MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

MATH0011
Numbers
u be s aandd Patterns
atte s in Nature
atu e aandd Lifee

Patterns of arrangements of seeds on a

sunflower head, a pineapple, a pine cone, etc:

Lecture 1

Phyllotaxis
Fibonacci patterns in plants
http://147.8.101.93/MATH0011/

sunflower head

pinecone
1

Phyllotaxis (phyllo = leaf, taxis = arrangement):

study of geometrical and numerical patterns in
plants.
Parastichies: spirals formed by the patterns of
seeds, leaves, scales, etc.

Observation: number of spirals in each direction.

sunflower head
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

Observation: number of spirals in each direction.

Observation: number of spirals in each direction.

34 counter-clockwise spirals

55 clockwise spirals
4

Parastichies numbers
= (34,55).

Other types of sunflowers may have numbers

(13,21), or (21,34), or (55,89), or (89,144),
Pine cones have numbers (2,3), (3,5), (5,8),
Dragon fruits have numbers (3,5)
Pineapples have numbers (8,13)
Broccoli and cauliflower have numbers (5,8)
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Striking fact: Most parastichies numbers are

consecutive pairs from the Fibonacci
sequence
1, 2, 3, 5, 8,13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...
(Rarely happened) exceptional cases: some
parastichies numbers are consecutive pairs
from the sequence
2, 4, 6, 10, 16, 26, 42,
or from the anomalous sequence or Lucas
sequence
1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 18, 29, ...
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

Some early history

A third set of spirals: 21 spirals

triplet of parastichies numbers: (21,34,55)

Ancient Egyptians probably observed and knew about

some regular patterns in plants.
Ancient Greek scholars wrote about regular leaf and plant
patterns.
1400s: Leonardo da Vinci wrote in a
notebook about parastichy patterns in plants.
1700s:
1700
s: Charles Bonnet and G.L.
G L Calandrini studied
parastichies of fir cones.
1830s: Alexander Braun observed that pairs of
parastichies numbers for pine cones are usually
consecutive Fibonacci numbers.

Fibonacci numbers

Fibonacci found solution to a

problem of monthly
population growth of rabbits.

Leonardo Pisano
(Fibonacci) 1170-1250
10

As fn = fn1+ fn2 , the sequence f1 , f2 , f3 , f4 , f5 , is

1, 2, 3, 5, 8,13, 21, 34, .
This is called the Fibonacci sequence

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MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

Ratio of consecutive Fibonacci numbers

Finding exact value of

fn+1
fn+ 2 fn+1 + fn
f
=
= 1+ n
and limit of
fn
fn+1
fn+1
fn+1
f
are both . Taking limits of n+1 and
as ,
fn
we have

fn + 1
the ratio
, as n becomes bigger and bigger,
fn

Limit of

approaches a particular value :

2/1 = 2.0
34/21 = 1.619047...
3/2 = 1.5
55/34 = 1.6176470...
5/3 = 1.6666
89/55 = 1.6181818...
8/5 = 1.6
144/89 = 1.6179775...
13/8 = 1.625
233/144 = 1.61805555...
21/13 = 1.615384
...

=1+

Therefore

, which gives

2 1 = 0

1+ 5
= 1.61803398 ...
2

12

Relationship between phyllotaxis and

Fibonacci numbers

is called the golden ratio.

Interpretations of

C A
=
A B

1
1

13

1
14

Fibonacci numbers
1,2,3,5,8,13,21,...

Golden ratio

Parastiches (spiral)
numbers in plants

?????
?????

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MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

Biology: actual growth of sunflower head

or similar plants
primordia

Generative spiral: continuous spiral through

consecutively formed primordia.
Divergence angle: angle between two consecutive
primordia.
primordia

Apex
Generative spiral

primordia

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Around 1837, Auguste and Louis Bravais

discovered that in many cases the divergence
angle is close to 137.5o.

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Another way to get

360 o = 222.49223 ...o

This is a special angle !

360 o 222.49223 ...o = 137.50776...o

360 o = 582.49223 ...o

720 o 582.49223
582 49223 ...o = 137.50776.
137 50776 ..o

This special angle is called the golden angle

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: = : 1 = 1.618...
= 1: 1
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

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Relationship between phyllotaxis and Fibonacci numbers

Fibonacci numbers
1,2,3,5,8,13,21,...

Parastichies (spiral)
numbers in plants

Why nature chooses

Golden ratio
Golden angle

Hypothetical cases
o
case 1: divergence angle (d) = 120

Divergence
angle

as divergence angle?
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Hypothetical cases
o
o
case 2: d = 135 = 360 x (3/8)

21

Hypothetical cases
All cases in which
o
d = 360 x (p/q)
where p, q are positive integers (may
assume p and q have no common factors)
will result in q radial lines of seeds.

