The Fractal Microscope is designed by the Education Group at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) for exploring the Mandelbrot set and other fractal patterns. It is an interactive tool which combine supercomputing and networks with the simple interface of a Macintosh or X-Windows workstation. With the help of this student and teachers who engage in some type of research can go for discovery-based exploration. The program is designed to run in conjunction with NCSA imaging tools such as DataScope and Collage. With this program students can enjoy the art of mathematics as they master the science of mathematics.

Fractals are used because with fractal geometry we can visually model much of what we witness in nature, the most recognized being coastlines and mountains. Fractals are used to model soil erosion and to analyze seismic patterns as well. It can also make a subject like mathematics easy and interesting for students.