\u00a8Master, why is one not a prime number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you that, Lanoo?\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read it in a book on number theory,\u201d replied Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, one is a proto prime number, from which all numbers are derived,\u201d said the Master, \u201cmathematicians don\u2019t know what to do with it as it is a philosophical issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s do an experiment, Lanoo,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready with my notebook, calculator and pen, Master,\u201d said Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cLanoo, start with the number one and add one divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one, divided by one plus one. That should do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWritten down, Master, \u201d said Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdd it all up and you\u2019ll get a special number,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is quite difficult,\u201d said Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep your tongue straight and it will all work out,\u201d advised the Master.<\/p>\n
After a while, Lanoo obtained the final result.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got the number, Master,\u201d said Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery good. We call this number phi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now square the number and subtract the number from its square,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you have left?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, I have one left,\u201d said an astounded Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see why the one is so special?\u201d said the Master, \u201cyou can do this with no other number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, measure the length of your finger tip and multiply it by phi and you will get the length of the next phalange of your finger. If you multiply the next phalange by phi, you will get the length of the third phalange of your finger,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect, and amazing,\u201d said Lanoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will find that other proportions in your body also reflect phi, also called the Golden Ratio, which gives the most aesthetically pleasing Golden Rectangle,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cNote the following phi ratios: floor to navel\/navel to top of head, tip of chin to eyes\/tip of chin to tip of nose,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cThus, the number one is propagated everywhere in Nature as you will see on investigating the proportions of minerals, plants and animals,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Golden Ratio represents the esoteric maxim: \u2018As above, so below\u2019 \u2013 all based on the number one,\u201d said the Master.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis concept was presented in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u2018That which is below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing.\u2019”<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThank you for this valuable lesson on one, Master,\u201d said Lanoo \u201cI will verify these indications.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWishing you further illumination, Lanoo,\u201d said the Master<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Can you work out what the number phi is to four significant digits?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>