THE GOLDEN RATIO

Introduction/ What is the golden ratio?

What makes a single number so interesting that ancient Greeks,

Renaissance artists, a 17th century astronomer and a 21st century novelist
all would write about it? It's a number that goes by many names. This
“golden” number, 1.61803399, represented by the Greek letter Phi, is
known as the Golden Ratio, Golden Number, Golden Proportion, Golden
Mean, Golden Section, Divine Proportion and ne Section. It was written
about by Euclid in “Elements” around 300 DiviB.C., by Luca Pacioli, a
contemporary of Leonardo Da Vinci, in "De Divina Proportione" in 1509, by
Johannes Kepler around 1600 and by Dan Brown in 2003 in his best selling
novel, “The Da Vinci Code.”

The Golden ratio is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts
so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole
length divided by the longer part. It is often symbolized using phi, after the
21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In an equation form, it looks like this:

a/b = (a+b)/a = 1.6180339887498948420 …

As with pi (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter), the

digits go on and on, theoretically into infinity. Phi is usually rounded off to
1.618. Historically, the number can be seen in the architecture of many
ancient creations, like the Great Pyramids and the Parthenon. In the Great
Pyramid of Giza, the length of each side of the base is 756 feet with a
height of 481 feet. The ratio of the base to the height is roughly 1.5717,
which is close to the Golden ratio.
The golden spiral:
In geometry, a golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is φ,
the golden ratio. That is, a golden spiral gets wider (or further from its origin)
by a factor of φ for every quarter turn it makes.

Commonly found in nature, the well-known shape of the golden spiral is a

unique form but can be sketched nicely using the elements of the Fibonacci
sequence.

How to construct a golden spiral:

Objective-

to construct the golden spiral using the Fibonacci numbers/ sequence.

Materials-

pencil, ruler, eraser, a white sheet of paper and geometry box.

Procedure-

Step-1: Draw squares using the Fibonacci sequence. This works by adding
the two previous numbers: You get the next one starting from 0 and 1; so, it
goes 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc. The length of one side of each
square should equal a number in the sequence (the 0 is not needed for
drawing any of the square), but the beginning point can be called (0,0), if
we set it up that way. You will have a 1X1 square (use any unit of
measurement you want, at any size, just be consistent) with a second 1X1
drawn next to it on the left side of the first, then down to put 2X2, and right
for 3X3, then up for 5X5, and then left to fit 8X8. Below all that, put 13X13
and so on, to as large a square as your paper can fit.

Step-2: Arrange the squares. Draw each of these squares in a counter-

clockwise pattern.

Step-3: Turn the compass. Put your compass, pivot point and pencil, as
shown in the picture, with its length set at one unit (side of the first square)
long. Turn it 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Step-4: Adjust the compass. Adjust the compass so it is now two units long.
Again, turn it 90 degrees counter-clockwise. Then 3, then 5, next 8 and
continue this process until the squares each have the curving spiral through
them.

Observation-

It is observed that the spiral is never ending and aesthetically pleasing to

the eye. If made with precision and accuracy, it can be one of the most
satisfying and beautiful spiral found all around the nature and architecture.

Conclusion-

Hence, the golden spiral can be created using the squares of the Fibonacci
numbers and the golden ratio.

Applications of the golden ratio:

1. Flower petals

The number of petals in a flower consistently follows the Fibonacci

sequence. Famous examples include the lily, which has three petals,
buttercups, which have five, the chicory's 21, the daisy's 34, and so on. Phi
appears in petals on account of the ideal packing arrangement as selected
by Darwinian processes; each petal is placed at 0.618034 per turn (out of a
360° circle) allowing for the best possible exposure to sunlight and other
factors.

2. Pinecones

The seed pods on a pinecone are arranged in a spiral pattern. Each cone
consists of a pair of spirals, each one spiraling upwards in opposing
directions. The number of steps will almost always match a pair of
consecutive Fibonacci numbers. For example, a 3-5 cone is a cone which
meets at the back after three steps along the left spiral, and five steps
along the right.
3. Tree branches

The Fibonacci sequence can also be seen in the way tree branches form or
split. A main trunk will grow until it produces a branch, which creates two
growth points. Then, one of the new stems branches into two, while the
other one lies dormant. This pattern of branching is repeated for each of
the new stems. A good example is the sneezewort. Root systems and even
algae exhibit this pattern.

4. Shells

The unique properties of the Golden Rectangle provides another example.

This shape, a rectangle in which the ratio of the sides a/b is equal to the
golden mean (phi), can result in a nesting process that can be repeated
into infinity — and which takes on the form of a spiral. It's call the
logarithmic spiral, and it abounds in nature.

Snail shells and nautilus shells follow the logarithmic spiral, as does the
cochlea of the inner ear. It can also be seen in the horns of certain goats,
and the shape of certain spider's webs.

5. Spiral Galaxies

Spiral galaxies also follow the familiar Fibonacci pattern. The Milky Way
has several spiral arms, each of them a logarithmic spiral of about 12
degrees. As an interesting aside, spiral galaxies appear to defy Newtonian
physics. As early as 1925, astronomers realized that, since the angular
speed of rotation of the galactic disk varies with distance from the center,
the radial arms should become curved as galaxies rotate. Subsequently,
after a few rotations, spiral arms should start to wind around a galaxy. But
they don't — hence the so-called winding problem. The stars on the
outside, it would seem, move at a velocity higher than expected — a
unique trait of the cosmos that helps preserve its shape.