A zoom sequence illustrating the set of complex numbers termed the Mandelbrot set. Images of the set, which was defined and named by Adrien Douady in tribute to the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, may be created by sampling the complex numbers and determining whether the result of iterating for each sample point goes to infinity. Images exhibit an elaborate and infinitely complicated boundary that reveals progressively ever-finer recursive detail at increasing magnifications. Consequently, the Mandelbrot set has become popular outside mathematics both for its aesthetic appeal and as an example of a complex structure arising from the application of simple rules.Animation: Simpsons contributor
