Continuum – Action Math Game!

The new online math game is out, and I hope you will enjoy it!

For this game, I included several math aspects.  The most obvious one is the use of fractals for the backgrounds.  I think they add a level of depth to the play fields – and are really cool to look at!

Next, I made all the bricks in the game golden rectangles.  Well, as close as I could anyway, because I had to use integer units in the design.  The dimensions of the bricks are 41 x 25 pixels, giving a ratio of 1.64 width to height, which is just a tad more than the actual value of approximately 1.61803399.

Lastly, I made as targets in the game polygons, which contain interfering balls after the polygons are destroyed.

This game is a little more mainstream from the others I have made for Math Tricks, but I think it is the most enjoyable.  Here is a game-play screen shot:

Anyway, it is online, and you can play it here.  Please feel free to give me any comments and suggestions!

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So you have seen already a few posts about the golden ratio, which is approximately equal to 1.618. Are there math tricks that will allow you to determine the value for the golden ratio?  Well, since the title of this post is “The Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence”, then you might have guessed that there is a way to determine the golden ratio with the Fibonacci Sequence.

What the heck is the Fibonacci Sequence?  True, I have not written a post on it yet – but you just wait because there is a LOT to say about it later on – a LOT!!  But for now, let me just give you the sequence:

0,1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, …

Do you see the pattern?  Each value, starting with the second “1″ in the sequence, is simply the sum of the preceding two values.  The general formuls for the Fibonacci sequence is:

F(n) = F(n – 1) + F(n – 2)

So how does this interesting sequence of numbers relate to the golden ratio?  Take any value in the sequence and divide it by the preceding value – what do you get?

For example:

34/21 = 1.619

Looks familiar, eh?

Try it again for a pair farther down the sequence:

233/144 = 1.61806

In fact, this manipulation of the Fibonacci series converges to the golden ratio.

Also, you can perform this manipulation using an “out of frame” Fibonacci series – that is, choose any two consecutive numbers, apply the general formula F(n) = F(n – 1) + F(n – 2) to get a new sequence, and then from the new sequence you will be able to determine an approximation for the golden ratio by following the same procedure as outlined above.  For example, starting with 887 and 888, we get the series:

887, 888, 1775, 2663, 4438, 7101, 11539, 18640, 30179 ,48819, 78998, 127817, 206815, 334632

Notice here that you do not get a very good approximation if you divide 888 by 887.  But as you move down the sequence, the value you obtain gets closer and closer to the golden ratio:

334632/206815 = 1.6180258

A superb example of math tricks in nature!

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So you have a single line of length X, and you want to extent the line to height Y such that you produce a golden rectangle.  Simple as pi pie!

This problem can be solved with some simple algebra, and it is useful if you wish to draw a golden rectangle given a line of any length.  For instance, you may want to incorporate golden rectangles into some artwork you are working on, or you may wish to crop photographs such that they are framed within a golden rectangle.

So, given a line of any length, you can break the line into two parts:

It is easy to see that:

From this, you can calculate that the length (A) of the sides of the square part of the golden rectangle is:

A = (A + B)/1.618

So just extend the line into a rectangle with base=(A+B) and height=(A+B)/1.618

Using this type of reasoning, if you have a square with a side of length A, and wished to extend the length to A+B such that the A+B is the length of the base of a golden rectangle, you can determine the length of B very easily:

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Drawing A Golden Rectangle

Drawing a golden rectangle is pretty easy using the technique I will show you here.  I used PowerPoint to draw the rectangle here, but you can use this technique to draw a golden rectangle with just about any drawing program.  If you have a compass and a protractor, then I suggest that you try to draw your rectangle on paper.

First, draw a square.  You do not need to know the dimensions of the square, just be sure that all the sides are of equal length:

Next, find the midpoint at the base of the square, and draw a line from the midpoint to the upper-right corner of the square:

Now draw a circle with the midpoint of the base as the center.  Expand the circle such that the line from the base midpoint to the upper-right corner is a radial line from the center of the circle to the circle’s edge:

Now rotate the radial line downward, keeping the edge of the line on the circle:

Continue with the rotation until the radial line is parallel to the base of the square:

Remove the circle.  What is left is the square with an extension at the base:

Draw a rectangle around the base + extension and square height:

Finally, remove the extension and square.  What is left is a perfect golden rectangle:

Very easy and neat.  Congratulations, now you can create great works of art by incorporating golden rectangles into you masterpieces!

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