Fractal Sunflowers

by Len Bruton

Here is a fractal sunflower. Notice that it is surrounded with a myriad of objects that look as if they might be other sunflowers. In fact, the very small specks that represent about one pixel in size in this image are also sunflowers! This is the marvelous characteristic of this type of fractal. We can zoom in without limit and continue to find sunflowers:

Let's zoom in on a small area in the upper right corner of the above image where one finds small sunflowers having diameters about 1/32 of the width of the large central flower:

Notice a couple of new sunflowers, each of which has incredible (and, in fact, infinite) detail.

Now let's zoom in on the centre of the large sunflower in the first image:

Notice that the seeds in the centre are quite realistic and, of course, can also be explored in infinite detail. Sunflowers exist within the seeds, just as they do in real life! Fractal mathematics is clearly capable of producing remarkably similar images to those found in nature.

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