Hutchinson operator

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In mathematics, in the study of fractals, a Hutchinson operator [1] is the collective action of a set of contractions, called an iterated function system. [2] The iteration of the operator converges to a unique attractor, which is the often self-similar fixed set of the operator.

Mathematics Field of study concerning quantity, patterns and change

Mathematics includes the study of such topics as quantity, structure, space, and change.

Fractal A self-similar pattern or set

In mathematics, a fractal is a subset of a Euclidean space for which the Hausdorff dimension strictly exceeds the topological dimension. Fractals tend to appear nearly the same at different levels, as is illustrated here in the successively small magnifications of the Mandelbrot set; Because of this, fractals are encountered ubiquitously in nature. Fractals exhibit similar patterns at increasingly small scales called self similarity, also known as expanding symmetry or unfolding symmetry; If this replication is exactly the same at every scale, as in the Menger sponge, it is called affine self-similar.

Iterated function system

In mathematics, iterated function systems (IFSs) are a method of constructing fractals; the resulting fractals are often self-similar. IFS fractals are more related to set theory than fractal geometry. They were introduced in 1981.

Contents

Definition

Let be an iterated function system, or a set of contractions from a compact set to itself. The operator is defined over subsets as

Set (mathematics) fundamental mathematical concept related to the notions of belonging or inclusion

In mathematics, a set is a collection of distinct objects, considered as an object in its own right. For example, the numbers 2, 4, and 6 are distinct objects when considered separately, but when they are considered collectively they form a single set of size three, written {2, 4, 6}. The concept of a set is one of the most fundamental in mathematics. Developed at the end of the 19th century, set theory is now a ubiquitous part of mathematics, and can be used as a foundation from which nearly all of mathematics can be derived. In mathematics education, elementary topics from set theory such as Venn diagrams are taught at a young age, while more advanced concepts are taught as part of a university degree.

In mathematics, a contraction mapping, or contraction or contractor, on a metric space (M,d) is a function f from M to itself, with the property that there is some nonnegative real number such that for all x and y in M,

A key question is to describe the attractors of this operator, which are compact sets. One way of generating such a set is to start with an initial compact set (which can be a single point, called a seed) and iterate as follows

and taking the limit, the iteration converges to the attractor

Properties

Hutchinson showed in 1981 the existence and uniqueness of the attractor . The proof follows by showing that the Hutchinson operator is contractive on the set of compact subsets of in the Hausdorff distance.

In mathematics, the Hausdorff distance, or Hausdorff metric, also called Pompeiu–Hausdorff distance, measures how far two subsets of a metric space are from each other. It turns the set of non-empty compact subsets of a metric space into a metric space in its own right. It is named after Felix Hausdorff.

The collection of functions together with composition form a monoid. With N functions, then one may visualize the monoid as a full N-ary tree or a Cayley tree.

In abstract algebra, a branch of mathematics, a monoid is an algebraic structure with a single associative binary operation and an identity element.

In graph theory, a k-ary tree is a rooted tree in which each node has no more than k children. It is also sometimes known as a k-way tree, an N-ary tree, or an M-ary tree. A binary tree is the special case where k=2.

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Hausdorff dimension invariant

In mathematics, Hausdorff dimension is a measure of roughness and/or chaos that was first introduced in 1918 by mathematician Felix Hausdorff. Applying the mathematical formula, the Hausdorff dimension of a single point is zero, of a line segment is 1, of a square is 2, and of a cube is 3. That is, for sets of points that define a smooth shape or a shape that has a small number of corners—the shapes of traditional geometry and science—the Hausdorff dimension is an integer agreeing with the usual sense of dimension, also known as the topological dimension. However, formulas have also been developed that allow calculation of the dimension of other less simple objects, where, based solely on their properties of scaling and self-similarity, one is led to the conclusion that particular objects—including fractals—have non-integer Hausdorff dimensions. Because of the significant technical advances made by Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch allowing computation of dimensions for highly irregular or "rough" sets, this dimension is also commonly referred to as the Hausdorff–Besicovitch dimension.

Real analysis branch of mathematical analysis

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References

  1. Hutchinson, John E. (1981). "Fractals and self similarity". Indiana Univ. Math. J. 30 (5): 713–747. doi:10.1512/iumj.1981.30.30055.
  2. Barnsley, Michael F.; Stephen Demko (1985). "Iterated function systems and the global construction of fractals". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 399 (1817): 243–275.