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Lesson 2: The Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Ratio
Lesson 2: The Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Ratio
Sequence
What is a Sequence?
A sequence is an ordered list of numbers; the numbers in this ordered list are
called the elements or the terms of the sequence. The arrangement of these terms is
set by a definite rule. If a1, a2, a3, a4,……… etc. denote the terms of a sequence, then
1,2,3,4,…..denotes the position of the term.
A sequence can be defined based upon the number of terms i.e. either finite
sequence or infinite sequence. If a1, a2, a3, a4, ……. is a sequence, then the
corresponding series is given by
SN = a1+a2+a3 + .. + aN
EXAMPLES
{1,3,5,7} is the sequence of the first 4 odd numbers (and is a finite sequence)
The two simplest sequences to work with are arithmetic and geometric
sequences.
1. Arithmetic Sequence
Illustrative Example 1
2, 5, 8,11,14, ___
We can see that the common difference of the sequence is 3, therefore the next
term will be 14 + 3 = 17
Illustrative Example 2
Find the common difference and the next term of the following sequence:
3, 11, 19, 27, 35, ...
11 – 3 = 8
19 – 11 = 8
27 – 19 = 8
35 – 27 = 8
Five terms are given, so the sixth term of the sequence is going to be the very
next term. I find the next term by adding the common difference to the fifth term:
35 + 8 = 43
common difference: d = 8
sixth term: 43
2. Geometric Sequence
Illustrative Example 3
Find the common ratio and the seventh term of the following sequence:
2 2
, , 2, 6, 18 …
9 3
To find the common ratio, Divide a successive pair of terms. It doesn't matter
which pair you pick, as long as they're right next to each other. To be thorough, I'll do
all the divisions:
2
(3) 2 9
= ∗ =3
2 3 2
(9)
(2) 2 3
= ∗ =3
2
(3) 1 2
(6)
=3
(3)
(18)
=3
(6)
Since the problem has given the five terms, so the sixth term is the very next
term; the seventh will be the term after that. To find the value of the seventh term,
multiply the fifth term by the common ratio twice:
a6 = (18)(3) = 54
a7 = (54)(3) = 162
common ratio: r = 3
In some texts, it is customary to use n = 1. In that case, the first two terms are defined
as 1 and 1 by default, and therefore:
The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it:
Source: google.com
The Fibonacci Spiral
The first two numbers in the sequence can either be 0 and 1 or 1 and 1. The
starting point notwithstanding, the subsequent number is always the sum of the two
numbers before it. The sequence of these numbers can be defined by what is termed
the Recurrence Relation.
Golden ratio, also known as the golden section, golden mean, or divine
proportion, in mathematics, the irrational number (1 + √5)/2, often denoted by the
Greek letter ϕ or τ, which is approximately equal to 1.61803 39887 49894 84820. In
the world of mathematics, the numeric value is called "phi", named for the Greek
sculptor Phidias.
It is the ratio of a line segment cut into two pieces of different lengths such that
the ratio of the whole segment to that of the longer segment is equal to the ratio of the
longer segment to the shorter segment. The origin of this number can be traced back
to Euclid, who mentions it as the “extreme and mean ratio” in the Elements.
W
What is the relationship of the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci
Sequence?
The relationship of the Fibonacci sequence to the Golden Ratio lies not in the
actual numbers of the sequence, but in the ratio of the consecutive numbers.
Since a Ratio is basically a fraction (or a division problem). The ratios of these
numbers by dividing the larger number by the smaller number that falls consecutively
in the series.
Considering the numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence, the ratio will look like
this
2/1 = 2.0
3/2 = 1.5
5/3 = 1.67
8/5 = 1.6
13/8 = 1.625
21/13 = 1.615
34/21 = 1.619
55/34 = 1.618
89/55 = 1.618
….
Did You know that the Golden Ratio is Everywhere?
The body has many possible ratios, lots of which lie somewhere
between 1 and 2. If you consider enough of them then you are bound to get numbers
close to the value of the golden ratio (around 1.618). Pictures below show some
examples of golden ratio in the human body.
Golden ratio in the Human finger Human Body Parts in the Human Body
https://www.goldennumber.net/wp- https://www.goldennumber.net/wp-
content/uploads/finger-golden-ratio.jpg content/uploads/finger-golden-ratio.jpg
Activity:
1. Determine what comes next in the given patterns
a. 4, 9, 16, ___
b. 2, 5, 11, 23, ___
c. 1, 2, 5, 10,___
d. 27, 30, 15, 18, 9, 12, 6, _____
e. 2, 7, 14, 23, _ , 47
Direction.: Look at the diagram and then using a tape measure, measure
carefully the 3 sets of pairs of your body measurements (in centimeters). Fill in
the table and use a calculator to work out the ratios/divisions.
Data Set 1 Data Set 2 Data Set 3
Family Neck Hea Rati Nave Head Rati Nave Kne Rati
Membe to d to o l to to o (A2 l to e to o (A3
r Nave Neck (A1 Feet Nave ÷ B2) Knee Feet ÷B3)
l (A1) (B1) ÷B1) (A2) l (B2) (A3) (B3)
A
B
C
D
E
What do you find? Are any of your family members ‘Golden People’?
Source: http://www.consef.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Are-you-a-golden-person-
STEMCON.pdf