The Modeling Power of Fractals

Many objects in nature are so complicated and irregular that they cannot be modeled well using conic sections, polygons, spheres and the other familiar objects of classical geometry. For example, circulatory systems, clouds, trees, mountains, and coastlines cannot be reduced to combinations of simple shapes from classical geometry. Where classical geometry ends as a tool for analyzing the complexity of natural objects, fractal geometry begins. Today, fractals are used to model a wide range of biological and topographical entities and to produce ultra-realistic special effects for movies and video games.