A Window on the Beauty of Fractal Images: TI-92

Generating fractal images by graphing calculators such as TI_92 combines several important features, which convey the excitement of a living, changing mathematics appropriate to secondary or post-secondary students. The topic of fractal geometry can be illustrated using natural objects such as snowflakes, leaves and ferns. These complex and natural forms are often striking fantastic and beautiful. The examples highlight the fact that complex, natural behaviors can result from simple mathematical rules such as those embodied in iterated function systems(IFS). The visual splendor beauty of fractals, in concert with their ubiquity in nature, revels the intellectual beauty of nonlinear mathematics in a compelling way. The window is now open for students to experience and explore some of the wonder of fractal geometry.