Wednesday, July 22, 2009

fibonacci clouds

the mid-afternoon sky rose high into little pillow-down clouds.
the whorl of their organization made me think of the fibonacci sequence.


in the core of a daisy . . .
daisy courtesy jill britton

in the beautiful form of this pinecone . . .


and most especially in the nautilus shell, seen here as a cutaway . . .


to learn more about the brilliant mathematician fibonacci, you might enjoy reading this amazing interview.

7 comments:

ellen abbott said...

Beautiful pictures Steven. Nature loves this form. It shows up from the tiniest to the largest.

steven said...

thanks ellen! i love sharing this with my grade six class. it blows them away to start to see nature in a different way - not reduceable as much as magical. have a lovely afternoon. steven

Alexandra MacVean said...

Amazing pictures, Steven. They made me smile this afternoon.

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

thanks for this post...the daisy is so amazing ...I 1/2 shut my eyes to follow all the swirling patterns , a bit like one of the puzzles where you have to squint to see the image...

Magic and mystery woven together

Happy days

steven said...

hi amelia, there are ways in which nature organizes itself that are magical and reveal a sort of inner order. what i'm not sure about is whether or not the order is created from the inside out or the outside in!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hi delwyn, i agree with you . . . i think that all of creation - the known universe - however you know it or name it - is magic and mystery! it's an amazing thing to be a part of. steven

Cheryl Cato said...

Beautiful post, Steven. The entire process is quite amazing. Greetings from Texas.
Lizzy