What Makes the Golden Ratio so Golden?

Now that I’ve concluded my Golden Ratio-themed comic serial, I wanted to get into a little what the Golden Ratio actually is. Just saying that it’s some number that’s approximately 1.618, doesn’t quite do it justice. What’s so special about that number? And what makes that a ratio?

Second point, first. A ratio is a comparison of two numbers, so it can cause confusion if only a single number is written, even if “to 1” is implied.

What makes it so special is what is being compared. Look at these two images, for example. They are basically the same thing, only the notation for the lengths are different.

Suppose we wanted to find a ratio of the length of the square to the length of the rectangle, and we wanted that ratio to equal the ratio of the length of the smaller rectangle to that of the bigger one, what value of x would accomplish that?

It terms out that we could set up the problem in either of these two ways (and many more, besides!). On the left, the square has a length of 1, the smaller rectangle has a width of x, so the bigger rectangle has a total length of x + 1. One the right, the square still has a length of 1, but the bigger rectangle has a total length of x, so the smaller rectangle has a length of x – 1.

Setting up the proportions and cross-multiplying we find:

In either case, we get the same quadratic equation: x² – x – 1 = 0.
That’s not something easily factorable, so we have to use Ye Olde Quadratic Formula, after which we discover that the roots are

If we take the positive value, we get x = 1.618033988749894848204586... But what about the negative value? If we subtract root 5 from 1 and divide by 2, we get x = -0.618033988749894848204586...

Look at the decimal portion. They are the same! Keep in mind, that we’re dealing with irrational numbers here, which aren’t supposed to conform to patterns, but this one is just brilliant. And, yes, there is a reason for it.

Take a look at that second proportion, above, on the right, with the removable 1 in the denominator.

This is saying that one less than the number is the reciprocal of that number! If you divide 1 by 1.618033988749894848204586..., you will get 0.618033988749894848204586..., the same as if you just subtracted one.

This works for the negative value as well: If you divide 1 by -0.618033988749894848204586..., you will get -1.618033988749894848204586..., the same as if you just subtracted one.

One last point, and a hat tip to William Ricker for mentioning it, how else can we write the reciprocal of x, 1/x? What exponent gives us the reciprocal of x? An exponent of -1. That means that this equation, this proportion, can be written as:

Absolutely brilliant. And quite Golden, if I say so myself.