Leonardo of Pisa, commonly known as Leonardo Fibonacci, was a medieval Italian mathematician who is best known for introducing the Fibonacci sequence to Western mathematics. Born in around 1175 in Pisa, Italy, and died circa 1240–50, Fibonacci played a crucial role in introducing the Western world to the decimal number system.
Fibonacci was born into a wealthy merchant family in Pisa. His father, Guglielmo Bonacci, worked at a trading post in North Africa. It’s during his stay with his father in North Africa that Fibonacci learned about the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which greatly influenced his later works.
In 1202, Fibonacci published his most famous book, “Liber Abaci” (The Book of Calculation). This book introduced the Hindu-Arabic numeral system to Europe, advocating for its utility compared to the Roman numeral system.
In “Liber Abaci”, Fibonacci introduced a sequence of numbers that is now named after him. Starting with 0 and 1, each number in the sequence is the sum of the two preceding ones (e.g., 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, …). This sequence has deep connections with the Golden Ratio and appears in various aspects of science, nature, and art.
In addition to introducing the Fibonacci sequence, “Liber Abaci” also presented solutions to various mathematical problems, including algebraic and geometric problems.
Fibonacci also wrote other works such as “Practica geometriae” in 1220 and “Flos” in 1225, delving into mathematical problems and solutions.
Leonardo Fibonacci’s works laid the groundwork for modern arithmetic and significantly influenced the evolution of mathematics in Europe. The Fibonacci sequence, in particular, continues to be a focal point of studies in various fields, from botany to finance.
The Fibonacci numbers can be seen in various natural phenomena, such as the branching of trees, the arrangement of leaves on a stem, and the spiral arrangement of sunflower seeds, the spiral arrangement of bracts on a pine cone and spiral patterns of the diamond shaped scales on pineapples.