00:00Our moon exploration project started out in 1969.
00:04Sure, there have been some problems along the way,
00:07but astronomers are certain we'll get back up there pretty soon
00:10and with better knowledge and technology.
00:12However, there's an 800-year-old trick that might become
00:16way more useful than fancy GPS tech and powerful rockets.
00:20It's called the Fibonacci sphere.
00:24Some scientists at a Hungarian university stumbled upon this idea
00:28while studying the moon.
00:30They believe it might be useful to better understand how the moon spins
00:34and how it's a bit squished while it goes around Earth.
00:37You might believe that our planet and its satellite
00:40are these perfect little spheres floating in space.
00:43Well, that's not true.
00:45They are in fact like slightly deflated soccer balls
00:48because of all the gravity, rotating movements and tides.
00:52The GPS technology we use here on Earth is already adapted
00:56to these less-than-perfect ball proportions.
00:59Remember, our planet is a bit flattened at its poles.
01:03If we're going to make a map system for the moon,
01:05we need to do the same for its shape, called a solenoid,
01:09or what scientists call the moon's version of our Earth's shape.
01:12Since the moon is less compressed than our planet,
01:15scientists have been taking a shortcut until now.
01:18They've been looking at our satellite as a simple ball shape.
01:21However, with all these new projects coming up in the following decades
01:25and even some exciting trips we might end up having on the moon,
01:29we need to be more precise.
01:31Scientists now believe we should get the real data
01:34and start drawing an accurate picture of the moon.
01:37Here's where the Fibonacci sphere comes in handy.
01:40It's a clever solution that's been used by mathematicians
01:43to spread points out evenly on a ball.
01:46Scientists recently used it to map around 100,000 spots on the moon
01:50using data previously collected by NASA.
01:53And what they found was crucial for our understanding of the moon's shape.
01:57For instance, we now know that our satellite's poles
02:01are about 0.3 miles closer to the center compared to the moon's equator.
02:07Sure, it might seem like a tiny detail,
02:10but if we adjust our GPS software accordingly before we land on the moon again,
02:14it might save us from getting lost up there.
02:17This level of math hasn't been done since the 60s for the moon,
02:21but we already know it works wonders here at home,
02:25so it only makes scientists better prepared for future missions.
02:29This isn't the first time people have used Fibonacci's findings
02:32to come up with clever solutions.
02:34We've also seen it put to work in finance, agriculture, and in computer science.
02:39Let's see where it all came from.
02:41Legend has it that the Italian mathematician Fibonacci
02:44wasn't really that interested in mathematical sequences at first,
02:47but rather in rabbits?
02:49So, he came up with this interesting puzzle.
02:52What happens if you place a pair of rabbits in a certain space for a year?
02:57He also set some theoretical rules.
02:59For starters, all those bunnies come in boy-girl pairs,
03:02and they can start reproducing after just a month.
03:05Each month, each bunny pair adds one more pair of bunny offspring.
03:09The last rule was that all bunnies would be invincible for the year.
03:13Doing the math, he got this series of numbers.
03:15One, one, two, three, five, eight, and so on.
03:21If you look at this series again,
03:23you'll notice that every number is the sum of the two before it.
03:27The first two? That's your starting bunny pair.
03:30Next, you'll see the number two,
03:32which is the first pair and their first offspring pair.
03:35Word caught on about this interesting sequence,
03:38and math lovers began studying it more closely.
03:42They started seeing this pattern very often in nature,
03:45like in how leaves grow on a plant or how seeds arrange on sunflowers.
03:50There's even a little experiment you can do to check it out.
03:53Start by grabbing some paper and a pen.
03:56Try drawing the Fibonacci spiral.
03:58Start with a tiny circle,
04:00then go bigger and bigger using those Fibonacci numbers.
04:04The first circle should just be a tiny dot on the paper,
04:08or the equivalent of zero.
04:10Next circle, one unit.
