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We suspected that the "Golden Ratio" was somehow connected to the "Golden Rule," but by searching Yahoo! using the phrase, we learned that it's actually a numerical constant, close to 1.618, that relates to mathematics, biology, and art. Our search results led us to the Specific Numbers > Phi category. Apparently, the number in question is known as the "Golden Ratio," the "Golden Mean," the "Golden Section," and is represented by the Greek letter Phi. (Not to be confused with another famous number, Pi.) To
learn more about this number, we dove into some of the listed sites. We checked a page from Mathsoft's Favorite Numerical Constants called The Golden Mean. It begins by asking about the most aesthetically pleasing way to divide a line. Then it goes on to explain a lot of complex mathematical equations. After puzzling over the site for a few minutes, we had to admit that we were confused. We tried again: Next up was a site called Phi. It offered pages and pages of numerals, representing the actual number of the "Golden Ratio" carried out to thousands of decimal places. We were
getting nowhere fast. Finally, by clicking on some of the links within the sites listed in Yahoo!, we discovered dozens of passionate afficionados of Phi: The Golden Mean page explains that "the ancient Greeks and the ancient Egyptians used the Golden Mean when designing their buildings and monuments." Another Golden Mean page offers some graphical examples of the Golden Ratio found in nature, including lightning, clouds, and seashells.
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