When it comes to miniature electronics, scientists have seen the shape of things to come — and that shape is a fractal.



People most often see fractals in the familiar, irregular branching shapes of nature — a leaf, or tree, or snowflake. A repeating pattern of ever-smaller branches gives these structures a unique profile that defies classical geometry.



Now a study suggests that magnetic fields can take the form of fractals, too — if a magnet is made of plastic molecules that are stacked in parallel chains. More here.