{"id":8330,"date":"2026-02-03T16:17:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T16:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/?p=8330"},"modified":"2026-02-20T03:07:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T03:07:36","slug":"patterns-in-nature-philip-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"Patterns in Nature, Philip Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">February 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does, Philip Ball, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#About_the_Book\" >About the Book<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#The_Book\" >The Book<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Introduction\" >Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Symmetry\" >Symmetry<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Fractals\" >Fractals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Spirals\" >Spirals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Flow_and_Chaos\" >Flow and Chaos<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Waves_and_Dunes\" >Waves and Dunes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Bubbles_and_Foam\" >Bubbles and Foam<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Arrays_and_Tiling\" >Arrays and Tiling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Cracks\" >Cracks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/#Spots_and_Stripes\" >Spots and Stripes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_the_Book\"><\/span>About the Book<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My pick for the first round of reading for the club for 2026. I&#8217;m obsessed with patterns, and this book has 250 beautiful photos. Whether it will go deep enough to teach me some new things is another question, but even if not it should be a pleasant read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Book\"><\/span>The Book<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span>Introduction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 1917 D&#8217;Arcy Wentworth Thompson published <em>On Growth and Form<\/em>. One of his aims was to counter the tendency to ascribe all patterns to evolution, to assert that they were all products of adaptation and natural selection. Instead, he argues, that often patterns simply arise from physical forces. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Patterns are often (always?) produced via growth. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2026 it does make many patterns variations on a theme, and reflects the fact that they often arise from broadly similar processes-ones in which some driving force, be it gravity or heat or evolution, prevents the system from ever settling into a steady, unchanging state; in which various influences interact with each other, sometimes reinforcing and sometimes competing; in which patterns and forms might switch abruptly to a new shape and appearance when the driving force exceeds some threshold value; in which small events can have big consequences and what goes on here can influence what transpires at a distant point there; and in which accidents may get frozen into place and determine what unfolds thereafter.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014ibid., <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Symmetry\"><\/span>Symmetry<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Symmetry operations: Reflection; Rotation; Translation. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Patterns arise through (limited) symmetry breaking. Something that is perfectly symmetric, i.e. the same under all symmetry operation, has no pattern; pattern arise from reducing symmetry. &#8220;The more symmetry that gets broken, the more subtle and elaborate the patterns.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fractals\"><\/span>Fractals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A complex pattern may be described simply if one focuses on the process that generates it. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fractal networks, having fractional dimensions, are good at spanning an integral dimensional space without filling it up. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fractal forms may be produced by growth and accumulation, or by erosion and removal. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Growth instabilities<\/strong> \u2014 self amplifying projections as in snowflake formation.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the absence of fractal structures filled spaces in which redistribution must occur must generate their own structures (e.g., convection cells or \u2018pedestrian columns.\u2019)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The self-similarity across scales means that a complex structure can be produced by a simple algorithm.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The branching vein networks of leaves, unlike branches or roots, can intersect and join up, forming loops that provide alternative pathways if parts of the leaf are damaged. P 70.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spirals\"><\/span>Spirals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Archimedean vs.\u00a0 logarithmic\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logarithmic: increase circumference as it grows; one side grows faster (to create curve).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vortices due to friction in moving fluid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flow vortices vs self-organizing density waves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Flow_and_Chaos\"><\/span>Flow and Chaos<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Laminar flow<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shear flow<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>K\u00e1rm\u00e1n vortex streets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2022 \u2022 Flocking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Waves_and_Dunes\"><\/span>Waves and Dunes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bubbles_and_Foam\"><\/span>Bubbles and Foam<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Arrays_and_Tiling\"><\/span>Arrays and Tiling<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cracks\"><\/span>Cracks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spots_and_Stripes\"><\/span>Spots and Stripes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Views: 15<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 2026 Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does, Philip Ball, 2016 About the Book My pick for the first round of reading for the club for 2026. I&#8217;m obsessed with patterns, and this book has 250 beautiful photos. Whether it will go deep enough to teach me some new &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/2026\/02\/03\/patterns-in-nature-philip-ball\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Patterns in Nature, Philip Ball<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,78,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-notes","category-now-reading","category-science_books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8330"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8648,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8330\/revisions\/8648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomeri.org\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}