THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE IN NATURE HOW TO
THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE IN NATURE CODE

'It would take a large book to document all the misinformation about the golden ratio, much of which is simply the repetition of the same errors by different authors,' George Markowsky, a mathematician who was then at the University of Maine, wrote in a 1992 paper in the College Mathematics Journal. When people start to draw connections to the human body, art and architecture, links to the Fibonacci sequence go from tenuous to downright fictional. Perhaps the most famous example of all, the seashell known as the nautilus, does not in fact grow new cells according to the Fibonacci sequence, he added. Are there real-life examples of the Fibonacci sequence? 'It's not 'God's only rule' for growing things, let's put it that way,' Devlin said. But there are just as many plants that do not follow this rule.

Pinecones exhibit a golden spiral, as do the seeds in a sunflower, according to ' Phyllotaxis: A Systemic Study in Plant Morphogenesis' (Cambridge University Press, 1994). For instance, the spiral arrangement of leaves or petals on some plants follows the golden ratio. The golden ratio manages to capture some types of plant growth, Devlin said. Read more: The 9 most massive numbers in existence The ratio of successive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence gets ever closer to the golden ratio, which is 1.6180339887498948482. It's true that the Fibonacci sequence is tightly connected to what's now known as the golden ratio, phi, an irrational number that has a great deal of its own dubious lore.

THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE IN NATURE CODE

However, it's not some secret code that governs the architecture of the universe, Devlin said. Other than being a neat teaching tool, the Fibonacci sequence shows up in a few places in nature. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Why is the Fibonacci sequence important? The Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio are eloquent equations, but they aren't as magical as they may seem. In 1877, French mathematician Édouard Lucas officially named the rabbit problem 'the Fibonacci sequence,' Devlin said. In fact, it was mostly forgotten until the 19th century, when mathematicians worked out more about the sequence's mathematical properties. But after a few scant paragraphs on breeding rabbits, Leonardo of Pisa never mentioned the sequence again. 'Liber Abaci' first introduced the sequence to the Western world. Read more: 9 equations that changed the world The answer, it turns out, is 144 - and the formula used to get to that answer is what's now known as the Fibonacci sequence. (Ignore the wildly improbable biology here.) After a year, how many rabbits would you have? A month later, those rabbits reproduce and out comes - you guessed it - another male and female, who also can mate after a month. After a month, they mature and produce a litter with another male and female rabbit. The problem goes as follows: Start with a male and a female rabbit. In one place in the book, Leonardo of Pisa introduces the sequence with a problem involving rabbits. Written for tradesmen, 'Liber Abaci' laid out Hindu-Arabic arithmetic useful for tracking profits, losses, remaining loan balances and so on, he added.

THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE IN NATURE HOW TO

However, in 1202 Leonardo of Pisa published the massive tome 'Liber Abaci,' a mathematics 'cookbook for how to do calculations,' Devlin said. (Image credit: Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images) However, in 1202 in a massive tome, he introduces the sequence with a problem involving rabbits. Portrait of Leonardo Fibonacci, who was thought to have discovered the famous Fibonacci sequence.

The fibonacci sequence in nature