Another thing I noticed when I read the DVC had little to do with anything relevant to the story, but some people seem to be interested in it, so I’ll mention it here.

If you happen to be an artist, or a cartoonist, or even someone who sat through figure drawing classes in highschool, you may have experienced a chuckle moment when Brown describes the mystical number phi. Yes it exists, and it’s a sorta interesting number that can sometimes be seen in nature such as in conch shells and flower seeds patterns. It makes pretty images and design people use it a lot when laying out pages. However, the idea that it is a consistent ratio for all people’s measurements is quite absurd.

I’m no mathematician, but I know proportions. And I’ve drawn enough people to know that no two people have the same proportions, or even the ratio belly button to floor proportions. If you’re interested in the details, The Straight Dope has the math.

(previously: Here Cometh the Da Vinci Deluge)