World News for Students of English

06-08-2025 07:00

The golden ratio is a special number that appears in many places, like nature, art, and buildings. It comes from a number sequence introduced to Europe by Leonardo Fibonacci in 1202, though it was discovered earlier by the Hindu scholar Pingala.

This sequence leads to a ratio that creates the “golden rectangle,” a shape that some people believe looks perfect. In the 1860s, Gustav Fechner claimed people preferred this shape, which helped create the idea that the golden ratio represents beauty. However, his study was later disproved. More recent experiments show that most people can’t even recognize the golden rectangle by sight. The golden ratio appears in sunflower spirals and other natural patterns, but nature doesn’t always follow it. Shells, for example, grow based on calcium levels, not math.

Some think human faces that match the golden ratio are more beautiful; however, this idea is not supported by science. It can create false beauty standards and misuse real mathematics. The golden ratio is interesting in art and nature, but it is not a rule for beauty. It is only one way to look at the world. Everyone’s view of beauty is different.

Difficult words: ratio (a comparison between two numbers or sizes), disproved (shown to be wrong), standard (an idea of what is normal or best).

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