One, One, Two, Three: they are the first four numbers of the best known mathematical sequence, that of Fibonacci, in which each number is given by the sum of the previous two.
November 23, 11/23 in American notation, is Fibonacci day, a day to remember one of the most important mathematicians in history, he who owes the introduction of the numbers we use today, including 0.
"From pineapples to nautilus shells passing through the Parthenon and Leonardo's Vitruvian man: we can identify the Fibonacci sequence in many sectors, of nature and beyond", explained Luca Balletti, of the Communication and Relations Unit with the Public of the National Research Council (Cnr). Little known to the general public but fundamental for the history of mathematics, Leonardo Fibonacci was born in Pisa in 1170 in a Europe where Roman numerals and the Greek numbering system were still used.
The Italian mathematician, in particular with the publication of Liber abbaci, is responsible for the introduction in Europe of the nine 'Indian', or Arabic, digits, and the sign 0 whose adoption was initially opposed but then gradually spread until it completely revolutionized the maths.
“The date of November 23, 11/23 in American notation, has thus become an excuse to remember this revolutionary mathematician to whom we owe so much,” added Balletti.
Precisely on the occasion of Fibonacci Day the Futuro Remoto festival kicks off at the Città della Scienza in Naples with an exhibition dedicated to the Pisan mathematician and educational workshops to play with numbers starting from the famous succession.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/3RK7SFBDLMVU3HOUGG5Q4GMLL4.jpg)
