Java™ How To Program (Early Objects), Tenth Edition

18.9 Fractals

A fractal is a geometric figure that can be generated from a pattern repeated recursively (Fig. 18.12). The figure is modified by recursively applying the pattern to each segment of the original figure. Although such figures had been studied before the 20th century, it was the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot who in the 1970s introduced the term “fractal,” along with the specifics of how a fractal is created and the practical applications of fractals. Mandelbrot’s fractal geometry provides mathematical models for many complex forms found in nature, such as mountains, clouds and coastlines. Fractals have many uses in mathematics and science. They can be used to better understand systems or patterns that appear in nature (e.g., ecosystems), ...