The golden ratio

the story of phi, the world's most astonishing number

1st ed.
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Last edited by MARC Bot
August 17, 2024 | History

The golden ratio

the story of phi, the world's most astonishing number

1st ed.
  • 3.0 (2 ratings) ·
  • 23 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading
  • 3 Have read

"Throughout history, thinkers from mathematicians to theologians have pondered the mysterious relationship between numbers and the nature of reality. In this fascinating book, Mario Livio tells the tale of a number at the heart of that mystery: phi, or 1.6180339887.

This curious mathematical relationship, widely known as the "Golden Ratio," was defined by Euclid more than two thousand years ago because of its crucial role in the construction of the pentagram, to which magical properties had been attributed. Since then it has shown a propensity to appear in the most astonishing variety of places - from mollusk shells, sunflower florets, and the crystals of some materials, to the shapes of galaxies containing billions of stars. Psychological studies have investigated whether the Golden Ratio is the most aesthetically pleasing proportion extant, and it has been asserted that the creators of the Pyramids and the Parthenon employed it.

It is believed to feature in works of art from Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Salvador Dali's The Sacrament of the Last Supper, and poets and composers have used it in their works. It has even been suggested that it is connected to the behavior of the stock market!".

"The Golden Ratio is a journey through art and architecture, botany and biology, physics and mathematics.

It tells the human story of numerous phi-fixated individuals, including the followers of Pythagoras, who believed that this proportion revealed the hand of God; astronomer Johannes Kepler, who saw phi as one of the greatest treasures of geometry; such medieval thinkers as mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa; and such masters of the modern world as Debussy, Le Corbusier, Bartok, and physicist Roger Penrose.

Wherever his quest for the meaning of phi takes him, Mario Livio reveals the world as a place where order, beauty, and eternal mystery will always coexist."--BOOK JACKET.

Publish Date
Publisher
Broadway Books
Language
English
Pages
294

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Previews available in: Italian Chinese English

Edition Availability
Cover of: La sezione aurea
La sezione aurea: storia di un numero e di un mistero che dura da tremila anni
2010, Rizzoli
in Italian - 6. ed.
Cover of: Z de gu shi
Z de gu shi: jie du huang jin bi li
2004, Changchun chu ban she
in Chinese - Di 2 ban
Cover of: The Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number
September 23, 2003, Broadway
Paperback in English
Cover of: The golden ratio
The golden ratio: the story of phi, the world's most astonishing number
2002, Broadway Books
in English - 1st ed.
Cover of: The golden ratio
The golden ratio: the story of phi, the world's most astonishing number
2002, Broadway Books
in English - 1st ed.
Cover of: The Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
October 29, 2002, Broadway
Hardcover in English - 1st edition

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-277) and index.

Published in
New York

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
516.2/04
Library of Congress
QA466 .L58 2002

The Physical Object

Pagination
viii, 294 p. :
Number of pages
294

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL24709852M
Internet Archive
goldenratiostory00livi
ISBN 10
0767908155
LCCN
2002023084
OCLC/WorldCat
49226115

Work Description

Throughout history, thinkers from mathematicians to theologians have pondered the mysterious relationship between numbers and the nature of reality. In this fascinating book, Mario Livio tells the tale of a number at the heart of that mystery: phi, or 1.6180339887...This curious mathematical relationship, widely known as "The Golden Ratio," was discovered by Euclid more than two thousand years ago because of its crucial role in the construction of the pentagram, to which magical properties had been attributed. Since then it has shown a propensity to appear in the most astonishing variety of places, from mollusk shells, sunflower florets, and rose petals to the shape of the galaxy. Psychological studies have investigated whether the Golden Ratio is the most aesthetically pleasing proportion extant, and it has been asserted that the creators of the Pyramids and the Parthenon employed it. It is believed to feature in works of art from Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Salvador Dali's The Sacrament of the Last Supper, and poets and composers have used it in their works. It has even been found to be connected to the behavior of the stock market!The Golden Ratio is a captivating journey through art and architecture, botany and biology, physics and mathematics. It tells the human story of numerous phi-fixated individuals, including the followers of Pythagoras who believed that this proportion revealed the hand of God; astronomer Johannes Kepler, who saw phi as the greatest treasure of geometry; such Renaissance thinkers as mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa; and such masters of the modern world as Goethe, Cezanne, Bartok, and physicist Roger Penrose. Wherever his quest for the meaning of phi takes him, Mario Livio reveals the world as a place where order, beauty, and eternal mystery will always coexist.From the Hardcover edition.

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History

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August 17, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
November 15, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
November 20, 2022 Edited by tmanarl Merge works (MRID: 26680)
November 17, 2022 Edited by tmanarl merge authors
June 29, 2011 Created by ImportBot Imported from Internet Archive item record