Plant Mathematics

Today's FamilyFirst site is a subject that I find completely baffling: mathematics.

I did really well through school, with one exception: math. Math was the subject that earned me b- and lower grades, in the case of ninth grade algebra, MUCH lower :-(.

So it was with great trepidation that i reviewed today's selection: Math Trek: The Mathematical Lives of Plants.

Now don't worry, nobody hates math more than me. But the site is fascinating, fun, and educational. Here's its premise:

A surprising number of plants have spiral patterns in which each leaf, seed, or other structure follows the next at a particular angle called the golden angle. The golden angle is about 137.5º. Two radii of a circle C form the golden angle if they divide the circle into two areas A and B so that A/B = B/C.

The plants that follow the golden angle include sunflowers, cacti, and pine trees (the pattern shows up in the cones).

Man, who would have ever dreamed that plant growth could be explained and predicted mathematically. This universe we live in is one seriously amazing creation.

So spend a little time here, read the article, and at least try to keep up with the math. If nothing else, your friends will be seriously impressed if you point out that the sunflower exhibits growth governed by Fibonacci numbers.

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070505/mathtrek.asp

Digg It! It's Del.icio.us! Furl It!