Fractals

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Who

Benoit Mandelbrot, mathematician of Lithuanian-Jewish descent

When

1975

Where

France / United States (IBM Research)

Benoit Mandelbrot coined the term 'fractal' for infinitely self-similar shapes and revealed how they describe coastlines, clouds and financial markets. Born to a Lithuanian Jewish family in Warsaw, he fled the Nazis in France and later worked at IBM; the Mandelbrot set is named after him.

Sources

Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.