Radoslav Rasko Jovanovic : “ Binet`s formulas “

Binet`s formulas

Jacques Philippe Marie Binet (February 2, 1786 – May 12, 1856) was a French
mathematician, physicist and astronomer born in Rennes; he died in Paris, France, in 1856.

After two years of study at the Ecole Polytechnique, he was appointed, in 1806, student-
engineer in the government department of bridges and roads. Teaching, however, soon
attracted him. For some time, he was professor of mathematics at the Lycée Napoléon. He
then became, at the Ecole Polytechnique, successively, répétiteur of descriptive geometry,
examiner, professor of mechanics, and inspecteur-général of studies.

In 1823, he succeeded Delambre in the chair of astronomy at the Collège de France.

Because of his intense devotion to the cause of Charles X, the Government of July, 1830,
removed him from the Ecole Polytechnique, although it allowed him to retain his
professorship at the Collège de France. He had been made a member of the Société
Philomathique, in 1812. In 1843, he was elected to succeed Lacroix* in the Académie des
Sciences, of which he was a most active member and had become president at the time of
his death. Binet was a man of modest manner and a devout Catholic.

To mathematics, mechanics, and astronomy, Binet contributed many valuable articles on a

great variety of topics. These articles were published in the "Bulletins de la Société
philomathique", in the "Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences", in the "Journal des
Mathématiques" (Liouville) and, chiefly, in the "Journal de l'Ecole polytechnique". He also
rewrote, to a large extent, the second volume of the "Mécanique analytique" of Lagrange for
the edition of 1816.

A few of his principal articles are: "Mémoire sur la théorie des axes conjugués et des
moments d'inertie des corps", enunciating the principle sometimes called Binet's Theorem
(Journ. de l'Ec. pol., IX, 1813); "Mémoire sur la détermination analytique d'une sphère
tangente à quatre autres sphères (ibid., X, 1815); "Mémoire sur la détermination des orbites
des planètes et des comètes" (ibid., XIII, 1831); "Mémoire sur les intégrales définies
eulériennes et sur leur application à la théorie des suites ainsi qu'à l'évaluation des fonctions
des grands nombres" (ibid., XVI, 1839; Paris, 1840); "Mémoire sur les inégalités séculaires
du mouvement des planètes" (Journal de Math., V, 1840); "Mémoire sur la formation d'une
classe très étendue d'équations réciproques renfermant un nombre quelconque de
variables" (Paris 1843).

Binet's contributions to the fields of mathematics and science are numerous. He researched
the foundations of matrix theory, discovering the rule for multiplying matricies in 1812. His
other work aside, that discovery is primarily that for which he has been and will be
remembered. Binet also contributed to number theory, specifically the theory of the
Euclidean algorithm.

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 Radoslav Rasko Jovanovic : “ Binet`s formulas “

Most interesting is the fact that Binet studied the linear difference equations; the Fibonacci
recurrent equation is their particular case. His famous Binet's formulas connect Fibonacci
and Lucas numbers with the Golden Section.

Jacques Philippe Marie Binet

Binet's Fibonacci Number Formula was derived by Binet in 1843, although the result was
known to Euler and to Daniel Bernoulli more than a century ago.

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 Radoslav Rasko Jovanovic : “ Binet`s formulas “

To get Binet's formulas let us take the expression of connecting the powers of the golden
ratio :

phi2 + phi = 1

or:

(-1)phi2 + F(1)(2phi + 1)phi = 1

By multiplying the previous identity by -phi2 we get the next identity:

(-1)2phi4 + 1*(2phi + 1)phi2 = 1

or:
(-1)2phi4 + F(2)(2phi + 1)phi2 = 1

Also by multiplying the previous identity by -phi2 we get the next identity:

(-1)3phi6 + 2*(2phi + 1)phi3 = 1

or:
(-1)3phi6 + F(3)(2phi + 1)phi3 = 1

and so on:
(-1)4phi8 + 3*(2phi + 1)phi4 = 1

or:
(-1)4phi8 + F(4)(2phi + 1)phi4 = 1

and:
(-1)5phi10 + 5*(2phi + 1)phi5 = 1

or:
(-1)5phi10 + F(5)(2phi + 1)phi5 = 1

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 Radoslav Rasko Jovanovic : “ Binet`s formulas “

In general case we have:

(-1)nphi2n + F(n)(2phi + 1)phin = 1

Note that the equation is valid for any integer n. Using the previous equation it is also
possible to exppress Fibonacci number F(n) throught the Golden Section:

or:

Since phi is less than one in size, its powers decrease rapidly. We can use this to derive the
following simpler formula for nth Fibonacci number F(n):

It is interesting that A de Moivre (1667-1754) had written about Binet`s Formula, in 1730,
and had indeed found a method for finding formula for any general series of numbers formed
in a similar way to the Fibonacci series.

Let`s remember again that the degrees of the Golden Section are connected by the following
identity:

phi2 + phi = 1

or:
(-1)2phi2 + L(1)phi = 1

By multiplying the previous identity by -phi2 we get the next identity:

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 Radoslav Rasko Jovanovic : “ Binet`s formulas “

(-1)3phi4 + 3*phi2 = 1

or:
(-1)3phi4 + L(2)phi2 = 1

Also by multiplying the previous identity by -phi2 we get the next identity:

(-1)4phi6 + 4* phi3 = 1

or:
(-1)4phi6 + L(3)phi3 = 1

and so on:
(-1)5phi8 + 7*phi4 = 1

or:
(-1)5phi8 + L(4)phi4 = 1

and
(-1)6phi10 + 11*phi5 = 1

or:
(-1)6phi10 + L(5)phi5 = 1

In general case we have:

(-1)n+1phi2n + L(n)phin = 1

Note that the equation is valid for any integer n. Using the previous equation it is also
possible to exppress Lucas number L(n) throught the Golden Section:

L(n) = Phin + (-1)nphin

or:

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 Radoslav Rasko Jovanovic : “ Binet`s formulas “

We only used this formula for positive whole values on n and it only gives integer results.
Well, perheps it was not really so surprising since the formula is supposed to define the
Lucas numbers which are integers; but it is surprising in that this formula involves Phi and
phi which are both irrational numbers.