The Golden Mean

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The Golden Mean, also known as the golden ratio, golden section or even the divine proportion, is an irrational number that is represented by the Greek sign for Phi. ( ) The number for the Golden Mean is 1.61803398875. The Golden Mean is represented in more than just math, it is seen in architecture, geometry, art, nature and even in the human body. For example, we can see it in the middle of a flower, or in a sea shell. The Golden Mean is the moderate position between two extremes. This is known as the ideal position because it is the “most appealing rectangle to the human eye.” The Golden Mean was said to be first used by the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks when building the Great Pyramids and Parthenon’s. Around 1200 AD, the Fibonacci sequence was discovered by a man named Leonardo Fibonacci, an Italian man born in 1175 AD. Although he discovered this, it is still not certain if he related it to the Golden Mean and Phi. The Golden Mean being “most appealing to the human eye” started being used in art. It is said that Leonardo Da Vinci used it himself in his piece called “De Divina Proportione” created in the 1500’s. It was called this because, what was known so far from the Golden Mean, was only know as the “Divine Proportion.” Leonardo Da Vinci also used the Divine Proportion in this painting “The Last Supper” to establish all the correct proportions and dimensions in the painting. At this time, other Renaissance artists also used the Golden Mean in their work to achieve that certain symmetric quality and beauty that it created. Around the 1900’s, a Greek letter to represent this proportion Phi ( ) was discovered by an American mathematician named Mark Barr. This is the 21st letter in the Greek alphabet and is linked to the Fibonacci sequence. This is when the Golden Mean was stared to be known as the Golden Mean or, Golden ratio. As we can see the
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