

Repeating a geometric transformation at different scales produces fascinating figures whose aesthetic appeal is far from their only attraction. Let's (re)discover the most iconic fractals!



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For millennia, straight lines, circles, parabolas, and other smooth surfaces had reigned supreme and unchallenged over geometry. Then Mandelbrot unleashed the "mathematical monsters" of the early 20th century, transforming our picture of the world forever.

Fractal geometry was central to the earliest computer-generated imagery on the big screen. The study of self-similar forms found in nature gave rise to the first computer-generated images… and thus spawned an entire entertainment industry!

The construction of fractal objects called for new definitions of distance.

In the centenary year of his birth, we look back at the life of Benoît Mandelbrot, the "father of fractals": those strange geometric entities with which he adorned mathematics and which he managed to uncover even in nature.
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