Loaves & Fishes 27

quence: 34, 55, or 89, depending
on the size of the sunflower. The
seeds in the sunflower head are
arranged in two interlaced sets
of spirals in opposite directions.
The number of spirals is a pair
of Fibonacci numbers, often 21
and 34 or 34 and 55. In larger
sunflowers you’ll find sets of 55
and 89 spirals. A pine cone has
seed spirals counted in Fibonacci
numbers. Pineapples and
Romanesque cauliflower grow
in spirals based on Fibonacci
numbers, as does the spiral aloe.
Divine Ratio
The Fibonacci sequence contains
the Divine Ratio of 1.618.
The higher in the sequence,
the more precise the ratio. The
number pair 13 and 21 have the
ratio 1.615. Going a bit higher,
89 and 144 have a ratio of 1.618.
The Divine Ratio is also known
as the Golden Ratio. Mathematicians
refer to this number as
Phi. (Don’t confuse it with Pi,
the ratio of the circumference of
a circle to its diameter.) As you
continue higher in the Fibonacci
sequence, the ratio between
each set of numbers gets closer
and closer to a precise Golden
Ratio.
Two numbers with the
Golden Ratio also have the
Golden Ratio between the highest
number and the sum of the
two numbers. In other words,
a is to b as a+b is to a. See the
diagram of the Golden Rectangle
below. This is a unique characteristic
of the Golden Ratio.
5 spiral pattern in spiral aloe
Like the Fibonacci numbers,
the Golden Ratio is found often
in nature. The DNA double helix
molecule has a length-to-width
ratio of Phi. In 2010, the journal
Science reported that the Golden
Ratio is present at the atomic
scale in cobalt niobate crystals.
Loaves & Fishes • Issue 27 | 11