Golden Ratio

This week in contextual studies we were looking at the Renaissance and we have to find information about the golden ratio. It was Euclid of Alexandria who defines the proportion derived from a division of a line into what he calls its "extreme and mean ratio." He said: " A straight line is said to have been cut in extreme and mean ratio when, as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to the lesser." This ratio of 1.618, represented by the Greek letter phi, is seen as the golden ratio which is applied and seen in nature and art.

The ratio has been discovered and rediscovered many times, which is why it has so many different names. Some artists and architects believe that by using the golden ratio you can create the most aesthetically pleasing and beautiful shapes. Historically, this ratio can be seen in the architecture of many ancient creations, like the Great Pyramids and the Parthenon.