Honeycomb Conjecture

There are a variety of places in nature where we can find math. One of the most interesting is the honey bee. When we look at the hexagonal shaped honey combs created by the bee, we wonder if they have been predisposed to geometry. Greek scholars have commented on the unique shape of the honey comb and it has been assumed that they are built this way to minimize the amount of wax used to build the structure. Charles Darwin described the honeycomb as a masterpiece of engineering that is "absolutely perfect in economizing labor and wax." (Peterson, 60-1). The honey bee is a fascinating display of math in nature. Researchers have been curious as to the accuracy of this theory. Mathematician Thomas C. Hales of the University of Michigan has created a proof that supports the theory http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~hales/
Students who understand the efficient honey comb conjecture, can apply their knowledge to other circumstances such as the best way to stack oranges and other economic problems.