ABSTRACT
A fractal is a geometrical figure in which an identical part repeats itself on an ever-decreasing scale. Benoit Mandelbrot is one of the key figures in fractal research. He is the originator of the word ‘fractal’, which comes from the Latin verb meaning to create irregular fragments. In 1983 he published The Fractal Geometry of Nature, which takes a revolutionary view of geometry not seen since the time of Eulid’s Elements in 300bc. Mandelbrot says, ‘Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, the coastline is not a circle, and bark is not smooth nor does lightning travel in a straight line. Generally nature is irregular and fragmented’, so we need a way to describe these features which we see around us. Fractals can help us do this. From chemical reactions to ferns and complex turbulent flow of smoke we see fractals in nature’s chaos. Fractals have also become the new computer art and can be seen in art galleries and even as posters on students’ walls!
