GROUP II

PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD

PATTERNS

 a particular way in which something is done, is organized, or happens

 Surrounding us is a diversity of things, from simple to complex, largest to smallest and
dullest to brightest. It is highly intriguing to be dealing with patterns that we see in our
world.
Different Types of Patterns

Symmetry 

 is when different sides of something are alike

 These reflections may be mirror images with only two sides, like the two sides of our
bodies; they may be symmetrical on several sides, like the inside of an apple sliced in
half; or they might be symmetrical on all sides, like the different faces of a cube.
Fractals

 never-ending patterns that repeat indefinitely as the pattern is iterated on an infinitely

smaller scale
 seen in trees, rivers, mountains, shells, clouds, leaves, lightning, and more
Spirals

 common pattern in nature that we see more often in living things

 horns of a sheep, the shell of a nautilus, and the placement of leaves around a stem

THEORIES ABOUT PATTERNS

Chaos Theory

 “chaos” - a form of order that lacks predictability

 under certain conditions, ordered, regular patterns can be seen to arise out of seemingly
random, erratic and turbulent processes
Butterfly Effect

 describes how a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in
large differences in a later state
Fractal Mathematics

 “fractal” -  a never-ending pattern

FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
 The Fibonacci sequence is the series of numbers 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34... The number is
found by adding up the two numbers before it, wherein each number in the sequence is
the sum of the two numbers that precede it, so the sequence goes 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34…
 It is sometimes called "nature’s secret code" or "nature’s universal rule".
History
 Many claim that it was first discovered or invented by Leonardo Fibonacci. Only in the
19th century did historians came up with the nickname Fibonacci, which roughly means
"son of the Bonacci clan" to distinguish the mathematician from another famous
Leonardo of Pisa.
 In 1202 Leonardo of Pisa published the massive tone "Liber Abaci", which is basically a
cookbook for how to do calculation, written for tradesmen useful for tracking profits,
losses etc., laid out in Hindu Arabic arithmetic numbers
 In the book Leonardo of Pisa, introduces the sequence with a problem involving rabbits.

THE GOLDEN RATIO

The Fibonacci sequence is tightly connected to what’s known as the golden ratio. The
Golden Ratio is used already used in the ancient times since the time of Phidias and Plato. It is
commonly used in the field of structure.

 Phidias (500 BC – 432 BC), a Greek sculptor and mathematician, studied phi and applied
it to the design of sculptures for the Parthenon.
 Plato (circa 428 BC – 347 BC), in his views on natural science and cosmology presented
in his “Timaeus,” considered the golden section to be the most binding of all
mathematical relationships and the key to the physics of the cosmos.
 The term is first coined in 1800’s by Martin Ohm.
 1815, when he published a book “De reine Elementar-Mathematik” (The Pure
Elementary Mathematics) and use the term “goldener schnitt” or the golden section.

Phi
 Used until 1900’s
 Mark Barr used “phi” to designate the proportion.
 It can be found on The Curves of Life (pg.420) in 1914 by Theodore Andrea Cook:
golden mean, golden section, golden ratio, divine proportion.
The Golden ratio is equivalent to 1.618033988749……..It is an irrational number with no
repeating numbers. It is coincidentally related to the Fibonacci sequence when a Fibonacci
number is divided with its predecessors, the quotient approaches the golden ratio. The golden
ratio can be understood geometrically by a golden rectangle.

THE GOLDEN RECTANGLE

 The Golden Rectangle is a rectangle where the ratio of the length to the width is a golden
ratio. If you have a Golden Rectangle and you cut a square off it so that what remains is a
rectangle, that remaining rectangle will also be a Golden Rectangle.
 While continuously cutting the golden rectangle, the golden spiral is formed. It is the
simple mathematics that occurred in nature.

GOLDEN RATIO IN NATURE

The golden ratio is sometimes called the “divine proportion” because of its frequency in the
natural world. The appearance of the said ratio is often enough to prove that they reflect some
naturally occurring patterns. This can be observed in how plants grow, in its seeds, the very
structure of a thing, and even outside this world.

Observing the patterns of the seeds in a sunflower will result in seeing the Fibonacci sequence.
The individual seeds create spiral arms, curving to the left and to the right.

The ratio can also be seen in a pineapple fruit’s scales, which can be viewed in three different
perspectives.

Flowers usually have three petals, five, eight, thirteen or even twenty-one petals. You can rarely
see flowers with four, six, seven, and nine. This numbers also follows the Fibonacci sequence.
Pinecones and cauliflowers also reflect such sequence.

The human body also follows the sequence. The body parts follow the one, two, three, and five.
There is one nose, two eyes, three segments to each limb, and five fingers on each hand.

Even the spiral of storms and tornados reflects such ratio in their spinning motion. The Nautilus
shell which closely approximates to the golden spiral, and even the galaxies, spirals in such
golden proportion.

