbrot]] started investigating self-similarity in papers such as ''[[How Long Is the Coast of Britain? Statistical Self-Similarity and Fractional Dimension]]'', which built on earlier work by [[Lewis Fry Richardson]]. Finally, in 1975 Mandelbrot coined the word "fractal" to denote an object whose [[Hausdorff dimension|Hausdorff-Besicovitch dimension]] is greater than its [[topological dimension]]. He illustrated this mathematical definition with striking computer-constructed visualizations. These images captured the popular imagination; many of them were based on recursion, leading to the popular meaning of the term "fractal."
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| − | ==Examples==
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| − | [[Image:Julia set (indigo).png|thumb|A [[Julia set]], a fractal related to the Mandelbrot set]]
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| − | A class of examples is given by the [[Cantor set]]s, [[Sierpinski triangle]] and [[Sierpinski carpet|carpet]], [[Menger sponge]], [[dragon curve]], [[space-filling curve]], and [[Koch snowflake|Koch curve]]. Additional examples of fractals include the [[Lyapunov fractal]] and the limit sets of [[Kleinian group]]s. Fractals can be [[deterministic]] (all the above) or [[stochastic]] (that is, non-deterministic). For example, the trajectories of the [[Brownian motion]] in the plane have a Hausdorff dimension of two.
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| − | [[Chaos theory|Chaotic dynamical systems]] are sometimes associated with fractals. Objects in the [[phase space]] of a [[dynamical system]] can be fractals (see [[attractor]]). Objects in the [[parameter space]] for a family of systems may be fractal as well. An interesting example is the [[Mandelbrot set]]. This set contains whole discs, so it has a Hausdorff dimension equal to its topological dimension of two—but what is truly surprising is that the [[Boundary (topology)|boundary]] of the Mandelbrot set also has a Hausdorff dimension of two (while the topological dimension of one), a result proved by [[Mitsuhiro Shishikura]] in 1991. A closely related fractal is the [[Julia set]].
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| − | Even simple smooth curves can exhibit the fractal property of self-similarity. For example the [[power-law]] curve (also known as a [[Pareto distribution]]) produces similar shapes at various magnifications.
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| − | ==Generating fractals ==
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| − | <table style="float:right;width:130px;padding-left:20px">
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| − | <tr><td>[[Image:Mandelbrot-similar-x1.jpg|The whole Mandelbrot set]]
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| − | <tr><td>[[Image:Mandelbrot-similar-x6.jpg|Mandelbrot zoomed 6x]]
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| − | <tr><td>[[Image:Mandelbrot-similar-x100.jpg|Mandelbrot Zoomed 100x]]
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| − | <tr><td>[[Image:Mandelbrot-similar-x2000.jpg|Mandelbrot Zoomed 2000x]] <small>Even 2000 times magnification of the Mandelbrot set uncovers fine detail resembling the full set.</small></table>
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| − | Four common techniques for generating fractals are:
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| − | :* '''Escape-time fractals''' — (also known as "orbits" fractals) These are defined by a [[formula]] or [[recurrence relation]] at each point in a space (such as the [[complex plane]]). Examples of this type are the [[Mandelbrot set]], [[Julia set]], the [[Burning Ship fractal]], the [[Nova fractal]] and the [[Lyapunov fractal]]. The 2d vector fields that are generated by one or two iterations of escape-time formulae also give rise to a fractal form when points (or pixel data) are passed through this field repeatedly.
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| − | :* '''[[Iterated function system]]s''' — These have a fixed geometric replacement rule. [[Cantor set]], [[Sierpinski carpet]], [[Sierpinski gasket]], [[Peano curve]], [[Koch snowflake]], [[dragon curve|Harter-Heighway dragon curve]], [[T-Square (fractal)|T-Square]], [[Menger sponge]], are some examples of such fractals.
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| − | :* '''Random fractals''' — Generated by stochastic rather than deterministic processes, for example, trajectories of the [[Brownian motion]], [[Lévy flight]], [[fractal landscapes]] and the [[Brownian tree]]. The latter yields so-called mass- or dendritic fractals, for example, [[diffusion-limited aggregation]] or [[reaction-limited aggregation]] clusters.
