HEXAGONS AND NATURE

Hexagons and Nature

There are some persistent instances of hexagons in Nature. Two of the most prominent hexagon forms are the honeycomb patterns present in beehives and the occurrence of snowflakes exhibiting endless hexagonal forms. Hexagons are also prominent at a deeper level in the structural forms adopted by matter at the atomic level. In 2 dimensions there is the C form called graphene that traces a honeycomb pattern as a perfect C based tessellation of hexagons. One can create a film of soap bubbles comprised of circular bubbles. From this one can form a closest packing of soap bubbles by compressing a non-closest packing of bubbles between metal edges or borders. Further compressing a closest packing of bubbles one sees the onset of a honeycomb pattern in the bubbles whereupon the circular bubbles become hexagons with compression. The same is true of a closest packing of zigzag nanotube cylinders when they collapse into hexagonites. At least I hope so. This is a physical analogy. See the Feynman Lectures on physics for pictures of soap bubbles and their compression. Also, as mentioned above, I think of snowflakes when I think of hexagonites................that persistence of hexagons in Nature.......Also beehives....