Note: This event has been rescheduled from its original Feb. 13 date and will take place on March 13.
From bolts of lightning that crackle in the night sky, and the frost that glazes our windows, to the trees that shade our homes, the clouds that float overhead, and the broccoli heaped upon our dinner plates, fractals are all around us, hiding in plain sight.
But what are fractals?
Later this month, Amy Del Medico, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Waubonsee Community College, will host an evening event designed to open people’s eyes to the beauty of the math that is not only evident in nature, but defines it and much of what surrounds us every day.
Called "What's a Fractal?," the session will be held Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Academic and Professional Center Event Room (Room 110) on the college's Sugar Grove Campus, Route 47 and Waubonsee Drive. The event is free and open to the public.
During the session, Del Medico will introduce fractals, which, in simplest terms, are objects with self-similar patterns - meaning, if you look at even a small piece of the object under magnification, you would still find a nearly identical miniature of the original object.
Del Medico will discuss a number of real-world examples and applications of fractals, including how they’re used to create computer-generated images in many of today's hit movies.
“It’s math, but it’s something anyone can relate to,” Del Medico said. “It’s very visual and fun.”
The presentation is part of Waubonsee’s Asset Earth series that looks at people and their environment. For more information or to RSVP, email communityed@waubonsee.edu or call (630) 466-2360.
