# There are no straight lines in nature **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587 "2008-11-20T02:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/1 "2008-11-20T02:20:25Z")
Art teachers always say this. They’re always wrong. The path of a raindrop The membrane where two bubbles meet The edge of a crystal The surface of a frozen pond ? your turn ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/2 "2008-11-20T02:44:20Z")
A beam of sunlight. A strand of webbing under tension. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/3 "2008-11-20T02:45:41Z")
The place where a chainsaw went through a stump. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/4 "2008-11-20T02:55:47Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > A beam of sunlight. > > A strand of webbing under tension. D’Oh! the sight that inspired this thread was a spiderweb, with perfectly straight spokes. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/5 "2008-11-20T03:06:41Z")
Crystals have straight edges. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/6 "2008-11-20T03:11:50Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > The path of a raindrop Not if there’s any wind, and there often is. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/7 "2008-11-20T03:13:20Z")
The line that forms to purchase tickets for the latest broadway musical. Oh, wait…dammit art teacher! You _were_ right! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/8 "2008-11-20T03:32:05Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The place where a chainsaw went through a stump. That’s not natural, unless there are packs of free roaming chainsaws somewhere. And in that case, tell me where so I can AVOID that place. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/9 "2008-11-20T03:38:13Z")
. . . and I know these aren’t technically straight lines, but the back pattern of the [Gaboon Viper](http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/tezmitch/images/westerngaboonalex.jpg) is astonishingly rectangular for a reptile’s protective coloration. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/10 "2008-11-20T03:45:17Z")
Line of sight. ---
**Author:** ![Debon\_Err](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Debon\_Err](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debon_Err)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/11 "2008-11-22T03:29:21Z")
Tree leaves have lots of straight lines. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/12 "2008-11-22T03:32:55Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > The surface of a frozen pond Not straight, but rather a segment of a (quite large) sphere. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/13 "2008-11-22T03:43:36Z")
A comedy sketch. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/14 "2008-11-22T03:57:12Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > A beam of sunlight. > A strand of webbing under tension. Sadly, both are distorted by gravity. ---
**Author:** ![chicken\_wire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@chicken\_wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicken_wire)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/15 "2008-11-22T04:57:18Z")
There are no straight lines. They all experimented in college. In gaol they’d have bitches. It’s a continuum, man. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/16 "2008-11-22T05:03:14Z")
I never heard an art teacher say that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/17 "2008-11-22T05:09:10Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > That’s not natural, unless there are packs of free roaming chainsaws somewhere. It’s also going to be jagged at some magnification. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/18 "2008-11-22T05:28:16Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > The edge of a crystal Similarly, the edges in a snowflake. A plumbline (of different sorts). ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/19 "2008-11-22T05:32:18Z")
The horizon at sea, more or less. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587/20 "2008-11-22T05:48:36Z")
None of these are truly straight lines at all. They may appear straight, but after magnification or true measurement, you’d see they are not straight at all, and usually far from it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-straight-lines-in-nature/473587.md?page=2)