Fibonacci Spirals
Context:
A new study recently published in The Conversation challenged the viewpoint that Fibonacci spirals are found in each of the plant species.
Findings of the Study:
- The study suggested that few plants don’t follow a Fibonacci pattern.
- It overturned the view that all leafy plants started out growing leaves that followed the Fibonacci pattern.
- The arrangement of leaves on a plant stem, the texture of a pineapple or the scales of a pinecone shows examples of mathematical patterns in nature.
- All these botanical features have a shared characteristic of being arranged in spirals that adhere to a numerical sequence called the Fibonacci sequence.
- Fibonacci sequence – It is a set of numbers where each is the sum of the two numbers that precede it (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 and so on).
- These patterns are particularly widespread in plants and can even be recognised with the naked eye. They can also be seen in animal shells and even in the double helix of our DNA.
- These spirals are believed to represent an ancient and highly conserved feature, dating back to the earliest stages of plant evolution and persisting in their present forms.