Fractals!

Fractals are never-ending patterns that reveal more and more detail the more you zoom into them - literally forever!

A fractal is best described as a pattern that is self-similar, meaning it appears similar at different scales ie. as you zoom in on a fractal, you find smaller versions of the whole shape repeated, infinitely.

This property of infinite complexity can to a degree also be seen in nature: branching plants, snowflakes, lightning, insect wings, bacterial growth, mollusc spirals and eroding coastlines.

When animated and projected in 360˚, fractals take audiences on dazzling journeys in and out of infinity!

Fractals are also a vivid demonstration of the 'Butterfly Effect' ie. the slightest change of direction in a zoom, will lead to a completely different destination.

Free: Educator's Guide and What is a Fractal? handout from the Fractal Foundation.

Free: KS3-KS4 Fractals activity from the National STEM Centre.

Film Type

Science, Mathematics, Art
KS2-5 / Families / Adults
Length: variable 2min - 30min

BBC: The freaky world of never-ending fractals

Short talk by Benoit Mandelbrot, renowned as the 'Father of Fractals', because he discovered that the rough, irregular shapes of the natural world (like clouds, mountains, and coastlines) could be described by a new kind of mathematics, rather than simply dismissed as "messy."