Fibonacci numbers

The solution to the little thinking exercise of previous week is here:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, ...
-> Add two consecutive numbers from the sequence to get the next one following them

This sequence is called Fibonacci numbers. And it isn't just any ole sequence of any ole numbers... it has some amazing properties, plus it's found in nature in many places.

For example, Fibonacci numbers are found in

* Petals on flowers
* Seed heads
* Pine cones
* Leaf arrangements
* Vegetables and Fruit

The links go to a magnificent site about Fibonacci numbers with tons of information and pictures. Go click the links and see for yourself! It's very informative and well done, plus I don't have those photos.

Then come back. I have a question for you:

Should your child or student learn about this? Is this important to know? Well, you think about it - in the next post we will study just a tiny bit more about Fibonacci numbers.

Comments

Suresh Venkatasubramanian said…
http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_06_04.html

is an interesting article on what is true and what is not about the golden ratio and fibonacci series. All your examples are good ones; there are others though that people like to bandy around that are not.
7:33 PM, November 29, 2005
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