Patterns in Nature
Have you ever noticed that most flowers have 5 petals, or 3 petals ?
- Bananas and capsicum, have 3 portions in their fruit,
- Star fruit have 5 compartments,
- and an apple core forms a star when cut sideways.
This is no coincidence!
The series of numbers that are frequently found in nature are called Fibonacci numbers.
Patterns in nature are there for all to notice and enjoy, but often we assume they are random patterns and take them for granted! How wrong we are!
It is the incredible diversity and yet amazing order in the natural world around us which inspires scientists and mathematicians to try to capture, imitate or explain these patterns.
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Nature is truly rich in its extreme diversity, yet with a strong inference towards pattern and order. The paradox is that as soon as we begin to appreciate the intricacies of the patterns, we are always also confronted and confounded with the exceptions. |
God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world
Paul Dirac
The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper
Eden Phillpots
| Cyclic patterns: Day and night Seasons of the year Stages of the moon Stars and planets Life cycles of plants and animals Personal and weather cycles |
| Spatial patterns: Patterns in colour, texture and design Rocks, crystals, landscape |
| Audio patterns: Bird calls, animal noises and water Rhythm, drum beats, music |
Mathematics has been employed to explore and describe
natural events such as:
- Flight patterns of birds,
- Birds’ song and mating patterns,
- Bees’ dances to direct others to food,
- Family trees of bees and rabbits,
- Bone ratios in animals,
- Wave and sound movements.