<p>The premise of your question is entirely wrong. There are many examples of sharp corners in nature, the most obvious being well formed crystals.</p>

<p>Pyrite is a classic example that was mentioned by @wienein in the comments. In a ideal situation it forms cubic crystals with sharp edges.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EohJIm.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EohJIm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>A classic non-crystalline example would be volcanic glasses such as obsidian, which fracture to produce extremely sharp edges and were historically used by some cultures for making blades and other sharp tools.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9CgE4m.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9CgE4m.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-13T19:28:05.223Z
A perfectly correct answer to a perfectly incorrect question )). Kind of reminds me of "...and the answer is 42". I guess i have to accept it as a correct answer, since my question was indeed based on the wrong premise. Or rather i asked the wrong question. I was thinking of such natural phenomena as rivers being the most obvious example or the outline of a meadow or a forest. But now when i think of it, what is the common attribute here? What that is that does not have a sharp corners in the above-mentioned examples? How should i phrase the correct question?
ruslaniv
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-13T20:44:50.237Z
@RusI Rivers also have "sharp corners". Think waterfalls. I think is the problem is that "sharp corners" is a loose and subjective term. Things form in certain shape because science dictates them to, not because it is aesthetically pleasing or not.
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-19T06:19:48.780Z
@RusI: Erosion causes rounding in rivers (when viewed at a large scale). Cells and multi-cellular organisms are largely bags of liquid, and rounding minimises surface area (structure) to volume ratios. Gravity causes planets to become round. There are lots of processes, and I don't think they are all related.
naught101
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-17T04:51:32.687Z
A tangentially related article https://medium.com/nautilus-magazine/why-nature-prefers-hexagons-2657350425da
ruslaniv
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-13T09:34:17.287Z
2016-05-13T09:34:17.287Z
bon
<p>I have read some articles explaining why rounded corners are more aesthetically pleasing, like <a href="http://uxmovement.com/thinking/why-rounded-corners-are-easier-on-the-eyes/" rel="nofollow">this one</a> and it all makes perfect sense but my question is:</p>

<p>Why does nature not have sharp corners? What is the law or set of laws that governs this behavior? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-13T08:15:02.680Z
Maybe it is possible to find [sharp corners in nature](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/2780M-pyrite1.jpg)
wienein
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-13T09:02:59.523Z
Or [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutile#/media/File:Rutile_needles.jpg), very sharp indeed!
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-13T09:31:18.077Z
As wienein and Michael said, this question is based on a false premise. Vast numbers of natural mineral and rock formations have sharp edges. So do shells, quills, spines, teeth, beaks, bones, hooves, horns, claws, thorns, scales, gill arches, leaves, icicles, and many other natural structures.
Pont
<crystals>
Why there are no sharp corners in nature?
ruslaniv
# Why there are no sharp corners in nature?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-13)

I have read some articles explaining why rounded corners are more aesthetically pleasing, like [this one](http://uxmovement.com/thinking/why-rounded-corners-are-easier-on-the-eyes/) and it all makes perfect sense but my question is:

Why does nature not have sharp corners? What is the law or set of laws that governs this behavior?

**Tags:** crystals

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Maybe it is possible to find [sharp corners in nature](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/2780M-pyrite1.jpg)  
> **username_2**: Or [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutile#/media/File:Rutile_needles.jpg), very sharp indeed!  
> **username_3**: As username_1 and Michael said, this question is based on a false premise. Vast numbers of natural mineral and rock formations have sharp edges. So do shells, quills, spines, teeth, beaks, bones, hooves, horns, claws, thorns, scales, gill arches, leaves, icicles, and many other natural structures.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-05-13. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

The premise of your question is entirely wrong. There are many examples of sharp corners in nature, the most obvious being well formed crystals.

Pyrite is a classic example that was mentioned by @username_1 in the comments. In a ideal situation it forms cubic crystals with sharp edges.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/EohJIm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/EohJIm.jpg)

A classic non-crystalline example would be volcanic glasses such as obsidian, which fracture to produce extremely sharp edges and were historically used by some cultures for making blades and other sharp tools.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/9CgE4m.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/9CgE4m.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: A perfectly correct answer to a perfectly incorrect question )). Kind of reminds me of "...and the answer is 42". I guess i have to accept it as a correct answer, since my question was indeed based on the wrong premise. Or rather i asked the wrong question. I was thinking of such natural phenomena as rivers being the most obvious example or the outline of a meadow or a forest. But now when i think of it, what is the common attribute here? What that is that does not have a sharp corners in the above-mentioned examples? How should i phrase the correct question?  
> **username_2**: @RusI Rivers also have "sharp corners". Think waterfalls. I think is the problem is that "sharp corners" is a loose and subjective term. Things form in certain shape because science dictates them to, not because it is aesthetically pleasing or not.  
> **username_5**: @RusI: Erosion causes rounding in rivers (when viewed at a large scale). Cells and multi-cellular organisms are largely bags of liquid, and rounding minimises surface area (structure) to volume ratios. Gravity causes planets to become round. There are lots of processes, and I don't think they are all related.  
> **username_0**: A tangentially related article https://medium.com/nautilus-magazine/why-nature-prefers-hexagons-2657350425da  

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