The Habitable Planet
This course will guide viewers through topics including the atmosphere, oceans, and ecosystems, as well as the impact of human activities and population growth on water and food resources, biodiversity, energy use, and global pollution. Each of the 13 programs in the series includes two case studies featuring the work of top scientists in the field.

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Solve the puzzle of the seashell spiral.

During the Renaissance, mathematicians took special interest in how many objects in nature reflected mathematical principles. As they discovered connections, they developed mathematical ideas to help us understand the relationship between math and nature.

The concept of the golden mean, also known as the golden measure, was used by many Renaissance artists and architects, who learned about it from studying the ancient Greeks. It describes what people thought was a "visually pleasing" rectangle.

The Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci developed a series of numbers that relate to the golden mean.

Here is the Fibonacci series:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8...

Can you see a pattern? What do you think the next number in the series is?

12
13
20

 

Back to Symmetry, Shape, Size


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