The Not-So-Golden Ratio: A Talk by Prof. George Markowsky

November 12, 204, 3:30-4:20 PM
Hill Auditorium, Barrows Hall

Snacks at 3:15 PM

The Not-So-Golden Ratio

Prof. George Markowsky
School of Computing and Information Science
University of Maine

The Golden Ratio, also called by different authors the Golden Section, Golden Number, Golden Mean, Divine Proportion, and division in extreme and mean ratios, has captured the popular imagination and is discussed in many books and articles. Generally, the mathematical properties of the Golden Ratio are correctly stated, but much of what is presented about the Golden Ratio in art, architecture, literature, and aesthetics is false or seriously misleading.

Unfortunately, these statements about the Golden Ratio have achieved the status of common knowledge and are widely repeated. Even current high school geometry textbooks make many incorrect statements about the Golden Ratio.

This talk will set the record straight about the Golden Ratio. It will discuss its mathematical significance as well as some of the most commonly repeated falsehoods about it. A knowledge of basic arithmetic is all that is required to understand this talk.