Investigating Fibonacci sequences

1. Start with two numbers in a list and add the last number to the one before it to generate the next. I will get
you started. 1, 1 …

1+1=2 so that gives us 1, 1, 2 …

2+1=3 so that gives us 1, 1, 2, 3 …

3+2=5 so that gives us 1, 1, 2, 3, 5 …

Generate the next five terms in the sequence to complete this table.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 1 2 3 5

2. Take successive numbers in the sequence and find their ratio. I will do the first three for you.

1/1 = 1, 2/1 = 2, 3/2 = 1.5

Find the next six ratios in this pattern.

1/1 2/1 3/2

1 2 1.5

3. Draw a graph of these ratios. Use the term numbers 1, 2, 3, 4… on the x-axis and the ratios on the y-axis. x
numbers from 0 to 10 and y numbers from 0 to 2.

4. Explain what you notice about the ratio as you calculate it, using successive terms of the Fibonacci
sequence? Explain this numerically and by referring to your graph.

5. What happens if we take the ratios the other way round? (That is, we divide each number by the one
following it.) 1/1, ½, 2/3, 3/5, ….

Choose a suitable method to investigate this pattern.

1/1 1/2 2/3 3/5

6. Explain what you notice about the ratio you have calculated and graphed in question 5?

7. Choose some different numbers to create a Fibonacci sequence and investigate the ratios. Write down
what you find.