"How" perfect is Nature?
- Friendly Fins
- Dec 3, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 8
When we say that Nature is perfect, what does it mean?
In this article we will digress a bit from the strictly marine theme to dedicate ourselves to the beauty of Nature! We will discover together that it is not casual, but rather studied in the smallest details! Let's see...
Let's take a leap in time...
Fibonacci Numbers
Leonardo Fibonacci was one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, he lived between 1100 and 1200 and dedicated his life to mathematics and travel, discovering sensational calculation methods in every country he visited.
But here we do not want to talk about mathematics but about Nature! So what does Fibonacci have to do with it?
Let's start from the beginning: the emperor Frederick II of Swabia, posed a problem to Fibonacci... The problem of the rabbits:
A man put a pair of rabbits in a closed room; he wanted to find out how many of them would be born in a year, assuming that by nature each pair generates a new pair every month and that in the second month the new born in turn begin to procreate. HOW MANY PAIRS OF RABBITS ARE BORN IN A YEAR FROM A SINGLE PAIR?
Fibonacci brilliantly solved the problem, but not only that, he made a sensational discovery that inextricably linked mathematics with Nature.
According to his calculation, after each of the 12 months, the pairs would have been these:
1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144
This sequence of numbers is infinite, however, because…
Each of these numbers (except the first two) is the sum of the previous two! But it doesn't end there,
The ratio between two consecutive numbers gives as a result a number that is always the same for each division…
Not just any number but the golden ratio, also called the GOLDEN SECTION.
The Golden Section
It is the number 1.618, discovered by the Greeks and defined as the ratio between width and length that the human eye considers most pleasant, apparently not only the human eye…
If you put two squares with side 1 next to each other, you create a golden rectangle; adding a square with side 2 to the longer side you get another golden rectangle arranged vertically. If you add a square with side 3 to this, you get another golden rectangle and so on following the Fibonacci numbers. If in each square you draw an arc with a compass that has the lower internal angle as its center and the side of the square as its opening, you get a golden spiral.
Link between mathematics and Nature…
The Golden Ratio in Nature
The Fibonacci sequence, as well as the golden section, are present in Nature more than we can imagine. Let's begin!
The flowers
The number of petals, stamens and pistils of many flowers corresponds to a Fibonacci number, an example for everyone is the wonderful PASSION FLOWER with 3 pistils and 5 stamens or the DAISY, famous protagonist of the question he loves me he loves not…
Don't worry, she will always love you because the petals are odd!
Phyllotaxis (arrangement of leaves on branches)
Observing a plant from above, you can see that the leaves are not arranged randomly but in a sort of spiral: each leaf tends to occupy a position that does not hide the "companions" below. Thanks to this order, each leaf can receive the amount of light sufficient to complete its life cycle regularly and rainwater can quickly reach the roots.
When the plant has many leaves, it inevitably happens that there are leaves arranged above others. The curious fact is that the arrangement of the leaves along a stem always makes a number of turns around the stem itself before a leaf overlaps another equal to a Fibonacci number (usually 5 or 8). And again: counting the leaves arranged on the stem between two that overlap... You always find a quantity equal to a Fibonacci number.
In nature there are no coincidences…
Growth phenomena
Let's dive into the sea now! The golden spiral par excellence is found in a very ancient marine mollusk: the Nautilus!
Its white shell with orange-red streaks is divided internally into a series of chambers connected by a channel (siphon) that allows the circulation of liquids from one compartment to another. The structure of the shell is the basis of the floating of the Nautilus. When a chamber is emptied, through the siphon, of the liquids that were present inside it, it fills with gas.
By varying the ratio between the quantity of gas and that of the liquids present in the chambers, the Nautilus is able to choose at what depth to stay. In the structure of the shell, the presence of the golden section can be recognized; in fact, the ratio between one coil of the Nautilus and the next is equal to the ratio between two successive Fibonacci numbers, that is, the golden number.
A “mathematical” growth
The growth of the Nautilus and many other molluscs such as gastropods (snails) follows the golden ratio, but not only that… Think of the horns of goats, the tusks of elephants, the claws or the tail of some particular animals such as the chameleon and our friend the seahorse!
Don't they remind you of the golden spiral?
The waves of the sea
The evolution of sea waves follows the golden spiral, they are not created in a confused or inhomogeneous way but always following this extraordinary succession of numbers.
The man
Although we often forget that we too are part of Nature, our body can always remind us.
Our growth is also dictated by the golden number and the Fibonacci sequence… Look at your hand: the phalanges of your fingers have grown with a very precise ratio… 1.618.
Amazing, right? And if you close your hand into a fist, what do you see?
Yes, it's her... The golden spiral!
And the ear? The closer its shape is to the golden spiral, the more aesthetically beautiful it is considered! Why?
Does the golden ratio only mean perfection and aesthetic taste or is it also synonymous with efficiency, as it has ALWAYS been discovered and adopted by Nature?
Something to think about…
Thanks for reading this article to the end, Friendly Fins!
We've rambled on this week, but we hope you enjoyed it anyway!
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