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Physicist: Hells yes! It’s f_n \approx \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}} \left(\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}\right)^{n+1}, where the
“≈” is close enough that you can round to the nearest integer. Astute readers will notice that
\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2} is the golden ratio, and may wonder if this is a coincidence. Yes.
Everything after this is a detailed, math-heavy explanation of where this formula comes from.
The “Fibonacci sequence” is defined as a sequence of numbers f_0, f_1, f_2, \cdots such that you have
the recursion: f_n = f_{n-1}+f_{n-2}, and the restrictions: f_0 = 1 and f_1 = 1.
Explicitly, the Fibonacci sequence is: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, … That is, the recursion says that every term
is the sum of the previous two.
You can also talk about “generalized Fibonacci sequences”, where these restrictions and/or the recursion
are changed. For example: f_n = 2f_{n-1}+3f_{n-2}, with f_0 = 5 and f_1 = 2. This derivation is for the
ordinary sequence, but it can be altered to suit any generalized Fibonacci sequence. Here it is:
Every now and again it’s useful to encode a string of numbers in a “generating function“. For obscure
(and unimportant to this post) reasons, you can write many functions as infinitely long polynomials. For
example: \sin{(x)} = x-\frac{1}{6}x^3+\frac{1}{120}x^5 \cdots. The generating function for a sequence of
numbers f_0, f_1, f_2, f_3, \cdots is g(x) = f_0 + f_1 x + f_2 x^2 + f_3 x^3 + \cdots = \sum_{n=0}^\infty
f_n x^n. So, sin(x) is the generating function for the sequence 0, 1, 0, -\frac{1}{6},0,\frac{1}{120}, \cdots.
If you can find a simple form for this function g, then bully. You’ve got a very straight forward way of
writing an infinite string of numbers. The value of x doesn’t have anything to do with anything. The
powers of x are really just there to keep the numbers straight. Now check this out!
You can take the recursion and use it to find a relationship between these three slightly different
functions. Here’s a good first guess: g(x) = xg(x)+x^2g(x)
You can write this out, group by powers of x, and then use the recursion. However (if you look at the
definitions above for g, xg, and x2g), each sum starts at a different value of n. That needs to be dealt
with first:
v) fn = fn-1+fn-2
This doesn’t quite line up, so the guess wasn’t perfect. There should have been an extra “+1” on the
right side of the original equation: g(x) = xg(x)+x^2g(x)+1
Armed with this latest equation we can actually solve for g:
Here R_+ = \frac{-1+\sqrt{5}}{2} and R_- = \frac{-1-\sqrt{5}}{2}. The only reason for writing it this way is
that leaving all those roots and fractions in makes this look like a math blizzard.
So far, using what is known about the Fibonacci sequence, we’ve found a nice closed equation for the
generating function (g), which “encodes” the sequence. Hopefully, we can use this fancy new equation
to figure out what each fn must be. Again, the function (g) itself does nothing. The only reason it’s
around is so that we can look at the coefficients when it’s written in the form of a (Taylor) polynomial.
Now using “partial fractions” you can pull this one kinda-complicated fraction into two not-so-
complicated fractions (that’s where the “\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}” comes from):
\begin{array}{ll} g(x)=\frac{-1}{(x-R_+)(x-R_-)}\\=\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left[\frac{-1}{x-R_+}+\frac{1}{x-R_-}
\right]\\=\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left[\frac{1}{R_+-x}-\frac{1}{R_--x} \right]\\=\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left[\frac{1}
{R_+}\frac{1}{1-\frac{x}{R_+}}-\frac{1}{R_-}\frac{1}{1-\frac{x}{R_-}} \right]\end{array}
It so happens (and this is the point of the entire excercise) that functions of the form “\frac{1}
{1-\square}” can be written as: \frac{1}{1-\square} = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \square^n =
1+\square+\square^2+\square^3+\cdots. This is called a “geometric series“. For example: 1+\frac{1}
{2}+\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{8}+\cdots = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^n = \frac{1}{1-\frac{1}{2}} =
2.
