Did you know?
In the pattern 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…, each number is the sum of the two before it. It is named after Fibonacci, but Indian scholar Virahanka wrote about it centuries earlier while studying rhythms in poetry!
Count the spirals on a sunflower's seed head, going both ways. Scientists found that the counts are very often Fibonacci numbers, such as 34 and 55!
Bees build honeycomb from six-sided cells called hexagons. Hexagons fit together with no gaps, and this shape needs the least wax to make lots of storage space.
Try this: Crack the growing gaps
Look at this pattern: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?. Find the gap between each pair of numbers. What do you notice about the gaps? Use it to find the next number. Then make your own 'growing gaps' pattern for a friend to solve!
Show answer
42. The gaps are 4, 6, 8, 10, so the next gap is 12.
Go further: Draw a Fibonacci spiral
On squared paper, draw a 1 × 1 square and another 1 × 1 square beside it. Add a 2 × 2 square touching both, then a 3 × 3, a 5 × 5 and an 8 × 8, each time going around the shape. Notice the sizes follow the Fibonacci pattern! Now draw a quarter-circle inside each square, joining opposite corners. You get a smooth spiral, like the curls you see in nature.