The golden ratio, or golden section as it is also called, is a special proportion that has fascinated artists and mathematicians throughout modern history. The special characteristic of this proportion is that if you divide a line into a larger and smaller section, A and B, then A is to B as the whole line is to A. Numerically it is about 1: 1.618. Artists and architects, even musicians, have used the golden ratio as a basis for their paintings and buildings, or music.
The golden ratio has, more than any number in the history of mathematics, inspired thinkers of all disciplines. It has fascinated for at least 2.400 years since Pythagoras and Euklid in ancient Greece. Other prominent thinkers, who have pondered the golden ratio, are Leonardo of Pisa, Johannes Kepler and present day physicist Roger Penrose. It has fascinated biologists, artists, musicians, architects, psychologists and occultists alike. The 12'th century mathematician Fibonacci discovered what is today known as the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. in which each new number is the sum of the two preceding. As you continue this sequence, it will accurately reach the golden ratio. The pentagram is a peculiar figure in that all its line segments stand in a golden ratio relationship with some other segment of the pentagram.
The golden ratio is also known as Phi in honor of the great Greek sculptor Phidias, from about 400 BC, who used the golden ratio extensively in his sculptures. Since 1509 the golden ratio has also been known as the divine proportion; in 1509 Luca Pacioli published a three volume book on the golden ratio entitled De Devina Proportione. The title of the book stems from the fact that Pacioli saw religious significance in the proportion. For hundreds of years the book had a major influence on artists and architects.
The modern Swiss architect Le Corbusier is famous for his use of the golden ratio. He saw the ratio and the Fibonacci sequence as representing a mathematical order of the universe, and he described them as: "rhythms apparent to the eye and clear in their relations with one another. And these rhythms are at the very root of human activities. They resound in man by an organic inevitability, the same fine inevitability which causes the tracing out of the Golden Section by children, old men, savages and the learned."
Painters, such as the 17'th century master Vermeer, have used the golden ratio extensively, so did a modern master like Salvador Dali. Dali adored Vermeer, by the way. The golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence have also been used by composers. The modern composer Bartok, for example, based the xylophone progression in "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste" on the Fibonacci sequence 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1. Similarly Satie and Debussy are known to have used the golden ratio as a basis for some of their compositions.
The golden ratio can be found throughout nature. The arrangement of branches along the stems of plants, for instance, often follows the golden ratio.
The golden ratio has, more than any number in the history of mathematics, inspired thinkers of all disciplines. It has fascinated for at least 2.400 years since Pythagoras and Euklid in ancient Greece. Other prominent thinkers, who have pondered the golden ratio, are Leonardo of Pisa, Johannes Kepler and present day physicist Roger Penrose. It has fascinated biologists, artists, musicians, architects, psychologists and occultists alike. The 12'th century mathematician Fibonacci discovered what is today known as the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. in which each new number is the sum of the two preceding. As you continue this sequence, it will accurately reach the golden ratio. The pentagram is a peculiar figure in that all its line segments stand in a golden ratio relationship with some other segment of the pentagram.
The golden ratio is also known as Phi in honor of the great Greek sculptor Phidias, from about 400 BC, who used the golden ratio extensively in his sculptures. Since 1509 the golden ratio has also been known as the divine proportion; in 1509 Luca Pacioli published a three volume book on the golden ratio entitled De Devina Proportione. The title of the book stems from the fact that Pacioli saw religious significance in the proportion. For hundreds of years the book had a major influence on artists and architects.
The modern Swiss architect Le Corbusier is famous for his use of the golden ratio. He saw the ratio and the Fibonacci sequence as representing a mathematical order of the universe, and he described them as: "rhythms apparent to the eye and clear in their relations with one another. And these rhythms are at the very root of human activities. They resound in man by an organic inevitability, the same fine inevitability which causes the tracing out of the Golden Section by children, old men, savages and the learned."
Painters, such as the 17'th century master Vermeer, have used the golden ratio extensively, so did a modern master like Salvador Dali. Dali adored Vermeer, by the way. The golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence have also been used by composers. The modern composer Bartok, for example, based the xylophone progression in "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste" on the Fibonacci sequence 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1. Similarly Satie and Debussy are known to have used the golden ratio as a basis for some of their compositions.
The golden ratio can be found throughout nature. The arrangement of branches along the stems of plants, for instance, often follows the golden ratio.
No comments:
Post a Comment