Skip to main content

What is a fractal?

Posted 
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Snowflake with fractal edges, text reads "Kock Snowflake"
What is a fractal?

SUBJECTS:  Maths

YEARS:  3–4, 5–6


Do you know what a fractal is?

Basically, fractals are never-ending patterns created by repeated mathematical equations.

In this clip, Yuliya, a student at MIT (in the USA) describes the properties of fractals and shows you where they can be found in technology and nature.

Have a good look at the world around you and see if you can identify some more fractals.


Acknowledgements

What is a fractal (and why do they matter)? from MIT's Science Out Loud, downloaded from PBS LearningMedia, http://www.pbslearningmedia.org . Video © MIT. Credits: Hosted by: Yuliya Klochan, Written by: Elizabeth Choe & Yuliya Klochan, Additional Scripting by: George Zaidan, Content Reviewer: Dr. Kwang Don Choe, Executive Producer & Doodles: Elizabeth Choe, Director: George Zaidan, Camera: Adam Morrell, Editor & Motion Graphics: Per Hoel, Theme song: Anthony Thomas & Neil Aggarwal, Music: "Unanswered Questions" by Kevin Macleod (http://incompetech.com/), Fractals in nature pictures: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandelriver.jpg and https://theyinfactor.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/236085main_milkyway-full.jpg (NASA/JPL-Caltech) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Tchock00 and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Lightning_over_Oradea_Romania_cropped.jpg, Menger Sponge visualization from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHsFUmMFIX0, DNA chromatin fractal globule visualization courtesy of Maxim Imakaev and the Mirny Lab at MIT (http://mirnylab.mit.edu/)

Special thanks: MIT Radio Club, Prof. John Essignmann & Ellen Essignmann, Dr. Kwang Don Choe, Max Imakaev. Project funded by MIT.


Date of broadcast: 11 Jun 2015


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Posted