Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I recently quoted from a book review by John Banville that included notes from the reviewer's interview with HCB: "I don't believe in God," he (HCB) says, "but I do believe in pi." Pen and paper are produced and he dictates some numbers. It takes me a moment to recognize the formula for the golden section, the mathematical rule of aesthetic balance which has been used by artists since antiquity." I suspect that John Banville made a mistake in quoting HCB who probably said, "but I do believe in Phi." Pi makes no sense in this context. Phi (named after the sculptor Phidias) is a symbol often used for the Golden Ratio aka Golden Mean or Section. Is there a mathematician in the house who can confirm or contradict my supposition? Oliver Bryk - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html