The Beauty of Numbers in Nature: Mathematical Patterns and Principles from the Natural World

The Beauty of Numbers in Nature: Mathematical Patterns and Principles from the Natural World
ISBN-10
1782404716
ISBN-13
9781782404712
Pages
224
Language
English
Published
2017-03-29
Author
Ian Stewart

Description

Think of a zebra's stripes, the complexities of a spider's web, the uniformity of desert dunes, or the spirals in a sunflower head ... think of a snowflake. The Beauty of Numbers in Nature shows how life on Earth forms the principles of mathematics. Starting with the simplest patterns, each chapter looks at a different kind of patterning system and the mathematics that underlies it. In doing so the book also uncovers some universal patterns, both in nature and man-made, from the basic geometry of ancient Greece to the visually startling fractals that we are familiar with today. Elegantly illustrated, The Beauty of Numbers in Nature is an illuminating and engaging vision of how the apparently cold laws of mathematics find expression in the beauty of nature.