Classic Iterated Function Systems

Larry Riddle, Agnes Scott College

Fractals

From the book MATH TALK: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices by Theoni Pappas. Copyright © 1994. Electronically reproduced by permission of Wide World Publishing/Tetra, P.O. Box 476, San Carlos, California * tel: (415) 593-2839.

This poem in voices is meant to be read aloud. Lines on the same horizontal are meant to be read simultaneously.

 
gasket
dragon

They call us fractals.
They call us monsters.
a rather new
We're young, mathematical idea.
They thought us useless discoveries.
freaks,
know to the contrary.
Now mathematicians know to the contrary.
Fractals are
the geometry of nature.
Snowflakes, ferns, clouds,
trees, dragons.
You name it
we can describe it.
We're fractals- geometric.
We're fractals- random.
No matter how small details remains the same.
No matter how strange we can formulate it.
Fractals the universe.
Fractals can paint the universe.