Mandelbrot set

/ ˈmændəlˌbrɒt /

noun

1. maths a set of points in the complex plane that is self-replicating according to some predetermined rule such that the boundary of the set has fractal dimensions, used in the study of fractal geometry and in producing patterns in computer graphics

Mandelbrot set

/ män′dəl-brŏt′ /

1. The set of complex numbers C for which the iteration z n+1 = z n² + C produces finite z n for all n when started at z 0 = 0. The boundary of the Mandelbrot set is a fractal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mandelbrot set¹

C20: after Benoît Mandelbrot (1924–2010), French mathematician, born in Poland