Shapes
Price:
$29.95 (01)Description
Patterns are everywhere in nature--in the ranks of clouds in the sky, the stripes of an angelfish, the arrangement of petals in flowers. Where does this order and regularity come from? As Philip Ball reveals in Nature's Patterns: A Tapestry in Three Parts , this order creates itself. The patterns we see come from self-organization. Indeed, scientists have found that there is a pattern-forming tendency inherent in the basic structure and processes of nature, whether living or non-living, so that from a few simple themes, and the repetition of simple rules, endless beautiful variations can arise.Part of a trilogy of books exploring the science of patterns in nature, Shapes looks at how shapes form. From soap bubbles to honeycombs, delicate shell patterns, and even the developing body parts of a complex animal like ourselves, the author uncovers patterns in growth and form in all corners of the natural world, explains how these patterns are self-made, and describes why similar shapes and structures may be found in very different settings, orchestrated by nothing more than simple physical forces. This book will make you look at the world with fresh eyes, seeing order and form in places you'd least expect.
Features
- Part of a trilogy of books exploring the science of how patterns arise in nature, written by award-winning science writer Philip Ball
- Presents an eye-opening look at the world, revealing the order and form that exist in the most unexpected places, from crystals and chemical reactions, to butterfly wings, leopard skins, and even entire ecosystems
- Brings together a fascinating variety of sciences: from the mathematics of symmetry, to natural history, evolution, oscillating chemical reactions, biomechanics, and even modern-day engineering and architecture
Reviews
"From the curl of a ram's horn to patterns of spider webs and the development of an embryo, Mr. Ball examines the possible causes of the shapes and forms we observe...a lot of fascinating detail about the different physical, chemical and evolutionary processes at work."--The Economist
"Provide[s] a window into all that's fascinating in nature, skimming from pattern to pattern in prose and history, shedding light on the physical and chemical forces behind nature's tapestry without losing readers in the math." --Seed Magazine
Product Details
320 pages; 220 b/w illus., 8pp color plate section; 5-1/2 x 8-1/2; ISBN13: 978-0-19-923796-8ISBN10: 0-19-923796-4About the Author(s)
Philip Ball is a freelance writer and a consultant editor for Nature . He is a regular commentator in the scientific and popular media on science and its interactions with art, history and culture. His books include H2O: A Biography of Water, The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science and Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads To Another , which won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. He was awarded the 2006 James T. Grady - James H. Stack award by the American Chemical Society for interpreting chemistry for the public.
