Beauty in the Math - Fractals #1

Hi everyone.
This is my first dip into SteemIt blogging so I guess an introduction is in order.
My name is Richard and I live in Australia. I am firstly a Christian and also have a background in science (chemistry mostly but a little of everything else as well). I am also a bit of an artist.... and by "a bit" I mean that I own paint, brushes and canvases, but they don't interact as frequently as I'd like. I also play around with Fractals which are a computer generated artform.

I thought I'd start off with a post about fractals. There are many types ranging from simple repetitive shapes to incredibly detailed and colorful images. The ones I create start with a complex equation, but not complex in the sense you might think. They use complex numbers which are part real and part imaginary. If you've studied advanced maths then you will know what I'm talking about. If not then try calculating the square root of a negative number.

The square root of 100 is 10 because 10 times 10 equals 100.
But what number can you multiply by itself to get minus -100?
Two negative numbers multiplied together give a positive answer so at first it seems like there isn't an answer for the square root of a negative number. Even basic calculators will refuse to give you an answer, but there is one.

The square root of -100 can be expressed as 10i where "i" is imaginary 1. Makes perfect sense, right?
I don't want to get into it any further than that at the moment. There is a wealth of information on complex numbers online for interested individuals. The point is that they have unusual properties which can be used to create amazing images like these....

These are my own fractal creations, although it is more discovery than creation at times. I come up with equations that I think might produce something interesting and then see what happens.
I will post more but for the time being I think that's enough.
If you want to dip into fractals yourself, there are plenty of generators available online - some free and others paid.
It can be a lot of fun but also time consuming.

Bye for now.
Richard.