Finding Geometry in Nature

Concentric Circles

Have you ever dropped a pebble into a pond and seen the circles that ripple out? Or the rings that circle one another on a tree stump? Those are all concentric circles!

Concentric circles are circles that are different sizes but share the same center. They circle each other, growing out and getting bigger and bigger. They’re not just in ponds and on tree stumps — they’re in your kitchen! Slice an onion and count how many circles you find.

Where can you find concentric circles? Take a stroll through your local park or neighborhood — what do you see?

Fibonacci Sequence

We’ve all heard of Fibonacci numbers, but how do they apply to everyday life? The sequence, discovered by and named for 12th-century Italian mathematician Fibonacci, is a series of numbers where the next number is the sum of the previous two numbers. For example: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…

The numbers alone have no real significance, but they crop up all the time in mathematics and yes, in nature! You can find these famous numbers in your local plants. Count the petals on a sunflower, a black-eyed Susan, or a daisy. Do the number of petals seem familiar? Sunflowers most often have 55, 89, or 144 petals. Black-eyed Susans often have 13, and daisies will vary from 34 to 89.