04:12Another circle, still one unit.
04:15Keep it going, and you'll see that the circles form this spiral pattern.
04:19Even as it continues to grow, it keeps its shape.
04:22You might have also stumbled upon the Fibonacci spiral as a symbol of hypnosis.
04:26In all fairness, there's little evidence you can confuse someone
04:29by making them stare into a spiral for a while.
04:32But its effects on our focus and our optic nerves can't be ignored.
04:37After you've stared at a spinning spiral,
04:39you might see how objects get smaller or bigger,
04:42depending on the direction of the swirl.
04:44It's easy to understand why some experience this sensation as hypnotizing.
04:49This interesting series of numbers appears in our day-to-day lives,
04:53even if we don't notice it.
04:55It can also be used in more practical instances,
04:58like converting miles to kilometers.
05:00Let's look at the series 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.
05:07Pick any two numbers side by side.
05:10Say 13 and 21.
05:12Do the calculations, and you'll notice that 13 miles is about 21 kilometers.
05:17Same with 34 and 55.
05:20Music and math might not seem like they're connected.
05:24But if you had asked the great Mozart, he probably wouldn't have agreed.
05:28It seems he was very passionate about numbers from early on in his career.
05:32He loved finding cool number patterns in music,
05:35like some sort of hidden messages.
05:38His own sister even remembered him doodling math all the time,
05:41even on the sides of his music sheets.
05:43Some scholars believe he might have even played around with the Fibonacci numbers.
05:47If that's really the case,
05:50then he might have used the ration to balance out parts of his tunes.
05:54What about other types of art?
05:56Well, it's also said that Leonardo da Vinci used the golden ratio in his masterpieces,
06:01like the Vitruvian Man and the Mona Lisa.
06:03Also, when it comes to great pieces of architecture,
06:06the Parthenon might have used this pattern too.
06:09Anytime you see buildings with columns spaced just right,
06:12you can be certain that's where the builders drew inspiration from.
06:15The Great Pyramid of Giza is another great example.
06:19There's no official record to prove it,
06:21but the pyramid's shape is so close to the golden ratio that it's kind of obvious.
06:25You'll also see this pattern appearing naturally in our environment.
06:28Go out in our garden and check to see if you have any pine cones lying around.
06:32See those scales?
06:34They're set up in a pattern according to the Fibonacci sphere.
06:37Even the bones in our body seem to be growing based on the same proportions.
06:41We've got one torso, one head, and one heart.
06:45Then there's stuff that comes in pairs.
06:48Our arms, legs, eyes, and ears, for instance.
06:52For the number three,
06:54think about the composition of our limbs and the three main sections in our hand.
06:58The wrist part, the middle palm part, and our fingers,
07:02which are also split into three, by the way.
07:04Oh, speaking of fingers,
07:06their bone lengths have this ratio too.
07:09This design helps our fingers move smoothly,
07:11especially when grabbing objects.
07:13The Fibonacci sequence can be seen in the way ocean waves curve
07:17and how rivers split and flow too.
07:19Weather patterns can also follow this rule.
07:22Some whirlpools and hurricanes form and spread out
07:26in the same way the Fibonacci spiral does.
07:29Zoom out, and you'll see that spirals aren't just found here on Earth.
07:33They're also everywhere in space, and it isn't random.
07:36Most galaxies, including our Milky Way, are spirals.
07:40Think of it like this.
07:42Generally, stars in a young galaxy don't all appear at once.
07:46Some are faster when developing, others take their time.
07:50This makes gravity pull in different ways,
07:52making the young galaxy spin like a disc.
07:54As it spins, different levels of gravity stretch it into getting these spiral arms.
08:00On the flip side, if all the stars in a young galaxy appear at the same time,
08:05gravity just smushes it all into an egg shape,
08:08or what the astronomers call elliptical.
08:13That's it for today.
08:14So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity,
08:16then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:19Or, if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side.
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