Spirals

Yes, I used graph paper. These spirals needed it! They are spirals that were named by the mathematician, Fibonacci. There is a pattern for how to create these. It looks like this:

0+1=1

1+1=2

1+2=3

2+3=5

3+5=8

5+8=13

8+13=21

Now to get technical, I need to remind everyone about some mathematical definitions. The sum is the answer to an addition problem. The area of a square is the total number of perfect squares within a piece. Area of a square can be found by multiplying one side by itself. Phew. On to the drawing.

Each spiral started with one solitary square. 1+the previous number is 2. So, there are two little squares with the area of one square unit and the two of them create the side for a new square of two units. The area of this square is four units. The next number in the order is 3, so a larger square with an area of 9 square units is born. And on it goes....adding the number of the sum to the number before.

This is an amazing pattern and one I did not create. In his studies, Fibonnaci found many different ways this pattern is displayed and it is what most would describe as the Golden Ratio. Most notably,the nautilus, a sunflower, a pine cone, and even the human ear were built with the Golden Ratio. Next are the orders of fiddleheads and ferns. The pattern is really everywhere and is fun to discover ways to use it and give thanks for its miracles.

Cristobal Vila has created an amazing film to demonstrate this pattern and other patterns in nature built with mathematics. I hope you find the time to visit the site and watch. The music is sweet and the video is absolutely beautiful.

I hope you enjoy the patterns of math and maybe find one you like even better today. Thank you for sharing in my passion for math, art and music.