Dear Carol,
I have studied the Fibonacci numbers and I have looked at those
Conch-L archives.
Many things in the universe have Ficonacci patterns from DNA to spiral
galaxies. Music and freely traded markets (like ths stock market) also
contain Fibonacci
ratios. I once read
somewhere, I can't remember where, that the Coast Guard noticed three
primary ocean waves that came in at certain intervals. They used the
breaks between them to time their vessel movements. For
thousands of years architects have used the Fibonacci numbers in their
designs. Structures designed with them are pleasing to the eye.
Derived from the Ficonacci numbers is the logarithmic spiral. The
Nautilus shell is supposed to be the shape of a logarithmic spiral also
known as the golden spiral. I argue that this is not the case. The
shell expands at a lesser ratio than the logarithic spiral. Perhaps at
1.333 rather than 1.618. However, the nautilus shell apparently has some
hidden Fibonacci ratios. They are found at:
http://www.drury.edu/education/fred/activities/nautilus/nautilus.html
Andrew Dickson
Miami, Florida