Scott Olsen

The Golden Section is part of the Wooden Books series. I am unfamiliar with the series, but perusing the other titles in the series (given on the back flap), other titles in the series indicate the focus to be on science and mathematics. The author, Scott Olsen, is a professor of philosophy. My first reaction to this discover is to wonder why this book was not written by a mathematician, since the golden section (aka golden ratio) is a mathematical concept. After reading through this book, I came to the realization that a philosopher would have sufficient knowledge of the golden ratio and able to present the information as a great mystery, thereby piquing interest.
The title of the book itself makes this book interesting. Who wouldn't want to discover nature's greatest secret? The cover is filled with many different shapes and designs that has the golden ratio. There are very tiny, hard to read print that would make the book more enticing if they were more visible.
The book is well organized by topic. The topics transition fluidly. Olsen begin with an introduction of observations about patterns that permeate the world. These patterns have intrigued philosophers, scientist, mathematicians, musicians, etc... throughout the ages. The book then move to explore how the golden section is seen in the many different aspects of nature. Each page I turn, there is a page of text and the opposite page would be an illustration or math formulas. The book is very short and each topic is covered in 1 or 2 pages. However, the text is sophisticated enough that younger readers in elementary and middle school may have trouble with comprehension. I enjoy the black and white color scheme, but I wonder if students would appreciate more color tones in some of the pictures.
I think this book would be a great introduction to a project on learning ratios and proportions. I could differentiate this project based on the students' interests. For example, have students investigate the golden ratio in music, geometry, art, and biology.… (altro)