NO GOOD !

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Notice that

p
are rational numbers.
q
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

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Rational numbers are those numbers in the

form of p where p, q are integers, q nonzero.
q

Irrational numbers are all those real numbers

which are not rational.
2 is irrational.
p
Proof Suppose 2 = q . We may assume p, q have no

How about the case d = 360o x s

where s is an irrational number ?
Hypothetical
case:
s= 2

common factors. Since 2q2 = p2 , 2 divides p2. Hence 2

divides p. Let p=2r. Then 2q2 = p2 = (2r)2 = 4r2, or q2 = 2r2.
Hence 2 divides q2, and thus 2 divides q. This means p
and q have common factor 2 ---- a contradiction!

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When d = = 360

3 5
= 137.50...o
2

25

1979 H. Vogel
observed that
when d = 137.3o

Most tightly
packed
Gaps appear.
No good !

parastichies
numbers: (34,55)
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

What is the mathematical properties of or

that make them so special to give the most
efficient packing?

is irrational, and can be written as a

continued fraction:

When d = 137.6o

= 1+
Also no good !

1
1
1+
1
1+
1
1+
1+...

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can be approximated by fractions of the form:

1
1+

1
1

1+
1
+

1
1
1+
1

1+
1
+

1
1
1+
1
1+
1

1+

1
1
1+
1
1+
1
1+
1

...

Fact: every irrational number s can be written as

continued fraction of the form (a0,,a1, are
integers, a1, a2, > 0)
a0 +

which are 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 , They are ratios of

1

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a1 +

1
a2 +

1
a3 +

1
a4 + ...

s can be best approximated by rational numbers:

consecutive
ti pairs
i off Fibonacci
Fib
i numbers.
b
a0

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1
a0 +
a1

a0 +

1
a1 +

1
a2

a0 +

1
a1 +

1
1
a2 +
a3

a0 +

1
a1 +

1
a2 +

1
a3 +

1
a4

...
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

2007/02/02

Theorem is the irrational number such that,

among all other irrational numbers, when using its
best rational approximates for approximation, the
resulting errors are biggest
biggest.

Conclusions

Thus can be interpreted as the most irrational

number.

The golden angle , when used as the

divergence
g
angles,
g
g
gives the most efficient
packing of primordia.
The golden ratio has rich mathematical
properties that make it the best choice for the
irrational number s for divergence angle
o
d=360 x s

Question

How do plants know these things?

32

33

An experiment on magnetic fluid

Theories on cause of Fibonacci patterns

1868 Wilhelm Hofmeister proposed that each

new primordium forms in the largest gap left
by preceding primordia. 1962 Mary and Robert
Snow proposed that a new primordium will
grow whenever a certain minimal amount of
space becomes available at the apex.
1913 Johannes Schoute argued that primordia
release chemical inhibitors to keep others from
growing too close.

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1992, done by S.Douady and Y.Couder.

Tiny drops of magnetic fluid fall at regular
intervals into the center of a dish which was
filled with silicone oil.
The drops, polarized by magnetic field, repel
each other.
Drops are attracted towards edge of dish by
magnetic field.
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MATH0011 Lecture 1

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Experiment results

Sketch of experiment apparatus

Patterns formed depend on length of intervals

between drops.
Prevalent patterns are those with a divergence
angle very close to

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Experiment results

Divergence angles that are not close to

also occur.
Parastichies numbers from the anomalous
sequence 3, 4, 7, 11, 18, also occur.
These mean real life exceptional phyllotaxis
cases were reproduced!
Computer simulations
simulations, using different
repulsive energy functions for the drops,
were carried out. Results were qualitatively
the same.

Implication of results

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Phenomenon of phyllotaxis patterns

may be results of simple physical or
mathematical laws.

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MATH0011 Lecture 1

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Two roles of mathematics in

research (of other disciplines)

References

Mathematical modeling
g

Press, 1994.

Research problem

Mathematical model

Phyllotaxis, Rober V. Jean, Cambridge University

Mathematical theory

Research problem
Mathematical theory

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Lifes Other Secret, Ian Stewart, Allen Lane The

Penguen Press, 1998.
Mathematics in Nature, John A. Adam, Princeton
University Press, 2003.
Phyllotaxis as a physical self-organized growth
process, S. Douady and Y. Couder, Physical Review
Letters, Vol. 68, no. 12, 1992, 2098-2101.
www resources (in links section of course website).
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