frac·tal (fr k t l)n. A geometric pattern that is repeated at ever smaller scales to produce irregular shapes and surfaces that cannot be represented by classical geometry. Fractals are used especially in computer modeling of irregular patterns and structures in nature. [French, from Latin fr  ctus, past participle of frangere, to break; see fraction.] |
fractal [ˈfræktəl] Maths
n
(Mathematics) a figure or surface generated by successive subdivisions of a simpler polygon or polyhedron, according to some iterative process
adj
(Mathematics) of, relating to, or involving such a process fractal geometry fractal curve
[from Latin frāctus past participle of frangere to break]
| fractal (frktl) A complex geometric pattern exhibiting self-similarity in that small details of its structure viewed at any scale repeat elements of the overall pattern. See more at chaos. A Closer Look Fractals are often associated with recursive operations on shapes or sets of numbers, in which the result of the operation is used as the input to the same operation, repeating the process indefinitely. The operations themselves are usually very simple, but the resulting shapes or sets are often dramatic and complex, with interesting properties. For example, a fractal set called a Cantor dust can be constructed beginning with a line segment by removing its middle third and repeating the process on the remaining line segments. If this process is repeated indefinitely, only a "dust" of points remains. This set of points has zero length, even though there is an infinite number of points in the set. The Sierpinski triangle (or Sierpinski gasket) is another example of such a recursive construction procedure involving triangles (see the illustration). Both of these sets have subparts that are exactly the same shape as the entire set, a property known as self-similarity. Under certain definitions of dimension, fractals are considered to have non-integer dimension: for example, the dimension of the Sierpinski triangle is generally taken to be around 1.585, higher than a one-dimensional line, but lower than a two-dimensional surface. Perhaps the most famous fractal is the Mandelbrot set, which is the set of complex numbers C for which a certain very simple function, Z2 + C, iterated on its own output (starting with zero), eventually converges on one or more constant values. Fractals arise in connection with nonlinear and chaotic systems, and are widely used in computer modeling of regular and irregular patterns and structures in nature, such as the growth of plants and the statistical patterns of seasonal weather. |   Each figure above is constructed from the figure to its left by removing an inverted triangle from the center of each solid triangle. Repeating this process indefinitely results in a fractal comprised of a set of points known as a Sierpinski triangle. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | fractal - (mathematics) a geometric pattern that is repeated at every scale and so cannot be represented by classical geometry pattern, form, shape - a perceptual structure; "the composition presents problems for students of musical form"; "a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them" math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement |
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