Just watched online
a recent NOVA on fractal geometry. Fascinating stuff, almost overwhelmingly so - since nature appears to be full of fractal patterns, from the pattern of a healthy heartbeat to the ratio of larger and smaller trees in a rainforest (or larger and smaller branches on each tree in that rainforest). Fractal geometry was discovered (invented?) by Benoît Mandelbrot - here's the famous Mandelbrot set
with just one of the (literally infinite) gorgeous details below. But Mandelbrot noticed that others before him had noticed fractals already, notably Hokusai - those cloud shadows on Mount Fuji above are, you guessed it, fractal. (Make sure to click the images for a closer look.)
(
Source of the Mandelbrot pics, and many more.) Weird and wondrous world we live in, this. It takes my - doubtless fractal - breath away!
Just watched online a recent NOVA on fractal geometry. Fascinating stuff, almost overwhelmingly so - since nature appears to be full of fractal patterns, from the pattern of a healthy heartbeat to the ratio of larger and smaller trees in a rainforest (or larger and smaller branches on each tree in that rainforest). Fractal geometry was discovered (invented?) by Benoît Mandelbrot - here's the famous Mandelbrot set 
with just one of the (literally infinite) gorgeous details below. But Mandelbrot noticed that others before him had noticed fractals already, notably Hokusai - those cloud shadows on Mount Fuji above are, you guessed it, fractal. (Make sure to click the images for a closer look.) 
(Source of the Mandelbrot pics, and many more.) Weird and wondrous world we live in, this. It takes my - doubtless fractal - breath away!