\begin{array}{ll} g(x)=\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left[\frac{1}{R_+}\frac{1}{1-\frac{x}{R_+}}-\frac{1}{R_-}\frac{1}
{1-\frac{x}{R_-}} \right]\\=\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left[\frac{1}{R_+}\sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(\frac{x}
{R_+}\right)^n -\frac{1}{R_-}\sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(\frac{x}{R_-}\right)^n \right]\\=\frac{1}
{\sqrt{5}}\left[\sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(\frac{1}{R_+}\right)^{n+1}x^n -\sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(\frac{1}
{R_-}\right)^{n+1}x^n \right]\\=\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1}{R_+}\right)^{n+1}x^n
-\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1}{R_-}\right)^{n+1}x^n\\=\sum_{n=0}^\infty
\left[\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1}{R_+}\right)^{n+1}-\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1}
{R_-}\right)^{n+1}\right]x^n\\\end{array}
But g was originally defined as g(x) = \sum_{n=0}^\infty f_n x^n. These fn in front of each power of x
must be the same as these weird things above.
\begin{array}{ll}f_n = \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1}{R_+}\right)^{n+1}-\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1}
{R_-}\right)^{n+1}\\= \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{2}{-1+\sqrt{5}}\right)^{n+1}-\frac{1}
{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{2}{-1-\sqrt{5}}\right)^{n+1}\\= \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{2}{-
1+\sqrt{5}}\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{1+\sqrt{5}}\right)^{n+1}-\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{-2}
{1+\sqrt{5}}\frac{1-\sqrt{5}}{1-\sqrt{5}}\right)^{n+1}\\= \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}
{2}\right)^{n+1}-\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}\left(\frac{1-\sqrt{5}}{2}\right)^{n+1}\end{array}
Notice: 1) \frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2} = \phi is the golden ratio (not that it matters), and 2) \left|\frac{1-\sqrt{5}}
{2}\right| \approx 0.6. This means that the second term is smaller than one, and each successive power
is progressively smaller. So, rather than calculate it, ignore it!
Were you so inclined you could take any initial conditions (the f0 and f1) and any recursion (of the form
fn = Afn-1+Bfn-2) and, using the method above, find a closed form for it as well. The only problem you
may run into is finding yourself with a polynomial that can’t be factored (x2+x-1 had factors, but it
needn’t have). If that happens, that’s bad…
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17 Responses to Q: Is there a formula to find the Nth term in the Fibonacci sequence?
OhMyEinstein says:
Ah a lot of maths!! too bad i’m still 15 and I’m not ready for this kind of math level : (
Why “≈”?
why fn = fn-1+fn-2?
fn = Afn-1+Bfn-2? why : /
-By definition
Is there truly nothing? E.G., what does the universe exist in, or, stated another way, if the universe
disappeared, what would you have left? Nothing? Something, (called nothing, which isn’t nothing if it’s
something)? Does there exist a nothing which isn’t itself a subset of a larger nothingness?
Johnny says:
And whether there truly exist (as in the physical reality) something that is nothing, I cannot imagine.
Every time I imagine nothing, it can be black or empty space… I know it is not nothing but something,
therefore I cannot imagine how nothing would exist.
But then again, if nothing exist it is not nothing but something, and therefore I can conclude in my own
mind that nothing does not truly exist.
Nevertheless I think it is important, that mathematically nothing is defined, even though it may not exist
in reality.
I may have missed this in the explanation, but the formula I learned is as follows:
I take your point completely. My answer was based on the original question, “Is there a formula to find
the nth term in the Fibonacci sequence?” My bad.
It ain’t!
The second term in the formula is a number smaller than 1 raised to the Nth power which, (for powers
of 2 and higher) is less than 0.5. Since the total formula always gives the correct answer, the first term is
within 0.5 of the correct answer, and rounding just fixes the error.
