Comments on: Numbers and Nature http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/ Ever wonder how high heels work? or what black holes are? Learn these facts and other cool science... by Dr. Deborah Berebichez Sun, 20 May 2012 02:05:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Debbie http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/#comment-217 Debbie Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:33:11 +0000 http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/#comment-217 Fibonacci sequences happen in many seed and flower heads in nature. The reason, some suggest, is that this arrangement forms an optimal packing of the seeds so that, no matter how large the seed head, they are uniformly packed at any stage of growth. All the seeds being the same size, no crowding in the centre and not too sparse at the edges. It seems to be like an "optimization" process to maximize the space for each leaf, or the average amount of light falling on each one. For leaves in cabbages, for example, availability of space is crucial for their development so it is natural that they find the optimzal arrangement. Nature isn't trying to use the Fibonacci numbers: they appear as a by-product of a deeper physical process. The plant is responding to physical constraints. The explanation is linked to another famous number, the golden mean. For more information and references please feel free to check this out: http://www.world-mysteries.com/sci_17.htm Fibonacci sequences happen in many seed and flower heads in nature. The reason, some suggest, is that this arrangement forms an optimal packing of the seeds so that, no matter how large the seed head, they are uniformly packed at any stage of growth. All the seeds being the same size, no crowding in the centre and not too sparse at the edges. It seems to be like an “optimization” process to maximize the space for each leaf, or the average amount of light falling on each one. For leaves in cabbages, for example, availability of space is crucial for their development so it is natural that they find the optimzal arrangement.

Nature isn’t trying to use the Fibonacci numbers: they appear as a by-product of a deeper physical process. The plant is responding to physical constraints. The explanation is linked to another famous number, the golden mean. For more information and references please feel free to check this out: http://www.world-mysteries.com/sci_17.htm

]]> By: Cuffy http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/#comment-163 Cuffy Mon, 30 May 2011 23:44:13 +0000 http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/#comment-163 Fascinating and nicely done! Also, what Bob said: why? Fascinating and nicely done! Also, what Bob said: why?

]]> By: geo geller http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/#comment-160 geo geller Mon, 30 May 2011 22:48:49 +0000 http://sciencechica.com/2011/05/11/numbers-and-nature/#comment-160 bob it might have something to do with the rotation of the earth - deb, in a conversation with benoit mandelbrot in snow storm documentary he talks about seeing equations geometrically - i thought that was so interesting i asked him if i could film him in a snow storm and few years later on april 1 2003 i think it was in a rare snow storm i filmed him talking about how he saw himself and how lucky he was too - food for imagination and maybe he secretly was sleeping with fibonacci - deb keep this coming - i love it - secret admirer g-oh bob it might have something to do with the rotation of the earth - deb, in a conversation with benoit mandelbrot in snow storm documentary he talks about seeing equations geometrically - i thought that was so interesting i asked him if i could film him in a snow storm and few years later on april 1 2003 i think it was in a rare snow storm i filmed him talking about how he saw himself and how lucky he was too - food for imagination and maybe he secretly was sleeping with fibonacci -
deb keep this coming - i love it -
secret admirer
g-oh

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