
The first recorded definition of the golden ratio dates back to the period when Greek mathematician Euclid (c.


The Egyptians were aware that they were using the golden ratio, but they called it the "sacred ratio." They used it in their system of writing and in the arrangement of their temples. In addition, the Egyptians found the golden ratio to be pleasing to the eye. However, there are many who have argued that it goes back much further than this and that the Egyptians were well versed in the properties of this unique number.Īccording to some historians, the Egyptians thought that the golden ratio was sacred. Therefore, it was very important in their religion. They used the golden ratio when building temples and places for the dead.Īncient Egyptians are said to have used the Golden Ratio in their buildings. The earliest known monuments believed to have been built according to this alluring number are the statues of the Parthenon in Greece, dating back between 490 and 430 BC. The golden ratio has fascinated Western intellectuals of diverse interests for at least 2,400 years. ( Dean Marston /Adobe Stock) The Golden Ratio in History The Golden Mean’s spiral shape resembles growth patterns observed in nature. Thus, these simple spirals and rectangles, which served to suggest the presence of a universal order underlying the world, were thereby dubbed “golden” or “divine”. This symbolic potential arises because of the way the mean’s spiral shape resembles growth patterns observed in nature and its proportions are reminiscent of those in human bodies.
#SYMBOL FOR GOLDENRATIO SERIES#
When the Golden Mean is conceptualized in two dimensions it is typically presented as a regular spiral that is defined by a series of squares and arcs, each forming “Golden Rectangles”. In mathematics and the arts, 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. In fact, it is probably fair to say that the Golden Ratio has inspired thinkers of all disciplines like no other number in the history of mathematics. Biologists, artists, musicians, historians, architects, psychologists, and even mystics have pondered and debated the basis of its ubiquity and appeal.

But the fascination with the Golden Ratio is not confined just to mathematicians. Some of the greatest mathematical minds of all ages, from Pythagoras and Euclid in ancient Greece, through the medieval Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa and the Renaissance astronomer Johannes Kepler, to present-day scientific figures such as Oxford physicist Roger Penrose, have spent endless hours over this simple ratio and its properties. Precisely, this is the number 1.61803399, represented by the Greek letter Phi, and considered truly unique in its mathematical properties, prevalence throughout nature, and its ability to achieve a perfect aesthetic composition.Īccording to astrophysicist Mario Livio in his book ‘The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number’ : There is one thing that ancient Greeks, Renaissance artists, a 17th century astronomer and 21st century architects all have in common – they all used the Golden Mean, otherwise known as the Golden Ratio, Divine Proportion, or Golden Section.
