golden spiral (idea)

"My new hypothesis: If we're built from spirals while living in a giant spiral, then is it possible that everything we put our hands to is infused with the spiral?"¹ -Max Cohen in the motion picture pi.

The golden spiral is an absolute shape in mathematics and less exact in chaotic nature. Pythagoras first discovered the spiral in the 5^th century B.C.. He derived the shape from the golden rectangle which has a specific ratio, the golden ratio. When the ratio is squared, it leaves a smaller rectangle behind that has an identical golden ratio as the previous rectangle. Even if the squaring continues to infinity it will always have the same result, which is the property that separates the golden rectangle from the rest.

     Illustrating this ratio results in concentric rectangles illustrated in golden ratio by SpudTater. Drawing a curve connecting the opposite corners of these rectangles forms a golden spiral. The spiral is found in nature, in a ram's horns, in the nautilus shell, a fingerprint, the cochlea of an ear, DNA, a whirlpool, amd the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy. A representation of the golden spiral within concentric golden rectangles is below. (It will not display correctly in Netscape 4.7.)

                                                                                                                                      
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¹pi, http://www.pithemovie.com