Thursday, April 18, 2013

The golden ration comes in at P.

Phi, golden ratio or Divine droportions in a Penguin
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The question of whether math imitates nature or if the inverse is true has been a question often asked by mathematical philosophers for ages. When you look at nature long enough, patterns begin to emerge: cells and bacteria multiply according to certain formulas, unless x happens, and then the pattern changes slightly as it moves on; flowers and trees grow in fractal patterns as they grow; and then there's Phi.
There is always some type of math people who don't like math know, and for the spiritual, that is phi. Phi is a ratio that is described as (1 + sqrt(5))/2, or an irregular number of 1.6180339887. . . and that ratio is often found in nature. If you were to encase a creature in box, more often than not that box would fit the proportions of phi.  Our little friend the penguin there demonstrates that his markings fall along his phi ratio. Flowers grow their petals at an angle of phi. As a logarithmic spiral, it can be seen in sea shells, pine cones, and snails. So what does it mean?
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 It can mean whatever you want to mean. Your world is product of the conclusions you draw from experience and the influence of the world around us. I know what a world full of chaos and order means to me at this point in my life, but that's not to say it will not change as the years go on. In fact, I expect it to.





7 comments:

  1. Just stopping by from the A to Z Challenge.

    Great post! I am intrigued to learn more about Phi :)

    Naomi @ Cornet Crafts

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  2. The penguin image is fascinating. I didn't know animals as complex as birds followed the golden ratio.

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  3. This was only a fraction of what I found while researching the topic. People follow the ratio, and there was a neat picture of a tiger's head as well.

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  4. I am new follower of yours because I am not a math person, but I relish learning new things. I always have questions and am in awe of the magic in nature.

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    1. Thank you. I was drawn to your pae because I like Lewis Carol. He was an amazing writer as well as a mathematician.

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  5. Another excellent write up of a difficult subject. But when there is Phi .. it is good read.

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