Mathematics Finds Beautiful People
by Colette Henderson
November 09, 2006
The Greeks said that all beauty is mathematics. Junior High eighth graders explored a mathematical relationship that has been consistently and repeatedly reported to be present in beautiful things. That relationship is the golden ratio! The Golden Rectangle was considered by the Greeks to be the most pleasing to the eye of all rectangular shapes. It was given this name because the ratio of the lengths of the longer side to the shorter side is the golden ratio or about 1.618.
Students cut and measured several different sized rectangles and then researched other objects that exhibit this ratio. The activities concluded with the students measuring the facial features of a statue and then measuring each others faces to discover the beauty they beheld!