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| − | :* '''Strange attractors''' — Generated by iteration of a map or the solution of a system of initial-value differential equations that exhibit chaos.
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| − | ==Classification ==
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| − | Fractals can also be classified according to their self-similarity. There are three types of self-similarity found in fractals:
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| − | :*'''Exact self-similarity''' — This is the strongest type of self-similarity; the fractal appears identical at different scales. Fractals defined by [[iterated function]] systems often display exact self-similarity.
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| − | :*'''Quasi-self-similarity''' — This is a loose form of self-similarity; the fractal appears approximately (but not exactly) identical at different scales. Quasi-self-similar fractals contain small copies of the entire fractal in distorted and degenerate forms. Fractals defined by [[recurrence relation]]s are usually quasi-self-similar but not exactly self-similar.
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| − | :*'''Statistical self-similarity''' — This is the weakest type of self-similarity; the fractal has numerical or statistical measures which are preserved across scales. Most reasonable definitions of "fractal" trivially imply some form of statistical self-similarity. ([[Fractal dimension]] itself is a numerical measure which is preserved across scales.) Random fractals are examples of fractals which are statistically self-similar, but neither exactly nor quasi-self-similar.
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| − | {{clear}}
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| − | ==In nature==
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| − | Approximate fractals are easily found in nature. These objects display self-similar structure over an extended, but finite, scale range. Examples include clouds, [[snow|snow flakes]], [[crystal]]s, [[mountain|mountain range]]s, [[lightning]], [[river|river networks]], [[cauliflower]] or [[broccoli]], and systems of [[blood vessel]]s and [[pulmonary vessels]]. [[How Long Is the Coast of Britain? Statistical Self-Similarity and Fractional Dimension|Coastlines]] may be loosely considered fractal in nature.
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| − | Trees and ferns are fractal in nature and can be modeled on a computer by using a [[recursion|recursive]] [[algorithm]]. This recursive nature is obvious in these examples—a branch from a tree or a [[frond]] from a fern is a miniature replica of the whole: not identical, but similar in nature. The connection between fractals and leaves are currently being used to determine how much carbon is really contained in trees. This connection is hoped to help determine and solve the environmental issue of carbon emission and control. <ref>"Hunting the Hidden Dimension." ''Nova''. PBS. WPMB-Maryland.</ref>
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| − | In 1999, certain self similar fractal shapes were shown to have a property of "frequency invariance"—the same electromagnetic properties no matter what the frequency—from [[Maxwell's equations]] (see [[fractal antenna]]).<ref>R. Hohlfeld, and N. Cohen. 1999. Self-similarity and the geometric requirements for frequency independence in antennae. ''Fractals''. 7(1):79-84.</ref>
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| − | <gallery caption= widths="200px" heights="200px">
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| − | Image:Animated fractal mountain.gif|A fractal that models the surface of a mountain (animation)
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| − | Image:Bransleys fern.png|A fractal fern computed using an [[Iterated function system]]
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| − | Image:Cauliflower Fractal AVM.JPG|Cauliflower fractal
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| − | Image:PentagramFractal.PNG|Fractal [[pentagram]] drawn with a [[vector]] [[iteration]] program
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| − | </gallery>
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| − | ==In creative works==
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| − | {{see|Fractal art}}
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| − | Fractal patterns have been found in the paintings of American artist [[Jackson Pollock]]. While Pollock's paintings appear to be composed of chaotic dripping and splattering, computer analysis has found fractal patterns in his work.<ref>Taylor, Richard, Adam P. Micolich, and David Jonas. [http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/PHYSICS_!/FRACTAL_EXPRESSIONISM/fractal_taylor.html Fractal Expressionism : Can Science Be Used To Further Our Understanding Of Art?] phys.unsw.edu.au. Retrieved January 14, 2009.</ref>
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| − | [[Decalcomania]], a technique used by artists such as [[Max Ernst]], can produce fractal-like patterns.<ref>Michael Frame, and Benoît B. Mandelbrot. [http://classes.yale.edu/Fractals/Panorama/ A Panorama of Fractals and Their Uses.] Yale. Retrieved January 14, 2009.</ref> It involves pressing paint between two surfaces and pulling them apart.
