the fibonacci sequence (0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, …) is a very interesting series of numbers which can be found anywhere from aesthetics to nature. for example, facial features which represent fibonacci ratios (or golden ratios) are generally considered beautiful. the shape of a nautilus housing corresponds to quarter circles of fibonacci-increased squares. the fibonacci principle. also, the number of single flowers in a sunflower spiral consists of two consecutive fibonacci numbers.

in my most recent “random curve fitting” experiment, i tried to fit a modified fibonacci spiral, or more generally, a logarithmic curve, to the arrangement of cactus areoles (wikipedia: “small light- to dark-colored bumps, out of which grow clusters of spines”):

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i’ve spent quite some time working on curve fitting in R (open-source software for statistical computing), recently. while most of that work went into scientific data at university, i was also inspired to try other uses, and here’s a not-so-scientific by-product of spending time with R:

i used a winter landscape and fitted nonlinear curves to sunlit and shadowed treetops.
the result is quite aesthetic, isn’t it?