January 16, 2009 | 2 comments
Fractals in broccoli
CLICK TO ENLARGE + Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org
Romanesco broccoli displays its fractal-esque nature. Fractals show self-similarity, or comparable structure regardless of scale. In other words, a small piece of broccoli, when viewed up close, looks the same as a larger chunk. (The broccoli isn't a true fractal, because at a certain magnification it loses its self-similar shape, revealing instead regular old molecules.) For more on fractals, see this 1999 SciAm article written by Benoit Mandelbrot, the pioneer of fractal geometry, on their role in finance.
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