If you ever needed convincing that math is beautiful, this movie by Spanish graphic animator Cristóbal Vila will do the trick.
Set to a haunting piece by Belgian minimalist composer Wim Mertens, “Nature by Numbers” brings to life some of the fundamental math concepts that connect art and nature. Vila starts his exploration with the Fibonacci sequence, a well-known series of numbers that starts with zero, then one, then the sum of each of the previous two numbers (0 + 1 = 1; 1 + 1 = 2; 1 + 2 = 3, and so on). From there, he shows how the Fibonacci sequence gives birth to natural shapes such as the spiral, illustrates the harmonious proportions produced by the Golden Ratio, and uses sunflowers and insect wings to demonstrate the Golden Angle and Voroni Tessellations.
Fortunately, he also provides an explanation of the concepts behind the beauty. It’s enough to make you sign up for a calculus class.
