self-similarity

American  

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

noun

plural

self-similarities

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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Example Sentences

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

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 Rushkoff, Douglas

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

From Open Source Democracy by Rushkoff, Douglas