Apple's displays are moving towards the Golden Rectangle
I was doing a report on the Golden Rectangle/Golden Ratio in math class and I decided to check Apple's widescreen displays to see how close they were to the Golden Rectangle. For those of you who don't know, the Golden Ratio is a ratio found often in nature. It maps out the Fibonacci sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8,13, etc. with each number being the sum of the previous two terms). Some even say it's the most "pleasing" shape of rectangle to human eyes, but that's a matter of opinion.
Anyway, the ratio is 1.62:1, or in whole numbers, it's any two consecutive terms in the Fibonacci sequence divided (the larger the numbers, the more accurate).
Apple's displays have these ratios:
1152x768 (old TiBook)- 1.5:1
1280x854 (new TiBook)- 1.5:1
1600x1024 (22" Cinema)- 1.56:1
1920x1200 (23" HD Cinema)- 1.6:1
It looks like they're moving towards the golden rectangle on their displays. For the sake of saving money, they'll stick to commonly used pixel numbers (they're not going to make a 1944x1200 display), but I think it may be a trend. We can even predict future display resolutions like this.
Anyway, the ratio is 1.62:1, or in whole numbers, it's any two consecutive terms in the Fibonacci sequence divided (the larger the numbers, the more accurate).
Apple's displays have these ratios:
1152x768 (old TiBook)- 1.5:1
1280x854 (new TiBook)- 1.5:1
1600x1024 (22" Cinema)- 1.56:1
1920x1200 (23" HD Cinema)- 1.6:1
It looks like they're moving towards the golden rectangle on their displays. For the sake of saving money, they'll stick to commonly used pixel numbers (they're not going to make a 1944x1200 display), but I think it may be a trend. We can even predict future display resolutions like this.
Comments
x2*y2=19 (the "2" means "squared")
where x and y are the legs (sides) of the display and 19 is the hypothenus (diagonal). Who knows how to solve this?
<strong>Neat observation. Considering that the next flat panel display is rumored to be a 19 incher, how do we see if a wide-screen version will fit the same ratios? I'm applying what I remember of Geometry (the Pathagorian Theory) to come up with this:
x2*y2=19 (the "2" means "squared")
where x and y are the legs (sides) of the display and 19 is the hypothenus (diagonal). Who knows how to solve this?</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's Pythagorean, and it's x^2 + y^2 = 19^2, BTW.
16.2 x 10 inches is almost exactly 19 inches diagonal, as it turns out.
Also, thanks for knowing how to spell "Pythagorean". At least you had constructive info to give... unlike some of the know-it-all trolls on these boards.
[ 05-30-2002: Message edited by: clonenode ]</p>
At any rate, what I find interesting is that even though Apple is making these strides in interface design, the internet is best viewed from a more vertical alignment - as web pages are scrolled through vertically. But yet, the widescreen has it's apparent psychological advantages.
It's always interesting to find web sites that have horizontal scrolling - like new movie web sites. Almost a new paradigm in navigation.
Where are the horizontal sites, Mr. Fantastic?
And HELL yes, I have nothing but lust for the 22 inch screen. I used one for hours yesterday, and got up feeling as if hadn't been sitting in front of a computer. WOW. If those were cheaper, EVERYONE would have one. Once again, Apple leads, eventually PeeCees will catch up. I always thought widescreen pleased me, I think this is one plausible explanation. However, it's also probably because we see in "wide-screen"
Will Apple come out with an even bigger Cinema Display? That would be so nice to go and use at a store, and burn CDs with (whoops, I mean "try out"...
It would be cool if there was a Radius-style rotation option. You could turn it on its side and a mercury switch (or perhaps a digital thing that's safer) would switch it from widescreen to portrait view.
<a href="http://www.salmonelladub.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.salmonelladub.com/</a>;
a New Zealand band site, great dub music....i think horizontals are th best but don't encourage others to build them as their rarity makes me look "creative", giving an individual "standout" touch to sites without effort. People have commented on how good they look & how natural they seem - perhaps more like a book than that forever scrolling down thing....
(& i don't got no widescreen/flatscreen, stuck on a G2 w/15" old monitor, aaarg!)
let me know how you find it, ok?
I'm heading to the Golden Arches and getting myself a Big Mac (and fries of course)