I’ve come to hear of patterns in nature more and more in school; Pythagoras in sunflowers and Fibonacci’s in eggs. So, concerning all things galaxies and aliens in Science 10 Honours, I’ve come to wonder- are there ways to use such mathematical patterns of nature in research outside our planet? As it turns out, a mathematical pattern called a Fractal has not only been turned inside out for answers about space, yet even been the basis of one of the most substantial theories on the universe.  Fractals are all around us. In the clouds, the mountains, and even cauliflower, and when you thought you finally got away, there they are in your literal vein structures. An important thing to know about these fractals is that a fractal is a never-ending formula, starting simply and then getting more and more complex. In mathematics, when a geometrical shape is self-similar it is fractal by the fact that zoomed in, it will remain the same as the original.

Here is a neat video by BBC on how the fractals in a simple broccoli head may lead us to key information on the universe:

Fractal Cosmetology and the Cosmic Web

Ever since the discovery of all these mathematical patterns by the  Polish-born French-American Benoit Mandelbrot, scientists established the idea of a Cosmic Web. This is based on an idea called the cosmological principle, a theory that describes the universe as homogenous. This theory was widely regarded because a bunch of random galaxies and clusters fit right into that principle. However, scientists have now established that despite the cosmic web’s portrayal of fractals, the universe cannot be fractal. This is because our local cosmic web should always be set inside a much larger cosmic web if the fractal universe theory is correct. If it’s incorrect, the cosmic web ought to cease to exist at some point, and a randomly chosen, sufficiently huge portion of the universe ought to resemble any other randomly chosen portion.

While the universe itself is deemed to not be a fractal, as stated, there are many fractal-like properties to it. Remember that Cosmic Web I was talking about? Well, through figuring out that there are fractal patterns in galaxies has been one of the key factors to the partial discovery of our universe. Surveys of the 21st century like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, conducted by the University of Chicago, and the Space Telescope Science Institute are continuously expanding our knowledge of the galaxy, all in due part to fractal patterns.

My Sources:

Paul Sutter. “Is There a Pattern to the Universe?” space.com, 6 May 2021, www.space.com/universe-pattern-fractals-cosmic-web.

Haggit, Craig. “How Fractals Work.” howstuffworks.com, 13 Apr. 2021, science.howstuffworks.com/math-concepts/fractals.htm.

Dickau, Jonathan. “Fractal Cosmetology.” sciencedirect.com, 30 Aug. 2009, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960077908003846

Galeon, Dom. “Brand New Math May Explain Strange Phenomena in Space-Time.” futurism.com, 16 Feb. 2017, https://futurism.com/new-mathematical-concept-could-explain-the-universes-stranger-phenomena

Siegel, Ethan. “Is the Universe Actually a Fractal?” Forbes, 6 Jan. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/01/06/is-the-universe-actually-a-fractal.