fractal etymology

Etymology

The word "fractal" derives from the Latin term "fractus," meaning "broken" or "irregular."

Meaning

A fractal is a geometric figure or pattern that exhibits self-similarity on every scale. This means that regardless of how much you zoom in or out on a fractal, you will still see the same basic pattern repeated.

Origin

The concept of fractals was first explored in the 19th century by mathematicians such as Georg Cantor and Karl Weierstrass. However, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that fractals gained widespread attention thanks to the work of Benoit Mandelbrot. Mandelbrot coined the term "fractal" and developed a number of mathematical techniques for generating and analyzing fractals.

Examples

Fractals can be found everywhere in nature, from the branching of trees to the coastline of a continent. They can also be created artificially using computer algorithms. Some common examples of fractals include:

  • The Mandelbrot set
  • The Julia set
  • The Sierpinski triangle
  • The Koch snowflake
  • The Cantor set

fractal relate terms

  • anfractuous

    Etymology Latin anfractus a winding bend Proto Indo European h₂n̥k to ben

  • Brabant

    Etymology The name Brabant is thought to be derived from the Old Dutch words brabant or

  • bracken

    Etymology The word bracken comes from the Middle English word brake which ultimatel

  • brake

    Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

  • brake

    Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

  • brash

    Etymology The word brash is derived from Middle English brassen which itself is fro

  • breach

    Etymology Old French breche from Late Latin brecha from Celtic of unknown origin M

  • break

    Etymology Middle English breken breken Old English brecan Proto Germanic brekan Pro

  • breccia

    Etymology The word breccia comes from the Italian word breccia which means a breach

  • breeches

    Etymology Middle English breeches from Old English brec plural a garment worn by

  • brioche

    Etymology The word brioche is derived from the Old French word brier which means to

  • chamfer

    Etymology The word chamfer is derived from the Old French word chamfroir meaning t

  • defray

    Defray Etymology Borrowed from Middle French defreier from Old French desfreier desf

  • diffraction

    Etymology of Diffraction The word diffraction is derived from two Latin words Diffra

  • fractal

    Etymology The word fractal derives from the Latin term fractus meaning broken or

  • fraction

    Etymology The word fraction is derived from the Latin word fractio which means a b

  • fractious

  • fracture

    Etymology The word fracture comes from the Latin word fractura meaning a breaking I

  • fragile

    Etymology Latin fragilis Proto Indo European bhreg to break Meaning Br

  • fragility

    Etymology Late Middle English fragilitee from Anglo Norman French fragilitee from La

  • fragment

    Fragment Etymology Late Middle English from Old French fragment from Latin fragmentu

  • frail

    Etymology Middle English fraile from Anglo Norman French fraile Old French frele ul

  • frangible

    Etymology The word frangible is derived from the Latin word frangere meaning to bre

  • infraction

    Etymology From Latin infractio from infringere to break to violate from in

  • infringe

    Etymology Infringe comes from the Middle French word enfraindre meaning to break or

  • irrefragable

    Etymology Latin irrefrangibilis Prefix ir not Root frangere to break Suff

  • irrefrangible

    Etymology Latin irrefrangibilis unbreakable Late Latin infrangibilis unbreakable i

  • naufragous

    Etymology The word naufragous is derived from the Latin word naufragus which is a co

  • ossifrage

    Etymology The word ossifrage is derived from two Latin words Os bone Frango to

  • refract

    Etymology The word refract comes from the Latin word refringere which means to bre

  • refraction

    Etymology The word refraction originates from the Latin word refringere which mean

  • refrain

    Etymology Old French refraindre Medieval Latin refrangere Latin re back frang

  • refrangible

    Etymology The word refrangible is derived from the Latin word refringere which means

  • sassafras

    Etymology Middle English sasfras late 14th century Old French sassafras Latin sass

  • saxifrage

    Etymology The word saxifrage comes from the Latin words saxum meaning rock and

  • suffragan

    Etymology The word suffragan comes from the Latin word suffraganeus which is derived

  • suffrage

    Etymology Middle English suffrage c 1440 Anglo French suffrage 13th century La

  • phase

    Etymology The word phase comes from the Greek word φάσις phasis which means a

  • shape

    Etymology The word shape comes from the Old English word sceape meaning form or f

  • form

    Etymology The word form originates from the Latin word forma which means shape or

  • from

    Etymology refers to the study of the origin and history of words including their meaning

  • pattern

    Etymology The word pattern is derived from the Middle French word patron meaning

  • solicit

    Etymology From Middle English solliciten from Old French solliciter from Latin sollici

  • shall

    Etymology Origin Old English sceal to owe be obliged from Proto Germanic skula

  • warrant

    Etymology The word warrant originates from the Old French term warant which in turn

  • seminar

    Etymology The word seminar originates from the Latin word seminarium which can be tr

  • authority

    Etymology The word authority comes from the Latin word auctoritas which means inf