In 1202, the Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano (aka Fibonacci) ruminated over the prospect of how many pairs of rabbits could be produced from a single pair in a year given optimal conditions. His curiosity ultimately led him to conduct a theoretical experiment wherein he presupposed female rabbits always gave birth to pairs and that each pair consisted of one male and one female. His experiment further took into account that rabbits are unable to reproduce until at least one month old. From this starting point he concluded that by the end of the first month he would be left with the original pair of rabbits. By the end of the second month, the female gives birth to a pair of rabbits totaling two pairs. At the end of the third month, the female gives birth again leaving the original pair of rabbits, with two sets of offspring, totaling three pairs of rabbit, of which two will give birth to two more pairs during the ensuing month–and so on…Thus, if the sequence were to be written out the following order would be:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. Each number is the sum of the two previous numbers. This simple sequence is known as the Fibonacci sequence or the golden ratio (the ratio between the numbers being 1.618034).
This particular sequence might be of consequence to some who are intrigued with mathematics and science, but I would submit to you that every Christian should have (if not an interest in this) a rudimentary understanding of this concept for the simple reason is that it undergirds the premise of chaos and randomness in the universe as expressed through Darwinian evolution. Some notable atheists have tried to argue with some persuasion that disarray in the universe is antithetical to belief in an Intelligent Designer. I would further argue that the complexity and consistent sequence that appears in the natural world transcends a cursory view of the world and buttresses the belief in God. The more we learn about the universe, the more we realize how complex the design is and how much we have yet to discover.
“Seed heads, pinecones, fruits and vegetables: Look at the array of seeds in the center of a sunflower and you'll notice what looks like spiral patterns curving left and right. Amazingly, if you count these spirals, your total will be a Fibonacci number. Divide the spirals into those pointed left and right and you'll get two consecutive Fibonacci numbers. You can decipher spiral patterns in pinecones, pineapples and cauliflower that also reflect the Fibonacci sequence in this manner.
Flowers and branches: Some plants express the Fibonacci sequence in their growth points, the places where tree branches form or split. One trunk grows until it produces a branch, resulting in two growth points. The main trunk then produces another branch, resulting in three growth points. Then the trunk and the first branch produce two more growth points, bringing the total to five. This pattern continues, following the Fibonacci numbers. Additionally, if you count the number of petals on a flower, you'll often find the total to be one of the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. For example, lilies and irises have three petals, buttercups and wild roses have five, delphiniums have eight petals and so on.
(The spiral follows the Fibonacci sequence)
Honeybees: A honeybee colony consists of a queen, a few drones and lots of workers. The female bees (queens and workers) all have two parents, a drone and a queen. Drones, on the other hand, hatch from unfertilized eggs. This means they have only one parent. Therefore, Fibonacci numbers express a drone's family tree in that he has one parent, two grandparents, three great-grandparents and so forth.
The human body: Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. You'll notice that most of your body parts follow the numbers one, two, three and five. You have one nose, two eyes, three segments to each limb and five fingers on each hand. The proportions and measurements of the human body can also be divided up in terms of the golden ratio. DNA molecules follow this sequence, measuring 34 angstroms long and 21 angstroms wide for each full cycle of the double helix.”
