The Golden Ratio: The Divine Beauty of Mathematics

This is by far one of the finest books on the subject. Covering all aspects of the golden ratio and how it manifests itself through mathematics, architecture, nature, psychology. The images are absolutely beautiful as well. the overall quality is superb. I can't recommend this book enough. Great for adults and children alike. My daughter loves it as well and it is a great tool to get kids interested in mathematics and geometry and to see how beautiful numbers can be.

More than a coffee table book! Great information told from an historical, scientific, mathematical and artistic perspective. The illustrations and photographs are well presented and complement the explanations.

This is a lovely book which explains and examines the Golden Ratio/Divine Proportion using clear and engaging text accompanied by a kaleidoscopic array of beautiful imagery from the worlds of art, architecture, and nature. This book is sure to be appreciated by anyone who loves math, design, or classical art, as well as by those who are merely curious about the title topic. I am one who was merely curious. I haven't studied any math since high school (eons past), but I was able to grasp (with a bit of concentration) the very basic of the mathematical concepts presented in this book. I was actually quite pleased with myself when I encountered and even remembered the Pythagorean Theorem on page 27! While most of the mathematics in the book was over my head, I nevertheless found much to like in its pages. For example, nearly 100 pages are devoted to a presentation of the appearance of the Divine Proportion in art and architecture. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the masterworks of DaVinci, Michelango, Botticelli, and more, and seeing evidence of the Golden Ratio in these famous art pieces. I was especially drawn to a section of the book which focuses on the design and construction of the great cathedrals of Europe. Photographs (with PhiMatrix overlays) of the rose windows at Notre Dame and Chartes are impressive and, of course, very beautiful. The last part of the book takes a look at the appearance of the Divine Proportion in the natural world. Again, I am not a mathematician, but I had fun counting the plant spirals on photographs of pine cone bases, and looking for the "beauty of fives" in pictures of flowers and fruits. Overall, I enjoyed spending time in the pages of this book. It has something for everyone. And, it looks pretty impressive on my coffee table; if I were hunting a mate, I might impress a super successful STEM dude—or perhaps an artsy guy--with this book!

Beautiful Book

I got this book for the pictures, honestly. Because the the other option of Golden Ratio Coloring Book actually comes blank - you've got to color it. This one is a pretty book for sure! It (like a lot of phi write-ups) kind of makes a lot out of the specific number but provides little real insight into the driving force of logarithmic curves. But as long as you know what you're buying, you won't be too disappointed IMO. It is a geek's coffee table book for sure - and you can always fill with n-bonacci stuff if the topic ever comes up...

great book for developing engineer students

What an amazing resource! Not only is it a beautiful coffee table piece, it is an amazing reference for iconic works both old and new. It even has a study on Salvator Mundi, a recent discovery within the Da Vinci world. If you are a digital designer, I recommend checking out the authors Phi Matrix software. It is an incredible tool for those who wish to design within the underlying principles outlined within this book!

Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 18. In my previous attempts to draw out Euclid’s proposition 18, I had used the two decimal points, √2 and (1+√5 )÷2. After reading through the book "The Golden Ratio: The Divine Beauty of Mathematics" by Gary Meisner, I was able to remove the decimal points from my drawing. Euclid’s geometry for proposition 18 is to square the square to locate the side lengths of the Platonic Solids. However, my current drawing of proposition 18 shows, how you can develop the extreme and mean ratio (Golden Ratio) in the drawing without developing the extreme and mean ratio in an external drawing doubling the square, as Euclid did in proposition 17. As, well as developing the √2 line without using decimal points. I recommend the book The Divine Beauty of Mathematics by Gary Meisner to everyone. Even if it just ends up being a coffee table book. Excellent quality graphics and over 200 high-quality pictures. Everything from the Great Pyramids, Fibonacci logarithmic spiral, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and John the Baptist. And at $17, in a 9x11 hardcover format, it’s one book you won't regret buying. It belongs in the Great Book program for developing critical thinking.

I bought this book in both English and Japanese. The author is a great fan of the golden ratio and has used the technique he invented in many paintings that are both historically and artistically beautiful. I was deeply impressed by the important relationship between the golden ratio and Pythagorean theorem based on Kepler triangle. By linking this relationship with the Fibonacci sequence, I was also able to discover the equiangular spiral.

Nice hardcover book with many colorful illustrutations

Purchased as a gift for Maths teachers... something a bit different. Beautiful imagery and interesting comments throughout the book and a different lens on the world of maths.

I like this book . I am familiar with this ratio and worked it out myself years ago via a quadratic equation . I found the book very interesting and colourful , being full of many illustrations . The geometrical content brought back memories of my math's days when a student . A good and , if I may say , amusing book to read . A lighthearted look at some fundamental math's . Engineers would find it fun .

An interesting book,even if some of it seems a trifle fanciful.