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| − | Fractals are also prevalent in [[African art]] and architecture. Circular houses appear in circles of circles, rectangular houses in rectangles of rectangles, and so on. Such scaling patterns can also be found in African textiles, sculpture, and even cornrow hairstyles.<ref>Ron Eglash, 1999, [http://www.rpi.edu/~eglash/eglash.dir/afractal/afractal.htm ''African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Design'']. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813526140. Retrieved January 14, 2009.</ref>
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| − | <gallery caption= widths="200px" heights="200px">
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| − | Image:Glue1_800x600.jpg|A fractal is formed when pulling apart two glue-covered [[acryl]]ic sheets.
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| − | Image:Square1.jpg|High voltage breakdown within a 4″ block of acrylic creates a fractal [[Lichtenberg figure]].
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| − | Image:Microwaved-DVD.jpg|Fractal branching occurs in a fractured surface such as a microwave-irradiated [[DVD]]<ref name='J. Phys. A 21 July 1990'>Peng, Gongwen, Decheng Tian. 1990. [http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0305-4470/23/14/022 The fractal nature of a fracture surface]. ''Journal of Physics A''. 23(14):3257–3261. Retrieved January 14, 2009.</ref>
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| − | Image:Fractal_Broccoli.jpg|[[Romanesco broccoli]] showing very fine natural fractals
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| − | Image:DLA_Cluster.JPG|A [[Diffusion-limited aggregation|DLA cluster]] grown from a [[copper(II) sulfate]] solution in an [[electrodeposition]] cell
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| − | Image:Woodburn_fractal.jpg|A "woodburn" fractal
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| − | Image:Phoenix(Julia).gif|A magnification of the phoenix set
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| − | Image:Complex fractle image.PNG|Pascal generated fractal
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| − | Image:Lines Apophysis Fractal Flame.jpg | A [[fractal flame]] created with the program [[Apophysis (software)|Apophysis]]
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| − | Image:Hidden Mandarin fractal Sterling2 3365.jpg| Fractal made by the program [[Sterling program|Sterling]]
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| − | </gallery>
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| − |
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| − | ==Applications==
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| − | {{main|Fractal analysis}}
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| − | As described above, random fractals can be used to describe many highly irregular real-world objects. Other applications of fractals include:<ref>[http://library.thinkquest.org/26242/full/ap/ap.html Applications]. ThinkQuest. Retrieved January 14, 2009.</ref>
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| − | * [[Categorisation|Classification]] of [[histopathology]] slides in [[medicine]]
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| − | * [[Fractal landscape]] or [[Coast]]line complexity
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| − | * Enzyme/enzymology ([[Michaelis-Menten kinetics]])
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| − | * Generation of new music
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| − | * Generation of various [[art]] forms
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| − | * [[Signal (information theory)|Signal]] and [[Fractal compression|image compression]]
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| − | * Creation of digital photographic enlargements
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| − | * [[Seismology]]
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| − | * [[Fractal in soil mechanics]]
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| − | * [[game design|Computer and video game design]], especially [[computer graphics]] for [[life|organic]] environments and as part of [[procedural generation]]
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| − | * Fractography and [[fracture mechanics]]
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| − | * [[Fractal antenna]]s—Small size antennas using fractal shapes
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| − | * [[SAXS|Small angle scattering theory of fractally rough systems]]
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| − | * [[T-shirt]]s and other [[fashion]]
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| − | * Generation of patterns for camouflage, such as [[MARPAT]]
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| − | * [[Digital sundial]]
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| − | * [[Technical analysis]] of price series (see [[Elliott wave principle]])
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| − | ==See also==
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| − |
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| − | * [[Bifurcation theory]]
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| − | * [[Butterfly effect]]
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| − | * [[Chaos theory]]
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| − | * [[Complexity]]
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| − | * [[Constructal theory]]
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| − | * [[Diamond-square algorithm]]
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| − | * [[Fractal compression]]
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| − | * [[Fractal cosmology]]
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| − | * [[Fractal flame]]
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| − | * [[Fractal landscape]]
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| − | * [[Fractint]]
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| − | * [[Fracton]]
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| − | * [[Graftal]]
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| − | * [[Greeble]]
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| − | * [[Lacunarity]]
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| − | * [[Newton fractal]]
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| − | * [[Recursionism]]
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| − | * [[Sacred geometry]]
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| − | * [[Self-reference]]
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| − | * [[Strange loop]]
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| − | * [[Turbulence]]
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| − | == Notes ==
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| − | <references/>
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| − |
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| − | ==References==
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| − | * Barnsley, Michael F., and Hawley Rising. 1993. ''Fractals Everywhere''. Boston, MA: Academic Press Professional. ISBN 0120790610.
