MATHS

Patterns: Maths in Nature! What do a pinecone, snail shell, pineapple, and sunflower have in common? Look at this picture of a sunflower.

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Do you see a pattern in the way the seeds are arranged? A pinecone, pineapple, and snail shell have this pattern, too. So do lots of other plants and animals. This is called the Fibonacci Spiral. The Fibonacci Spiral is based upon the Fibonacci numbers. These numbers are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13As you can see each number in the sequence is the sum of the previous two. Symmetry. Many mathematical principles are based on ideals, and apply to an abstract, perfect world. This perfect world of mathematics is reflected in the imperfect physical world, such as in the approximate symmetry of a face divided by an axis along the nose. More symmetrical faces are generally regarded as more aesthetically pleasing. Shapes-Perfect

http://www.google.es/imgres?imgurl=http Earth is the perfect shape for minimizing the pull of gravity on its outer edges - a sphere .Geometry is the branch of math that describes such shapes. Shapes Polyhedra

Mara Caballero

I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

A.N.L.: MATHS

MATHS

For a beehive, close packing is important to maximize the use of space. Hexagons fit most closely together without any gaps; so hexagonal wax cells are what bees create to store their eggs and larvae. Hexagons are six-sided polygons, closed, 2-dimensional, many-sided figures with straight edges.

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ShapesCones Volcanoes form cones, the steepness and height of which depends on the runniness (viscosity) of the lava. Fast, runny lava forms flatter cones; thick, viscous lava forms steep-sided cones. Cones are 3-dimensional solids whose volume can be calculated by 1/3 x area of base x height. Parallelines In mathematics, parallel lines stretch to infinity, neither converging nor diverging. These parallel dunes in the Australian desert aren't perfect - the physical world rarely is.

Activities: 1. Find out in the internet or encyclopedia Who Fibonacci was. What the golden ratio is. What a fractal is. 2. Give examples in nature where you can find the following shapes: A spiral. a circle, an hexagon ,a cone, parallel lines and symmetry.

Mara Caballero

I.E.S. FERNANDO III EL SANTO / PROYECTO BILINGE

A.N.L.: MATHS