druidsgirl
25th February 2009, 10:40 AM
What is it? Rounded down to 3 decimal points it's 1.618
This number has been with us since evolution and most probably since the Big Bang.. there is no record of it when it was first discovered however it is evident in ancient structures that still stand today such as the Egyptian pyramids and the Parthenon in Athens which was built by sculptor and mathematician Phidas (500 -432 BC)
Plato (428 - 347 BC) also used Phi is his works relating to his views about natural science and cosmology
Euclid (365 - 300 BC) also used Phi to construct a pentragram
Kepler used Phi to explain the planteary system
The 2 most widely known usages of Phi are by 12th century mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci whose name is now used in a number sequence - starting at 0 and 1 add the 2 preceeding numbers to achieve the next therefore his
famous sequence goes as follows 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 etc - however if you divide 5 by 3? or 8 by 5? Guess what? yes Phi!!
The second is the one MOST of us have heard of - Leonardo da Vinci used Phi to construct the perfect man whom he named after Vitruvius a Roman architect that lived around the time of Christ who constructed temples - in other words the Vitruvian Man... da Vinci used Phi as did many Renaissance artists in the 16th century to portray balance and beauty in their works and is used in da Vinci's The Last Supper..
so... what about today? Does Phi have a place in 21st century society? Yes..
What is ratio to your own height to the height of your navel to the floor? Phi... What is the ratio of the length of your arm to finger tip and elbow to finger tip? Phi - These are only a couple of examples in ou own bodies and every other mammal has the same ration phi:1 in their bodies
What about sunflowers - the seeds form spirals 55 clockwise 89 anticlockwise - Phi AGAIN!
The ratio of the segments in insects such as an ant, beetle? You guessed it Phi
It's also evident in trees, fish!
It's everywhere we look, and todays architects will use 1.618 in their measurements to give asthetically pleasing buildings to the eye..
If you want to learn more about this, the history of it, where it can be found around us in our daily lives and good site to visit is
www.goldennumber.net
This number has been with us since evolution and most probably since the Big Bang.. there is no record of it when it was first discovered however it is evident in ancient structures that still stand today such as the Egyptian pyramids and the Parthenon in Athens which was built by sculptor and mathematician Phidas (500 -432 BC)
Plato (428 - 347 BC) also used Phi is his works relating to his views about natural science and cosmology
Euclid (365 - 300 BC) also used Phi to construct a pentragram
Kepler used Phi to explain the planteary system
The 2 most widely known usages of Phi are by 12th century mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci whose name is now used in a number sequence - starting at 0 and 1 add the 2 preceeding numbers to achieve the next therefore his
famous sequence goes as follows 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 etc - however if you divide 5 by 3? or 8 by 5? Guess what? yes Phi!!
The second is the one MOST of us have heard of - Leonardo da Vinci used Phi to construct the perfect man whom he named after Vitruvius a Roman architect that lived around the time of Christ who constructed temples - in other words the Vitruvian Man... da Vinci used Phi as did many Renaissance artists in the 16th century to portray balance and beauty in their works and is used in da Vinci's The Last Supper..
so... what about today? Does Phi have a place in 21st century society? Yes..
What is ratio to your own height to the height of your navel to the floor? Phi... What is the ratio of the length of your arm to finger tip and elbow to finger tip? Phi - These are only a couple of examples in ou own bodies and every other mammal has the same ration phi:1 in their bodies
What about sunflowers - the seeds form spirals 55 clockwise 89 anticlockwise - Phi AGAIN!
The ratio of the segments in insects such as an ant, beetle? You guessed it Phi
It's also evident in trees, fish!
It's everywhere we look, and todays architects will use 1.618 in their measurements to give asthetically pleasing buildings to the eye..
If you want to learn more about this, the history of it, where it can be found around us in our daily lives and good site to visit is
www.goldennumber.net