The Mathematics of Trees | Tomorrow Today

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Claus Mattheck is constantly amazed by what trees have to teach us about the world around us. The physicist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology studies the shapes that trunks and leaves take, and has used some of them to describe fundamental properties of naturally-occurring forms.
The research has helped engineers in a wide variety of fields to build components that are stronger and less apt to break.

[@chrisanderson5101]

This guy is 100% tree god.

[@5ilver42]

but what is the actual math behind constructing this curve?

[@thetrip9970]

more triangles

[@trevoryates6423]

It looks like a tractrix; basically, you ensure that the distance along tangent of the curve between the point of tangency and the axis you're drawing it along is constant. Wikipedia has a good article on it, as well as parameterizations.

[@jpallen719]

He’s like the Ozzy Osbourne of trees…..

[@plung3r]

we are learning from God's creation.

[@thetrip9970]

so .. Just most triangulation then?? that all i got out of that

[@hitsongsa]

I could of told you that

[@thetrip9970]

yep ... more triangles not hard