Go on a Fun Scavenger Hunt for Math in Nature

May 20, 2018 | Littleton

As the weather gets warmer, kids go outside more often and stay out longer. Sometimes it is hard to get them inside to focus on math. On those days, consider joining the kids outside for a Mathnasium Math Scavenger Hunt.

There are examples of math in nature everywhere we look. That is not unexpected, considering math is a language to describe the world around us. On your scavenger hunt you will discover some surprising places in nature with precise order and patterns. See if anyone in your group can find one example of each characteristic listed below. Take a picture of the item as proof of finding it.

Symmetry

Symmetry is common all throughout nature in both plants and animals. Most people think of symmetry as two sides of an object or an image or object looking like mirror images of each other, such as if you drew a line down the middle of a butterfly or bivalve mollusk. Biologists call this type of symmetry bilateral symmetry.

There are actually several other types of symmetry in nature, including radial, biradial, and spherical symmetry. Radial symmetry means that parts look the same around a central axis point. Think of mushrooms, snowflakes, sunflowers, jellyfish, and a citrus fruit cut in half.

Biradial symmetry is a combination of bilateral and radial symmetry. It has two planes of symmetry (rather than many segments of radial symmetry or the one plane of bilateral). Comb jellies, which look like jelly fish with only two tentacles, have biradial symmetry. Spherical symmetry is also similar to radial symmetry except the object has to be in the shape of a sphere, and the axis point is in the center of a sphere. Think of the plain rubber balls used on schoolyards. Don’t look for spherical symmetry or biradial symmetry on your scavenger hunt because they are extremely rare. Only two protozoans are spherically symmetrical.

Let’s not forget about asymmetry! Most things in nature have some sort of approximate symmetry (approximate because individual variances are common). However, a few things in nature are asymmetrical. To find asymmetry you don’t have to go far. Garden snails are asymmetrical because their shells only coil on one side (overwhelmingly on the right side, in a clockwise direction.)

We would love to see what other examples of symmetry or asymmetry you find on your outdoor excursion! If you're a student at Mathnasium of Littleton, bring in your photograph of what you find for extra stamps on your stamp cards!

Patterns

Fractals are geometric patterns where each piece is a smaller version of the whole. Fern leaves, clouds, mountains, and ocean waves contain fractal patterns.  It may be hard to find fractals on a nature walk, but start by looking at the veins in a leaf, the clouds in the sky, and clusters of small flowers.

You may have more luck finding a spiral pattern on your nature walk than a fractal. Spiral patterns are prevalent in plants. Look for spirals on pinecones, flower petals on roses, and the structure of leaves on a stem. You can also find a spiral pattern on the shell of a garden snail or on a spider web. The Fibonacci ratio and Phi, or the Golden Ratio, explain spiral patterns mathematically. The Fibonacci sequence is a set of numbers where each number is the sum of the two proceeding numbers. (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, …).

Geometry

Geometric shapes in nature, such as spheres, cones, and hexagons happen under specific conditions. Planets and water droplets are spherical because the force around them is equal in all directions. When water falls from a long distance, like rain, it becomes a teardrop shape because the force of gravity changes its shape. On your walk, you will find many things in nature (like rocks) that are round, but you won’t find perfect circles or spheres.

Bees create hexagon-shaped wax chambers in honeycombs because they fit closely together without gaps and are structurally strong. Hexagons tessellate, meaning they fit together without gaps or overlaps. Squares and equilateral triangles also tessellate, but hexagons provide the most area for the least amount of wall. Bees maximize their wax use by using hexagons!  If you cannot safely look at a beehive, you could try looking at the eyes of a dead housefly. Fly eyes have thousands hexagonal shaped lenses. Another fun activity to do on a rainy day is to create your own tessellation.

The Mathnasium scavenger hunt is best for children ages eight and up. If you have a younger child try the one at Playful Learning.

A Natural Order

Even kids who proclaim not to like math may enjoy looking for patterns, symmetry, and shapes in nature. Looking at nature from a mathematical approach may spark curiosity in the natural order of the world. It is also a fun way to incorporate math into an outdoor activity. As an added bonus, taking a long walk outside refreshes your child so they are ready to do their math at home or in our center.  Be sure to bring your photos into the center for extra stamps and post your pictures on our Facebook page with the label of what characteristic it has. You never know, you could win some cool Mathnasium prize!

At Mathnasium of Littleton we love sharing math ideas. We want students to get excited about math. If you want to know more about our unique approach, give us a call today. 303-979-9077.

Scavenger Hunt Checklist:

1.      Bilateral symmetry

2.      Radial symmetry

3.      Asymmetry

4.      Fractal

5.      Spiral

6.      Sphere

7.      Cones

8.      Hexagon

9.      Tessellations

 

If you liked this article, read some of our other ways Mathnasium of Littleton encourages you to have fun with math.

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Board Games Reinforce Math Skills and Keep Your Kid From Being Bored This Summer

Fun Card Games to Reinforce Math Skills

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Inspire Your Child in Geometry Using the Art of Origami

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