Introduction
What do you see when you look around yourself in nature? While the answer can be many things, here we are talking math. Yes, nature, in its own way, represents mathematics, especially geometry.
One of the most repetitive elements in nature is geometrical shapes and patterns. If you look closely, everything in nature, from the gigantic mountains to the microscopic insects, is governed by some shape.
The shapes and patterns are not necessarily defined; for example, there are round fruits like oranges and grapes, as well as undefined shaped microorganisms like amoebae. But more common than others, or rather the most common shape that is found ingrained in nature, is the hexagon.
A hexagon is a six-sided polygon. Also called the “6-gon,” it is a 2D shape with six edges, six vertices, and six angles. There are four main types of hexagons, namely regular, irregular, concave, and convex.
Each internal angle of the shape is 120 degrees, and the total of all the internal angles of any regular hexagon is 720 degrees. Now that we know the geometrical facts about hexagons, let’s dive into why and in what ways nature adopts this shape.
Examples of Hexagons in nature
The hexagon is a common, naturally occurring shape that many believe to be sacred to nature. But keeping all beliefs aside, here are a few examples of hexagons that will truly make you question nature’s wonder.
Honeycomb
Snow Flakes
Dragonfly
Turtle Shell
Carbon
Cooled Lava
North Pole of Saturn
Why is Hexagon so common in Nature
Hexagons are common in nature because they are efficient. They have several properties that make them ideal for space-saving and structural stability:
Fills space: Hexagons fill a plane with equal-sized units without wasted space. Minimizes perimeter: Hexagons have 120-degree angles that minimize the perimeter for a given area.
Distributes stress: Hexagons distribute stress evenly across their structure. Tessellates: Hexagons can tessellate, or tile, to circumscribe the largest area for a given perimeter.