Spacewalk

For one of my math classes, we went on a "spacewalk" around campus and took pictures of patterns we found interesting. I have always liked the pattern some staircases make and how you can see all the way down when you look between the rails.

The outdoor steps of the education building have parts that appear to have broken and been replaced. I wonder if there is a pattern to where manmade structures break and whether it is affected by nature. I also notice the clump of sand and leaves and wonder why it is attracted to that spot.

Many parts of campus have tile patterns with grass growing between the tiles. Another instance of natural patterns interacting with manmade ones.

There are many natural slopes on campus where leaves tend to gather. I suspect the shape of the ground affects where leaves fall.

More tiles interacting with nature. This time small trees are growing where the floor and wall meet.

Nature is often thought of as disorganized, yet branches of a tree have a pattern to them.

Some sidewalks have two separate designs co-operating.

A small forests interacts with a manmade fence. Which one holds the power?

The library steps leave room for nature, which also finds its way through other places.

Is there a patten to the breakage in the tiles? Is nature a part of it?

Following the sidewalk, is a strip of ground that is bare. Yet even closer to the sidewalk, is grass. Is the sidewalk intentionally built near bare ground, or does bare ground form near the sidewalk?

Some sidewalks are constructed to look like one is naturally growing from another.

Sand and rocks pile near the box of plants.

Looking at patterns in everyday life leads to many questions to ponder, like how natural and manmade patterns influence each other. For part of the walk, we were silent. Despite this I still felt influenced by the crowd, compelled to keep rhythm by stepping up the library steps when others did. The crowd was made of clumps of people near the middle and lone walkers on the sides. I wonder how much research has been done into the behaviour patterns of herds. Though we all behaved similarly, we all thought differently in terms of what questions we asked about pattern.