Romanesco Broccoli and Fractals

Photographer: Greg Parker  
Summary Authors: Greg Parker; Jim Foster 

Before these delightful Romanesco broccolis were served for dinner, they were first photographed with a macro lens, to show their curious fractal patterns better. Fractals are a branch of mathematics that allows us to look at complex natural phenomena in a simplified manner. Objects such as the outlines of clouds, the edges of leaves or the surface of a piece of cauliflower, considered nearly immeasurable before fractals were introduced, can be approached quantitatively. The eye-catching replicating or self-similar patterns (in this case, logarithmic spirals) are the underpinnings for understanding fractal patterns. 

• New Forest observatory, U.K. Coordinates: 50.819444, -1.59
• Related Links
  • Black Spleenwort Fern and Fractals
  • The Natural Fractals of Google Earth
  • Greg's Website
• Student Links
  • The Concept of Self Similarity
  • Fractal Geometry
• Earth Observatory
  • Landsat 7 Reveals Large-scale Fractal Motion of Clouds