Luca Pacioli, a Franciscan friar who wrote a book entitled De Divina Proportion in 1509, which
is named after the golden ratio. Pacioli didn’t argue in his book about the golden ratio-based
theory of aesthetics, but instead he believed the Virtruvian system of rational proportions, after
the Roman architect, Virtruvius.

GOLDEN RATIO IN ART COMPOSITION AND DESIGN

Just as the Golden Section is found in the design and beauty of nature, it can also be used to
achieve beauty, balance and harmony in art and design.
Leonardo da Vinci

The Golden Section was used extensively by Leonardo Da Vinci. Note how all the key
dimensions of the room, the table and ornamental shields in Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” were
based on the Golden Ratio, which was known in the Renaissance period as The Divine
Proportion. The lines showing Da Vinci’s intricate use of the Divine proportion were creating
using PhiMatrix golden ratio design and analysis software: Note in Da Vinci’s “The
Annuciation” that the brick wall of the courtyard is in golden ratio proportion to the top and
bottom of the painting: Even the fine details of the emblems on the table appear to have been
positioned based on golden proportions of the width of the table: Other golden proportions can
be found in “The Annunciation” that illustrate the point and give evidence of Da Vinci’s intent.
See other examples of Da Vinci’s use of the Divine proportion here and my article on the
beautiful golden ratios in his painting “Salvator Mundi.”

Michelangelo

In Michelangelo’s painting of “The Creation of Adam” on the ceiling of the Sistine

Chapel, look at the section of the painting bounded by God and Adam. The finger of God
touches the finger of Adam precisely at the golden ratio point of the width and height of the area
that contains them both. Alternatively, you can use the horizontal borders of the width of the
painting and get the same result. See my separate article revealing Michelangelo’s use of over
two dozen golden ratios in his composition of the paintings on the Sistine Chapel. Click on the
photos below to see a larger version of the sample images.

Raphael

Raphael’s “The School of Athens” provides another wonderful example of the

application of the golden ratio in composition. A small golden rectangle at the front and center of
the painting signals the artist’s express intent in the use of this proportion. We find that Raphael
used golden ratios throughout the painting, giving it a wonderful visual harmony.

Botticelli

Some say that Bottocelli composed “The Birth of Venus” such that her navel is at the
golden ratio of her height, as well as the height of the painting itself

Seurat

The French impressionist painter Georges Pierre Seurat is said to have “attacked every
canvas by the golden section.” In the example, below the horizons falls exactly at the golden
section of the height of the paintings, as are other key compositional elements of the paintings.
A more detailed analysis and commentary with dozens of other examples is provided on page
Georges Seurat and the Golden Ratio in Art Composition. Vertical line marks the bank edge at
center. Seurat painting with golden ratios at horizon, pier and sail.
GOLDEN RATIO IN ARCHITECTURE
The golden ratio can be seen not just in nature and arts but also can be found in architecture. One
of the reasons on why the golden ratio is prominent in architecture is because it is aesthetically
appealing. The reason is because it is proportionate and balance in which it is appealing to the
eye. In the history of mankind golden ratio is present in every architectural marvels per era like
the Pyramid of Giza of Egypt, Notre Dame of France, and etc.

The origin of golden ratio in architecture can be traced back to the time of ancient Egypt in
which the time when the pyramids are built. According to[ CITATION Chr \l 1033 ] “the
pyramids in Giza contain the measurements of the golden ratio in which others perceive as
coincidence”. The golden ratio is represented as the ratio of the length/height of the triangular
face to half the length of the square base. It is the oldest building where golden ratio is applied.

Notre Dame in France is another example in which golden ratio can be applied. According to
[ CITATION Gar13 \l 1033 ] “in the photo the golden ration lines of red, blue and green
rectangles in which match the architectural structure of Notre Dame. In which red represent the
vertical height of base at ground level, top of first level and top of second floor of the structure.
Blue represents the vertical height of base of second level, the top of second level and top of
third level. Green represents the horizontal width of outside of left top section, the inside of top
right section and the outside of top right section.

The UN Secretariat Building is a prime example on how golden ratio applied in the modern
times According to[CITATION Gar14 \t \l 1033 ] “the first golden ratio point defines the middle
of the second non-reflective band. This is based on the height from the base at street level to the
top of the building, as illustrated by the green lines It is achieved because the building has 41
floors therefore 41 divided by 1.618 creates two section of 25.3 floors and 15.7 floors the red line
in which the golden ratio point is located is in between the 15 and 16th floors from the street thus
the structure was designed with a golden ratio as its foundation.

The golden ratio is applicable in architecture because it can be used as a basis in construction of
a building because using the golden ratio or otherwise known as divine proportion which gives
the structure a sense of balance and stability in which it is aesthetically pleasing. Architects are
using golden ratio in a way on not just because it is appeasing and balance but also because
golden ratio contains different kinds of shape like rectangle, triangle, pentagon and etc. In which
they can use it as they’re in constructing their building on their discretion.