mandelbrot was one of the first to use computer graphics to create and display fractal geometric images, leading to his discovering the mandelbrot set in 1979. that was because he had access to ibm's computers. he was able to show how visual complexity can be created from simple rules. he said that things typically considered to be "rough", a "mess" or "chaotic", like clouds or shorelines, actually had a "degree of order". the equation formula_1 was known long before benoit mandelbrot used a computer to visualize it.