MATHEMATICS
The maths behind the picture
Every piece is computed, not drawn. These are the real equations and numbers from the program that made this exact piece.
zₙ₊₁ = zₙ² + cz₀ = 0|zₙ| > 2 ⇒ c ∉ M- Re(c) centre
- -0.698631
- Im(c) centre
- 0.001578
- Window width
- 3.1
- Magnification ×
- 1
- Max iterations
- 400
- Rotation
- 0°
- Points computed
- 1,533,070
- Inside the set (%)
- 15.07
- Mean escape
- 5.9
This window is magnified 1 times. 15.1% of points stay trapped in the set forever; the rest escape after 6 steps on average. Each point's colour is exactly that step count.
HISTORY
Where this idea comes from
Mandelbrot
- 1918
Gaston Julia and Pierre Fatou study the iteration of complex functions, with no computers, only pencil and paper.
- 1978
Robert Brooks and Peter Matelski publish the first picture of the set, printed in characters on a line printer.
- 1980
Benoit Mandelbrot at IBM explores the set by computer and reveals its infinite complexity. He had coined the word "fractal" in 1975.
- 1982
Adrien Douady and John Hubbard prove the set is connected and name it after Mandelbrot.