The only reason for ignoring the second term is to make the math easier to do by hand, and the behavior
of the function easier to understand.
Freya says:
Hey, check this out! With this formula, if you are given a Fibonacci number F, you can determine its
position in the sequence with this formula:
Whether you use +4 or −4 is determined by whether the result is a perfect square, or more accurately
whether the Fibonacci number has an even or odd position in the sequence. More accurately,
n = log_((1+√5)/2)((F√5 + √(5F^2 + 4(−1)^n)) / 2)
But that just won’t do, because we have n on both sides of the equation. We might be able to derive a
general formula (from now on, (1 + √5) / 2 is represented by ϕ):
That’s as far as I can get. Would the mathematician please shed some light on how to isolate n?
Octopus says:
A coincidence you say? I would think it is no more a coincidence than the fact 1 and 1 just happen to
make 2. It is a natural law, is it not? The fibonacci sequence is very much related to the golden ratio as
your formula shows.
Quentin says:
I would like to observe that I do not believe we know enough to say that phi (the golden ratio) being in
the expression for the nth Fibonacci number is a coincidence. Especially considering the limiting case,
where F[n] represents the nth Fibonacci number, the ratio of F[n]/F[n-1] approaches phi as n approaches
infinity.
That is only one place you notice Fibonacci numbers being related to the golden ratio. There are more,
for example the definition of the golden ratio is that the ratio of the larger part to the smaller part be
equal to the ratio of the sum of the larger part and smaller part, divided by the larger part. Put in
mathematical terms that means:
x/a = (x+a)/x, where ‘x’ would be the “bigger part” and ‘a’ would be the smaller part. However, notice if
you continue with this and take ‘x+a’ to be the larger part and x to be the smaller part. Now you get:
In general one can say that the golden ratio, or phi, is equal to:
(F[n+2]*x + F[n+1]*a)/(F[n+1]*x + F[n]*a) ————– n > 1, a > 0 where F[n] is the nth Fibonacci number.
So before anyone tells the fifteen year old not to wonder about the golden ratio and how it might relate
to the Fibonacci sequence and what that means, we may want to reconsider.
A good scientist is not aware of what they know, but what they don’t know.
Also, our astute first poster neglected to observe that 1/2 – sqrt(5)/2 is actually 1/phi, or the inverse of
the golden ratio… hmmmm.
Co says:
as mathematicians we like to be very precise. When you say you are 15 it would be helpful to have a date
to this. After a year you will be a year older. I have often thought the date info is created or broadcast is
helpful. Sometimes full sense of information cant be made without a date
Is there a way to find the integral of the formula for the nth term of the fibonacci sequence?
Ya boiiiiiiiii says:
Bruh
Make it easier
=D
bork says:
(n(n-1))/2
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Q: What’s the chance of getting a run of K or more successes (heads) in a row in N Bernoulli trials (coin
flips)? Why use approximations when the exact answer is known?
Q: Aren’t physicists just doing experiments to confirm their theories? Couldn’t they “prove” anything
they want?
Q: What’s up with that “bowling ball creates a dip in a sheet” analogy of spacetime? Isn’t it gravity that
makes the dip in the first place?
Q: Is it possible to say if the Earth is moving or sitting still without going into space?
Q: Will there always be things that will not or cannot be known?
Q: If you could see through the Earth, how big would Australia look from the other side?
Q: How is it that Bell’s Theorem proves that there are no “hidden variables” in quantum mechanics? How
do we know that God really does play dice with the universe?
Q: Does an electric field have mass? Does it take energy to move an electric field?
Q: What would the consequenses for our universe be if the speed of light was only about one hundred
miles per hour?
Q: Do virtual particles violate the laws that energy can be created or destroyed? Have virtual particles
ever been observed? In any other instance can energy ever be destroyed or created?
Video: How do we know that 1+1=2? A journey into the foundations of math.
