Studies of pattern formation make use of computer models to simulate a wide range of patterns.Įarly Greek philosophers attempted to explain order in nature, anticipating modern concepts.
Patterns in living things are explained by the biological processes of natural selection and sexual selection. Mathematics, physics and chemistry can explain patterns in nature at different levels and scales. The Hungarian biologist Aristid Lindenmayer and the French American mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot showed how the mathematics of fractals could create plant growth patterns. In the 20th century, the British mathematician Alan Turing predicted mechanisms of morphogenesis which give rise to patterns of spots and stripes. Scottish biologist D'Arcy Thompson pioneered the study of growth patterns in both plants and animals, showing that simple equations could explain spiral growth. The German biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel painted hundreds of marine organisms to emphasise their symmetry. In the 19th century, the Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau examined soap films, leading him to formulate the concept of a minimal surface. The modern understanding of visible patterns developed gradually over time. Early Greek philosophers studied pattern, with Plato, Pythagoras and Empedocles attempting to explain order in nature. Natural patterns include symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes. These patterns recur in different contexts and can sometimes be modelled mathematically. Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form found in the natural world.
Patterns of the veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, provide camouflage and signal mood as well as breeding condition. The crescent shaped dunes and the ripples on their surfaces repeat wherever there are suitable conditions. Natural patterns form as wind blows sand in the dunes of the Namib Desert.
Visible regularity of form found in the natural world
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