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definitions

golden section

noun Fine Arts, Mathematics.

a ratio between two portions of a line, or the two dimensions of a plane figure, in which the lesser of the two is to the greater as the greater is to the sum of both: a ratio of approximately 0.618 to 1.000.

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Origin of golden section

First recorded in 1870–75
Also called golden mean.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for golden section

golden section

golden mean

noun

the proportion of the two divisions of a straight line or the two dimensions of a plane figure such that the smaller is to the larger as the larger is to the sum of the two. If the sides of a rectangle are in this proportion and a square is constructed internally on the shorter side, the rectangle that remains will also have sides in the same proportionCompare golden ratio
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for golden section

golden section

[gōl′dən]

The ratio between two numbers a and b chosen such that the ratio of a to b is equal to the ratio of a+b to a. Its value is approximately 1.618. Shapes with proportions equal to the golden section are observed especially in the fine arts and in architecture, as between the two dimensions of a plane figure such as a rectangle. The ratio between consecutive numbers in a Fibonacci sequence approximates the golden section with increasing precision as the series progresses. Also called golden mean golden ratio
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.