Research Catalog

Title

Patterns in nature : why the natural world looks the way it does / Philip Ball.

Author

Ball, Philip, 1962-

Publication

Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

288 pages : illustrations (chiefly color); 27 cm

Summary

"Though at first glance the natural world may appear overwhelming in its diversity and complexity, there are regularities running through it, from the hexagons of a honeycomb to the spirals of a seashell and the branching veins of a leaf. Revealing the order at the foundation of the seemingly chaotic natural world, Patterns in Nature explores not only the math and science but also the beauty and artistry behind nature's awe-inspiring designs."--Amazon.com.

Subject

• Pattern formation (Physical sciences)
• Pattern formation (Biology)
• Geometry in nature
• Nature

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references.

Contents

Symmetry: why your left is like your right (and why it's different) -- Fractals: why mountains look like molehills -- Spirals: why there's maths in snails and sunflowers -- Flow: patterns in motion -- Waves and dunes: how to make a chemical clock -- Bubbles and foam: why bees know best and froth inspires architects -- Arrays and tilings: why crystals aren't five-sided -- and how to make impossible ones that are -- Cracks: how things fall apart, and how a giant made his staircase -- Spots and stripes: how the zebra paints its coat.

Call Number

JBF 18-198

ISBN

• 9780226332420
• 022633242X

LCCN

2015034568

OCLC

920944547

Author

Ball, Philip, 1962- author.

Title

Patterns in nature : why the natural world looks the way it does / Philip Ball.

Publisher

Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references.

Research Call Number

JBF 18-198