The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy tells us that the magical number, the answer to life, the universe and everyting is 42. While certainly an iconic movie, i doubt that there is any truth in this theory. More likely a number to hold magical properties is the number Phi or 1.618.It truly is amazing to see how often this number pops up in nature.

This golden number is found in the dimensions of accoustic sound, design and art. More impressively it makes up our anatomy such as hands, feet, faces, heart beats and even our very DNA. For example if the length of the hand has the value of 1, for instance, then the combined length of hand + forearm has the approximate value of Phi. The same can be said for distances between facial features on humans, and in other animals. The butterfly above shows a beautiful example of this. Click it to enlarge the image for a better look.

This golden number is found in the dimensions of accoustic sound, design and art. More impressively it makes up our anatomy such as hands, feet, faces, heart beats and even our very DNA. For example if the length of the hand has the value of 1, for instance, then the combined length of hand + forearm has the approximate value of Phi. The same can be said for distances between facial features on humans like the ear below, and in other animals. The butterfly also shows a beautiful example of this.

For several decades, Dr. Eddy Levin of the U.K. has used the concept of phi to design aesthetically pleasing cosmetic and orthodontic corrections in the field of dentistry. Dr. Levin's principles are compulsory study in many American Dental Schools.

PHI is derived from the Fibonacci sequence (more on this later). It turns out that PHI has a role as a natural building block of nature. Plants, animals, and even humans possess dimensional properties which adhere to the ratio of PHI to 1.

For example:

1. In a honeybee community, the females outnumber the males by 1.618 to 1.
2. The ratio of each spiral to the next on a chambered Nautilus' shell is 1.618 to 1.
3. "Sunflower seeds grow in opposing spirals." The ratio of each spiral to the next is PHI to 1. This is also true of spiraled pinecone petals, leaf arrangement on plant stalks and insect segmentation.
4. Da Vinci studied corpses and discovered the Divine Proportion in human bone structure. The distance from the tip of your head to the floor, compared to the distance from your navel to the floor is PHI to 1.
5. The distance from your shoulder to your finger tips, divided by the distance from your elbow to your fingertips will give you PHI. You'll find the same ratio with hip to floor divided by knee to floor, finger joints, toes, and spinal divisions.

The point of this, is that we find that it's not limited to nature, but it's been used by artists and architects. The Parthenon, the pyramids in Egypt and the United Nations Building all use the Divine Proportion. Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Durer and many other artists used the proportion in their paintings, and Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok, Shubert and Debussy are just a few musicians who have also used it in their compositions.

Quantum physics is now correlating this ratio with 'faster than light' theories and indeed in the 90's a scientist named Dr Gunter Nimtz was successful in sending Mozart's 40th Symphony several times faster than the speed of light across 12 cm of space.