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The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
by Livio, Mario
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good /Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0767908155
- ISBN 13
- 9780767908153
- Seller
-
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Broadway Books. 294pp. Full number line on the copyright page. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall L4 . Very Good. Hardcover. First Edition.. 2002.
Synopsis
Throughout history, thinkers from mathematicians to theologians have pondered the mysterious relationship between numbers and the nature of reality. In this fascinating book, Mario Livio tells the tale of a number at the heart of that mystery: phi, or 1.6180339887...This curious mathematical relationship, widely known as "The Golden Ratio," was discovered by Euclid more than two thousand years ago because of its crucial role in the construction of the pentagram, to which magical properties had been attributed. Since then it has shown a propensity to appear in the most astonishing variety of places, from mollusk shells, sunflower florets, and rose petals to the shape of the galaxy. Psychological studies have investigated whether the Golden Ratio is the most aesthetically pleasing proportion extant, and it has been asserted that the creators of the Pyramids and the Parthenon employed it. It is believed to feature in works of art from Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Salvador Dali's The Sacrament of the Last Supper, and poets and composers have used it in their works. It has even been found to be connected to the behavior of the stock market!The Golden Ratio is a captivating journey through art and architecture, botany and biology, physics and mathematics. It tells the human story of numerous phi-fixated individuals, including the followers of Pythagoras who believed that this proportion revealed the hand of God; astronomer Johannes Kepler, who saw phi as the greatest treasure of geometry; such Renaissance thinkers as mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa; and such masters of the modern world as Goethe, Cezanne, Bartok, and physicist Roger Penrose. Wherever his quest for the meaning of phi takes him, Mario Livio reveals the world as a place where order, beauty, and eternal mystery will always coexist.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Voyageur Book Shop
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 010894
- Title
- The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
- Author
- Livio, Mario
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition.
- ISBN 10
- 0767908155
- ISBN 13
- 9780767908153
- Publisher
- Broadway Books
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2002
Terms of Sale
Voyageur Book Shop
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Voyageur Book Shop
Biblio member since 2017
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
About Voyageur Book Shop
Voyageur Book Shop is a used book store tucked in the north end of Bay View, Milwaukee, and we are very happy to be there.
Glossary
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- First Edition
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- Number Line
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- Copyright page
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