Finding Geometry in Nature
Math is all around you, whether you’re trekking, gardening in your home, or simply walking around your neighborhood. Not just in the design of the buildings, you see, but math also goes into constructing streets and pavements. Math may appear abstract at times, yet it can be readily found in the plants we see every day.
Nature, which surrounds us, is the most prominent example of geometry in everyday life. If you look attentively, different geometrical shapes and patterns can be found in leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and bark. The human digestive system’s arrangement also influences the importance of geometry as a tube within a tube. The trees’ leaves come in various shapes, sizes, and symmetries. Different fruits and vegetables have different geometrical forms; for example, an orange is a sphere.
Observing Natural Circles Around Us
In nature, we see a wide range of shapes, circles, and dimensions. Some of these circles in nature were formed by natural growth, while others were formed by the impact of the wind or waves on natural textures. Some are created by animals, others by natural cause and effect, and still others are rejected by nature.
They are all made in nature, regardless of how they are created.
Have you ever thrown a pebble into a pond and seen it ripple out in circles? Or the rings that form a circle around a tree stump? All of those are concentric circles!
Some examples of natural circles are:
| Beach Stone |  |
| Hazelnut |  |
| Rings in Onion |  |
| Flower of the Agapanthus |  |
| Sea Urchin |  |
| Solar Eclipse |  |
| Slice of Bamboo |  |
Where can You Find Concentric Circles?
Take a walk through the park or neighborhood. What do you see?
Many flowers, seeds, and plants, as well as the food we eat, include circles. To be reminded of the natural forms in our world, all we have to do is look at the rings in a tree’s development, the perfect round cup of an acorn, and the ripples in puddles.
| Rings in Cedarwood |  |
| Acorn Cup |  |
| Ripples in Water |  |
For example, let us take our galaxy, which has a Fibonacci spiral design. Planets revolve around the sun in concentric rings. Saturn’s rings are composed of concentric circles as well. A solar eclipse is also possible due to the earth, moon, and sun’s unique symmetry in outer space. The explanation is math. Isn’t nature incredible?
One of nature’s rings is the moon.
If we think about it a little more, we can see the full moon as a circle. It appears once a month. That isn’t to say the rest of the month is insignificant; the moon’s many phases are the result of one circle merging with another.
Natural Formations of Circles in Nature
- Giant snowballs up to 1 meter in diameter were discovered on Siberia’s northwest coast, formed by minute ice crystals that were driven along a stretch of shoreline by wind and waves.
- The houses built by nature’s inhabitants are reflected by other circles. Take a look at birds’ nests or sea urchin shells.
What are Concentric Circles?
Two or more circles having a shared center are referred to as concentric circles. Every concentric circle will have a different radius, but they will all share the exact midpoint, also known as the midway.
Examples of Concentric Circles in Real Life
Have you ever looked at a ship’s wheel? It is made up of two concentric rings that are connected by spokes. Most of us have tried our hand at darts. Concentric circles can also be found on a dartboard. A series of concentric green and white circles make up a dartboard. The radius of each circle is different. The common core of the circles is the red bulls-eye in the center.
The roulette wheel is another example of a concentric circle.
What is the Meaning of a Concentric Pattern?
A concentric pattern has two or more similar shapes that share a common center. In geometry, concentric circles are two or more circles with the same center but different radii. The space between two concentric circles is known as an annulus.
The gap between two concentric circles is known as an annulus. The term “annulus” is derived from the Latin word “annulus,” which means “small ring.” Imagine a doughnut.
The outside border of the doughnut and the hole in the middle are two concentric circles. The annulus, or doughnut itself, is the space between the circles.
What are Concentric Circles in Art?
Two or more circles having a shared center are referred to as concentric circles. Every concentric circle will have a different radius, but they will all share the same midpoint, also known as a midway.
Some more examples of concentric circles:
- The rim of a car wheel and the disk brake.
- The rim of a circular dining table and the rim of a rotary disk at the center for placing the food.
- The tracks are on a circular race track.
- The rim is at the top and bottom of a wine glass.
Let’s Conclude
It is a well-known fact that math is all around us. Geometry is a type of math that may be found in almost every part of our lives. Symmetrical geometry may be seen in many places in nature. From the six-fold symmetry of snowflakes and the splash of raindrops that generate radial symmetry to the bilateral symmetry on tigers’ faces or the wings of a butterfly, symmetry is everywhere. The honeycomb structure of honey bee hives, for example, is made out of visually pleasing hexagonal prism wax cells.
These are only a few instances of geometry in the natural world. You’ll discover examples of geometry in practically anything you see if you look closely enough. Geometry positively influences our understanding of the world around us by teaching us how and why things are built, thus impacting our creativity.
We hope you enjoyed this article by BYJU’S FutureSchool and learned something new today. Kindly leave a comment below with your opinions.
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