Fractals are like really cool patterns that go on and on forever no matter how much you zoom in or out. They are made up of lots of smaller copies of themselves, just like a piece of broccoli or a snowflake.
Think about drawing a stick figure. You draw one line for the body, then a line for each arm and leg, and a circle for the head. That's pretty simple, right?
Now imagine drawing a fractal stick figure. You draw one line for the body, then you draw two lines for each arm and leg, and then you add even smaller lines to each of those lines, and then you add even smaller lines to those lines, and on and on it goes. It’s like drawing an army of tiny stick figures, each one a little different than the last.
When you step back and look at the whole picture, it's not just a stick figure anymore, it's a beautiful and complex pattern that repeats itself over and over again. It looks like something you could stare at for hours and never get bored.
That's the beauty of fractals. They're simple things that turn into something really amazing when you keep making them over and over again. Plus, they help us understand how patterns and shapes are made in nature, like in the branches of trees or the way lightning bolts zigzag in the sky.