In nature it is common to find fascinating mathematical patterns. The shapes of some plants, animals, and environments make us wonder if organisms themselves may be designed this way or if Is there a mastermind behind its structure?. And it is that, from a certain perspective, it is incredible that the apparently chaotic universe is organized with such precision. Even, Albert Einstein ever asked: «How is it possible that mathematics, the product of human thought, independent of experience, adjusts excellently to the objects of reality?».
For many math is language not only from nature, but of the universe. However, it is difficult to state this without provoking controversies and existential doubts very big, that not even science can answer yet. But we will not stop thinking about Einstein’s question and try, at least with new questions, to reflect beyond what is apparent.
The utility of fractals
Fractals are geometric objects that maintain the same basic structure at different levels.. In this way, they form a pattern that keeps their development regular. Some do not seem so clear to us because at first glance they are messy, but they are there. tree roots They are an example of this, since they grow with the same structure, although not in the same way. Other patterns are much more evident, such as those found in the snowflakes.
But why are there fractals and mathematical patterns in nature? On the first pages of his book Mathematics in Nature, John A Adam proposes some clues explored by various mathematicians throughout history.
It makes sense to think that if the conditions of space are relatively stable, they force things to behave in a stable way as well. Sometimes slowly and sometimes very fast, the universe is changing Y our planet is changing too. A irrefutable proof of it is the extinction of some species of animals and plants. This means that, in order to survive, living things remain similar to themselves (like fractals), in response to the environment they inhabit. If this environment were to change drastically, it is very likely that said beings would disappear (by the way, Human beings have radically modified the environment that we share with other living beings.and this has been reflected in consequences as serious as climate change).
Nature saves energy
Peter S. Stevens, author of Patterns in Nature, explain what the way in which nature is structured responds to the limits imposed by the three-dimensional space we inhabit and the relationship between the size of things and their functionality. This idea could be linked to one of Pat Murphy, who states that patterns in nature respond to the need to save energy and make its use much more efficient. If a form works to keep an organism alive, it replicates on multiple levels.
Who defines the patterns, designs the universe
Mathematics can describe phenomena in our world, but we cannot confirm that they occur because the universe is mathematically designed. Perhaps mathematics is just a way of making visible the result of the relationships between the parts of this great whole that is the universe. That way of organizing the world could be result of the same impetus that leads other living beings to behave as they do: the need to survive. Would it be risky to think that the mind behind the mathematical design of the universe is your own?
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