FRACTALS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, an international team of researchers’ discovered first fractal molecule in nature.

Fractals

• About: A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales.

oThey are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop.

• Self-Similarity Across Scales: They exhibit self-similarity across different scales, meaning every part resembles the whole image.
• Research Highlights:

oSierpinski Triangle Discovery: Researchers found a microbial enzyme that forms the Sierpinski triangle—a repeating series of triangles within triangles.

oNatural Examples: Notable examples of fractals include human fingerprints, tree stumps, snail shells, human veins, river networks, plant leaf veins, and snowflake edges.

• Applications:

oModeling Structures: Fractals are used to model structures like eroded coastlines and snowflakes, where similar patterns emerge at smaller scales.

oDescribing Chaos: They describe chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth, fluid turbulence, and galaxy formation, providing insight into partly random processes.