Finding Patterns Everywhere

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

These items from the Objects of Wonder exhibit are either spiral shaped or contain a spiral. What can we learn from recognizing this pattern?

Introduction

Spiral galaxy with a bright yellow center and bluish spiral arms — Whirlpool Galaxy M51: Spiral galaxies like M51 and our own Milky Way owe their shape to rotational forces, in which the center spins faster than the outer edges. Image credit: Harvard-Smithsonian CfA.

Recognizing patterns is part of the scientific process: by detecting regularity in a complex and seemingly chaotic universe, we can begin to understand the underlying processes that shape our world. All these spirals share the same mesmerizing curves, but formed in different ways.

Scroll down to view the objects in this collection.

Stone Adze, "Puna"

Culture: Polynesian, probably Maori

Place and Date: New Zealand, pre-18th century

Material: Basalt

Description: The New Zealand Maori used a variety of spirals, known as koru, in their art and material culture. The motif, seen here on a woodworking tool called an adze, may derive from the silver fern’s young shoots.

Catalog Number: E178579 (view complete catalog record)

Discipline: Anthropology

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