The Thumbprint of God: The Mandelbrot Set

by Bradly Gassner

Calculus III Dr. Barry Bookout October 14, 2012

Bradly Gassner Calculus II Fall 2012 Dr. Barry Bookout The Thumbprint of God: The Mandelbrot Set Mathematics is the only tool scientists and engineers have to describe the world in which we live. We use the geometric axioms of Pythagoras, Euclid, and their successors to model our surroundings. Triangles, circles, squares, and their higher dimensional counterparts together make a full complement of tools with which we can analyze structures we encounter. However for years mathematicians viewed the irregularity of natural systems such as clouds, mountains, and coastlines as indescribable with their tools. At best, clouds were modeled by spheres, mountains by cones, and coastlines as circles (Mandelbrot 1). This all changed with the development of fractal geometry in the 1970s, pioneered by the French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot. Mandelbrots fractal geometry centers on the very basic idea of self-similarity. Many structures in the previously mathematically indescribable realm of nature exhibit this feature. See figure 1 for a representation of a fern leaf. Notice the selfsimilarity the structure exhibits on many levels. Smaller fronds resemble the structure of the leaf as a whole. Still smaller fronds upon the fronds resemble the leaf as a whole. The structure of
Figure 1: A Fern Leaf

leaves upon fronds upon leaves continues for several levels down into the structure of the fern. Mandelbrots revolution in geometry allows for a quantification of the structures that we see in

these objects. We have discovered other, purely mathematical things which are created by continuing this sequence ad infinitum. Repetition of this kind is what a mathematician would call iteration. Iteration is the process of taking the output of a function and feeding it into the function a second time, taking that output and inputting it again. Stepping aside from the implications of this new geometry to the potential mathematical description of nature, we turn our discussion to a more purely theoretical mathematical result. Gaston Julia was a French mathematician whose ideas came before the time of Mandelbrot, but whose work on iterated rational functions laid the path upon which Mandelbrot built his new geometry. The most popular type of Julias iterated rational functions is given by the family of quadratic polynomials of the form ( ) , where the constant is a

complex number. The famous Julia Sets are sets of complex numbers that remain bounded as the function is iterated, or as the output ( ) is repeatedly input into the equation as . These are

simply maps existing in the complex plane of all the points whose coordinates ( ) when input into the function keep the output values of the function bounded, or those that do not tend to infinity. As is the case with many iterated fractal systems, very simple rules can lead to wonderfully complex results. In figure 2, we see a beautiful Julia Set corresponding to the constant as shown. The dark areas are the set of points for which the iterated function stays bounded. These are the values belonging to this particular set. An infinite amount of these sets exist, corresponding to every complex number . The most interesting of these sets, many similar to the one shown, have values lying within or about the unit circle on the complex plane. These
Figure 2: A Julia Set with c = -0.391-0.587i

structures have a boundary of infinite length and infinitely complex structure on every scale of magnification. No matter how far we zoom in, we will continually see new detail. The boundaries of these areas are very different from the curves of normal rational functions. They are continuous and yet non-differentiable everywhere (Edgar 27). Calculating whether the value of the function at every point in the complex plane is bounded or not is a very computationally intensive task. Early attempts were made to plot these points on graph paper, with limited results (NOVA). At points near the boundary, the function may require hundreds of iterations before the true nature of the function can be determined. As a result, images of these beautiful sets were not available until the advent of the computer (NOVA). Benoit Mandelbrot was working as a research fellow at IBMs Thomas J. Watson Research Center while researching these fractal forms in 1977 (Mandelbrot iii). It was his close proximity to the development of the computer which allowed him to plot these immensely complex functions, and as such, he was among the first to see them. Mandelbrot imagined a set of complex numbers similar in definition to the Julia sets, but with one distinction: he varied the constant of Julias function as input into the equation by letting equal the complex coordinates of the point in question in the complex plane. Plotting the resulting function for every point in the complex plane yields a set that is
Figure 3: The Mandelbrot Set

truly beautiful. The result has become the poster child for

fractal geometry: the famous Mandelbrot Set, or M-set.

This Mandelbrot Set is defined as the set of complex numbers iterated sequence ( * ) |

for which the

does not tend to infinity (Branner 75). ( ) +

Because of the fact that the values in the function of the Mandelbrot Set are continuously changing as the coordinates of the corresponding points in the complex plane, the fractal has a close connection to the previously discussed Julia sets. Consider several of them, figures 4-7:

