Mathematics is a beautiful subject.
Not the stuff we learn in college, though. Those are more of abominations; more of atrocious instances of human rights violation, hell bent on antagonizing innocent, unsuspecting students against this otherwise beautiful natural phenomenon. But, that apart, there still IS a mathematics which isn't all about memorising formulae, which isn't all about attending classes for getting to know which approach works best for which problem. Very little is known of this mathematics. And this mathematics, is the beautiful mathematics. The beauty of which comes to light, when one goes out of the text book, out of the constrained and contrived "syllabus" and delves into the sheer simplicity of stuff that goes on around us.
One such fascinating concept is that of the Golden Ratio, or the Golden Section. Considerably less known than the mainstream, stereotyped mathematics ... but surprisingly ubiquitous in its application in the real world, this concept draws upon two things, and stands out from the rest: simplicity and beauty.
What is it?
Pretty simple. Take a line segment. Find a point on this line segment, and divide it into two portions such that the whole : bigger portion = bigger portion : smaller portion. The following figure will illustrate.
When you form an equation, and then solve it you get the following value for this "golden ratio" commonly represented by phi (φ).
Solving it yields the value
But all this is standard mathematics and juggling with numbers. Where's the beauty in all this, the skeptic interjects.
Patience, I reply.
The ubiquitousness of this apparently simple and "dry" number is mind-numbing. From seemingly random assortment of florets in a sunflower or the petals of a rose, to the architecture involved in the making of the Pyramids of Giza and the Greek Parthenon, this little number holds the secrets of beauty, design and simplicity in the natural world like no other. Not surprisingly, it is considered to be the Divine Number or God's favorite number, which he extensively used during Creation.
You can learn more about this Golden Ratio at http://www.goldennumber.net/ and also at ... wait-for-it ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio ... so I needn't mention its widespread applications in my meek little post. What I focus on however, is a little known aspect of the Golden Ratio.
And that is its Divinity.
As I mentioned a few sentences back, the Golden Ratio is considered to be the Divine Number. Now here's a question. Ever heard of something "opposite" to this? A number which symbolizes the "opposite" of divinity? An Iron Maiden fan would jump up to his feet and shout "The Number of the Beast! Six-six-six"
And that's what it is. 666. Six hundred and sixty six. The Number of The Beast. The Number of the Devil. Or generally, the number of Evil.
Now if Divinity and Evil are supposed to be "opposite" to each other, could we come to the same conclusion mathematically?
And presto! We can!
Patience, I reply.
The ubiquitousness of this apparently simple and "dry" number is mind-numbing. From seemingly random assortment of florets in a sunflower or the petals of a rose, to the architecture involved in the making of the Pyramids of Giza and the Greek Parthenon, this little number holds the secrets of beauty, design and simplicity in the natural world like no other. Not surprisingly, it is considered to be the Divine Number or God's favorite number, which he extensively used during Creation.
You can learn more about this Golden Ratio at http://www.goldennumber.net/ and also at ... wait-for-it ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio ... so I needn't mention its widespread applications in my meek little post. What I focus on however, is a little known aspect of the Golden Ratio.
And that is its Divinity.
As I mentioned a few sentences back, the Golden Ratio is considered to be the Divine Number. Now here's a question. Ever heard of something "opposite" to this? A number which symbolizes the "opposite" of divinity? An Iron Maiden fan would jump up to his feet and shout "The Number of the Beast! Six-six-six"
And that's what it is. 666. Six hundred and sixty six. The Number of The Beast. The Number of the Devil. Or generally, the number of Evil.
Now if Divinity and Evil are supposed to be "opposite" to each other, could we come to the same conclusion mathematically?
And presto! We can!
sin(666) = -φ/2
The sine of the Devil's Number is negative of one half of the Divine Number! In other words, they are opposite in sign! Coincidence? Sheer coincidence? Or God's way of stating a fundamental truth? Perhaps we shall never know.
Oh and by the way, this was the 100th post on my blog :) Took it's time, but its finally arrived :)
Oh and by the way, this was the 100th post on my blog :) Took it's time, but its finally arrived :)
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