Adaptation and the fractal
This entry adds to my entry on the evolution of the fractal. It should go without saying - but it does require a mention. Adaptation is demonstrated by (or in) the fractal as a change in shape; it is a change in the 'different' component of what makes a fractal—' same' but 'different' across all scales. If we substitute or add time, this may be read as 'same' but 'different' across all time scales. This is to say that the same rule or shape will repeat in different ways—through time—as a result of outside influences; it will adapt or change. This adaptation is best demonstrated in the fossil record—'same' but 'different' through time. It may be useful to reflect on the elasticity of the shape, its elasticity or sensitivity to change, changes through scale and/or time. This is shown in the diagram below and described in an earlier entry on Decay.