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

One distinguishing feature that mathematicians call connectedness can be obtained from looking at the very center of each set. The center of symmetry is the origin of the complex plane. If the point there is part of the set, the set is deemed connected. If it is not part of the set, it is termed disconnected. Instead of visually checking if the point at the origin is part of the set, we may evaluate the fate of the coordinate at that point as we evaluate the Julia sets

function. Once again, if the function there tends to infinity, it is not part of the set. If it stays bounded, it is part of the set. Imagine evaluating the connectedness of every single Julia set, and plotting the result on the complex plane. The result is, again, the M-set. It is an atlas to the Julia sets. Every point that is a member of the set, every coordinate colored black in figure 8, points to a corresponding connected Julia set. These points are indeed the values of that are

used in the Julia sets function. In figure 8, several values of have been selected and their Julia sets plotted. Notice the connected Julia sets that originate from within the set, and the disconnected Julia set that comes from the region just outside the M-set. The Mandelbrot set, like other fractals, is self-similar, or in this particular case, quasi-self-similar. The M-set contains small copies of itself which in turn contain smaller copies of the set, and so on. In actuality, however, every mini Mandelbrot has its very own pattern of external decorations, every one different from every other (Branner 76). The particular portion of the Mset on display in figure 9 can be found in the region of the
Figure 8: The M-set and Julia Sets

value given in the caption. It is located near the spindly projection emanating from the left side of the set. Many smallscale features in this region have spindly characteristics. In addition to admiring beautiful pictures of the Mandelbrot, there are quantitative ways of measuring it. One of these measures is the Hausdorff dimension, a quantity that describes the crinkliness of fractals.
Figure 9: Miniature Mandelbrot at c = -1.62917,-0.0203968

The Hausdorff dimension is not a spatial dimension.

Surely, the M-set resides in a two dimensional space. This is a quantity which describes something different entirely, but can be derived from simpler examples. The idea behind the dimension calculation is rather simple: by what factor do the smaller parts fit into the original whole when the dimensions of the original are modified? For example, when the dimensions of a

cube are increased by a factor of two, there are eight of the original cubes which can be placed in the new cube. We can quantify this by the formula for the Hausdorff dimension : ( ) ( ) Where is the number of increase in units and is the increase in length. Applying the formula

for the Hausdorff dimension, N = 8, P = 2. The number of increase in units is eight when the size is doubled. So, the dimension of the cube is
( ) ( )

. This agrees with our understanding of the

cube occupying three spatial dimensions (Praught). We can also apply this to our fractal, and get a measure of its dimension. When we apply this formula to our M-set, it has been shown that it has a Hausdorff dimension of exactly two (Shishikura). This is not common among the dimensions of many other fractals. Most fractals sport Hausdorff dimensions of non-integer values. The M-set is truly unique in this regard. We have discussed the origins of fractal geometry and the creation of Julia sets and the venerated Mandelbrot set. These self-similar fractals of enormous complexity arise from very simple rules. In our case, the repeated iteration of a simple quadratic polynomial leads to a visually and mathematically striking outcome. The idea that such a beautiful and marvellously complex set can exist within the domain of complex numbers is breathtaking. If one is feeling hard-pressed to find an example of beauty in mathematics, look no further. These fractals, however lovely, simply existed before mankind stumbled upon them. This is an unavoidable result of a sufficiently powerful mathematics. The feeling of joy and helplessness people experience when beholding the absolute beauty of the set compels some to refer to the Mandelbrot Set as simply The Thumbprint of God.

Works Cited

Branner, Brodil. The Mandelbrot Set. Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics. Volume 39, 75-105. American Mathematical Society, 1989. Print. Edgar, Gerald. Classics on Fractals. Boulder: Westview Press, 2004. Print. Fractals: Hunting the Hidden Dimension NOVA: PBS Home Video, 2011. DVD. Mandelbrot, Benoit B. The Fractal Geometry of Nature. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1977. Print. Praught, Jeff. Fractal Dimension. <http://www.upei.ca/~phys221/jcp/Fractal_Dimension/fractal_dimension.html> Accessed 11 October 2012 Shishikura, Mitsuhiro. The Hausdorff dimension of the boundary of the Mandelbrot set and Julia sets. Cornell University Library Online: 1991.< http://arxiv.org/abs/math/9201282>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 1 obtained from <http://www.home.aone.net.au/~byzantium/ferns/fractal.html>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 2 obtained from <http://yozh.org/2011/03/14/mset006/>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 3 obtained from <http://warp.povusers.org/Mandelbrot/pic2.png>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 4 obtained from <http://math.fullerton.edu/mathews/c2003/juliamandelbrotset/ JuliaMandelbrotPlates/Images/ColorPlate5.small.gif>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 5 obtained from <http://puzzlezapper.com/aom/mathrec/julia5.png>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 6 obtained from <http://puzzlezapper.com/aom/mathrec/julia3.png>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 7 obtained from <http://puzzlezapper.com/aom/mathrec/julia4.png>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 8 obtained from <http://paulbourke.net/fractals/juliaset/julia_mandel.gif>, Accessed 11 October 2012 Figure 9 obtained from <http://paulbourke.net/fractals/mandelbrot/b3125.gif>, Accessed 11 October 2012