NextPrevious

General Science, Mathematics, and Technology

Numbers

What are Fibonacci numbers?

Fibonacci numbers are a series of numbers where each, after the second term, is the sum of the two preceding numbers—for example, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on). They were first described by Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1180–c. 1250), also known as Leonard of Pisa, as part of a thesis on series in his most famous book Liber abaci (The Book of the Calculator), published in 1202 and later revised by him. Fibonacci numbers are used frequently to illustrate natural sequences, such as the spiral organization of a sunflower’s seeds, the chambers of a nautilus shell, or the reproductive capabilities of rabbits.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Science Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App