Fibonacci Sequence
(Why 4 leaf clovers are hard to find.)
Consider yourself lucky if you find a four leaf clover because they are rare in nature. In the natural world there are certain patterns of numbers that repeat themselves over and over again, in the way flower petals are attached to a stalk, branches grow from a tree, bracts are arranged on a pine cone, leaves are arranged on a stem, etc. This sequence of numbers was named the Fibonacci sequence in honor of Leonardo Fibonacci an Italian Mathematician who referenced this order of numbers in a book he wrote in 1202. This Fibonacci sequence is often called nature’s numbering system because it is so commonplace. The Fibonacci sequence normally begins at 0 or 1 and the next number corresponds to the sum of the previous two numbers. Example: 0,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34, 55, 89 etc. This can be illustrated arithmetically by Xn = Xn-1 + X n-2. In nature Fibonacci numbers normally create a spiral shape when they are plotted; and you can often see this shape in the way flower petals, tree limbs, sea shells etc. are arranged. Scientists believe that this radial pattern is the most effective way to organize plant parts to optimize space along a stem and maximize exposure to sunlight, etc., so that plants exhibiting these characteristics would have a competitive advantage over those that do not.
