Name: Fractals and the art of roughness
Uploaded: 2010-07-06T09:20:00Z
Duration: 16 min 52 s
Description: At TED2010, mathematics legend Benoit Mandelbrot develops a theme he first discussed at TED in 1984 -- the extreme complexity of roughness, and the way that fractal math can find order within patterns that seem unknowably complicated.

Benoit Mandelbrot: Fractals and the art of roughness

Fractals and the art of roughness

At TED2010, mathematics legend Benoit Mandelbrot develops a theme he first discussed at TED in 1984 -- the extreme complexity of roughness, and the way that fractal math can find order within patterns that seem unknowably complicated.

What appears messy and irregular in nature, like coastlines or cauliflowers, actually follows deep mathematical order. Fractal geometry exposes self-similar patterns that repeat at every scale, allowing roughness to be measured with a single number. From the branching of lungs to financial market swings, this approach uncovers structure where only confusion seemed to exist. Even the most complex shapes can spring from simple, endlessly repeated rules, leading to forms of surprising beauty and harmony.