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| − | * Falconer, Kenneth. 1997. ''Techniques in Fractal Geometry''. New York, NY: John Willey and Sons. ISBN 0471922870.
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| − | * Gouyet, Jean-François. 1996. ''Physics and Fractal Structures''. Paris, FR: Masson; New York, NY: Springer. ISBN 2225851301.
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| − | * Jones, Jesse. 1993. ''Fractals for the Macintosh''. Corte Madera, CA: Waite Group Press. ISBN 1878739468.
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| − | * Jürgens, Hartmut, Heins-Otto Peitgen, and Dietmar Saupe. 1992. ''Chaos and Fractals: New Frontiers of Science''. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 0387979034.
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| − | * Lauwerier, Hans, and Sophia Gill-Hoffstadt trans. 1991. ''Fractals: Endlessly Repeated Geometrical Figures''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 069108551X. - "This book has been written for a wide audience..." Includes sample BASIC programs in an appendix.
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| − | * Lesmoir-Gordon, Nigel, Ian Stewart, Paul Sinclair, David Gilmour, and Arthur C Clarke. ''The Colours of Infinity: The Beauty, The Power and the Sense of Fractals.'' Bath, UK: Clear. ISBN 1904555055. (The book comes with a related DVD of the [[Arthur C. Clarke]] documentary introduction to the fractal concept and the [[Mandelbrot set]].
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| − | * Mandelbrot, Benoît B. 1982. ''The Fractal Geometry of Nature''. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Co. ISBN 0716711869.
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| − | * Peitgen, Heinz-Otto, and Dietmar Saupe, eds. 1988. ''The Science of Fractal Images''. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 0387966080.
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| − | * Pickover, Clifford A. ed. 1998. ''Chaos and Fractals: A Computer Graphical Journey - A 10 Year Compilation of Advanced Research''. Amsterdam, NL; New York, NY: Elsevier. ISBN 0444500022.
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| − | * Sprott, Julien Clinton. 2003. ''Chaos and Time-Series Analysis''. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198508395.
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| − | * Wahl, Bernt, Peter Van Roy, Michael Larsen, and Eric Kampman. 1995. [http://www.fractalexplorer.com ''Exploring Fractals on the Macintosh'']. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley. ISBN 0201626306. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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| − | ==External links==
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| − |
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| − | *{{dmoz|Science/Math/Chaos_And_Fractals/|Fractals}}. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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| − | *[http://classes.yale.edu/fractals An introduction to fractals] – An introductory course on fractals at Yale University. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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| − | *[http://hypertextbook.com/chaos/ The Chaos Hypertextbook] – An introductory primer on chaos and fractals. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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| − | *[http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/fractals/self.html Fractal properties]. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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| − | *[http://local.wasp.uwa.edu.au/~pbourke/fractals/grandcanyon/ Natural fractals in Grand Canyon]. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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| − | [[Category:Physical sciences]]
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| − | [[Category:Mathematics]]
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| − | {{credit|250008691}}
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