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Mathematical Object

Golden Ratio

Number Theory

Two quantities are said to be in the golden ratio when the ratio of the larger to the smaller equals the ratio of their sum to the larger, a relationship usually denoted by the Greek letter phi and equal to one plus the square root of five, divided by two, approximately 1.618. The earliest known mathematical definition of the ratio appears in Euclid's Elements, around 300 BC, which describes it as dividing a line into what Euclid called its extreme and mean ratio. The golden ratio is the limiting value approached by the ratio of consecutive terms of the Fibonacci sequence as the sequence grows, and, algebraically, phi is the positive root of the equation phi squared equals phi plus one.

Facts
Partially Attested
Origin Year
300 BCE 1
Euclid's Elements is conventionally dated to about 300 BC; the exact year of composition is not known, so the value given is the standard scholarly approximation, entered as a negative year for BC.
Classification
Object Kind
Number 1
FAQs

Is the golden ratio exactly 1.618?

No. 1.618 is a rounded approximation of the exact value.

No. The value 1.618 is only an approximation. The golden ratio is the number equal to one plus the square root of five, divided by two, and its decimal expansion never ends at 1.618. Wolfram MathWorld points out that the novel The Da Vinci Code makes this very mistake, because its character Robert Langdon incorrectly defines the golden ratio to be exactly 1.618, confusing an exact quantity with an approximation.
Connections

Associated With

The ratio of consecutive Fibonacci numbers converges to the golden ratio.

Source Golden Ratio (Wikipedia)

Attributed To

Source Golden Ratio (Wikipedia)

In Branch

Source Golden Ratio (Wikipedia)

Is Kind Of Object

Sources
1. Golden Ratio (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.
  • History section
    A straight line is said to have been cut in extreme and mean ratio when, as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to the lesser.
  • In Branch: Number Theory
  • Associated With: Fibonacci Sequence
  • Attributed To: Luca Pacioli, Lead
    Luca Pacioli named his book Divina proportione (1509) after the ratio; the book, largely plagiarized from Piero della Francesca, explored its properties including its appearance in some of the Platonic solids
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