Do Perfect Squares Exist In Nature?

[LBellatrix]

A while ago on the Locs forum someone worried that latching/interlocking would create square locs. We responded that the spiral/cylindrical nature of nappy hair would prevent that from happening.

That makes sense to me but only because of a very vague notion that I'm hoping someone will clear up: that four-sided figures in which each side's length is equal -- in other words, squares -- don't exist in nature.

Okay, scientists and mathematicians (Aje, I'm calling you out): Am I right?

[Kamikak]

Some mathematicians and physicists argue that in nature true squares, circles, and straight lines don't exist and if they do they are a product of the randomness of nature and highly improbable. Usually in math we are working with theories (ie. the Pythagorean Theorem) which gives us very close abstract approximations which aren't perfect and don't work in every situation but reliable enough, hence still being theories, to suffice for our everyday needs.

I'll stop there because now you are moving into Quantum mechanics of which I know zip about.

**Patiently waiting for Aje's response.**

[Aje_Templar]

:lol:

It depends on who you ask... but in terms of practical existance, you are not going to find a "perfect" square, especially dealing with something like human hair. :)


Aje

[Aje_Templar]

As I was trying to add as I was rudely interrupted by my computer gremlins last night, the concept of "perfection" is relative. African, Asian and Native American societies structured their math systems around the real world, thus having a natural understanding. THe Greeks, on the other hand, convinced themselves that they could somehow Isolate their math system from reality and come up with exclusive ideas.

If you were cutting a table, then I suppose you could get accurate measurements down to a measure with a precision of about one (maybe two) places after the decimal point, but it is impossible to get a completely perfect measure after that. Nature cannot do this either. The Earth is not a perfect sphere. The orbits of the planets around the sun are not perfect ellipses.


So, for all practical purposes... no. There is no perfect measure of anything. :)


Aje

[LBellatrix]

Thank you, Kamika and Sir Aje! :D

So Euclidean geometry is largely based on ideals, then. Makes sense.