Researchers have found a fractal pattern underlying everyday math. In the process, they’ve discovered a way to calculate partition numbers, a challenge that’s stymied mathematicians for centuries.

All the latest science news on fractal from Phys.org. Find the latest news, advancements, and breakthroughs.

Fractal figures are generated by an “iterative” procedure: you apply an equation to a number, apply the same equation to the result and repeat that process over and over again.

Complex numbers have a real part but also an imaginary part, which is a real number multiplied by i, which is defined as the square root of -1. ... But is the Universe truly a fractal?

By using fractal math to calculate how the branches of trees are depicted in art, researchers can put a number on what makes for a realistic tree. Newsletters Games Share a News Tip.