The Golden Ratio in Creation
The older I get, the more I
enjoy the beauty that exists all around us in the creation. The
second time I stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon, after a
10 year gap, I expected to be less impressed than the first time.
But again, amazed, I stood there and gazed at it "with bated
breath and whispering humbleness," (thank you, Shakespeare).
I get the same thrill studying a
spider web reflecting the early morning sunshine from the tiny droplets
of water adhering to it and reading that the Creator gave that
versatile creature from 2 to 8 spinnerets to spin several types of
silk. For example there is dragline silk, capture-spiral silk,
and silk to wrap eggs in; a different silk to wrap victims in,
and a temporary silk to help build the web.
Wonderful too are the creations
made by God's children: inventions in technology, discoveries in
science, and the beautiful language of mathematics. For example,
I get excited about the fractions 1/98, 1/49, and 1/7 (try them on a
calculator and look for the patterns in the sequence of
digits). My wife is frequently amused by my enthusiasm for
numbers.
But she did find the Fibonacci
Sequence interesting. It is made up of the numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2,
3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ... where each number is the sum of the previous two
terms. "O.K. , and where...," she responded.
"This set of numbers shows up in
living organisms a lot," I continued. "For example, flowers with 3, 5,
8, 13, and 21 petals in blossoms are very common, while other numbers
of petals are not so common.
"Look at your hands: 2 hands, each
containing 5 fingers, each of which has 3 parts, separated by 2
knuckles. " And I measured the joints of her index finger, and showed
her that the lengths were very close to 2, 3, 5 and 8 centimeters (the
4th bone is hidden in the hand). "Now that," she said, "really is
neat."
"If you use a calculator to
divide: 3/2, 5/3, 8/5, 13/8, etc. you will see that they tend to
the decimal fraction: 1.6180339.. . (Note that this number
has a unique property shown by 1/1.6180339 = 0.6180339)
"This special number, 1.618.. , is
called the golden ratio. It has been used for centuries in
architecture for the ratio of the sides of buildings, in art work as
the ratio of the sides of a picture; it is the ratio of the height to
width of Mona Lisa's face by Leonardo, and on and on.
"It is an aesthetically pleasing
ratio. " I measured her pretty face, and said it fitted the
pattern. She rewarded me with a smile.
As I ponder these designs, I
conclude that our Maker is not only Himself astonishing, but He loves
for His creatures to enjoy the beauty of the creation. "Let them
praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were
created." (Ps. 148:5)
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