Fibonacci Again
As the recent post on Mathematics and Art indicated, there is a very close relationship between the two, and this was discovered by Fibonacci. The picture on the right is from his statue in the town of Pisa, Italy. These were interesting (and challenging) times in the Middle Ages. As one education website mentions;
“By the end of the twelfth century, the struggle between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire had left many Italian cities independent republics…and some established centers for higher learning… Among these important and remarkable republics was the small but powerful walled city-state of Pisa which played a major role in the commercial revolution which was transforming Europe. “Its citizens are brave”, observed Benjamin of Tudela, a Spanish Jew, “and they have neither king nor prince to whom they owe obedience”.
Into this world of rapid change and a mix of Christian and Moslem cultures, Fibonacci was born in Pisa in about AD1175, i.e., about 800 years ago, though no one knows for certain the exact date of his birth. Pisa today is best known for its leaning tower. Unknown to most people is a statue in the Giardino Scotto erected by the citizens of Pisa to its most famous citizen, Fibonacci, the most outstanding Western mathematician of the Middle Ages and a man very much in advance of his time.”
Thanks to Fibonacci (or not, depending on your viewpoint) many mathematical investigations follow. You can view many of these on this excellent site.
