There are some pretty amazing patterns lurking in nature. Do a bit of arithmetic and master the Fibonacci sequence, and then see where you can find it!
• Pineapples
• Sunflowers
• Everlasting daisies
• Romanesco broccoli
The number pattern in the exploring Fibonacci section is called the Fibonacci sequence. To make the next number in the sequence, you add together the two previous entries. Although this pattern is made from numbers, it turns up regularly in shapes and especially in plants.
Pine cones have many scales that are roughly the same size, and that are evenly distributed around the cone. Most pine cones have scales that run in spirals around the base of the pine cone. Although it doesn’t always hold true, most pine cones have Fibonacci numbers of spirals originating form the base of the cone.
This perhaps surprising observation doesn’t mean all pine trees know mathematics. Instead, it suggests that the rules that we follow to make the Fibonacci sequence are similar to the rules that plants follow to make pine cones.
Mathematicians have shown that you can get patterns similar to a pine cone by following two simple rules:
This is very similar to the way many plants grow. New growth comes from a central area called the meristem, and then spreads out to allow for more new growth. Although these rules are simple, the end result appears complex and beautiful.
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