Among many, many others examples, we point out these. Click on the picture for a larger view.
| The fractal structure of our lungs (picture courtesy of Dr. Ewald R. Weibel), |
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| and fractal silhouettes of trees. |
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After using these and other examples to emphasize the differences between mathematical and natural fractals, I send students out to the web with instructions to find a picture of a natural fractal and describe why they think their example should be called a fractal. With permission, these can be posted to the course web page for everyone to examine and discuss. No longer are we limited to showing a selected few in class: the whole lot can be put on the web page, and even parts of the discussion can be done by posting to bulletin boards linked to the web page. Letting a topic percolate on the web for a few days can lead to a much more informed, and lively, discussion in class.
| Some of these topics lead to deep questions, at a level of detail enabling thought-provoking class discussions. One of the best examples I have found is the fractal sutures of ammonites. Click on the picture to see the example. | 
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