boycritter:

i am telling my mother about fractal dimensions
she tells me she doesnt get it
i try so very hard to explain

topological dimension 
is what we usually think about 
in terms of dimensionality

i do not tell her this is only applicable to Euclidean space
i don’t know if i can
it’s not because she wouldn’t get it
i just don’t think I have the words for it

topological dimension
is an integer
it is easily knowable 
and well understood

my mother says she understands
i know the mathematical definitions confuse her
but i can tell she is trying
because it is her daughter telling her this
ALT
fractal dimensions 
are more complicated
they consider the infinities between each point
what goes unseen in our daily lives

my mother asks me what are fractals again?
and i consider the chasm between us
i know how much she loves me
and i know there are things i will never be able to put into words

fractal dimensions
quantify complexity as a ratio of the change in detail
to the change in scale
it can take a non-integer value

and my mother still does not get it
and i am weeping not because she does not comprehend
but because i comprehend far too much
i beg of my mother to listen to her son

my mother hugs me and tells me she understands
and i know she is not talking about the mathALT