4 leafed clover-related question

[darth vader]

In light of my answer to the previous question, i'd like to know WHY leafed plants seem to follow the fibonacci series when it comes to the number of leaves on a plant?

[wildwood]

Could it be that this enables lower layers to get the maximum amount of sunshine with minimum shadow from higher layers?

[darth vader]

Hmm possibly... i think the answer is more likely to be "Because it does" in the same way that the number 3.1415926.... (pi) figures heavily in mathematics - it crops up alot but we don't know why (in some cases) and simply say "because it does"

[xyzzyplugh]

This math is a fascination with me; It does in indeed have a reason. The Fibonacci sequence is based on the Golden Number; (not Pi) but Phi 1.6180339887etc :1 The divine proportion is basically a spiral and it's all to do with fitting in, in a similar way honeycombs fit as hexagons but the Phi ratio is more efficient; it can be seen in pine cones, sunflowers heads, etc. Mankind has used this sacred ratio in e.g the great pyramid. It is used in art and architecture and advertising, a rectangle of this ratio, 1.6:1 is psychologically the most pleasing to the eye, why because it is, a sacred mean, a mystical ratio. It is seen exactly in the pentagon but not easy to express in text.The aspect ratio of your monitor screen has a vaguely similar size but they got their sums wrong; and I'm wandering.. Best maybe to search 'golden number pentagon' say, on Google.

[darth vader]

Sorry xyzzyplugh but you get one star. I was relating the fibonacci series to pi (not phi) to explain that sometimes these things happen and there's no logical answer. (For example you use pi in the equation to work out the speed of a pendulum swinging - what does this have to do with circles you might wonder?)

The fibonacci series is a series, where the next element in the series is derived by adding the two previous elements together, eg 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21...... whereas pi is a ratio of the diameter of a circle to the circumference (3.1415926.....)

This said i think you have agreed with my assumption when you say "because it is, a sacred mean, a mystical ratio"

[darth vader]

...you can also use pi to find the weight of an octagonal ball....

[ianess]

why did this conversation stop just as it was getting interesting???????????

[darth vader]

dunno. THAT could be the answer - that there is no answer, it's just one of those things - divine intervention? alien technologies? It is a bit like trying to answer the question "what is the meaning of life?"

Or did you want to know how to find the weight of an octagonal ball?

There was a professor named Hall
Who possessed an octagonal ball
He found that it's weight
When divided by 8
was Pi times the root of f**k all

[CloverMAN]

When the leaf falls, a force known as gravity makes it pull slowly or rapidly(due to wind velocity) to the ground. This leaves the once 4-leaf clover with only 3, however once this plant dies, in that spot theres a good probability that another 4-leaf clover may grow.

[darth vader]

what a load of b****ks. but if anyone's interested i read somewhere about a mathematical theory whereby the angles and distance between each leaf is maximised (remember they are competing with each other as well as with other plants, to get the most sunlight) if the number of leaves follows the fibonacci. Will get book and author if anyone wants?