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The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
by Livio, Mario
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Like New
- ISBN 10
- 0767908155
- ISBN 13
- 9780767908153
- Seller
-
Frontenac, Minnesota, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Broadway Books, 2002. First edition. Illustrated. Hard cover. Like New. Fine in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade.
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
- Mythos Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- Alibris4718
- Title
- The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number
- Author
- Livio, Mario
- Format/Binding
- Hard cover
- Book Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition. Illustrated
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0767908155
- ISBN 13
- 9780767908153
- Publisher
- Broadway Books
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2002
Terms of Sale
Mythos Books
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. Returns are accepted for any reason.
About the Seller
Mythos Books
Biblio member since 2018
Frontenac, Minnesota
About Mythos Books
Mythos Center is a research and retreat center on the banks of the Ms. River. We have been selling on line since 1994. In addition to our general academic and speciality stock, we are beginning to put our personal collections in myth, ritual and folklore-- up for sale. Inquiries are invited. Appointments only.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
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