Fibonacci
Many of us are aware of Leonardo of Pisa, the famous Italian mathematician who lived in the late 1100's and 1200's. Perhaps you have heard of the "Fibonacci Series."
Fibonacci introduced the Hindu-Arabic system of numbers to Europe, which replaced cumbersome Roman numerals and included zero!
His nickname come from that of his father, who was a renowned merchant of his day (so mathematics was an important subject to the family). Leonardo's father was known as Guglielmo "Bonaccio". The bonaccio part probably indicate that he was good-natured, but can also be construed to mean "dolt" or "oaf." Leonardo was therefore,
filius Bonacci, or the son of Bonaccio.
Following many years of travel and study, often related to trade, Fibonacci published
Liber Abaci (Book of Calculation) in 1202, which included a section on
modus Indorum (The methods of the Indians). It was revolutionary in its day. It also introduced his observations on what is now known as the "Fibonacci Series."
The series of numbers is described by the equation:
Fn = F(n-1) + F(n-2)where the beginning seeds are 0 and 1.
The sequence therefore looks like this:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc.
The sequence is often expressed in nature. Here are some examples:
The "Golden Spiral" as seen in a cross section of a Nautilus shell
Sunflower seeds - mathematical beauty
Aloe, a pine cone, Romanesco broccoliLeonardo was rightly honored for his achievements. He become known as Leonardo Pisano (of Pisa) and Leonardo Bigollo (the Traveller). And Fibonacci may have, himself, enjoyed the "Bigollo" appellation, because it was was very similar to "bigollone," which meant dunce!
The the greatest of the medieval European mathematicians was the dunce who was the son of the dolt!
