Fun With Spirals

Nautilus shell cut in half (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Spirals in nature have a lot in common: Most of them are shaped like this nautilus shell.

Pine cones, flowers and hurricanes follow this same spiral pattern. Did you know they’re described by Fibonacci numbers?

On Throw Back Thursday have fun with spirals in this vintage article: Fibonacci.

Spirals on a pine cone (photo by Kate St. John)
Spirals in a sunflower (photo by Kate St. John)
Satellite image of Hurricane Katia, 31 Aug 2011 (image from NASA, MODIS Rapid Response System on Wikimedia Commons)
Satellite image of Hurricane Katia, 31 Aug 2011 (image from NASA, MODIS Rapid Response System on Wikimedia Commons)

(photo credits: flower and pine cone by Kate St. John, shell and hurricane from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)

2 thoughts on “Fun With Spirals

  1. Do spirals favor clockwise or counterclockwise in nature? I know hurricanes are determined by hemisphere, but what about flowers, veggies, and shells?

    1. Joyce, the video embedded in the Fibonacci blog (see link in post) shows spirals going both ways on the same pine cone. Yow! It’s amazing!

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