Fibonacci, Da Vinci, and a Tree Walk into a Bar written by Deborah S. And Da Vinci said, “Hey, Tree, it looks like the cross-sections of your branches sum to the cross-section of the trunk!” Then Fibonacci said, “Hey, that sounds familiar…” The tree reacted, “Well, of course, it’s not like I want my branches […]
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The Golden Ratio and Leaves written by Deborah S. In our previous article, we learned about the Fibonacci Sequence. Today, let’s discuss another mathematical concept that is lesser known, yet also intricately linked: the Golden Ratio. Just as you may have heard of π (pi), which is equal to 3.14159…, and perhaps another constant, e, which
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Fibonacci and Trees written by Deborah S. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144… You may recognize the numbers above as the famous Fibonacci Sequence. Developed by Leonardo Bonacci – that’s right, his name is not Fibonacci; Fibonacci is short for filius Bonacci, which means “son of Bonacci,” and was applied by historians to distinguish this
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The Migration of the Sequoia When he returned to camp, and there related the wonders he had seen, his companions laughed at him and doubted his veracity, which previously they had considered to be very reliable. He affirmed his statement to be true, but they still thought it “too much of a story” to believe—thinking
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Mast Years In many parts of the Midwestern and Eastern United States (and perhaps more of the country), Autumn 2023 has contained a bit of an oddity. Yard owners and hikers have noticed a spate of squirrels on the prowl and a seemingly unending deluge of nuts on the ground. A member of my family
The Cake Forest The 1990s produced some fantastic rock music, both mainstream and underground. The bands most people recognize focused on riff-heavy guitars and soaring vocal melodies, mixed with a healthy dose of distortion. As with any era, some acts garner widespread success without adhering to the sound of the decade. For example, the Wikipedia
The Lahaina Banyan Tree In early August 2023, a calamitous series of wildfires erupted across the Hawaiian islands. A cauldron of atmospheric conditions turned the islands into something akin to a bed of kindling. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed a majority of the islands to be abnormally dry, with several areas drifting into legitimate drought. Meteorologists
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Tree Speak and the Wood Wide Web Traditionally, we have viewed trees as individuals, stoic as they compete for sunlight, survive storms, and slowly grow from tiny seeds to monstrous sentinels. This viewpoint is human, a sort of anthropomorphized version of a natural-resource economy or a misunderstanding of Darwinism. Only the strong trees endure, as they
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Sakura If one should ask you concerning the spirit of a true Japanese, point to the wild cherry blossom shining in the morning sun. –Motoori Norinaga, Shikishima no Uta Since at least the 8th century, people in Japan have practiced hanami, which translates literally to “flower viewing.” The flower in question is the sakura, also known as
Christmas Trees Perhaps the ubiquity of Christmas ubiquities is the tree that many celebrants add to their homes to decorate during the season. Raising plants indoors is not an oddity, but purchasing a sizable tree to move into one’s abode seems a bit out of the ordinary. How did we begin to string lights, toss