Beyond Nature

Humans have, consciously or not, used the same mathematics that resides inherently within our world to then improve upon our world. This can be seen in the way that mathematics is essential in areas such as architecture, music, art, and space exploration. The same golden ratio that we just discussed was also used by the Greeks to make their buildings. You can find it also in great works of art such as the “Mona Lisa”, the “Vitruvian Man”, and “The Last Supper” (Akhtaruzzaman & Shafie, 2011). In fact, the name “phi” for the golden ratio even has ties to art. Mathematician Mark Barr began to use the Greek letter phi to represent the golden ratio in honor of the Greek sculpture Phidias who historians believe used the golden ratio frequently in his sculpting (Cook 1914). The golden ratio was also called the “Divine Proportion” during the Renaissance period, which is when Leonardo Da Vinci would have used it. In his study of human anatomy, such as his “Vitruvian Man”, the proportions that he uses to represent ideal anatomic composition closely resemble the divine proportion. Therefore, many have assumed that he was using this proportion even though he was wary to admit the reasonings behind his designs. Other examples of the golden ratio being found in the world around us include the proportions of violins, Penrose tiling, and even the proportions of human teeth (Akhtaruzzaman & Shafie, 2011).

Math is inherently part of the world around us. For thousands of years, mathematicians have been exploring the different ways that math is ingrained in nature and human life. The development of this world of mathematics helps us to understand the natural world better and improve upon it. Math has led to many advancements in technology and will only continue to do so. And mathematicians need not stop their exploration with only the nature of Earth. Just like the concentric circles discussed earlier, mappings of planetary orbits around a common sun follow a similar mathematic pattern and are governed by similar rules of mathematics. So understanding the mathematics in the nature of Earth can lead to an understanding of the entire universe.