Fibonacci Allotment
Fibonacci.
Yeah that's right - it's that Italian chef who mentored Jamie Oliver. Wrong! That was Antonio Carluccio.
No, no don't tell me, it's Italian for "small white lie"? Good try. Again, incorrect, that is "piccola bugia bianca".
OK right, I've got it, it's so obvious, it's that famous Operatic composer - you know the one? No, I don't know the one, and anyway he's called Puccini.
Opera singer anyone? Again no, thinking of Pavarotti are we?
OK, one last try? How about that flamboyant American pianist from the 60s and 70s? Yes, you have failed miserably, and that was Liberace!
It's obvious that you are not going to get this, so I'll ease you in gently. Let's start with a simple number sequence: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89... These numbers could go on and on, but I'll stop here.
Those of you who have read some decent pulp fiction in recent years will now have something nagging in the back of your brain - yes you have seen those numbers before! They appear in the opening paragraphs of Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'.
You may have spotted that the number sequence builds by adding the two previous numbers, eg 34 comes from adding the previous 13 and 21. This, of course, is not rocket science and probably borders on pseudo science. Anyway, "so what" I hear you sigh. Well it is probably this very number sequence that has given you the physiological and cognitive wherewithal to actually make that sigh. This sequence is a poor man's DNA, but one that can be observed in your allotment rather than via an electron microscope.
So what is this all about? Well, unfortunately we still need a little bit more maths and then we can go to the reveal. If we divide any of the numbers in the series into the number immediately on its right, we gradually get closer to the "golden ratio" of 1.61803...recurring. Let me demonstrate: 5/3 = 1.667, but further up the series using the bigger numbers you get: 55/34 = 1.617, ie gradually getting closer to 1.61803.
Right you are now ready to enter the inner sanctum of sacred knowledge. Or, you can simply Google Fibonacci and do your own navigating.
Actually, before we carry on, you should have at least a small amount history just to complete the picture. The Fibonacci sequence of numbers was first known about in ancient India in about 200 BC, although it wasn't known as Fibonacci at that time as Italian hadn't been invented. The sequence was first studied in the West by Leonardo of Pisa, better known to his mates as Fibonacci - what a nickname!
Incidentally it was Fibonacci who first introduced Arabic numerals to Europe via his weighty tome called Liber Abaci in 1202 (The Book of Abacus). This came about when he was studying trade with the Arabs while living in North Africa. Not a lot of people know that!
The point about this number sequence is that they crop up in nature quite alot. For instance, flowers predominantly have a Fibonacci amount of petals, usually 3, 5, 8 or 13. Also, the "golden ratio" lends itself to being plotted as a spiral and it is this spiral that can be observed in cauliflowers and pineapples, amongst other vegetables and fruits.
I've attached a couple of websites which illustrates this numerically sequentious universe. This world will accommodate the most extreme of geeks, but beware as you may find yourself transfixed.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/nature-golden-ratio-fibonacci.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/applications5.html
Stay tuned. Next week I'll be covering the life of pi.
Yeah that's right - it's that Italian chef who mentored Jamie Oliver. Wrong! That was Antonio Carluccio.
No, no don't tell me, it's Italian for "small white lie"? Good try. Again, incorrect, that is "piccola bugia bianca".
OK right, I've got it, it's so obvious, it's that famous Operatic composer - you know the one? No, I don't know the one, and anyway he's called Puccini.
Opera singer anyone? Again no, thinking of Pavarotti are we?
OK, one last try? How about that flamboyant American pianist from the 60s and 70s? Yes, you have failed miserably, and that was Liberace!
It's obvious that you are not going to get this, so I'll ease you in gently. Let's start with a simple number sequence: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89... These numbers could go on and on, but I'll stop here.
Those of you who have read some decent pulp fiction in recent years will now have something nagging in the back of your brain - yes you have seen those numbers before! They appear in the opening paragraphs of Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'.
You may have spotted that the number sequence builds by adding the two previous numbers, eg 34 comes from adding the previous 13 and 21. This, of course, is not rocket science and probably borders on pseudo science. Anyway, "so what" I hear you sigh. Well it is probably this very number sequence that has given you the physiological and cognitive wherewithal to actually make that sigh. This sequence is a poor man's DNA, but one that can be observed in your allotment rather than via an electron microscope.
So what is this all about? Well, unfortunately we still need a little bit more maths and then we can go to the reveal. If we divide any of the numbers in the series into the number immediately on its right, we gradually get closer to the "golden ratio" of 1.61803...recurring. Let me demonstrate: 5/3 = 1.667, but further up the series using the bigger numbers you get: 55/34 = 1.617, ie gradually getting closer to 1.61803.
Right you are now ready to enter the inner sanctum of sacred knowledge. Or, you can simply Google Fibonacci and do your own navigating.
Actually, before we carry on, you should have at least a small amount history just to complete the picture. The Fibonacci sequence of numbers was first known about in ancient India in about 200 BC, although it wasn't known as Fibonacci at that time as Italian hadn't been invented. The sequence was first studied in the West by Leonardo of Pisa, better known to his mates as Fibonacci - what a nickname!
Incidentally it was Fibonacci who first introduced Arabic numerals to Europe via his weighty tome called Liber Abaci in 1202 (The Book of Abacus). This came about when he was studying trade with the Arabs while living in North Africa. Not a lot of people know that!
The point about this number sequence is that they crop up in nature quite alot. For instance, flowers predominantly have a Fibonacci amount of petals, usually 3, 5, 8 or 13. Also, the "golden ratio" lends itself to being plotted as a spiral and it is this spiral that can be observed in cauliflowers and pineapples, amongst other vegetables and fruits.
I've attached a couple of websites which illustrates this numerically sequentious universe. This world will accommodate the most extreme of geeks, but beware as you may find yourself transfixed.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/nature-golden-ratio-fibonacci.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/applications5.html
Stay tuned. Next week I'll be covering the life of pi.