There is a cosmic constant called the ‘golden ratio’ which South African researchers say governs the entire universe.
The golden ratio is 1.618, represented by the Greek letter ‘phi’, is said to be is a mathematical connection between two aspects of an object.
It is also called the Fibonacci sequence and it can be found across all of nature: plants, animals, weather structures, star systems – it is ever-present in the universe.
Drawings on rocks and caves carry an evidence about the use of Golden Ratio for over 4,000 years!
Some historians have suggested that this principle has also been used by Ancient Egyptians in building Pyramids.
It can be located in the nautilus shell – the logo for our Conversations with Nature World Summit 2021.
Our human bodies have the golden ratio, from the navel to the floor and the top of the head to the navel. You’ll also find it in the shape of hurricanes, elephant tusks, star fish, sea urchins, ants and honeybees. While not in every structure or pattern, it is a significant discovery by Leonardo Fibonacci.
The Fibonacci sequence starts like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and continues on forever. Each number is the sum of the two numbers before it. It’s a simple pattern, and perhaps not that impressive on its own.
That is until you realise that this ratio is the key to everything from the number of spirals on a sunflower head, our own limbs, encrypting computer data, and why the Mona Lisa is so pleasing to the eye. It appears to be a kind of built-in numbering system to the cosmos.
The number of petals in a flower consistently follows the Fibonacci sequence. Famous examples include the lily, which has three petals, buttercups, which have five, the chicory’s 21, the daisy’s 34, and so on.
More examples of the Golden Ratio in nature:
- Seed heads. The head of a flower produces seeds at the centre which migrate towards the outside in a spiral pattern to fill all the space.
- Pineapples, Romanesco broccoli and cauliflowers. These also follow the Fibonacci process.
- Pine cones. The seed pods on a pinecone are arranged in a spiral pattern, each cone has a pair of spiral which spiral up in opposite directions.
- Tree branches. The sequence is seen in the way tree branches form or split: the trunk grows until it produces a branch, which creates two growth points. Then one of the new stems branches into two, leaving the other dormant.
- The eye, fins and tail fall at golden ratio sections.
- Animal flight patterns. When a hawk approaches its prey, its sharpest view is at an angle to their direction of flight – an angle that’s the same as the spiral’s pitch.
- Spiral galaxies. The Milky Way has several spiral arms, each a logarithmic spiral of about 12 degrees.
Join me for our upcoming Conversations With Nature World Summit, 20 – 23 April 2021. Registration is free! Listen to 24 women visionaries creating a better world.
Pea Horsley is the Founder of the Conversations with Nature World Summit and creator of online learning, Animal Communication Made Easy, a proven 5-step method to learn how to communicate with all species of animals. Pea is the UK’s most highly regarded animal communicator, TEDx speaker, teacher, wild animal retreat facilitator and best-selling author. In 2020 Pea founded The Pride membership as an answer to the global pandemic where each month a different species communicates, guides and advises humanity.
Note: While many have declared the nautilus spiral does not conform to the traditional Golden ratio with every 90 degree turn, ‘it does follow a spiral that expands by the golden ratio every 180 degrees’.
FAQs
The “golden ratio” is a 1.618:1 mathematical ratio, and the number 1.618 is known as “phi.” Golden ratios can be found in shells, plants, flowers, and animals, among other places. It is believed to be one of the strongest and oldest connections between math and creative arts.
How is the Golden Ratio used in real life? ›
Golden Ratio is one of the most common mathematical ratios in nature. We see this ratio everywhere from majestic landscapes like the Pyramids of Giza and the Mona Lisa to modern-day logos such as Twitter and Pepsi. Golden ratios are unique because of their golden proportion.
Why is the Golden Ratio so important? ›
“The golden ratio is all about blank space and its relation to the 'pay attention' space,” says Berndt. “There's only so much that people can take visually. This is a guiding principle to help you understand the limits of human attention so you can create something that is aesthetically pleasing.”
Why is the Fibonacci sequence so important in nature? ›
The Fibonacci sequence is important for many reasons. In nature, the numbers and ratios in the sequence can be found in the patterns of petals of flowers, the whorls of a pine cone, and the leaves on stems. As the sequence continues, the ratios of the terms approach a number known as the golden ratio.
