Plate I — Fibonacci in Nature

A study in one sequence: the nautilus shell, the sunflower head, and the rabbits of 1202 — drawn on millimetre paper. Print it, project it, frame it.

FIBONACCI IN NATUREFig. 1 — the nautilus · Fig. 2 — the sunflower · Fig. 3 — the rabbits of 1202PLATE Icentre 80mm, 120mmFig. 1. Nautilus pompilius —each chamber 1.618× its predecessor21 spiral arms one way, 34 the otherFig. 2. Helianthus — seeds packedat the golden angle 137.5°Fig. 3. Lepus — pairs of rabbits per month,after Liber Abaci, A.D. 12021121324355687138211, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 …Each number is the sum of the two that precede it: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 …The nautilus grows its shell; the sunflower packs its seeds; the rabbits multiply — one law, three kingdoms.

For a print-perfect copy: open your browser's print dialog and choose “Background graphics” — the plate is sized for A4.