self-similarity

American  

[self-sim-uh-ler-uh-tee] / ˌsɛlfˌsɪm əˈlɛr ə ti /

noun

• self-similarities
  plural

1. the state or quality of a thing whose parts are identical or nearly identical to itself as a whole, such as evidenced in a snowflake, a line segment, or the frond of a fern.

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self-similarity Scientific  

/ sĕlf′sĭm′ə-lăr′ĭ-tē /

1. The property of having a substructure analogous or identical to an overall structure. For example, a part of a line segment is itself a line segment, and thus a line segment exhibits self-similarity. By contrast, no part of a circle is a circle, and thus a circle does not exhibit self-similarity. Fractals such the Sierpinski triangle are self-similar to an arbitrary level of magnification; many natural phenomena, such as clouds and plants, are self-similar to some degree.

2. See more at fractal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• self-similarities
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-similarity

The study, published in December in Journal of Ecology, refutes claims that the self-similarity which is observed within individual trees can be extended to whole forest canopies and landscapes.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024

The image is built on the theory of self-similarity and the operation of iteration.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

Marthinsen was a student of the Danish composer Per Nøgård, who in the 1960s explored the use of mathematics in composition with, for example, series of notes with the fractal-like property of self-similarity.

From Nature ● Jul. 2, 2014

The reassuring self-similarity of these seemingly random graphs of non-linear equations, evoked the shapes of nature.

From Open Source Democracy by Douglas Rushkoff

We also become able to develop mathematical models that reflect many more properties of nature's own systems, such as self-similarity and remote high leverage points.

From Open Source Democracy by Douglas Rushkoff