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Fractal Analysis

Revisiting Pollock's drip paintings (Reply)

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Abstract

Replying to: K. Jones-Smith & H. Mathur reply

Our use1 of the term 'fractal'2 is consistent with that by the research community. In dismissing Pollock's fractals1,3 because of their limited magnification range, Jones-Smith and Mathur4 would also dismiss half the published investigations of physical fractals5. On the basis of previous debates on limited-range fractals5,6, a fractal description is particularly appropriate for Pollock's patterns because it is physically reasonable and because it is useful for condensing the description of a complex geometry, as we now describe.

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Figure 1: Analysis of freehand, gaussian and Cantor dust patterns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, 97403, Oregon, USA

    R. P. Taylor

  2. School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, New South Wales, Australia

    A. P. Micolich & D. Jonas

Authors
  1. R. P. Taylor
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  2. A. P. Micolich
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  3. D. Jonas
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Correspondence to R. P. Taylor.

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Taylor, R., Micolich, A. & Jonas, D. Revisiting Pollock's drip paintings (Reply). Nature 444, E10–E11 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05399

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