## Monday, September 19, 2016

### In practical application, math can in fact be quite interesting.

As an example, the Fibonacci numbers are the numbers in the following integer sequence, called the Fibonacci sequence, and characterized by the fact that every number in it is the sum of the two preceding ones:
$1\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}1\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}2\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}3\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}5\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}8\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}13\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}21\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}34\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}55\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}89\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}144\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}\phantom{\rule{thickmathspace}{0ex}}$

Fibonacci numbers appear unexpectedly often in mathematics, so much so that there is an entire journal dedicated to their study, the Fibonacci Quarterly. Applications of Fibonacci numbers include computer algorithms such as the Fibonacci search technique and the Fibonacci heap data structure, and graphs called Fibonacci cubes used for interconnecting parallel and distributed systems. They also appear in biological settings.

The Fibonacci spiral: an approximation of the golden spiral created by drawing circular arcs connecting the opposite corners of squares in the Fibonacci tiling; this one uses squares of sizes 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34.

Yes, biological settings, Hmmm.

1. Yeah, they usually post a picture of the petal arrangements of flowers or pine cones, but I like what you've done here...

2. They have found the Golden Ratio (1.618) in a quantum system...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107143909.htm

3. If your interested in this kind of "math" go onto Amazon and buy the paperback: Mathematics and the Imagination by Edward Kasner. A great read for \$17.

4. That's worth further, more in depth, study.

5. That guy's nail polish color is a bit off...

6. I would challenge that slope with my old Porsche!

7. "Darling, I'm only studying mathematics."