News Math

Dense crowds of pedestrians shift into surprisingly orderly lines. Math explains why

New research into lane formation adds to decades of study on the wisdom of crowds

An overhead photo of several pedestrian intersections with lots of people walking through the area.

Pedestrians heading in opposite directions have long been known to form multiple parallel lines at big intersections such as Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo (shown).

Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon/Moment/Getty Images Plus

By Dana Mackenzie

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

No matter how chaotic the train station at rush hour might seem, there’s likely more order than you think in that crowd.