<p>Are you good looking, mathematically speaking? Is it, as the well-known saying goes, in the eye of the beholder? What does mathematics say? Is there a mathematical definition of beauty? <br /><br /></p>.<p>Yes. Over 2000 years ago, the early Greeks defined a beautiful object as something having golden (or divine as they called it) proportions. <br /><br />Try these tests<br /><br />Early Greek mathematicians discovered that any rectangle that had its length approximately 1.6 times its breadth looked most pleasing to the human eye. They called such a rectangle, a golden rectangle. You can try an experiment with your friends (the larger the number, the better). Give a sheet of paper and a pencil to all of them and ask them to draw a free hand rectangle which they consider is most pleasing to their eyes. <br /><br />After they have drawn the rectangle, ask all of them to measure its dimensions and then divide the length by the breadth. You will be surprised to find that most of them would get 1.6 (or close to it). When you take the average of all their values, it is most likely to be 1.6 each time! <br /><br />I tried this experiment with 60 students in one of my classes and got an average of exactly 1.6. This number is what is called the golden ratio. Egyptians used this ratio in their architecture, including the famous pyramids of Egypt. Almost all their buildings, doors and windows had these proportions. In fact even the Taj Mahal has golden proportions. <br /><br />When it came to defining beauty, one whose face had golden proportions was considered good looking. The faces of many famous movie stars conform to golden proportions. Actors Leonardo Di Caprio, Angelina Jolie and Emma Watson — all fit these measurements!<br /><br />Golden proportions can be found not only in the human face, but in the whole body. A good looking person should conform to the following proportions.<br /><br />- The distance from the navel to the knees is 1.6 times the distance from the knees to the feet<br /><br />-The length of the arm from the ankle to the tip of the middle finger is 1.6 times the length of the arm<br /><br />- The distance from the shoulder to the top of the head is 1.6 times the length of the head<br /><br />- The width of the mouth is 1.6 times the width of the nose at the nostrils<br /><br />- The person’s height is 1.6 times the distance from the navel to the feet<br /><br />- The distance from the top of head to the chin is 1.6 times the width of the head<br /><br />In the 12th century, Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician discovered golden proportions in nature. He observed that a majority of flowers had 13, 21 or 34 petals. This series came to be called the Fibonacci series. It may be observed that each number in the set is the sum of the preceding two numbers.<br /><br />The Fibonacci series has a close connection with the golden ratio. Just divide any number of the series by the preceding number, you will get a value close to 1.6.</p>
<p>Are you good looking, mathematically speaking? Is it, as the well-known saying goes, in the eye of the beholder? What does mathematics say? Is there a mathematical definition of beauty? <br /><br /></p>.<p>Yes. Over 2000 years ago, the early Greeks defined a beautiful object as something having golden (or divine as they called it) proportions. <br /><br />Try these tests<br /><br />Early Greek mathematicians discovered that any rectangle that had its length approximately 1.6 times its breadth looked most pleasing to the human eye. They called such a rectangle, a golden rectangle. You can try an experiment with your friends (the larger the number, the better). Give a sheet of paper and a pencil to all of them and ask them to draw a free hand rectangle which they consider is most pleasing to their eyes. <br /><br />After they have drawn the rectangle, ask all of them to measure its dimensions and then divide the length by the breadth. You will be surprised to find that most of them would get 1.6 (or close to it). When you take the average of all their values, it is most likely to be 1.6 each time! <br /><br />I tried this experiment with 60 students in one of my classes and got an average of exactly 1.6. This number is what is called the golden ratio. Egyptians used this ratio in their architecture, including the famous pyramids of Egypt. Almost all their buildings, doors and windows had these proportions. In fact even the Taj Mahal has golden proportions. <br /><br />When it came to defining beauty, one whose face had golden proportions was considered good looking. The faces of many famous movie stars conform to golden proportions. Actors Leonardo Di Caprio, Angelina Jolie and Emma Watson — all fit these measurements!<br /><br />Golden proportions can be found not only in the human face, but in the whole body. A good looking person should conform to the following proportions.<br /><br />- The distance from the navel to the knees is 1.6 times the distance from the knees to the feet<br /><br />-The length of the arm from the ankle to the tip of the middle finger is 1.6 times the length of the arm<br /><br />- The distance from the shoulder to the top of the head is 1.6 times the length of the head<br /><br />- The width of the mouth is 1.6 times the width of the nose at the nostrils<br /><br />- The person’s height is 1.6 times the distance from the navel to the feet<br /><br />- The distance from the top of head to the chin is 1.6 times the width of the head<br /><br />In the 12th century, Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician discovered golden proportions in nature. He observed that a majority of flowers had 13, 21 or 34 petals. This series came to be called the Fibonacci series. It may be observed that each number in the set is the sum of the preceding two numbers.<br /><br />The Fibonacci series has a close connection with the golden ratio. Just divide any number of the series by the preceding number, you will get a value close to 1.6.</p>
