

The Fractal Nature of Everything - gallerytungsten
http://www.jeddhaas.com/art/the-fractal-nature-of-everything/

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dannyb
A model of an atom can be likened to a solar system

Um, no. Electrons do not have well-defined trajectories. Quantum particles
should not in any way be compared to classical macroscopic objects.

I love fractals and finding examples of them in nature and science, but posts
like these annoy me a bit. Saying that there are fractals everywhere is a bit
like saying that we don't live in the Platonic plane.

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mycroftiv
Hierarchical self-similarity does seem to be ubiquitous, and a lot of people
have taken this idea and run with it. I think Hofstadter's GEB is one of the
crucial modern texts that inspired a lot of people in that direction.
Translating these concepts into rigorous theories is difficult; attempts like
Wolfram's "A New Kind of Science" haven't succeeded in creating a new
discipline.

I think the deepest explanations for the layering of complex structures at
multiple scales we see in the universe are being developed at the intersection
of the theory of computation and quantum physics. There is a very tight
coupling of entropy and information at the quantum scale, as demonstrated by
physicists like the amazing W.H. Zurek. The development of quantum computers
and work on the P/NP equivalency problem is where I hope to see the long-
awaited breakthroughs that may enable us to understand just how math, mind,
and physics are intertwined.

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Detrus
Well I was hoping for something more developed. I thought about this stuff
too, fractals seem like a good explanation for complex systems.

There seems to be a fractal pattern in how people behave that reflects the
pattern of how neurons behave. Neurons silence each other as much as they
connect to each other. The loudest neurons, the ones that can silence the most
neighboring neurons and connect to more distant loud neurons have the biggest
effect on the output. Groups are organized in a similar way. Then groups
compete with other groups by trying to silence each other and connect to other
successful groups. First a tribe will absorb its nearest neighbors, then reach
out to distant tribes.

Also vaguely remember scientists measuring a rain-forest in the Amazon, the
thickness of the branches was proportional to thickness of the trunks, which
was proportional to the density of the forest. Something useful along those
lines.

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knowaveragejoe
Your last point is very interesting, any more information on this research?

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Detrus
It was from here [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/hunting-hidden-
dimensio...](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/hunting-hidden-
dimension.html)

Summary from [http://thethinkingmother.blogspot.com/2010/02/fractals-
hunti...](http://thethinkingmother.blogspot.com/2010/02/fractals-hunting-
hidden-dimension.html)

"Another story of interest was that the tallest tree in a rainforest was
studied. Measurements were taken of its trunk and branches and the fractal
geometry calculations were in alignment with its size of growth. Of further
interest was the same mathematical computation matched the design of the whole
rainforest, the spread of the other trees, the smaller trees, the width and
size of the forest was all in alignment with the fractal geometry computation.
The scientists also gathered samples from the leaves to check CO2 content and
the point was to calculate the effect of the rainforest had in relation to
global warming. The idea that fractal geometry is being used by
environmentalists and scientists on the issue of climate was fascinating to
us."

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rorrr
Wow, what a stupid article.

At least provide examples that are valid. Your atom analogy is just false,
it's nothing like the solar system.

