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A rectangle with its sides in the 'Golden Ratio' or 1 : 1.618...


Try this Drag the orange dots on each vertex to reshape the rectangle. Note that its sides always
remain in the 'golden ratio'.
The Golden rectangle has been known since antiquity as one having a pleasing shape, and is frequently
found in art and architecture as a rectangular shape that seems 'right' to the eye. It is mentioned in
Euclid's Elements and was known to artists and philosophers such as Leonardo da Vinci.
One of the interesting properties of the golden rectangle is that if you cut off a square section whose
side is equal to the shortest side, the piece that remains is also a golden rectangle.
In the figure below, the yellow rectangle is in the same proportion as the original larger rectangle after
the gray square is cut off.
Both the rectangles ABCD and PBCQ are golden rectangles.
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The Golden Rectangle
From Latin: rectus "right" + angle
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For more
There has been a great deal written about the significance of the "golden ratio". A good place to start is
http://www.goldennumber.net/golden-ratio/.
Related polygon topics
General
Polygon general definition
Quadrilateral
Regular polygon
Irregular polygon
Convex polygons
Concave polygons
Polygon diagonals
Polygon triangles
Apothem of a regular polygon
Polygon center
Radius of a regular polygon
Incircle of a regular polygon
Incenter of a regular polygon
Circumcircle of a polygon
Parallelogram inscribed in a quadrilateral
Types of polygon
Square
Diagonals of a square
Rectangle
Diagonals of a rectangle
Golden rectangle
Parallelogram
Rhombus
Trapezoid
Trapezoid median
Trapezium
Kite
Inscribed (cyclic) quadrilateral
Inscribed quadrilateral interior angles
Inscribed quadrilateral area
Inscribed quadrilateral diagonals
Area of various polygon types
Regular polygon area
Irregular polygon area
Rhombus area
Kite area
Rectangle area
Area of a square
Trapezoid area
Parallelogram area
Perimeter of various polygon types
Perimeter of a polygon (regular and irregular)
Perimeter of a triangle
Perimeter of a rectangle
Perimeter of a square
Perimeter of a parallelogram
Perimeter of a rhombus
Perimeter of a trapezoid
Perimeter of a kite
Angles associated with polygons
Exterior angles of a polygon
Interior angles of a polygon
Relationship of interior/exterior angles
Polygon central angle
Named polygons
Tetragon, 4 sides
Pentagon, 5 sides
Hexagon, 6 sides
Heptagon, 7 sides
Octagon, 8 sides
Nonagon Enneagon, 9 sides
Decagon, 10 sides
Undecagon, 11 sides
Dodecagon, 12 sides

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