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Sierpiński triangle

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Also known as Sierpinski gasket, Sierpinski sieve, Sierpinski triangle

fractal composed of triangles

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Sierpiński triangle Generated using a random algorithm Sierpiński triangle in logic: The first 16 conjunctions of lexicographically ordered arguments. The columns interpreted as binary numbers give 1, 3, 5, 15, 17, 51... (sequence A001317 in the OEIS) The Sierpiński triangle, also called the Sierpiński gasket or Sierpiński sieve, is a fractal with the overall shape of an equilateral triangle, subdivided recursively into smaller equilateral triangles. Originally constructed as a Sierpiński curve, this is one of the basic examples of self-similar sets—that is, it is a mathematically generated pattern reproducible at any magnification or reduction. It is named after the Polish mathematician Wacław Sierpiński but appeared as a decorative pattern many centuries before the work of Sierpiński.

Constructions

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sierpiński triangle” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.