Fractal Challenge Building Wrap!

On Tuesday, Feb 24th, the first Albuquerque Fractal Challenge billboard was installed on the parking garage at 3′d and Silver. The featured fractal was made by the youngest winner of the Fractal Challenge, 5th grader Rachel W. of Onate Elementary. Almost certainly the largest fractal print ever made, this amazing artwork is visible from large parts of downtown Albuquerque. Look for more giant public art fractals soon!

Many thanks to Mayor Martin J. Chavez, the Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund and Albuquerque Community Foundation for making the project possible. Thanks also to BGK Albuquerque Property Management for letting us use their building facade!

See the Dedication ceremony.

Fractals in Gallup for NM MESA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Mexico MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) held their Western Region Design Championship in Gallup on January 24th. Middle school and high school students from all over the region were treated to a fractal show as one of the highlights of the event. The show focused especially on engineering applications of fractals, such as branching devices for cooling computer chips and precise fluid mixing, as well as high-performance fractal antennas.
Many thanks to New Mexico MESA for inviting us to be part of such a great event!

Fractals at the State Legislature

The Fractal Foundation presented at the 2′nd annual Math and Science Day at the NM State Legislature. Hundreds of people wandered through the Roundhouse and learned about the many exciting initiatives happening in New Mexico that promise to transform the state of our education. 

Over a dozen organizations were present to show support for “NM Project 2012″ a statewide project with the ambitious goal of bringing New Mexico into the top 5th of states in Math and Science achievement within 5 years. 

Fractals on the Earth

You can discover these countless examples of these patterns yourself with the amazing and free program Google Earth.

River networks - or watersheds - form fractal canyons, built by the repeated erosion from countless rainstorms over eons.

Coastlines are another common fractal on the Earth. More details emerge the closer you examine a coastline. The whole field of fractal geometry began by asking the question “How long is the coast of Britain?” The answer is that it depends on how closely you measure it, and when you examine the coastline with a finer and finer ruler, its length approaches infinity.

Bodies of water can be fractals too, as we observe in many flat, wet places. The same shapes occur over a wide range of scales, the hallmark of a fractal.