Why Nature Loves Hexagons

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: Follow me to Infinite Series for 4-Dimensional Bees! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ From spirals to spots to fractals, nature is full of interesting patterns. Many of these patterns even resemble geometric shapes. One of the most common? Hexagons. Why do we see this six-sided shape occur so many times in nature? This week we explore why hexagons are so common in the natural world, from honeycomb to bubbles to rocks, and what their mathematics, physics, and biology may have in common. ----------- READ MORE: D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. (1917) “On Growth and Form” Ball, Philip. (2009). “Shapes: nature’s patterns: a tapestry in three parts.” OUP Oxford. Karihaloo, B. L., Zhang, K., & Wang, J. (2013). Honeybee combs: how the circular cells transform into rounded hexagons. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 10(86), 20130299. Hofmann, Martin, et al. “Why hexagonal basalt columns?.“ Physical review letters (2015): 154301. Aydin, Atilla, and James M. DeGraff. “Evolution of polygonal fracture patterns in lava flows.“ Science (1988): 471-476. Hayashi, Takashi, and Richard W. Carthew. “Surface mechanics mediate pattern formation in the developing retina.“ Nature (2004): 647. Kim, Sangwoo, et al. “Hexagonal Patterning of the Insect Compound Eye: Facet Area Variation, Defects, and Disorder.“ Biophysical journal (2016): 2735-2746. ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: Facebook: Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Andrew Matthews Writer: Joe Hanson Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Matthews Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock