Were there ideas or concepts you were not familiar with? What were they?

• I am pretty familiar with Fibonacci and the Golden Ratio, but I was not familiar with Fermat’s Theorem or Phyllotaxis. I have heard of fractals before, but did not realize how often in nature they appear.

What images did you find particularly striking?

Can you identify any manifestations of nonlinear patterns within your home or your workplace? What are they?

• My bouquet of flowers on my kitchen table at home has nonlinear patterns in the leaves and petals.
• The patterns in the carpet at work and the patterns in the curtains and pillows at home all have nonlinear patterns.

How can you adapt this webquest activity for your classroom?

• I think students would find these pictures fascinating! They don’t realize how math is conveyed in nature. I found an interesting activity where students are able to draw their own fractal pattern, creating a snowflake.

http://www.schools.manatee.k12.fl.us/boehm/snowflakecurve/index.html