Golden spiral
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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In geometry, a golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is [[Phi|Template:Math]], the golden ratio. That is, a golden spiral gets wider (or further from its origin) by a factor of Template:Math for every quarter turn it makes.
Spirals in nature
Approximate logarithmic spirals can occur in nature (for example, the arms of spiral galaxiesTemplate:Citation required). It is sometimes stated that nautilusTemplate:By whom shells get wider in the pattern of a golden spiral, and hence are related to both Template:Math and the Fibonacci series. In truth, nautilus shells (and many mollusk shells) exhibit logarithmic spiral growth, but at an angle distinctly different from that of the golden spiral. This pattern allows the organism to grow without changing shape. Spirals are common features in nature; golden spirals are one special case of these.
See also
