fractal
Syllabification: (frac·tal)
Pronunciation: /ˈfraktəl/
Mathematics
Definition of fractal
noun
- a curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. Fractals are useful in modeling structures (such as eroded coastlines or snowflakes) in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth, fluid turbulence, and galaxy formation.
adjective
Origin:
1970s: from French, from Latin fract- 'broken', from the verb frangere