‘SunFlower: the Fibonacci sequence, Golden Section’ by Lucapost
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician born in 1170. He is best known for his discovery of what was later named the ‘Fibonacci sequence’. It is a number sequence in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers, 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,34,55 etc., or 1+1=2, 2+3=5, 5+3=8 and so on. These numbers define a beautiful spiral like those found in the sunflower head photo at the top. But, (believe it or not) it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that a French mathematician, Edward Lucas and a group of scientists began to discover such sequences in the natural world.
is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Do you remember the song, ‘HE WAS THERE ALL THE TIME?’ God is displaying His mathematical genius in the natural world all around us and yet this ‘Fibonacci sequence was only recently discovered! I see what Izaac Walton meant about being ‘shut up’ to the ten thousand truths all around us! (see intro on the Home page). This same spiral is found in pinecones, cactus, rose petals, hurricanes, tornadoes, your ear and my personal favorite, THE BEAUTIFUL CHAMBERED NAUTILUS SHELL. (see photo on the right).
lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Five
tons of painted steel, twenty feet tall.
In fact, when I received a commission to build a sculpture for the Bellevue Community College in Washington State in 1976, I used this shell as my source of inspiration!!! (See photo of my sculpture, Psalm 61 on the right!)
Leaves, branches and petals also grow in spirals so that they don’t block the sun from each other and allow the maximum amount of rain or dew to reach their roots. (CLEVER) On many plants, the number of petals is a Fibonacci number. Lilies and iris have three petals, buttercups have five petals, some delphiniums have 8, corn marigolds have 13 petals, some asters have 21 and daisies can be found with 34, 55 or even 89 petals!
All Fibonacci numbers!
God is a mathematical genius! The proof of His existence is everywhere!
Keep your eyes open and enjoy the wondrous God He is!
If you want to know how the Fibonacci sequence defines a spiral, go to the following link:
https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html
Guess what! My wife and I were at the grocery store and ran smack into Fibonacci! (See photo below). It’s Italian Romanesco Cauliflower! The spirals were so amazing that I had a hard time eating it. It was delicious!
God’s attention to such detail always amazes me. May our eyes be open to always see more of His glory in the things He has created
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I love this so much!! As I was reading I thought, “This reminds me of his sculpture.” Then I scrolled down, and there it is! I still tell Bellevue College students to look for it. 😊 I’m enjoying your blog very much! ❤
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This is awesome ! We do indeed have an amazing and caring God. My love of pinecones drew me to save a seed pod from a Magnolia flower The seed pod on the Magnolia Tree is very cool. I once opened a dried seed pod from a Magnolia Flower and the “seeds” inside were crimson red !
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I love that sculpture you made! It’s one of my favorites for sure. Isn’t it wonderful how you can look around and see His beauty everywhere?
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GOD’S wonders are all around us, we just need someone like Fibonacci to open our eyes.
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