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The Importance Of The Golden Ratio

Satisfactory Essays

Some other terms used to refer to the Golden Ratio is the “golden mean” or the “golden section”. The Greek letter “phi” (φ), represents the Golden Ratio. The idea behind the Golden Ratio is when we divide a line into two parts where the entire length divided by the long portion is equivalent to the long portion divided by the short one. This ratio ultimately averages out to an irrational number of 1.618… . Many ancient civilizations use the Golden Ratio to construct buildings among many other things; many architects view the Golden Ratio to be most “aesthetically pleasing” to the eye. The Golden Ratio doesn’t just show up in mathematics, it shows up in history, architecture, design, nature, music, etc. Let’s begin with a little historical background over the matter. The Golden Ratio has always existed in mathematics but its initial discovery still remains unknown. It’s not too far fetched to assume that this has been discovered and rediscovered over the course of history hence why the Golden Ratio is known by so many names. During 500 BC to 432 BC, a Greek mathematician, Phidias, studied the concept of phi. He was also a sculptor and applied his findings to Parthenon sculptures. Another ancient civilization that might have also used pi and phi were the Egyptians in the construction of their pyramids. With records to date, it appears that the first person to use the term “golden” referring to the Golden Ratio was Martin Ohm in the 1800’s. Martin Ohm published the book “The

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