Math and Nature

Wild roses have 5 petals, Bloodroots have 8, black-eyed Susans have 13, Chicories 21, Gaillardias 34, daisies 55 and sunflowers 89. Each number of petals is the sum of the preceding two. Rainbows appear always at 42 degrees above the horizon. Water droplets as we all know conform to a spherical shape. Curious to find out why? In Math and Nature you will find mathematical explanations to all these marvels and many more, such as why kittens roll up into little balls, and why cicadas have 13- and 17-year life-cycles, in language accessible to a wide audience. Math and Nature contains more than 100 color illustrations to make reading fun and exciting.

Emmanuel Tsukerman is a PhD candidate in applied mathematics at UC Berkeley. Before starting his PhD, he completed his bachelor's degree in mathematics and master's degree in Computational and Mathematical Engineering at Stanford University. Emmanuel lives happily with his two bunnies and enjoys traditional archery.