Q: What is the optimum spectrum to visualize things with? Theoretically, which type of vision would be
the best to see things with?
Q: What causes iron, nickel, and cobalt to be attracted to magnets, but not other metals?
Q: Is it possible to fill a black hole? If you were to continuously throw galaxies worth of matter into a
black hole, would it ever fill up? And what would theoretically happen if all the matter in the universe
was thrown into a single black hole?
Q: Spectroscopy?
Q: If energy is quantized, what is the least amount of energy possible? And how did they measure it?
Q: How did Lord Kelvin come up with the absolute temperature? I mean, how could he say surely that it
was 273.15 C below zero?
Q: Is it odd that the universe’s constants are all so perfectly conducive to life?
Q: What would happen if an unstoppable force met with an unmovable, impenetrable object?
My bad: Have aliens ever visited Earth?
Video: What your Spiritual Guru Never Told you about Quantum Mechanics
Q: How big does an object have to be to gravitationally attract a Human or have a molten core?
Q: How hard would it be to make a list of products of primes that could beat public key encryption?
Q: Can one truly create something from nothing? If matter formed from energy (as in the Big Bang
expansion), where did the energy come from?
Q: Why does wind make you colder, but re-entry makes you hotter?
Q: What is infinity? (A brief introduction to infinite sets, infinite limits, and infinite numbers)
Q: Are there physical limits in the universe other than the speed of light?
Q: Is it of any coincidence that mathematics is able to describe physical reality – given that both are
inventions of the human mind?
Q: If you were to break down an average human body into its individual atoms, and then laid the atoms
out in a single straight line, how far would it stretch?
Q: Do the “laws” of physics and math exist? If so, where? Are they discovered or invented/created by
humans?
Q: How did mathematicians calculate trig functions and numbers like pi before calculators?
Q: Why does going fast or being lower make time slow down?
Q: What’s so special about the Gaussian distribution (i.e. the normal distribution / bell curve)??
Q: Is there a formula for how much water will splash, most importantly how high, and in what direction
from the toilet bowl when you *ehem* take a dump in it ?
Q: What is the meaning of the term “random”? Can thinking affect the future?
Q: Is it possible to choose an item from an infinite set of items such that each one has an equal chance of
being selected?
Q: Do aliens exist?
Q: If the universe is expanding and all the galaxies are moving away from one another, how is it possible
for galaxies to collide?
Q: Is the total complexity of the universe growing, shrinking or staying the same?
Q: If two trains move towards each other at certain velocities, and a fly flies between them at a certain
constant speed, how much distance will the fly cover before they crash?
Q: What’s the relationship between entropy in the information-theory sense and the thermodynamics
sense?
Q: Will black holes ever release their energy and will we be able to tell what had gone into them?
Q: Why does the leading digit 1 appear more often than other digits in all sorts of numbers? What’s the
deal with Benford’s Law?
Q: What the heck are imaginary numbers, how are they useful, and do they really exist?
Q: Could a simple cup of coffee be heated by a hand held device designed to not only mix but heat the
water through friction, and is that more efficient than heating on a stove and then mixing?
Q: What did Einstein mean by: “Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you
mine are still greater.”
Q: Why?
Q: What’s the highest population growth rate that the Earth can support?
Q: What is time?
Q: Why do heavy objects bend space and what is it they are bending?
Q: Why does math work so well at modeling the world around us?
Q: Why is it that when you multiply a positive number with a negative number you get a negative
number?
Q: What is the best way to understand relativity theory? Why is it so counter intuitive?
Q: Is teleportation possible?
Q: If black holes are “rips” in the fabric of our universe, does it mean they lead to other universes? If so,
then did time begin in that universe at the inception of the black hole? Could we be in a black hole?
Q: What is the probability that in a group of 31 people, none of them have birthdays in February or
August?
Q: What is monotony?
Q: How plausible is it that the laws of physics may actually function differently in other parts of the
universe?