fractal
Mathematics, Physics. an irregular geometric structure that cannot be described by classical geometry because magnification of the structure reveals repeated patterns of similarly irregular, but progressively smaller, dimensions: fractals are especially apparent in natural forms and phenomena because the geometric properties of the physical world are largely abstract, as with clouds, crystals, tree bark, or the path of lightning.
Architecture, Decorative Art. a design or construction that uses the concept and mechanics of fractal geometry: Fractals distinguish the facade of the library, revealing recursive patterns, the smaller parts mirroring the larger parts.
Mathematics, Physics. of or relating to a fractal: fractal geometry; fractal dimensions; fractal curves.
Architecture, Decorative Art. of or relating to a design or construction that uses the concept and mechanics of fractal geometry: The progression of forms from distant view to excruciating detail is born of the fractal composition that brands her work.
Origin of fractal
1Words Nearby fractal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fractal in a sentence
Those spirals also form a fractal pattern — a set of shapes that repeats itself on multiple scales.
How Romanesco cauliflower grows spiraling fractal cones | Nikk Ogasa | August 23, 2021 | Science News For StudentsThese are all examples of classical fractals—fractals that abide by the laws of classical physics rather than quantum physics.
Can Consciousness Be Explained by Quantum Physics? New Research | Cristiane de Morais Smith | July 25, 2021 | Singularity HubEach bud is made up of a series of smaller buds, although the pattern doesn't continue down to infinitely smaller size scales, so it's only an approximate fractal.
What fractals, Fibonacci, and the golden ratio have to do with cauliflower | Jennifer Ouellette | July 8, 2021 | Ars TechnicaCauliflower provides a unique example of this phenomenon, because those spirals repeat at several different size scales—a hallmark of fractal geometry.
What fractals, Fibonacci, and the golden ratio have to do with cauliflower | Jennifer Ouellette | July 8, 2021 | Ars TechnicaNow, the genes that underlie this stunning structure have been identified, and the fractal pattern has been replicated in a common lab plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, researchers report in the July 9 Science.
In Cosmopolis, Packer Capital uses complex fractal modeling, based on patterns in nature, to map data in the markets.
In ‘Cosmopolis,’ Robert Pattinson Depicts Financial World Gone Mad | Alex Klein | August 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for fractal
/ (ˈfræktəl) maths /
a figure or surface generated by successive subdivisions of a simpler polygon or polyhedron, according to some iterative process
of, relating to, or involving such a process: fractal geometry; fractal curve
Origin of fractal
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fractal
[ frăk′təl ]
A complex geometric pattern exhibiting self-similarity in that small details of its structure viewed at any scale repeat elements of the overall pattern. See more at chaos.
a closer look
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for fractal
[ (frak-tuhl) ]
Contraction of “fractional dimension.” This is a term used by mathematicians to describe certain geometrical structures whose shape appears to be the same regardless of the level of magnification used to view them. A standard example is a seacoast, which looks roughly the same whether viewed from a satellite or an airplane, on foot, or under a magnifying glass. Many natural shapes approximate fractals, and they are widely used to produce images in television and movies.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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