MARANAN, Maxine Allyson C.
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Golden Ratio: What Is It?
9:30-10:30 MWF
Mathematically speaking, two quantities are in the Golden Ratio if their ratio is the same
as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. Referring the image below, a/b is the
golden ratio.
Putting it simply, it exists when a line is divided into two parts and the longer part (a)
divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal
1.618.
The Golden Ratio can be applied to
shapes too. Take a square and
multiply one side of by 1.618 and you
get a rectangle of harmonious
proportions:
Now, if you lay the square over the rectangle
the two shapes will give you the Golden Ratio:
If you keep applying the Golden
Ratio formula to the new rectangle on the
far right of the image above, you will
eventually get this diagram with
progressively smaller squares:
If you take our Golden Ratio
diagram above and draw an arch in each
square, from one corner to the opposite
corner, you will draw the first curve of the
Golden Spiral (or Fibonacci Sequence) – a
series in which the pattern of each number
is the sum of the previous two numbers.
Starting at zero, the sequence is: 0, 1, 1, 2,
3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144… and so on.
By adding the arch in each square,
you’ll end up with the diagram of the
Golden Spiral:
Now, go one step
further and trace a circle
within each square—then
you’ll have circles that
follow the 1:1.618 ratio and
are in balanced proportion
to each other.
1.618, mathematically irrational number is interestingly considered to be the golden
ratio, golden mean, divine proportion and many other names that golden ratio is associated with.
What is more interesting than the value is the discovery of the value.
Centuries back, genius minds started
observing patterns in the beautiful nature around
themselves; From the leaf arrangement in plants,
to the pattern of the florets of a flower, the bracts of
a pinecone, or the scales of a pineapple; everything
had the same pattern. And the arrangement goes 1,
2, 3, 5, 8,13, 21, 34 and so on. Voila! The
Fibonacci. When you start calculating ratio of
fibonacci number with its previous fibonacci
number, we end up with something like 1.61803…
an irrational number rounded up to 3 decimal
places 1.618 which is the golden ratio we read
about.
What was naturally pleasing to the eyes, this number was then used in creating proportions
for architectures, paintings, sculptures, photography, design etc.
Takeaway for designers is, use of
golden ratio is not something that will make or
break your designs. Not every design
composition can be derived using golden ratio.
If needed, it must be used as a guide to create
proportions in our design. Use of golden ratio
in design needs a lot of understanding and
practice to perfect it. Golden Ratio is thus one
more useful tool that should be there in
designer’s toolbox.
But don’t let all the math get you down. In design, the
Golden Ratio boils down to aesthetics— creating and appreciating
a sense of beauty through harmony and proportion. When applied
to design, the Golden Ratio provides a sense of artistry. This
harmony and proportion have been recognized for thousands of
centuries: from the Pyramids in Giza to the Parthenon in Athens;
from Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa; and from the Pepsi logo to
the definition of Golden Ratio. Our bodies and faces even follow
the mathematical ratio:
Source: https://www.canva.com/learn/what-is-the-golden-ratio/