Pickover stalk
Imagine you're walking in a field with a bunch of tall plants called "stalks." One of these stalks catches your eye because it looks different from the rest. It's called a Pickover stalk, named after a mathematician named Cliff Pickover.
It's different because it has branches, but not just any branches - these branches grow out in a pattern that looks like a pyramid, with each level getting smaller and smaller. The branches also look like they're twisting around the main stem.
The cool thing about this stalk is that it's actually a concept in math called a fractal. A fractal is a pattern that repeats itself over and over again, no matter how closely you look at it. So if you zoomed in on one of those little branches in the Pickover stalk, it would still look like a tiny version of the whole stalk.
People like to study fractals because they show up in lots of different places in nature, like in the way tree branches grow, or in the patterns of sea shells. But sometimes, like in this case with the Pickover stalk, people just think they look really cool, too.
It's different because it has branches, but not just any branches - these branches grow out in a pattern that looks like a pyramid, with each level getting smaller and smaller. The branches also look like they're twisting around the main stem.
The cool thing about this stalk is that it's actually a concept in math called a fractal. A fractal is a pattern that repeats itself over and over again, no matter how closely you look at it. So if you zoomed in on one of those little branches in the Pickover stalk, it would still look like a tiny version of the whole stalk.
People like to study fractals because they show up in lots of different places in nature, like in the way tree branches grow, or in the patterns of sea shells. But sometimes, like in this case with the Pickover stalk, people just think they look really cool, too.