Mandelbrot Set
Benoît Mandelbrot; earlier work by Robert Brooks and Peter Matelski
A simple iteration creates a boundary with extraordinary detail.
Fractals & infinity / 1980s
Barnsley Fern
A few transformations generate a surprisingly plant-like form.
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Compare the large fern with the arrangement of its smaller leaflets. This is a mathematical model, not a photograph of a plant.
THE IMAGE IN THIS ARCHIVE
Farry
Original file & attribution · CC0
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Download imageFrequently asked questions
What is Barnsley Fern?
A few transformations generate a surprisingly plant-like form.
What should I look for in Barnsley Fern?
Compare the large fern with the arrangement of its smaller leaflets. This is a mathematical model, not a photograph of a plant.
What explains Barnsley Fern?
Repeatedly choose among affine transformations, often with different probabilities, and plot the resulting points. Scaled, rotated copies build the frond and its smaller leaflets.
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Julia Set
Gaston Julia and Pierre Fatou
Repeated complex mappings produce intricate connected shapes or dust-like sets.
