# Mandelbro set zoom? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454 "2006-01-04T20:30:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454/1 "2006-01-04T20:30:34Z")
Here’s a site so one can explore the minutiae of the Fractal set discovered by Benoit Mandelbrot. [http://www.users.nac.net/thegangof4/blackSaturn/mandelbrot/MandelbrotSetExplorer.htm](http://www.users.nac.net/thegangof4/blackSaturn/mandelbrot/MandelbrotSetExplorer.htm) Is there a site like this where one can zoom in like Google Earth? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454/2 "2006-01-04T20:37:07Z")
You can download software that will let you do so from [http://www.cygnus-software.com/](http://www.cygnus-software.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454/3 "2006-01-04T20:53:46Z")
[Clicky](http://www.idx3d.ch/java/idxfract/idxfract.htm) Click on an example fractal and then drag a box on the area you want to zoom in to. ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454/4 "2006-01-04T23:23:57Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Here’s a site so one can explore the minutiae of the Fractal set discovered by Benoit Mandelbrot. > > [http://www.users.nac.net/thegangof4/blackSaturn/mandelbrot/MandelbrotSetExplorer.htm](http://www.users.nac.net/thegangof4/blackSaturn/mandelbrot/MandelbrotSetExplorer.htm) > > Is there a site like this where one can zoom in like Google Earth? Nitpick: I’m not sure even Benoit would say that he completely discovered it, though I can ask him next week when I’m back in New Haven. It really goes back much farther than his involvement (possibly Julia could be credited as “discoverer”). What he did was popularized it and emphasized its complexity, its self-similarity, and its fractal nature. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454/5 "2006-01-05T01:28:39Z")
According to Wikipedia (usual disclaimers apply), Mandlebrot was the first person to use a computer to plot the set, which was discovered earlier by Pierre Fatou. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandelbrot\_set](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandelbrot_set) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandelbro-set-zoom/338454/6 "2006-01-05T03:43:40Z")
I’ve really enjoyed fooling around with this program: [WinCIG](http://www.th-soft.com/e_wincig.htm). It’s amazing what you can find as you zoom in. The variety of the imagery and its similarity to natural forms is astonishing.