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Dan Brown's PHI.

Dan Brown's PHI.

Dan Brown's PHI.

(OP)

My wife is reading Dan Brown's book The Davinci code on pages 130 to 132 he makes referance to the Divine Proportion, PHI=1.618. I've never heard of this before and was just wondering if it true or just another of Dan Brown spins.

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

(OP)


Thanks for the replies guys,boy will she be sorry she asked me that.

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

I've heard it called "Golden section" or "Golden ratio".

European "A" paper sizes use the golden ratio. Fold a piece of A3 paper in half and you get an A4 piece of paper. Repeat and you get A5. The long and short edges remain in proportion.

A thin flat plate with free boundary conditions and dimensions of the golden ratio has its first two natural frequencies (bending and torsion) at precisely the same frequency.

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

The golden ratio is supposed to be the most appealing to look at and as such the focus of a painting will be in that ratio. Apparently the most appealing face has the width of the lips to nostrils as 1.618, whether that's smiling or not I don't know.

corus

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

When you cut a square of a golden rectangle, the remaining rectangle has the same side ratio.
1.618 = 1 + 0.5[sqrt(5)-1]
I think the parthenon was built with this ratio.

If you design a machine base/frame using the golden rectangle ratio with angle irons, beams etc, it looks more "schweppervescent" - makes the other guy's design look like a "clunker"  

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

The "golden ratio" occurs in nature in many places.  The most popular example is the spiral proportions of the shell of a nautilus.

When you want something to look "rightly rectangular", not too thin, not too fat, golden ratio proportions are the best place to start.

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

MikeyP,

    Metric paper is not based on the Golden Ratio.  It is based on the square root of two, 1.41.  You divide the long side by two, and get the same ratio.

                         JHG

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.


If one folds a "golden ratio" piece of paper in half, an even number of times, 2, 4, 6, etc., the sides of the resulting rectangles follow the golden ratio: (1+√5)/2 = 1.618...

BTW, the same would happen with any rectangle in which the original ratio is ≤ 2.

Only when the ratio equals √2= 1.414..., the same ratio appears on any folding.

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.

I'll get my coat...

You must at least be impressed with my second fact. I discovered that myself!

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Dan Brown's PHI.


Dr Platten, although I'm unable to check your findings, my congratulations on this achievement.

"Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, and some wondered what happened." Charles Garfield

You, no doubt, belong to the first category; most of us to the others.

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