Re: [HM] "Dramatically Simple"

Olivier Gerard (ogerard@ext.jussieu.fr)
Thu, 22 Apr 1999 01:58:45 +0200

At 23:59 +0200 99.04.21, Antreas P. Hatzipolakis wrote:

->I was wondering if there are known more such phi appearances in the
->equilateral triangles.
->
-> [...]
->
->G. Candella (1502 - 1594) in his added-to-Euclid's-Elements book, Proposition
->4, shows how to get the triangle of the icosahedron by dividing in golden
->ratio the vertices of a r. tetrahedron.
->See: Roger Herz-Fischler: A Mathematical History of the Golden Number.
->Dover, 1998, p. 156.
->

In one of his pages, Doron Zeilberger records the following reflexion:

``The cubic root of 2 is not constructible by ruler and compass, but the cubic
root of 2+sqrt(5), which looks more complicated, is, (since it
equals the golden ratio). Things like this make it fun to be a
mathematican.''
--Tom Osler, Temple talk, 3/25/98.

In fact (2 + 5^(1/2)) = ((1 + 5^(1/2))/2)^3

Olivier