AUTHOR=Miguel Antonio F. TITLE=Dendritic design as an archetype for growth patterns in nature: fractal and constructal views JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics VOLUME=2 YEAR=2014 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2014.00009 DOI=10.3389/fphy.2014.00009 ISSN=2296-424X ABSTRACT=

The occurrence of configuration (design, shape, structure, rhythm) is a universal phenomenon that occurs in every flow system. Dendritic configuration (or tree-shaped configurations) is ubiquitous in nature and likely to arise in both animate and inanimate flow systems (e.g., lungs and river basins). Why is it so important? Is there a principle from which this configuration can be deduced? In this review paper, we show that these systems own two of the most important properties of fractals that are self-similarity and scaling. Their configuration do not develop by chance. It's occurrence is a universal phenomenon of physics covered by a principle. Here we also show that the emergence of dendritic configuration in flow systems constitutes a basic supportive flow path along which “order” need to persist is propagated.