Nature is alive with a special type of pattern called fractals. From the smallest ice crystal to the vastness of the galaxy, fractals are the building blocks of the natural world.

Scientists have studied trees depicted in various works of art and found they contain fractals, following relatively simple mathematical rules also found in branching patterns in nature.

Fractals are self-repeating patterns that occur on different length scales and can be seen in nature in a variety of settings, including snowflakes, ferns, and coastlines.

But the centerpiece of the exhibit is a 1,700-square-foot mirror maze, which creators say is the percent way to illustrate fractal patterns. And what are fractals?

Over the last half 50 years, fractals have challenged ideas about geometry and pushed math, science and technology into unexpected areas.

Fractal patterns in nature enhance creativity, problem-solving, and well-being, studies show. Nature-inspired innovations show how observing natural patterns can fuel creativity and solutions.

Technical Terms Fractal Dimension: A quantitative measure that captures the complexity of a fractal pattern, often resulting in a non-integer value that reflects its self-similar scaling properties.

The math concept hidden in this tree art — geometric shapes known as fractals — is apparent in branching patterns in nature and may be key to humans’ ability to recognize such artwork as ...