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Fractal Shape
Fractal dimension is a measure of the self-similar irregularity of the feature boundary, without regard to its topological shape. Smooth objects with boundaries controlled by membranes or surface tension have a dimension of 1.000, but as the boundary becomes more irregular and the feature tends to spread over the plane, the value rises. Many correlations between this dimension and pathology of cells, history of particle erosion, chemical kinetics, and other processes have been reported. This interactive tutorial illustrates the use of the fractal dimension to characterize the boundary roughness of objects.
The tutorial initializes with the specimen appearing in the Specimen Image window. Clicking on each button displays the binary image of a feature having that measured fractal dimension.
Contributing Authors
John C. Russ - Materials Science and Engineering Dept., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695.
Matthew Parry-Hill, and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.
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