An old schoolmate gave me the idea for this. In a somewhat disarming way, he wanted to transport me back to the old days around 1992, using a song that would take him right back there, too.
A song I heard in 1992 can still transport me today, but a vast number of others have joined the ranks since then. I suppose this has to do with the personal growth and development that has shaped my life over the years. Naturally, I am preoccupied with entirely different themes today than I was back then. School didn't really interest me much at the time; aside from physics, everything else felt boring. Mathematics, in particular, always seemed a bit dry somehow.
Nevertheless, tinkering with numbers has always been a passion of mine. As my life progressed, I became increasingly fascinated by probabilities the mathematics of reality a subject that has engaged the minds of all the great thinkers throughout history. Consequently, over the years, I have stumbled upon quite a few mathematical principles that serve to describe our visual perception of the world. I would like to introduce the most important of these here. Abbreviated as "Ki"...
1. Projective Geometry (The Logic of Space)
Why it matters: It enables our brain to reconstruct three-dimensional space from flat information (the image projected onto the retina). Through the use of vanishing points and foreshortening, we instantly perceive what is near and what is far. Without it, the world would appear to us merely as flat, meaningless wallpaper.
2. Topology (Object Recognition)
Why it matters: It acts as our "rough analyzer." Topology helps us grasp the fundamental structure of objects, no matter how distorted they may appear. We recognize a face as a face whether it is smiling, seen in profile, or reflected in a funhouse mirror because the underlying topological connections (eyes positioned above the nose, which is above the mouth) remain constant.
3. The Golden Ratio (The Formula for Harmony)
Why it matters: This specific mathematical ratio (approximately 1.618) registers in our brain as an aesthetic ideal. We instinctively perceive things constructed according to this principle such as in Da Vinci’s works as healthy, balanced, and "beautiful." It helps us bring visual order to chaos.
4. The Fibonacci Sequence (Pattern Recognition)
Why it matters: It serves as the mathematical code for growth and efficiency. Since this spiral appears constantly in nature (in plants, seashells, and hurricanes), our visual system is trained to instantly classify this pattern as "natural" and "organic." It helps us distinguish biological structures from artificial objects.
In summary: Mathematics provides the rules by which our brain translates light stimuli into space, form, beauty, and life.
These are all mathematical principles that have long been known and applied.
The "376-DNA Principle" which I, a crazy freak, have now discovered describes nothing visual; rather, it most likely describes what goes on within our consciousness.
I have no idea how you guys see it, but to me, it stands to reason: the mathematical principles that logically describe our vision could very well also represent our thinking.
It’s actually pretty funny that I a guy who only went to *Hauptschule* now have to explain math to the *Abitur* crowd.
It’s also a shame that my old buddy still can't understand Westernhagen... not even to this day. Is it really that hard?
