ABSTRACT
The concept of fractal was introduced byMandelbrot in his
book “The Fractal Geometry of Nature” published in
1977.[1] The term referred primarily to the geometry of
natural objects such as plants, mountains, clouds and was
also created considering that mathematical constructions
may have non-integer dimensions. The word fractal has its
roots in the Latin word fractus, which means broken, and in
the corresponding verb frangere, meaning breaking to
form irregular pieces. Fractus also means irregular, and
both meanings have been preserved and agglutinated in the
word fractal.[1,2] Before this word was used for the descrip-
tion of irregular objects, several scientists used concepts
that helped to establish the basis of fractal geometry.
A brief historical review of the most important contributions
on this field is presented next.
