Fibonacci

Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo of Pisa, was a great mathematician from Italy who lived during the Middle Ages. One of his most famous contributions to mathematics is the Fibonacci sequence, which is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, starting from 0 and 1 (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on). This sequence appears in nature, such as in the branching of trees, arrangement of leaves, and spiral patterns in flowers. It is also used in computing, algorithms, and data structures.

Another key concept associated with Fibonacci is the golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, which is approximately equal to 1.618. This ratio is found in art, architecture, and design, and is believed to be aesthetically pleasing. Fibonacci's work laid the foundation for modern number theory and he is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of his time.

The name "Fibonacci" was created in 1838 by a historian named Guillaume Libri, and it means "son of Bonacci." However, even earlier, in 1506, a notary called Leonardo "Lionardo Fibonacci."

Fibonacci was born around 1170. His father, Guglielmo, was an Italian merchant and customs officer who worked in a trading post in Bugia, which is now in Algeria. As a young boy, Fibonacci traveled with his father and was educated in Bugia, where he learned about the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.

As he grew older, Fibonacci traveled around the Mediterranean, meeting with many merchants and learning about their ways of doing Maths. He quickly saw that the Hindu-Arabic numeral system was much better for calculations than the Roman numerals used in Europe at the time. In 1202, he finished writing a book called "Liber Abaci" (The Book of Calculation), which helped spread the use of Hindu-Arabic numerals throughout Europe.

CC BY-SA 3.0 Carlo Pischedda

Appreciate the work of Fibonacci by trying some of the maths that this mathematician is known for.

There is an activity called Fibonacci Quest that you could try right now. A number of self marking quizzes based on the fascinating Fibonacci Sequence.

So there's no better time than the present to learn some mathematics from the past: let's Go!