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This is a course about the Fibonacci numbers, the golden ratio, and their intimate relationship. In this course, we learn the origin of the Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio, and derive a formula to compute any Fibonacci number from powers of the golden ratio. We learn how to add a series of Fibonacci numbers and their squares, and unveil the mathematics behind a famous paradox called the Fibonacci bamboozlement. We construct a beautiful golden spiral and an even more beautiful Fibonacci spiral, and we learn why the Fibonacci numbers may appear unexpectedly in nature.
The course lecture notes, problems, and professor's suggested solutions can be downloaded for free from
http://bookboon.com/en/fibonacci-numbers-and-the-golden-ratio-ebook
Course Overview video: https://youtu.be/GRthNC0_mrU
Fibonacci: It's as easy as 1, 1, 2, 3
By the end of this week, you will be able to: 1) describe the origin of the Fibonacci sequence; 2) describe the origin of the golden ratio; 3) find the relationship between the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio; 4) derive Binet’s formula.
Identities, sums and rectangles
By the end of this week, you will be able to: 1) identify the Fibonacci Q-matrix and derive Cassini’s identity; 2) explain the Fibonacci bamboozlement; 3) derive and prove the sum of the first n Fibonacci numbers, and the sum of the squares of the first n Fibonacci numbers; 4) construct a golden rectangle and 5) draw a figure with spiralling squares.
The most irrational number
By the end of this week, you will be able to: 1) describe the golden spiral and its relationship to the spiralling squares; 2) construct an inner golden rectangle; 3) explain continued fractions and be able to compute them; 4) explain why the golden ratio is called the most irrational of the irrational numbers; 5) understand why the golden ratio and the Fibonacci numbers may show up unexpectedly in nature.