Robin Belton

Statement

I enjoy visualizing mathematical patterns found in nature. One of the first things that fascinated me about mathematics was the Fibonacci sequence. I remember studying Euclid’s definition of the golden ratio, and counting flower petals in my high school mathematics class. It was the first time I realized that a purely mathematical object such as the Fibonacci sequence could appear in our daily lives. Now, a math major in college, I explore this sequence visually.

Artworks

After studying Fibonacci spirals found in sunflowers, pine cones, etc., I am interested in visualizing these spirals in a geometric context. In “Polygons with Fibonacci Spirals” I generated 3, 5, 8, and 13 sided polygons that spiral outwards. The spirals highlighted within each of the four panels are similar to spirals found within various types of plants. I used the turtle graphics package in Python to create this piece.

Despite three being a Fibonacci number, we rarely find three-spiral patterns in nature. In “Spiraling Triangles” I explore spiraling patterns from three sided figures. I generated hundreds of triangles spiraling outwards to get a sense of what these patterns would look like. I used the turtle graphics package in Python to create this piece.