The Golden Ratio

Mon Jun 20, 2022

Say Yes to New Adventures

What if I told you that there is something that connects the Fibonacci sequence the lengths of petals of flowers? Indeed, the golden ratio is a curious concept that has fascinated mankind thousands of years. But what is this special number, and what makes it so interesting?

What is the Golden Ratio?

Let’s think about the Fibonacci sequence. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8…. Between adjacent terms, the ratio goes from 2, to 1.5, to 1.7, to 1.6, and so on, eventually coming to a constant about the value of 1.618. But this number isn’t just some another abstract, useless math constant. The golden ratio, also known as phi, can be found all over!

The Fibonacci spiral: the widths of the square multiply by phi every time

The golden ratio can even be found in our own bodies! Many of the joints in our bodies: our elbow, spine or fingertips divide our bodies into the golden ratio many times over. It was thought to be a sign of divide beauty – a law that all people in the universe must follow. It can be seen in nautilus shells, the ratio of the diameters of its spiral, or in the ratio of size of plant petals. Leonardo Da Vinci even made an artwork, The Virtuvian Man, in honour of the golden ratio.

The golden ratio can be found as the ratio between diameters of nautilus shells and lengths of petals of flowers

What is the application?

The golden ratio can be seen in the dimensions of the great pyramids or the wings of twitter’s logo.

The golden ratio doesn’t just appear in nature. As a symbol of beauty, it has been incorporated into many designs and works around us. Many brands’ logos, like Apple and Mercedes, are designed with the golden ratio in mind. The golden ratio appears in many architectural designs, like the Great Pyramids, or could be used when building app and website layouts! The next time you want something aesthetic, try to think about how to incorporate the golden ratio into your work!

Daniel Choo
Subject: Mathematics

The Golden Ratio

Say Yes to New Adventures

What is the Golden Ratio?

What is the application?

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