Mandelbrot Explorer for Windows

The Mandelbrot set is a set of points that generates a particular two-dimensional fractal image. Mandelbrot Explorer lets you play around with images produced by both the Mandelbrot set and the similar Julia set. You don't have to be a math nerd to enjoy this program--it's fun to explore even if you have no idea what's going on.

The image created by the Mandelbrot set consists of a circular shape with a cleft in the right side, with several smaller circular shapes and fuzzy-looking bits attached to it. Once you start clicking on it, however, you realize that there's more to it than meets the eye; theoretically, at least, it goes on forever. Those little fuzzy dots contain all kinds of shapes and swirls, and you can click on them to magnify them to millions of times their original size. Mandelbrot Explorer has color schemes you can apply to the image, resulting in what could easily be mistaken for psychedelic art. If you like a particular fractal, it's easy to save the image or even share it on Facebook. You can change the magnification backward and forward, and advanced users can change the maximum dwell settings, add and edit color layers, and more. A thorough Help file gives an overview of the program's features in fairly accessible language, although users not already familiar with the concept of Mandelbrot sets may not gain a full understanding without some outside reading. Overall, we think that Mandelbrot Explorer is an interesting and fun program for just about everyone, whether you understand the math behind it or not.

Mandelbrot Explorer installs and uninstalls without issues.