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Fractals!

Presentation · April 2018

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33334.80967

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 Fractals!

Hannah Peters, Shravani Wadwekar, Brianna Perry, Noah Lynn

What do these have in common?
Intro to Fractals

● What exactly is a fractal?

○ Self-similarity
○ Can be described with a simple equation
○ Simple equation begets complex patterns
● Ex: Mandelbrot equation
○ zn+1 = zn2 + c
○ Iterate n, color points where absolute value of z >= 2 (or another number)

■ Different colors could represent different thresholds for z

 Fractal Dimensions Refresher

● Fractal Dimension =
○ log(number of self-similar
pieces)
○ Divided by
○ log(multiplication factor)
● Change in detail vs change in
scale
○ Measures complexity
By Akarpe - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18225822
 Coastline Paradox
● How do you measure a coastline?
○ Length depends on smallest unit
● Coasts exhibit fractal qualities
● In practice:
○ Erosion
○ Space not divided indefinitely
Measuring a Coastline

Units: 100km Units: 50km

Length: 2800km Length: 3400km

 Fractals in Braided Hairstyles of the African Diaspora
3a

3b

Fig. 1 depicting tesselating hexagons from Fig. 2 displaying a hairstyle using

Fig. 3a showing an
Gloria Gilmer, “Mathematical Patterns in tesselating hexagons on the scalp from Fig. 4. Portraying an Akan Goldweight,
Archimedes spiral and
Gloria Gilmer, “Mathematical Patterns from the Akan people of West Africa by
African American Hairstyles”, State Fig. 3b displaying a
Ron Eglash, African Fractals: Modern
University of New York at Buffalo, 31 Dec. in African Hairstyles,”State University Logarithmic Spiral
from Ron Eglash, Computing and Indigenous Design. Rutgers
1998, of New York at Buffalo, 31 Dec. 1998,
African Fractals: Modern University Press, 2005.
www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/gilm www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/gi
Computing and Indigenous
er-gloria_HAIRSTYLES.html. lmer-gloria_HAIRSTYLES.html.
Design. Rutgers University
Press, 2005.
 Adaptive Scaling
The curvature of the braids is adapted to the
individual contours of the head

Fig. 1, Depiction of the Ipako Elede cornrow hairstyle Fig. 2, Image from Chromatin by
from Ron Eglash, African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Francois Beaurain, 2017
Design. Rutgers University Press, 2005.
 Recursive definition

Iteration

Predetermined
Transformations

Self-reference

Fig 1. Depiction of Koroba (“bucket”) Fig 2. Image from Chromatin by Francois

hairstyle from Ron Eglash, African Fractals: Beaurain, 2017
Modern Computing and Indigenous Design.
Rutgers University Press, 2005.
 “Recursive hairstyles, for example, embed layers of social
labor with each iteration, a way to invest physical
adornment with social meaning.” (Eglash 113)

Fig. 1 showing Ron Eglash’s Cornrow simulator developed for inner city classrooms by Desha L. Williams and Erik
Tillema from, “Math for Real: Hair Braiding.” Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, vol. 16, no. 8, 2011, pp.
512–512. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41183661.
Fractals in Nature

● Romanesco broccoli
○ Each bud is composed of smaller buds
○ Arranged in logarithmic spirals
● Circulatory Systems of plants and animals
○ Allow us to maximize volume in a given space by branching
○ Fractal models can be used to analyze blood flow
○ Murray’s Law
 Fractals in Nature

● Snowflakes and Ice crystals are fractals

● The Koch snowflake
○ The ideal snowflake
● Fractals in nature are not perfect
○ Theoretically, fractals are infinite
○ In nature, self similar but approximate
Famous Fractals!
Sierpinski Gasket

- Countless triangles
● Equilateral triangle
- Pascal’s Triangle
- Chaos Game
- Cellular Automaton
Mandelbrot Set

- Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-2010)

- Process
Sources
● Slide 2
○ http://www.fractal-explorer.com/mandelbrotset.html
○ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandel_zoom_14_satellite_julia_island.jpg
○ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fractal_Broccoli.jpg
● Slide 3:
○ https://www.wikihow.com/Plot-the-Mandelbrot-Set-By-Hand
● Slide 4
○ By Akarpe - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18225822
● Slide 5:
○ https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a19068718/why-its-impossible-to-accurately-measure-a-coastline/
○ http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/the-most-annoying-gif-on-the-web-show-us-the-power-of-fractals/
○ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-its-impossible-to-know-a-coastlines-true-length
● Slide 6:
○ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Britain-fractal-coastline-50km.png
○ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Britain-fractal-coastline-100km.png
● Slide 7-10
○ Eglash, Ron. African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Design. Rutgers University Press, 2005.
○ Gilmer, Gloria. “MATHEMATICAL PATTERNS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIRSTYLES.”Mathematical Patterns in African American Hairstyles, State University of
New York at Buffalo, 31 Dec. 1998, www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/gilmer-gloria_HAIRSTYLES.html.
○ Kreinath, Jens. “Naven, Moebius Strip, and Random Fractal Dynamics: Reframing Bateson's Play Frame and the Use of Mathematical Models for the Study of
Ritual.” Journal of Ritual Studies, vol. 26, no. 2, 2012, pp. 39–64. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44368855.
○ Williams, Desha L., and Erik Tillema. “Math for Real: Hair Braiding.” Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, vol. 16, no. 8, 2011, pp. 512–512. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41183661.
○
● Slide 14 & 15
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Britain-fractal-coastline-50km.png
 Thank You!

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