Formula unlocks secrets of cauliflower's geometry
The laws that govern how intricate surface patterns, such as those
found in the cauliflower, develop over time have been described, for the
first time, by a group of European researchers. In a study published
October 24, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's
New Journal of Physics, researchers have provided a mathematical formula to describe the processes that dictate how cauliflower-like patterns -- a type of fractal pattern -- form and develop.
The term fractal defines a pattern that, when you take a small part of
it, looks similar, although perhaps not identical, to its full
structure. For example, the leaf of a fern tree resembles the full plant
and a river's tributary resembles the shape of the river itself.
Nature is full of fractal patterns; they can be seen in clouds,
lightning bolts, crystals, snowflakes, mountains, and blood vessels. The
fractal pattern of the cauliflower plant is ubiquitous and can be
spotted in numerous living and non-living systems.
The
properties of fractals, such as their shapes, sizes and relative
positions, have been studied extensively; however, little is known about
the processes involved in their formation.
Read more at http://esciencenews.com/
Image: spacecollective.org
Formula unlocks secrets of cauliflower's geometry
The laws that govern how intricate surface patterns, such as those found in the cauliflower, develop over time have been described, for the first time, by a group of European researchers. In a study published October 24, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, researchers have provided a mathematical formula to describe the processes that dictate how cauliflower-like patterns -- a type of fractal pattern -- form and develop.
The term fractal defines a pattern that, when you take a small part of it, looks similar, although perhaps not identical, to its full structure. For example, the leaf of a fern tree resembles the full plant and a river's tributary resembles the shape of the river itself.
Nature is full of fractal patterns; they can be seen in clouds, lightning bolts, crystals, snowflakes, mountains, and blood vessels. The fractal pattern of the cauliflower plant is ubiquitous and can be spotted in numerous living and non-living systems.
The properties of fractals, such as their shapes, sizes and relative positions, have been studied extensively; however, little is known about the processes involved in their formation.
Read more at http://esciencenews.com/
Image: spacecollective.org
The laws that govern how intricate surface patterns, such as those found in the cauliflower, develop over time have been described, for the first time, by a group of European researchers. In a study published October 24, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, researchers have provided a mathematical formula to describe the processes that dictate how cauliflower-like patterns -- a type of fractal pattern -- form and develop.
The term fractal defines a pattern that, when you take a small part of it, looks similar, although perhaps not identical, to its full structure. For example, the leaf of a fern tree resembles the full plant and a river's tributary resembles the shape of the river itself.
Nature is full of fractal patterns; they can be seen in clouds, lightning bolts, crystals, snowflakes, mountains, and blood vessels. The fractal pattern of the cauliflower plant is ubiquitous and can be spotted in numerous living and non-living systems.
The properties of fractals, such as their shapes, sizes and relative positions, have been studied extensively; however, little is known about the processes involved in their formation.
Read more at http://esciencenews.com/
Image: spacecollective.org
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