false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167519961m/24081.jpg 24081 7 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: <i>phi</i>, 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 <i>Mona Lisa </i>to Salvador Dali's <i>The Sacrament of the Last Supper</i>, 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!<br><br><i>The Golden Ratio</i> 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.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i> 1787138 2002 The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number total:543|5:90|4:209|3:183|2:52|1:9| 543 1948 952 100 4 1 false false Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 07:54:43 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 07:55:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Dec 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 18 01:46:33 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 15:17:10 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 17:28:10 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 08:06:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 05 14:18:45 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 24 07:41:06 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Aug 15 14:45:00 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 15 14:45:41 -0700 2008
Still, I enjoy stepping outside my o...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jun 24 12:06:46 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 14 12:31:23 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 02 04:56:30 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 03 07:36:35 -0800 2008 ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Jul 11 19:05:54 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 15 18:01:22 -0700 2007
This book s...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Aug 26 21:50:14 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 21:50:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 14 08:33:07 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 12:44:15 -0700 2009 2 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 21 19:40:31 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 20 20:33:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu May 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 06:54:39 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 07:22:05 -0700 2008 Enter Phi= 1.6180339887....
This humber can explain the difference between the architecture of the Guggenheim as opposed to that of a...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Thu Oct 29 23:01:16 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 23:05:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 15 07:33:55 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 20 17:30:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 14 05:48:45 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 05:54:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 13:06:45 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 10:54:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 08:46:19 -0800 2009 Sat Apr 11 10:10:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 03:49:15 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 03:54:43 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jul 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 10:44:42 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 10:47:37 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Thu Mar 19 11:03:41 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 11:03:41 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=24081