Pattern Formation in Nature by Dr. Stephen Morris

Many natural systems spontaneously self organize into surprisingly ordered structures, even though they are driven far from equilibrium. Order often appears "for free" without any obvious pre-existing template. Regular patterns in space emerge, for example, as stripes on zebras, ripples on windblown sand, waves on coffee in a shaken cup, coloured sand that spontaneously un-mixes itself, wrinkles on icicles, or as weird columns that form in cooling lava flows. In his talk, Stephen Morris discusses the physics behind such non-linear patterns, and carries out live demonstrations.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• pattern
• formation
• nature
• stephen
• morris