Mandelbrot, by David Martinez
The Mandelbrot fractal can be though as the set of all bound Julia fractals. Every point on the Mandelbrot set has an associated Julia fractal with specific numerical values, like c = 0.267 + 0.02i. Some Julia sets look like seahorses, some look like spiral galaxies, some are hard to describe. The web is full of programs that will conjure up the Julia fractal of a point on the Mandelbrot fractal by pointing the computer cursor at the desired spot and clicking the mouse.
Benoit Mandelbrot is piloting Gaston Julia through a spiral galaxy fractal generated by applying the steering wheel to a point between the main lobes of the Mandelbrot set. A spot along the top antenna of the Mandelbrot will make a fractal that looks like the flying saucer they are riding. Watching from a portrait on the cabin wall is Henri Poincarre, the father of discrete dynamics. For no reason at all, Julia is petting Schroedinger’s cat.
David B. Martinez © 2011
