My daughter Kate introduced me to a series of youtube videos called Doodling in Math Class. There are actually several videos which are oddly compelling, all about the Fibonacci sequence, and how to draw spirals. The producer, who is supposedly doodling in her math class and thinking more about real world applications of mathematical concepts than whatever is actually happening in class, ties together a lot of facets about the Fibonacci sequence, and then applies it to plants (including a fascinating bit about how plant hormones contribute to the perfection of a spiral.)
Dewees Island is a great place to find perfect spirals in the form of seashells; here are several shells found on the island recently.
Since today is the first day of school in Charleston County, and I am sure none of my children are actually doodling in math class, I thought I would share it with anyone else who finds themselves with a few reflective moments to think at the end of a busy summer. It would seem that the hormone/growth theory would also apply to the growing shells of molluscs. IF you play the video below, it should lead you to parts two and three. Know that you’ll either need to put up with some goofy doodles for the first minute, or just skip ahead to the 1 minute mark to get to the coolest part.
I highly recommend watching the videos. They are indeed oddly compelling.
LOVE THE VIDEOS! She is a brilliant artist, and clearly brilliant with numbers, but she also does a great job of making it interesting to those of us who are brilliant at neither! Well done! and thanks for sharing!
Shared this with my math genius son-loved it!
And I love your posts, Judy. Can’t wait to get back to Dewees paradise soon!
Now check out this old school math video. http://youtu.be/Bfq5kju627c