THE GOLDEN RATIO & FIBONACCI

SEQUENCES IN NATURE, ART &

ARCHITECTURE
What connects spiral sea-shells, pine cones, the Mona Lisa and the
Parthenon? It’s a mysterious number (called Phi), that has intrigued
mathematicians and artists since the time of the Greeks. The number
Phi is related to two mathematical ideas: that of the Golden Ratio,
and that of Fibonacci Sequences. First, we’ll look at these two
mathematical ideas, and then look at where they appear in the
natural world, and in art and architecture. We’ll also look at how the
Fiboancci sequence and the Golden ratio are closely related!

The Golden Ratio

In mathematics, the
Golden Ratio is a
proportion represented
by the number Phi, or
1.61803398… This
number is infinite, like the
number Pi; that’s why it
has the dots after it!

You can see these

proportions on the left.
The line BC is divided in
such a way that the
proportion of the larger
section to the smaller is the same as that of the whole line to the
larger section (in other words 1.61803398… to 1).

You can make a rectangle based on these proportions. Here’s one

pictured below. In a golden rectangle, the longer side (A) is
1.61803398… times as long as the shorter side (B). The combined
lengths of side A and B are 1.61803398… times the length of side A
alone.
The Fibonacci Sequence

Leonardo of Pisa (c. 1170 – c. 1250), also known as Fibonacci, was a

medieval mathematician. As well as popularising the Arabic numeral
system in Europe (at the time, Roman numerals were still used), he
published a book called Liber Abaci, which contained the first mention
of the mathematical sequence that bears his name. The Fibonacci
sequence is one which starts with 0 and 1, and continues by adding
the previous two numbers to get the next number in the sequence:
0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,233 and so forth..

The Golden ratio in Architecture

Many artists, philosophers and architects over the centuries, from the
ancient Greeks onwards, have believed that the proportions of the
Golden Ratio are uniquely beautiful and pleasing to the eye. In other
words, the rectangle above looks more beautiful than one where the
longer side is twice the length of the shorter side, or so it is said.

Many of the artists and architects have even gone so far as to claim
that these proportions were ordained by God; hence they are
sometimes referred to as the Divine Ratio. They can certainly be
seen in nature, as we’ll see later. They can also be seen in many
buildings and artworks.

In the picture of the

Parthenon on the left,
for example, a
rectangle drawn
around the exterior of
the building would
exhibit the properties
of the Golden Ratio.
The relative heights of
the pediment (the
triangular crown of the
building) and the frieze (the rectangular bit just below the pediment)
are also in the proportions of the Golden Ratio (in other words the
pediment is 1.61803398… times the height of the frieze). So are the
heights of the columns, compared to the combined heights of the
frieze and the pediment. There are lots of other examples on the
exterior of the Parthenon.

Other buildings that exhibit

these proportions include
Paris’s Notre Dame
Cathedral. See the picture
on the right.
The Golden Ratio in art

This system of proportioning also

seemingly appears in many works of art,
especially from the Renaissance, when
there was a resurgence of interest in art
and science. For example, see Da Vinci’s
Mona Lisa on the left.

There are many other examples of this

proportioning in the Mona Lisa; her face,
for example would fit neatly into a rectangle
with sides based on the Golden Ratio.

The series of rectangles that you can see

superimposed on the Mona Lisa is linked to
another aspect of the Golden Ratio, and
points up its relationship with Fibonacci
numbers.

Spirals and the Fibonacci sequence

If you were to
draw a curved
line
connecting up
the
consecutive
rectangles (as
we’ve done
on the left),
you would get
a spiral.

These spirals
appear often
in nature; in Nautilus shells, for example, and in pine cones; see the
Pathfinder Pack on Fibonacci Sequences for more information.
So what is the connection between spirals and Fibonacci numbers?
Take a look at the diagram below. It shows (approximately) how the
squares above are derived. Do you notice the numbers? Can you
see that this is the start of the Fibonacci sequence?
(1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55..)

The next square in the sequence would be 13 units to a side, the one
after that 21 units, and so on.

If you look at the individual numbers in the Fibonacci sequence and

find the ratio between consecutive numbers, you’ll notice that as the
sequence progresses, the figure gets closer and closer to the magical
Golden ratio of 1 to 1.61803398…! For instance:

8 divided by 5 is 1.6
13 divided by 8 is 1.625
21 divided by 13 is 1.61538
34 divided by 21 is 1.61904
55 divided by 34 is 1.61764

So, the Golden Ratio is linked to Fibonacci Sequences, and both of

these inform aspects of art, architecture and the natural world. It’s not
surprising, perhaps, that artists and architects throughout history
considered these mysterious numbers to be “divine”, considering that
they often appear in nature!