Patterns in Nature, editorial design project by our 2nd-year student Ellen Andersin.

2 3
Waves are spread throughout nature and carry
energy as they move. Sound waves are vibrations
of the air (4), while light is a wave of oscillating
electrical and magnetic fields, moving through
space faster than anything else. Colliding waves
may reinforce or cancel out one another, depending
on whether they are in or out of step. Interference
of light waves may result in spectacular colors,
like soap or oil films on water. When sound waves
are restricted to a fixed space, like an instrument,
certain frequencies and patterns may be picked
out in the phenomenon of resonance. The 18th
century scientist and musician Ernst Chladni
discovered that it is possible to create interesting
patterns of scattered fine grains (2), laying on
a metal plate, only from sound wave vibrations
when drawing a violin bow across the edge.
Sea surface waves create a chaotic pattern on
water, driven by wind waves. As waves in water or
wind pass over sand, patterns of ripples appear (1),
and if bigger, dunes are created. Different patterns
form in dunes when the wind arranges sand grains into
regular structures; crescents, long lines, stars, domes
or parabolas, and they may look very different from
another. These self organizing patterns are based on
the particular speed of the wind and the average grain
size. This is why dunes on other planets, let’s take Mars
as an example (3), may also have similar dunes but form
patterns not possible on Earth. The different conditions
affect the ways the grains are transported and how they
bounce; the gravity is weaker or Mars, the atmosphere
is thinner and the winds can be much faster.
4
13 Waves & Dunes