What did Fibonacci say about the Golden Ratio? ›
The Golden Ratio is a relationship between two numbers that are next to each other in the Fibonacci sequence. When you divide the larger one by the smaller one, the answer is something close to Phi. The further you go along the Fibonacci Sequence, the closer the answers get to Phi.
What is the golden ratio for a woman's body? ›
Results: There is a golden ratio in the distances between xiphoid to waist and waist to the abdominal crease that is close to 1:1.66, and the waist is at the junction of the upper 2/5th and lower 3/5th of the height from xiphoid to abdominal crease.
What is a good example of the golden ratio? ›
Faces, both human and nonhuman, abound with examples of the Golden Ratio. The mouth and nose are each positioned at golden sections of the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the chin. Similar proportions can been seen from the side, and even the eye and ear itself.
What is the golden ratio of God? ›
This ratio - 1.618 - is an approximation of its true value of [1+√5)/2]. This ratio has served mankind in three ways: it provides beauty, function, and reveals how wise, good, and powerful the Creator is.
What does the golden ratio mean spiritually? ›
The golden ratio, seen in structures as vast as galaxies or as intricate as DNA, has long been the symbol of ideal harmony. Duke University's Adrian Bejan ties this unique ratio to a universal law of nature's design. Through his work on the constructal law, Bejan reveals how nature shapes itself to ease flow.
How does the golden ratio appear in the human body? ›
Golden Ratio and the Human Body
Your navel is positioned such that the ratio of the short half to the long half equals the golden ratio. Similarly, your forearm and hand form the ratio, i.e., 1.618, the golden ratio. ratio with the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the chin.
The golden ratio is 1.618, represented by the Greek letter 'phi', is said to be is a mathematical connection between two aspects of an object. It is also called the Fibonacci sequence and it can be found across all of nature: plants, animals, weather structures, star systems – it is ever-present in the universe.
What is another name for golden ratio? ›
The golden ratio was called the extreme and mean ratio by Euclid, and the divine proportion by Luca Pacioli, and also goes by several other names. —may be cut into a square and a smaller rectangle with the same aspect ratio.
Why is banana a Fibonacci sequence? ›
Cut open a fruit, and often you'll find a star shape with a Fibonacci number of arms. A banana has a three-pointed star, an apple a five-pointed star, a persimmon an eight-pointed star. Count the cells on a pineapple, and you'll find several Fibonacci numbers.
What is a famous Fibonacci quote? ›
If by chance I have omitted anything more or less proper or necessary, I beg forgiveness, since there is no one who is without fault and circ*mspect in all matters.
How is Fibonacci used in real life? ›
These numbers are used in various fields such as architecture, art, space exploration, engineering, technology, and computing. The Fibonacci sequence, also known as the golden ratio, is utilized in architectural designs, creating aesthetically pleasing structures 1.
What is the main property of the golden ratio? ›
Being an irrational number, the Golden Ratio cannot be expressed as a fraction (as a rational number). In other words, we cannot find some common measure that is contained in the two lengths AC and CB.
Where is the golden ratio used today? ›
The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio you can find almost anywhere, like nature, architecture, painting, and music. When specifically applied to design specifically, it creates an organic, balanced, and aesthetically pleasing composition.
What is a real life example of a ratio? ›
Recipes are a good of examples of using ratios in real life. For the lemonade, 1 cup sugar to 5 cups water so if I had 2 cups of sugar I would need 10 cups of water. The ratio here is 2 jars to 5 dollars or 2:5. If I wanted to buy 1 jar it would be $2.50.
How does the golden ratio relate to the human body? ›
Such a ratio is sometimes discovered in nature, one instance being the mean between lengths of some organs of the human body. Leonardo da Vinci found that the total height of the body and the height from the toes to the navel depression are in Golden Ratio.
How do we use the Fibonacci sequence in everyday life? ›
Answer and Explanation:
The Fibonacci sequence can describe branches on a tree, sequences in music, the number of petals on a flower, Pascal's triangle, paintings, structural design, human anatomy, the shape of a spiral, and more.
