Patterns in Nature

• Mathematics is all around us. As we discover

more and more about our environment and our
surroundings we see that nature can be described
SOME SYMMETRY TYPES
mathematically.
- Radial – is rotational symmetry around
• Are visible regularities of form found in the natural a fixed point known as the center.
world. Radial symmetry can be classified as
• These patters recur in different contexts and can either cyclic or dihedral. Cyclic
sometimes be modelled mathematically. symmetries are represented with
notation Cn, where n is the number of
About the Video Clip rotations. Each rotations will have an
• Nature unfolds before us angle of 360/n. dihedral symmetries in
addition to rotational symmetry.
• Mathematics is everywhere
Dihedral symmetries are represented
• Mathematics exists hand in hand with the
in the notation Dn where n represents
creation of God (proofs of God’s creation)
the number of rotations, as well as the
• Mathematics is embedded in Nature and more
number of reflection mirrors present.
have to be discovered
Each rotation angle will be equal to
• It challenges us to do more mathematical
360/n degrees and the angle between
investigations in nature and formulate
each mirror will be 180/n degrees.
conjectures
- Sunflowers boast radial symmetry and
• Numbers originate from nature - an interesting type of numerical
• Nature is better appreciated because of symmetry known as the Fibonacci
mathematics sequence.
• Mathematics helps us predict behavior of nature
• Mathematics is not just about the abstract things
and it connects to many concrete things
• Any physical occurrence proves that math
enables us to move and have our being
• Video shares the power of mathematics
• Mathematics can help us explain the pattern in
nature
• Mathematics lead us to discover new things
• Mathematics is the language of the universe
“Mathematics is the alphabet which God has
written the universe” – Galileo Galilei

Natural Patterns
• It includes symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders,
waves, foams, tessellations, cracks, stripes and
pattern formation - Strip pattern symmetry – can be
classified in seven distinct patterns.
Types of Pattern in Nature Each pattern contains all or some of
• Symmetry the following types of symmetry:
- Is pervasive in living things Translation symmetry, Horizontal
- Animals mainly have bilateral or mirror mirror symmetry, Vertical mirror
symmetry or strip pattern symmetry, Rotational symmetry, or
- Leaves of plants and some flowers Glide reflection symmetry.
such as orchids - Wallpaper patterns – are patterns of
- Plants often have radial or rotational symmetry that tesselate the plane from
symmetry a given fundamental region. There are
 seventeen different types of wallpaper
patterns. In the examples below, you
will see the fundamental regions
highlighted, as well as the translation
vector generators that can be used to
complete the pattern by translation,
after the other isometries of the pattern
are completed.
- Visible patterns in nature are governed
- Meander – is one of a series of regular
sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or
windings in the channel of a river,
stream, or other watercourse. It is
produced by a stream or river swinging
from side to side as it flows across its
floodplain or shifts its channel within a
valley
by Physical laws. For instance,
meanders can be explained using fluid
dynamics.

- Bilateral symmetry is symmetry across

a line of reflection, which means that
they can be slit ibnto two matching
halves, if they are evenly divided down • Waves, Dunes
a center line. - Are disturbances that carry energy as
• Fractals they move
- A fractal is a never-ending pattern.
Fractals are infinitely complex patterns
that are self-similar across different
scales. They are created by repeating
a simple process over and over in an
ongoing feedback loop. If you divide a
fractal pattern into parts you get a
nearly identical reduced size copy of
the whole

• Spirals
- Such arrangements in molluscs,
sunflower seed heads or structure of
a pineapple fruit are called spirals.
Some of these spirals can be
generated mathematically from
Fibonacci ratios (sequence)

• Chaos, flow, meanders

- Flow – means to move along in a
steady or continuous fashion