boehdick

Wanted to share a shell with you all but a little background first. Our Florida trip was cold and nasty, but my wife picked this shell and in the midst of a Lightroom class, I decided to try out the Fibonacci Golden Ratio when developing this pic. So here goes! Does this principal work or not? Should I submit as an assignment?

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Probably not. See http://www.shallowsky.com/blog/science/fibonautilus.html Sea Shells are mollusk exoskeletons. Made by living animals not mathematicians. But yes Math shows itself there and in many places in Nature!

Cool shell you have there anyway. I collect Sea Shells myself.

boehdick

Thanks lammiaceae, I obviously haven't done my homework, something for which I would chide my students. Not being a mathematician I will often defer to those who throw numbers around eloquently. As a musician, I am aware of math's integral place in the formation of overtones so it was an easy leap to swallow Golden Ratio
thoughts. Thanks for the site!
Dick

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

That's OK. I'm a Biologist and Hobbyist Photographer. But collecting Sea Shells is a hobby I've had since around age 5 (63.5 now). I'm also rather fond of music of nearly all types and understand the relationship between math and music. My most active hobby is collecting recorded music! Styles from 1925 to today as LPs, CDs, CSs, 45 Singles. I pass on 78s though.

If you are interested and if I can find the info again. I did have several articles about the Bio-Math of Sea Shells. Some was really complex about the pigment distribution in the shell. You might make a lesson from some of these. Depends on grade level you teach. Oh, yes, I did have a Teaching Credential too but did not stay in teaching long.