Ends of iterated function systems

Guided by classical concepts, we define the notion of \emph{ends} of an iterated function system and prove that the number of ends is an upper bound for the number of nondegenerate components of its attractor. The remaining isolated points are then linked to idempotent maps. A commutative diagram illustrates the natural relationships between the infinite walks in a semigroup and components of an attractor in more detail. We show in particular that, if an iterated function system is one-ended, the associated attractor is connected, and ask whether every connected attractor (fractal) conversely admits a one-ended system.