Some math is functional. Some math is fun. And some math is simply stunning.

If that last
description sounds improbable to you, then today just might change your mind. Because now
that weve covered enough ground, were going to take a look at some of the surprising, elegant,
and downright mysterious ways that the Fibonacci sequence shows up in the world around you.

Recap of the Fibonacci

Sequence
In the last article, we talked about how a seemingly innocent question about the growth of rabbit
populations led Fibonacci to the sequence of numbers that now bears his namethe Fibonacci
sequence:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ...
Each successive number in this sequence is obtained by adding the two previous numbers
together. And, save a few complicating details like the fact that rabbits eventually grow old and
die, this sequence does an admirable job at modeling how populations grow. But the numbers in
Fibonaccis sequence have a life far beyond rabbits, and show up in the most unexpected places.

What is the Golden Ratio?

One such place is particularly fascinating: the golden ratio. So, what is this golden ratio? Well, its
a number thats equal to approximately 1.618. This number is now often known as phi and is
expressed in writing using the symbol for the letter phi from the Greek alphabet. Phi isnt equal
to precisely 1.618 since, like its famous cousin pi, phi is an irrational numberwhich means that
its decimal digits carry on forever without repeating a pattern. If youre interested in seeing how
the actual value of phi is obtained, check out this weeks Math Dude Video Extra! episode
on YouTube. But how did this number come to be of such importance? Oddly, it started as a
question of aesthetics.

The Golden Rectangle

Whats the most beautiful rectangle? More specifically: Whats the ratio of this most beautiful
rectangles height to its width? This question seems strange, but it isnt crazy. We wont go into
the details right now, but there is evidence that people tend to perceive one particular shape of
rectangle as being most pleasing to the eye. Of course, the Greeks knew this long before modern
psychologists tested it, which is why they used golden rectangles, as well as other golden shapes
and proportions adhering to the golden ratio, in their architecture and art.
For example, almost 2500 years ago, a Greek sculptor and architect named Phidias is thought to
have used the golden ratio to design the statues he sculpted for the Parthenon (note the word
phi in Phidias namethat isnt a coincidence and actually inspired the naming of the number
in the 20th century). And since Phidias time, numerous painters and musicians have
incorporated the golden ratio into their work tooLeonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dal, and Claude
Debussy, among many others.
But back to the problem of figuring out the shape of the most pleasing rectangle. If you simply
draw what you believe to be the most beautiful rectangle, then measure the lengths of each side,
and finally divide the longest length by the shortest, youll probably find that the ratio is
somewhere around 1.6which is the golden ratio, phi, rounded to the nearest tenth. It wont be
exactly 1.6, but it should be pretty close. Besides being beautiful, the resulting shape has an

intriguing characteristic: If you draw a golden rectangle, and then draw a line inside it to divide
that rectangle into a square and another smaller rectangle, that smaller rectangle will amazingly
be another golden rectangle! You can do this again with this new golden rectangle, and youll
once again get a square and yet another golden rectangle.

Connection Between the

Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci
Sequence
Okay, but what about the Fibonacci sequence? How does that figure into this? I know it might
seem totally unrelated, but check this out. Lets create a new sequence of numbers by dividing
each number in the Fibonacci sequence by the previous number in the sequence. Remember, the
sequence is
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...
So, dividing each number by the previous number gives: 1 / 1 = 1, 2 / 1 = 2, 3 / 2 = 1.5, and so on
up to 144 / 89 = 1.6179. The resulting sequence is:
1, 2, 1.5, 1.666..., 1.6, 1.625, 1.615, 1.619, 1.6176, 1.6181, 1.6179
But do you notice anything about those numbers? Perhaps the fact that they keep oscillating
around and getting tantalizingly closer and closer to 1.618?the value of phi: the golden ratio!
Indeed, completely unbeknownst to Fibonacci, his solution to the rabbit population growth
problem has a deep underlying connection to the golden ratio that artists and architects have
used for thousands of years!

Applications of the Golden

Ratio
But the golden ratio isnt just for mathematicians, Greek sculptors, and Renaissance painters
you can use it in your life too. In fact, in the next article well talk about how you can use the
golden ratio to help you take better pictures. And theres even more. Not only do these pleasing
shapes show up in human art, they also show up in the art of the natural worldin everything
from shells to sunflowers! Well talk about all that next time too.

Wrap Up
Thats all the math we have time for today. Thanks again to our sponsor this week, Go To
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Until next time, this is Jason Marshall with The Math Dudes Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math
Easier. Thanks for reading, math fans!
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