So recently in math we’ve been learning about radicals. This was a very difficult unit to get into as it is a hard subject. After a while of really learning and understanding the topic we got assigned our project. It was to create or design something involving the Golden Ratio. The golden ratio is a theory/phenomenon in math and art. The basic idea behind it is that we find the golden ratio when we divide a line into two parts so that:

“the whole length divided by the long part is also equal to the long part divided by the short part”

(a+b)/a = a/b = 1.61803398874989484820… (etc.)

Therefore the golden ratio is 1:1.618. It’s actually an irrational number which means that it goes on forever and does not contain any repeating patterns in the digits. Another example of an irrational number is Pi. The golden ratio also has a close relationship with the Fibonacci number series. If you take any two consecutive numbers in this series and divide the higher one by the lower one the result is very close to the golden ratio. Weirdly the golden ratio is also equal to 2 × sin(54°).

Many people believe that the golden ratio defines the “perfect“ rectangle. It is often used in art and architecture as the shape it creates is considered to be highly pleasing to the human eye. There are many examples throughout the art world of paintings that use the golden ratio. Modern design of buildings and objects such as cell phones also demonstrate the use of the golden ratio.

Anyways for my project I decided I wanted to see how the golden ratio would work in a basketball jersey. My plan was to create the jersey inside the NBA 2K18 video game on the Playstation 4. In order to ensure that my design conformed to the golden ratio I based it on my real Seycove basketball jersey. I measured my jersey and found that height of it was 32″ and the total width (ie. the circumference) was 48″. Using these dimensions I decided that each rectangle in the pattern should be 3″ wide which would mean exactly 16 rectangles around the entire jersey. I then used the ratio to calculate that the height of each rectangle needed to be 1.8″. Using this measurement I determined that I could fit 12 rectangles vertically on the jersey such that the pattern would end around the armpits. I then filled the top of the jersey with a solid colour.

Having figured out the math, the next step was to go to Photoshop and made a canvas with the correct golden ratio dimensions for my rectangles. I filled it with light blue, and then did the same with a slightly darker colour. I then made another image featuring those rectangles the number of times I had calculated for the jersey. I then imported the image into NBA 2K18 and used it to make the uniform. When designing the uniform I wanted to also include the golden ratio in the shorts. As you will see in the video the vertical stripe also contains a series of golden ratio rectangles.

Once I had created the uniform the next step was to put together my video. This involved the tough work of having to play some NBA 2K18 games to show off my new uniform. I also wanted my video to include background information on the ratio and include examples of where we see it in real life. I decided that my dog might be a good example, and had “fun” trying to get her to keep still to be measured.

Here’s the video I presented for my project: