frac·tal

(frăk′təl)

An object whose parts, at infinitely many levels of magnification, appear geometrically similar to the whole. Fractals are used in the design of compact antennas and for computer modeling of natural-looking structures like clouds and trees.

[French, from Latin frāctus, past participle of frangere, to break; see fraction.]

frac′tal adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fractal

(ˈfræktəl) maths

(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.

[C20: from Latin frāctus past participle of frangere to break]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

frac•tal

(ˈfræk tl)

n.

a geometrical structure that has a regular or an uneven shape repeated over all scales of measurement and that has a dimension (frac′tal dimen`sion), determined according to definite rules, that is greater than the spatial dimension of the structure.

[< French fractale < Latin frāct(us) broken, uneven; term introduced by French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot (born 1924) in 1975]

frac·tal

(frăk′təl)

A geometric pattern repeated at ever smaller scales to produce irregular shapes and surfaces that cannot be represented by standard geometry. Even the most minute details of a fractal's pattern repeat elements of the overall geometric pattern. Fractals are widely used in computer modeling of irregular patterns and structures in nature, such as the patterns of seasonal weather. They are also considered to be a visual representation of chaos. See more at chaos.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

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

Translations

fractal

fractalfractale

fractal

[ˈfræktəl] (Geom)

A. ADJ → fractal

B. N → fractal m

C. CPD fractal geometry N → geometría f fractal

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

fractal

[ˈfrækt^əl] n → fractale f