ABSTRACT

The word fractal was coined from the Latin adjective fractus by Benoit Mandelbrot in 1977 [67]. The corresponding Latin verb frangere means “to break,” to create irregular fragments. Before delving into the mathematical foundation of fractals, we will intro-

duce, as a warm-up, some of the more popular examples of fractals. Intuitively, a fractal is a geometrical figure that consists of an identical motif repeating itself on ever-reducing scales, i.e., self-similar. A more specific definition requires more mathematical vocabulary and will be given in later sections.