The basic function

We generate fractals by iterating a function like z = z² + c, where z and c are complex numbers.

• An iteration is a calculation where you take the result of the calculation and stuff it back in as a starting number. You decide to end the iteration by some arbitrary method like - <stop if the value is greater than 4>.
• A complex number is one that involves the square root of -1, which is, of course, impossible.

This is the object produced by the z² iteration. It's known to us as the Mandelbrot Set, after the man who popularised fractal geometry.

 

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