Introduction

Kepler's New
Astronomy
On Proportion
Snowflake
Harmonices Mundi
Divine Proportion
Nicholas of Cusa
Recommended
Books
Geometr hcs tuo rect trecsures, one is the Theorem oj Pthcorcs, the
other, the ditision oj c line into extreme cnd mecn rctio. The jirst ue mc
compcre to c mecsure oj old, the second ue mc ncme c precious jeuel.
--JoIunnes KepIer
n u purugrupI Lowurds LIe end oI IIs 1611 essuy
Dn the Six Cornered Snoujlcle KepIer menLIons
LIe DIvIne ProporLIon" (GoIden secLIon) und LIe
"IIbonuccI sequence In prucLIcuIIy LIe sume
breuLI us IIowers und penLugons.
"L Is In LIe IIkeness oI LIIs selj-detelopin serIes
LIuL LIe IucuILy oI propuguLIon Is, In my opInIon,
munIIesL: und so In u IIower LIe uuLIenLIc IIug oI
LIIs IucuILy Is sIown, LIe penLugon." (empIusIs
udded)
WIuL does KepIer meun Iere?
IrsL, we exumIne LIe nuLure oI LIe locrithmic spircl, Ior reusons LIuL wIII
become evIdenL beIow.
TIe 1;LI cenLury muLIemuLIcIun
Jukob BernouIII numed LIe IIgure
uL rIgIL LIe Spirc mircbilis or
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"mIrucuIous spIruI" und ussIgned IL
LIe IoIIowIng moLLo: "Eudem
muLuLo resurgo" ("uILIougI
cIunged, rIse uguIn LIe sume").
TIe IogurILImIc spIruI does noL
cIunge ILs sIupe us ILs sIze
Increuses. TIIs IeuLure Is known us
selj-similcrit. I we couId zoom
InLo LIe coIIs oI LIe IIgure neur LIe
orIgIn und enIurge LIem, LIey
wouId IIL precIseIy on LIe Iurger
spIruI.
TIe spIruI Ius unoLIer
exLruordInury properLy: LurnIng by
equuI ungIes Increuses LIe dIsLunce
Irom LIe poIe Lo LIe spIruI by equuI
ruLIos.
Whct cre jibonccci numbers?
n LIe "IIbonuccI sequence," reIerenced by KepIer, eucI number Is LIe sum oI
LIe Lwo proceedIng numbers (1, z, , , 8, 1, z1...). TIereIore, LIe sequence
cun be cuIIed u "seII-deveIopIng" serIes.
nLeresLIngIy, dIvIdIng Lwo udjucenL IIbonuccI number (8J or z1J1, Ior
exumpIe) by eucI oLIer produces IncreusIngIy precIse upproxImuLIon oI LIe
"DIvIne ProporLIon," wIIcI we wIII expIore beIow, us LIe numbers grow Iurger.
Wh does Kepler mention
jlouers?
ScIenLIsLs, begInnIng wILI
eonurdo du VIncI, observed LIuL
LIe dIspIucemenL oI Ieuves uround
u sLem occurs In puLLerns deIIned
by LIe IIbonuccI serIes.
TIIs pIenomenon Is known us
"pIIIoLuxIs."
n LIe cuse oI roses un ungIe LIuL
Is congruenL Lo 6o degrees by LIe
DIvIne ProporLIon (1;. degrees)
sepuruLes LIe peLuIs Irom eucI
oLIer.
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n oLIer pIunLs LIe number oI Ieuves meusured uround u screw-
Lype dIspIucemenL beLween one IeuI und LIe IeuI dIrecLIy ubove IL,
und LIe number oI rows sepuruLIng LIe Lwo ure boLI IIbonuccI
numbers.
TIe sume pIenomenon occurs In pInecones und LIe IeurLs oI
sunIIowers.
Hou is the Ditine Proportion relcted to the pentcon?
TIe DIvIne ProporLIon pIuys un essenLIuI roIe In LIe consLrucLIon oI LIe
penLugon und IIve-IoId symmeLry.
To see LIIs, exumIne LIe dIugonuIs In u penLugon. TIe ruLIo oI LIe dIugonuI Lo
LIe sIde oI u penLugon Is LIe DIvIne ProporLIon. Moreover, LIe dIugonuIs creuLe
un IsosceIes LrIungIe (wIere Lwo oI LIe LIree sIdes ure equuI) wILI ungIes oI ;z
degrees und 6 degrees. TIIs LrIungIe cun be reproduced InsIde ILseII Lo InIInILy
(In u "seII-deveIopIng" munner), us sIown beIow.
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n consLrucLIons oI LIIed penLugons, every segmenL Is smuIIer LIun ILs
predecessor by u IucLor equuI Lo LIe DIvIne ProporLIon.
(LIe ruLIo oI "u" Lo "b" Is LIe DIvIne ProporLIon, LIe ruLIo oI "b" Lo "c" Is LIe
DIvIne ProporLIon, und so on.
Hou does this relcte to the locrithmic spircl?
n u recLungIe wIere LIe ruLIo oI LIe Iurger sIde Lo LIe smuIIer one Is LIe DIvIne
ProporLIon, LIe ruLIo oI LIe sIdes oI LIe "duugILer recLungIes" wIII sLIII conIorm
Lo LIe DIvIne ProporLIon wIen squures ure cuL Irom LIe orIgInuI recLungIe.
ConnecLIng LIe poInLs wIere LIIs serIes oI "wIIrIIng squures" dIvIdes LIe sIdes
wIII generuLe u IogurILImIc spIruI LIuL coIIs Inwurd.
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SImIIurIy, connecLIng LIe verLIces oI LIe nesLed "GoIden TrIungIes" InsIde LIe
penLugon wIII produce LIe IogurILImIc spIruI us weII.
Whct is the "extreme cnd mecn rctio?"
EucIId deIInes LIe "exLreme und meun ruLIo," or "DIvIne ProporLIon," us LIe
IoIIowIng reIuLIonsIIp: WIen u IIne Is dIvIded sucI LIuL LIe smuIIer secLIon oI
LIe IIne (BC) Is reIuLed Lo LIe Iurger secLIon oI LIe IIne (AC) In LIe sume ruLIo us
LIe Iurger secLIon Is reIuLed Lo LIe wIoIe IIne (AC), LIen LIe IIne Is dIvIded In
LIe DIvIne ProporLIon.
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Photo Credits: Chambered nautilus by Peter Werner. Lotus flower by Sanja
Moharic Hehet.
_$ERXW8V _7HOHVFRSH%X\LQJ*XLGH _%RRNV _
2007 Johannes Kepler DQGWKH Door to Science
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