Fractal pattern

Also one of the central aspects of Complexity is the application of Fractal geometry (Mandelbrot 1982). In the same way that strange attractors represent the unpredictable patterns of chaotic dynamics, as opposed to Newtonian determinism and the 'machine' paradigm, fractals are outside Euclidean geometry. Instead of being constricted to the three dimensions of space, fractals exist within 'fractions' of dimensions. That is they can be 1.2 or 2.4 dimensions. An essential quality of fractals is that they are self similar at different scales, so that the fractal dimension of a mountain range can be the same as that of the microscopic surface of a flint tool. The irregularity of the topography is of the same order but different in scale. This has already been applied to technical problems in microwear analysis (Rees et al. 1991), but it has also been found that the fluctuation in cotton prices on the New York stock exchange are fractal (see Gleick 1987, 84). That is, the pattern has self similarity at different scales. Complexity and fractals are relevant to modern human behaviour. Perhaps prehistoric man should not be seen in the same way as modern man in that we tend to overlay our prejudices and philosophical concepts (our scientific paradigms !) on to earlier people who had a more fully integrated relationship and behaviour with nature and environmental resources. In this case prehistoric behaviour is even more likely to reflect the natural dynamic systems that have been studied with Complexity, strange attractors and fractal geometry.



Fractals:
Mandelbrot Set
Fractal
Fractal resembling natural object