Plural of fractal; mathematical shapes or patterns that are self-similar at every scale, with the same pattern repeating at larger and smaller magnifications.
From Latin 'fractus' (broken) combined with the suffix '-al'; coined by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975 to describe geometric patterns found throughout nature and mathematics.
Fractals blew mathematicians' minds in the 1980s—they discovered that a simple rule could create infinitely complex, stunningly beautiful patterns found everywhere from coastlines to lightning bolts, and that the word 'broken' perfectly captured this controlled chaos.
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