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Reflection
Reflection
May 2, 2008 Mu Block
The Answer to the Past and the Hope for the Future
Nothing could be more fascinating than knowing how you can connect everything
in your life with one number, one ratio, one quadratic formula. I was able to experience
this overwhelming rush of knowledge during the process of the Eureka exhibition. The
Golden Ratio, or Phi, has been a topic that never ceased to amaze me with its multiple
connections to life. At first it was just an ongoing number that depicted a complicated
math concept, but after going in depth with research over the past month, I’ve discovered
that Phi is so much more than that. Through reading, seeing visuals and animations, I
came to a better understanding of what Phi is and how people were able to see the
relations it had. One connection after another increases the significance of Phi and how it
could change our world if everyone was just as exposed to the concept as I am now. Phi
can be seen from dividing Fibonacci numbers, and Fibonacci numbers can be seen in the
developments of nature as well as in the creations of humans. Because of these
connections, it can be concluded that Phi has existed ever since the world had been
created, from the growth of plant life, the structures of buildings, the way human beings
perceive aesthetics to the framing of pictures in photography, the methods artists use or
used to create their masterpieces.
I chose my topic without thinking because I was too fascinated in learning about
how everything could be connected to the Golden Ratio without realizing it would be a
Science Reflection Sheryl Soo
May 2, 2008 Mu Block
mathheavy topic. The fact that my topic would consist of overwhelming and
sophisticated math did not hit me until the first day of research began. Immediately I
wanted to give up after flipping through the fat book, A History of Mathematics by Carl
B. Boyer. The multiple numbers and mathematical symbols didn’t familiarize me with my
topic but only made my head spin. I did not think I would ever be able to comprehend
those numbers or anything that related to the Golden Ratio. It wasn’t until after reading
the article about a plastic surgeon, who came up with the Golden Mask that portrayed the
perfect proportional human face, did I recollect my interest for my topic. Although the
visual diagrams in the article of a human face being cut up into rectangles was very
abstract, the article was able to introduce me to my topic. From there I continued to
search for articles about the Golden Ratio. I went to the main library and gathered as
many books related to Fibonacci, Euclid, Pythagoras, and other famous mathematicians I
could think of whom all have some relation to my topic. The more I researched, the more
the Golden Ratio startled me.
In my research process, I had many books with me but didn’t know where to start.
Each book focused on something different. There was one on architecture, and another on
geometry. Figuring out how the Golden Ratio came about was difficult because there
were many different names for it. Even after gathering a variety of books related to my
topic, I only found one the most useful, and it was The Golden Ratio by Mario Livio. This
book was a little bit of everything, and gave me a start on what to look for if I wanted
Science Reflection Sheryl Soo
May 2, 2008 Mu Block
more information. Researching was an overall difficult process because the text I had to
read was something I’ve never been introduced to. The math was confusing and I had to
take things apart bit by bit so I could understand it better. The formula for Phi was just a
compilation of numbers and symbols, but after reading how the formula was generated, I
understood where each number came from. The research was full of independent work,
and it was the most challenging independent work I’ve done so far at CAT in science.
There has never been anything more satisfying in my academic life than being
able to explore an unknown phenomenon and explain it to a crowd of parents and
teachers, seeing their jaws drop from hearing the evidence you have to prove your thesis. I
didn’t think that the teachers were familiar with the topics we chose to explore for this
exhibition, which makes the researching process difficult. But as a result, the sense of
accomplishment is greater than any other exhibition because of the fact that we as high
school students were able to achieve an understanding of a sophisticated topic before our
own teachers.
Truly, the Eureka exhibition has changed my ways of looking at the world around
me. Throughout the day I would examine my surroundings and notice the connections to
the Golden Ratio. On the bus, looking out the window and seeing the tree branches, I
think to myself, “Hey, those branches really come close to the diagram I drew for my
Keynote about the Fibonacci numbers and plant growth.” It’s become an unconscious
habit of mine recently, especially after the exhibition.
Science Reflection Sheryl Soo
May 2, 2008 Mu Block
If there is anything that can save our society economically, socially, and provide us
with ways we can appreciate the gift of nature, it will have to be the Golden Ratio. Why?
It’s because Phi can help us analyze and predict market trends. It’s because Phi can help
us see a new beauty in every human being existence without comparing with those on TV
or magazines. It’s because Phi can help us see how nature is developed and why the world
was constructed the way it was. The divine proportion is something connected to our lives
in a way that it can revolutionize the world.