Figure 1 Fibonacci Tower

Figure 2 - Sunflower

Dear Reader, This multi-genre paper is all about the beautiful things called Fibonacci numbers. In a variety of ways I hope to show you how these numbers are all around us. They are not just some numbers used in mathematics but they are in nature, art and music. They also contribute to something called the Golden number (1.61803) which is used in architecture and a variety of other things, and just so happens to be very appealing to the eye. Im also going to hopefully answer a variety of questions from where the Fibonacci numbers were discovered, to how they are used in nature, art and music. A big overarching question that will be addressed in many ways throughout this paper is how would modern math be affected if this sequence was never found? And along those same lines, is it useful for students to learn about them? I hope that you enjoy what you have before you and hey, you may even learn a few things! Enjoy, Alex

"[The universe] cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which means it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word." --Galilei, Galileo (1564 - 1642), Opere Il Saggiatore p. 171.

The Fibonacci numbers are really a sequence of numbers that are made up of the previous two numbers. (See the next page for a list of the first 30 numbers.) This sequence of numbers starts with 0 then goes to 1. 1+0=1. So the next term is 1. Then 1+1=2. So the next term is 2. Then 2+1 give you the next number, 3. And it goes on and on to infinity. When you divide one of these numbers by the number in behind it you get the golden number (1.61803) when combined they form the golden spiral. This is seen all over nature.

Figure 3 A rose showing the golden spiral.

How can Fibonacci numbers be applied to honey bees? Well first you need a little bit of background on honey bees. Did you know that not all honeybees have two parents? Here are some other facts; In a colony of honeybees there is one special female called the queen There are many worker bees that are female, but unlike the queen bee they produce no eggs. There are some drone bees that are male and do no work. Males are produced by the queens unfertilized eggs, so male bees only have a mother but no father! All of the females have two parents (the queen and a male who mated with the queen). Some females are fed a special substance called royal jelly which makes them grow to be queen bees, which causes a new colony of bees to form and search for a new home!

Female Bee Male Bee

Family Tree of a Male Honeybee

8
5 3 2 1 1

This will continue on following the pattern of Fibonacci numbers. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21. Every male only had one parents, a mother. And that means that male has two grandparents, male and female, three great-grandparents, 2 female 1 male, 5 great grandparents, 3 female 2 males, and so on. It is also neat to note that this pattern also reflects how many females there will be in each row, it just starts one number up from the male.

Dad? Yes my son. How is it, That we have so many bunnies in our family. Well let me explain, Your great-great grandpa Found your great-great grandma. One and one became two, And after a month they had a son, Your grandpa, making the family 3. Do you see it yet my son? The next month your grandpa married And your great grandparents had another Making the family 5. Do you see it yet my son? The next month your grandpa and grandma, Had one baby bunny of their own. But Your great grandparents wernt done, They had another bunny themselves. And their second son met his love, Making the family 8.

Do you see it yet my son? The next month, The same thing happened. Your great grandparents had another bunny. Their Fourth Their third son found his soulmate, And their second son had a bunny. Your grandparents had another bunny, Thats me. And their first son married. Making the family come to 13. Do you see it yet my son? And so it goes on, On and on, Every month the same, Bunny after bunny, Child after child. Do you see it my son? I think I do, At least I might have a clue, One and One make two, One and Two make three, Two and Three make five, Three and Five make eight, Five and Eight make thirteen, Eight and Thirteen make Twenty-One.

Figure 4 Bunny rabbit figuring the problem out!

And it goes on the same with every one, Add how many we have, To how many we had Why thats it Dad! It will give us how much we will have!

Figure 5 Foxtrot Comic about Fibonachos.

The Fibonacci sequence is the oldest known recursive sequence [1]. These numbers have seen the test of time and new discoveries about them have been made over time. In the 1830s it was noticed that the numbers appeared as the number of spirals of bracts on a pinecone and Jacques-Philippe-Marie Binet came up with a formula to find any Fibonacci number given its position in the sequence. Today enthusiastic still explore these numbers and created The Fibonacci Association in the early 1960s. A couple interesting properties of Fibonacci numbers are; 1) The sum of any ten consecutive Fibonacci numbers is divisible by 11. 2) Two consecutive Fibonacci numbers are relatively prime [2]. Alfred S. Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann explain the other properties of Fibonacci numbers in their book, The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers. Throughout this paper we have seen how these numbers apply to nature and music and even regeneration. Galileo put it perfectly when he said, The universe cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometric figures We live in an absolutely beautiful world. And without looking at it through a lens of mathematics we will never truly see the breathtaking beauty all around us. From the simple symmetry in flowers to the spiral patterns on a pineapple to the great architectural feats of the ages, mathematics is at the center and all around all of it. Fibonacci numbers are just another way to see that clearer.

Frustrated, Frank listened to Mozarts piano sonata [3] for what felt like the millionth time.

Im never going to figure this out, he thought as his head sunk into his
hands. Frank needed to finish writing his own piano sonata for his recital on Friday and he kept trying to find some motivational enlightenment. At a loss he got out of his seat to go grab a drink when he tripped over a folder.

Ow! Stupid folder! Nothing can go my way; I just wish this week would end. As he bent down to pick up the folder to put it on his desk a paper
slipped out. It was a sheet that his math teacher had handed out that day and the title grabbed his attention, Mozarts use of the golden ratio. Hope began to grow on his face; maybe he had been going at this the wrong way this whole time. Maybe writing music wasnt all about waiting for some crazy inspiration. What his teacher said in class that day hit him like a ton bricks.

The Fibonacci Numbers are of more use then just numbers of a paper,
said his teacher, they are used in nature, art and even music. Why one of

the greatest composers of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, used the ratio between two subsequent numbers, the golden ratio, to develop his music.

With a startled grin on his face Frank went back to his desk. With the sheet he had just discovered and thoughts of Fibonacci and the golden ratio, he turned Mozarts piano sonata back on with a whole new mindset. He had found his inspiration.

Figure 6 Mozarts piano sonata No. 1

The Fibonacci numbers are even used to write poetry. Each line is reflecting the sequence of Fibonacci numbers (number of syllables=Fibonacci number)

1 1 2

You write such sense, Benjamin, inspirational, your poems are teaching the romance of golden numbers fitting seamlessly in all things, relationships between us and our precious environment reflecting love and life. ~Chilliwoman

3
5 8 13 21

Figure 7 Fibonacci spiral in space

Notes [1] A recursive relationship is a notion that each number is generated from its two predecessors. [2} Two numbers are relatively prime if they have no common factors, other than 1. [3] Mozart was a famous composer of music, especially piano sonatas. Almost every time Mozart sat down to compose he had the same game plan try to use the proportions of the golden ratio to create formal elegance and balance. Contrary to the common belief that Mozart got creative inspiration for each new piece he wrote, he actually used Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio to compose most of his sonatas.

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