Weekly Photo Challenge: geometry (2)
Geometry in nature this time around: FRACTALS
Romanesco Cauliflower: a mathematician’s dream vegetable because it’s a perfect natural example of fractals. A fractal is essentially a pattern that repeats itself infinitely. If you look at this romanesco, you’ll see that every Dr. Seuss-ish green spire is studded with a whole bunch of identical mini-spires, which in turn are made up of even tinier spires – all of which mimic the whole. Infinity is a hard concept to grasp, but this here veggie might help you see it…[explanation thanks to Zoë Bradbury, from my CSA newsletter]
The word “fractal” often has different connotations for laypeople than mathematicians, where the layperson is more likely to be familiar with fractal art than a mathematical conception. The mathematical concept is difficult to formally define even for mathematicians, but key features can be understood with little mathematical background.
The feature of “self-similarity”, for instance, is easily understood by analogy to zooming in with a lens or other device that zooms in on digital images to uncover finer, previously invisible, new structure. If this is done on fractals, however, no new detail appears; nothing changes and the same pattern repeats over and over, or for some fractals, nearly the same pattern reappears over and over. Self-similarity itself is not necessarily counter-intuitive (e.g., people have pondered self-similarity informally such as in the infinite regress in parallel mirrors or the homunculus, the little man inside the head of the little man inside the head…). The difference for fractals is that the pattern reproduced must be detailed.
[From Wiki]
…and I keep forgetting to add the link to the post announcing the weekly challenge along with other submissions….
What a clever response to the challenge. The mind boggles when fractals are considered philosophically.
Thanks Rachael. I had help and inspiration from my local farm basket this week!
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Stunning geometry…beautiful photos…and wonderful example of the concept of fractals.
All of that and then some…… thank you!
Oh, but of course!
Quite apart from the complexity of fractals, the cauliflowers are the most beautiful things! It’s just sad that when you cook them the green disappears
It seems like I solve that problem by never getting around to actually cooking them. I tend to let them sit as centerpieces or art work… eventually starting to nibble on them raw. I suppose I ought to cook them, but that seems to take the fun out of the whole thing.
Hi Gunta: I’ve wondered what those were. Very photogenic little veggies. Fantastic take on the theme!
Thanks Nancy…. I keep expecting inspiration to give out on me, but so far so good. I’m glad I could show you what “those” are! They’re kind of fun, but a bit more crumbly than regular cauliflower.
good spot geometry in nature well presented Gunta
Thanks kiddo… this one was a fun change of pace.
Wow, this is SO cool…it looks too pretty to eat!
That’s the only problem I have with it. My first one ended up rotting on the counter since I couldn’t bring myself to cut into it.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
I love fractals. A very fun and poetic interpretation of this theme.
It seemed like it was meant to be since the cauliflower arrived in my CSA Harvest Basket the day after the geometry theme was announced.
I never saw anything like this before, Gunta. It’s amazing, but I don’t think I could bring myself to eat this with cheese sauce though.
I think it would go well with cheese sauce… though I tend to start out nibbling pieces of it while it’s still on display on the counter. It’s a bit more ‘crumbly’ than regular cauliflower.
It’s such a pity to spoil the symmetry, Gunta.
I wonder if we can get it here?
I’ve heard folks mention they’ve seen it in grocery stores, but haven’t paid much attention since I get it in my weekly Harvest Basket occasionally. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, you might try that. I think this is the season for them.
I’ve also seen it referred to as Romanesco Broccoli (making me suspect it’s a cross of the two.)
I’ll have a look next time I go to Whole Foods.
Amazing! Looks like something from outer space.
Oh my! Have you ever seen kohlrabi? Now there’s something that looks like it came from another planet. I wonder if alligators eat their vegetables?
What a fantastic entry for this week. The photos are great and the text is very informative.
Nature at her fascinating best!
What a unique entry… I don’t know if they choose winners for the challenge but this needs a special mention
Very different from anything I’ve seen and I like it.
Why thanks, Bashar! Knowing you liked it is award enough for me!
Brilliant!
Thanks!