Name:

_____________________________
Fibonacci Sequence and Fractal Spirals

1. First, we’re going to figure out the Fibonacci sequence. Fill out the blanks below:

0 + 1 = ______

1 + ______ = ______

______ + ______ = ______

______ + ______ = ______

______ + ______ = ______

______ + ______ = ______

______ + ______ = ______

______ + ______ = ______

2. List each number after the equal sign: 1 1 2 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

3. Now, square each number: 1 1 4 _____ ______ ______ _______ _______


4. Add two adjacent numbers from the list above together.
1 + 1 = _____ 1 + 4 = _____ 4 + _____ = _____ _____ + _____ = _____

What pattern do you see? Circle those numbers where you’ve seen them before!


5. How about when you add the squared numbers (from #3) sequentially?
1 1 4 _____ ______ ______

1 + 1 + 4 = _____ then add the next number in the sequence to that

_____ + _____ = ______ + ______ = ______ + ______ = ______

6. List the numbers from above after each equal sign (=): ______ ______ ______ ______


Fibonacci Sequence and Fractal Spirals


7. How is each number listed in #6 expressed as a multiplication of numbers in the
Fibonacci sequence, listed after #2?

your first number ______ = _____ x ______ your second number ______ = ______ x ______

your third number _____= ______ x ______ your fourth number ______= ______ x ______

Another fun and mind-blowing fact…

8. Going back to the original Fibonacci sequence, divide the larger number by the previous
smaller number and let’s see what we get. The original sequence (#2) is:

1 1 2 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
and so on…

1 ÷ 1 = _____ 2 ÷ 1 = _____ _____ ÷ 2 = ______ _____ ÷ _____ = ______ _____ ÷ _____ = ______

______ ÷ _____ = ______ ______ ÷ ______ = ______ ______ ÷ ______ = ______ ______ ÷ ______ = ______


Golden ratio = 1.618033…


9. Let’s do some graphing to see more about how this works!

a. What is the first number of the Fibonacci sequence? ______
On the graph paper at the end of this handout, there is square that is 1 x 1.


b. What’s the second number of the Fibonacci sequence? _______
Right above the square you just drew, draw another 1 x 1 square.


c. What’s the second number in the Fibonacci sequence? ______
Directly to the left of the two existing squares, draw in a 2 x 2 square.


d. What’s the next number in the Fibonacci sequence? ______
Right below your existing squares, draw a _____ x _____ square.


e. What’s the next number in the Fibonacci sequence? ______
To the right of all that you’ve drawn, draw a _____ x _____ square.
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Fibonacci Sequence and Fractal Spirals

f. What’s the next number in the Fibonacci sequence? ______
Above all that you’ve drawn, draw a _____ x _____ square.


g. What’s the next number? ______
To the left of all that you’ve drawn, draw a _____ x _____ square.


h. What’s the next number? ______
Below all that you’ve drawn, draw a _____ x _____ square.


… To the right of that would be the next square, but we’ve run out of room.


10. Now let’s see how we can make a pattern out of these squares.

In the original square, draw a line from the bottom left to the top right.
On the next 1 x 1 square, continue that line across your square, from the bottom right to the
top left.
Cross the 2 x 2 square from the top right to bottom left.
Cross the 3 x 3 square from the top left to bottom right.
Cross the 5 x 5 square from bottom left to top right.
Cross the 8 x 8 square from bottom right to top left.
Continue the line across the 13 x 13 square and the 21 x 21 square, wrapping up with a
line that would go through the 34 x 34 square.

11. What pattern do you get?


12. Where do we find spirals naturally?



13. Count the number of things that make up a spiral on a pineapple or a pine cone or the
number of petals on a flower or number of spirals on a froccoli or seeds of a sunflower.



They all occur in Fibonacci numbers! Nature is full of mathematical patterns! Amazing,
huh? See what other cool patterns you can figure out in nature.

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Fibonacci Sequence and Fractal Spirals

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Copyright 2015 Fractal Foundation, all rights reserved