Field Guide

When you click on the photos in the poster below, you can get more information about the pattern and a relevant the exhibit in the exhibition.

 

 

 

imbalance

 

 

branching

 

 

packing

 

 

 

 

turbulence

 

 

cracking

 

 

 

 

rippling

 

Everywhere we look, we see patterns. We find them in the icy stars of frost on a windowpane, in the dappled reflection of sunlight on water, even in the hissing jumble of television static. Seeing patterns is human. We hunger for patterns. They promise meaning and order; they reassure us that there is sense to the world . . . if only we can somehow make out the pattern.

Your search for patterns in nature doesn't have to end when you leave Turbulent Landscapes. This guide is intended to help you notice complex patterns throughout your world. Once you start to notice patterns, you'll see them where you didn't before-in bubbling soup, in flowing traffic, even in everyday interactions between people. From the raindrops that snake down your windowpane to the billows of cream in your coffee, nature's art is truly everywhere.

 


Try one of our activities . . .

Making Salt Patterns

Print Nature Around You

Growing Your Own Slime Mold

© Exploratorium