What Are Fractals?
Fractals are self-similar patterns — meaning if you zoom in on a fractal, you will keep seeing similar shapes repeating infinitely.
Key Characteristics of Fractals
- Self-similarity: Smaller parts look like the whole
- Infinite complexity: The more you zoom in, the more detail you see
- Created using recursion: Repeating a process over and over
- Often found in nature: Trees, snowflakes, coastlines, lightning, clouds
Examples in Nature
- Tree branches splitting into smaller branches
- Romanesco broccoli spirals
- Snowflakes
- River networks
Creating Fractals in JavaScript
To create fractals, we use recursion and a drawing tool — usually HTML Canvas.
Steps to Build a Fractal in JavaScript
- Create an HTML
<canvas> - Access the canvas drawing context in JS
- Write a recursive function
- Draw smaller shapes on each recursive call
- Stop recursion at a depth limit
Example: Fractal Tree Using Canvas
✅ HTML
<canvas id="canvas" width="600" height="500"></canvas>✅ JavaScript
const canvas = document.getElementById("canvas");
const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");
function drawTree(x, y, length, angle, branchWidth) {
ctx.lineWidth = branchWidth;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(x, y);
const x2 = x + length * Math.cos(angle);
const y2 = y + length * Math.sin(angle);
ctx.lineTo(x2, y2);
ctx.stroke();
if (length < 10) return; // stop recursion
// branches
drawTree(x2, y2, length * 0.75, angle + 0.5, branchWidth * 0.7);
drawTree(x2, y2, length * 0.75, angle - 0.5, branchWidth * 0.7);
}
// draw
ctx.strokeStyle = "brown";
drawTree(300, 500, 100, -Math.PI / 2, 10);
Result:
Other Fractals You Can Build 🌀
| Fractal | Technique |
|---|---|
| Mandelbrot set | Complex numbers + iteration |
| Koch snowflake | Triangles + recursion |
| Sierpinski triangle | Triangles subdividing |
| Fractal clouds | Noise algorithms |
Tips for Building Your Own
- Use recursion
- Add randomness for natural effects
- Control complexity with depth limits
- Experiment with angles, colors, and shrink ratios
Final Thought
Fractals are not just math — they’re art, nature, and computer graphics blended together. With JavaScript and a little recursion, you can generate infinite beauty from simple rules.
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