Katelyn Waugh

How do fractals appear in art, science, and nature, and why are they important?

Started May 9, 2023

Abstract or project description

Scientists and mathematicians have recently become intrigued by the beauty and significance of fractals. Fractals are infinitely repeating geometric patterns that show up in all aspects of life, whether that is mathematics, art, or science. They stem from the process of reiterating a simple mathematical formula in order to plot self-similar geometric shapes on a complex plane. In particular, the Mandelbrot set is a popular fractal that was first discovered and generated using a super-computer in 1980. Fractals are images of dynamic systems that have an aspect of chaotic behavior. I conducted research on the history and significance of fractals, the different kinds of sets, how Chaos Theory is related, and how one can be generated using Python code.