Fibonacci
Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo Bonacci, Leonardo Fibonacci and Leonardo of Pisa, lived c. 1170–1250. He was an Italian mathematician.[1] He was thought "the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages".[2][3]

Fibonacci popularized the Hindu–Arabic numeral system to the Western World.[4] He did this in his composition in 1202 of Liber Abaci (Book of Calculation).[5] He also introduced to Europe the sequence of Fibonacci numbers which he used as an example in Liber Abaci.[6]
Fibonacci number sequence
Fibonacci is best known for the list of numbers called the Fibonacci Sequence. The list never stops, but it starts this way:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584...
In this list, a person can find the next number by adding the last two numbers together.
1 + 1 = 2 1 + 2 = 3 2 + 3 = 5 3 + 5 = 8 5 + 8 = 13 8 + 13 = 21 13 + 21 = 34 21 + 34 = 55 34 + 55 = 89 55 + 89 = 144 89 + 144 = 233 144 + 233 = 377 233 + 377 = 610 377 + 610 = 987 610 + 987 = 1597 987 + 1597 = 2584 etc...
This series is also interesting because the ratio of two adjacent numbers in the series approaches the golden ratio.[7]
References
- "The Fibonacci Series – Biographies – Leonardo Fibonacci (ca.1175 – ca.1240)". Library.thinkquest.org. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- Eves, Howard. An Introduction to the History of Mathematics. Brooks Cole, 1990: ISBN 0-03-029558-0 (6th ed.), p 261.
- "Famous Mathematicians – The Greatest Mathematicians of All Time".
- "Fibonacci Numbers". www.halexandria.org.
- Leonardo Pisano – page 3: "Contributions to number theory". Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
- Singh, Parmanand. "Acharya Hemachandra and the (so called) Fibonacci Numbers". Math. Ed. Siwan , 20(1):28–30, 1986. ISSN 0047-6269]
- Livio, Mario. (2003). The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number, pp. 96-97.