PERIMETER ON FRACTAL SETS

The Hausdorff measure with fractional index is used in order to define a functional on measurable sets of the plane. A fractal set, constructed using the well-known Von Koch set, is involved in the definition. This functional is proved to arise as the limit of a sequence of classical functionals defined on sets of finite perimeter. Thus it is shown that a natural extension of the ordinary functionals of the calculus of variations leads both to fractal sets and to the fractional Hausdorff measure.