Quote:
The author, Dan Brown, has done an incredible job of fashioning a work of fiction based on fact. It's difficult occasionally to tell the dividing line between the two, and that sent me surfing the Internet for information. The page before the Prologue states that "All descriptions of artwork, architechture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." It also confirms that the Priory of Sion, a secret society founded in 1099 is a real organization, and that Opus Dei, is truly a Catholic sect with headquarters in New York City.
One of the first subjects Brown introduces in discussing the works of Da Vinci is the number PHI. (Clues in Da Vinci's work lead the way to resolving Sauniere's death, so Brown presents facts about the work to move the story forward)
As a musician, I never had the chance to take classes in other forms of art, so I've never been introduced to the concept of PHI in art class. The number 1.618 is PHI. It's also known as the "Divine Proportion." Brown writes "PHI is generally considered the most beautiful number in the universe."
PHI is derived from the Fibonacci sequence (more on this later). It turns out that PHI has a role as a natural building block of nature. Plants, animals, and even humans possess dimensional properties which adhere to the ratio of PHI to 1.
For example, in a honeybee community, the females outnumber the males by 1.618 to 1.
The ratio of each spiral to the next on a chambered Nautilus' shell is 1.618 to 1.
"Sunflower seeds grow in opposing spirals." The ratio of each spiral to the next is PHI to 1. This is also true of spiraled pinecone petals, leaf arrangement on plant stalks and insect segmentation.
Da Vinci studied corpses and discovered the Divine Proportion in human bone structure. The distance from the tip of your head to the floor, compared to the distance from your navel to the floor is PHI to 1.
The distance from your shoulder to your finger tips, divided by the distance from your elbow to your fingertips will give you PHI. You'll find the same ratio with hip to floor divided by knee to floor, finger joints, toes, and spinal divisions.
Brown presents all this information in a classroom setting, and it's infinitely more interesting than my dry recitation of facts. I responded the same way as the fictional class, enjoying each example he provided.
The point of this, is that we find that it's not limited to nature, but it's been used by artists and architects. The Parthenon, the pyramids in Egypt and the United Nations Building all use the Divine Proportion. Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Durer and many other artists used the proportion in their paintings, and Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok, Shubert and Debussy are just a few musicians who have also used it in their compositions.
Fascinating, isn't it? Get the book, and see how Dan Brown carries it through his story.
I live in a world of infinite possibilities.
Let's relight this forum
my original signature was tooo long.
this one is shorter
she who sees from up high smiles
Patrick badger king: *they better hope there's never a jihad on stupidity*
-Mike
Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella
A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
The optimist claims that we are living in the best of all possible worlds.
The pessimist fears this is true.
Always make time to play in the snow.
"Switching between different kinds of chuu chuu sometimes gives this "urgh wtf?" effect because it's giving people the phi phenomenon."
Quote:
could god please reincarnate Gaudi
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
All the freaky people make the beauty of the world.
Metal Rulezzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!
Q:What's the difference between the Great Highland Bagpipes and the Northumbrian Pipes?
A:The Great Highland Pipes burn longer.
The optimist claims that we are living in the best of all possible worlds.
The pessimist fears this is true.
Always make time to play in the snow.
Quote:
like PI good old 3.14952 the radius of a circle.
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
Quote:
I don't want to be rude,but maybe mr.Dan Brown and everyone who cared about symmetry in nature or anything like it should study ancient Greek philosophers,architects.mathematicians etc.
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
Metal Rulezzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!
Me train running low on soul coal
They push+pull tactics are driving me loco
They shouldn't do that no no no
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
Quote:
sir, i send a rhyme excelling
in sacred truth and rigid spelling
numerical sprites elucidate
for me the lexicon's dull weight
read the comma as a decimal point, and count the number of letters in each word
i.e. 3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 ....
I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.
Disclaimer:im not responsible for what i say or do whether it be before,during and after drinking alcoholic substances (owned by BMVC).
Creater of Jenisms(TM)
Virginity like bubble,one prick all gone.
"beg beg grovel beg grovel"
"master"
--FSA
"There was an arse there, i couldn't help myself"
--Rougie
What're you looking at?
I assume you're being rhetorical?
What're you callin' me!?
Live like there is no tomorrow,
dance like nobody is watching
and hula hoop like wiggling will save the world.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"i am exotic, and must keep my arms down" - Rougie
"i don't understand what penises have to do with getting married" - Foxie
Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand and I can beat the world into submission.
Aurinko freedom agreement reached 10th Sept 2006
if it makes no sense that's because it's NOn-sense.
Written by: Domino
Depends on how you define beautiful...
e^ ( i x PI ) = 1
That's a number that can't be written down to the power of a number that dosen't exist in the real world (i = sqaure root of minus one) times a number that can't be written down = 1
e = 2.717something and also pops up all over nature
What're you looking at?
I assume you're being rhetorical?
What're you callin' me!?
Always use "so's your face" and "only on Tuesdays" in as many conversations possible
Spin, bounce, be one with the world, because it is yours to enjoy...