Pythagorean approximations and continued fractions

• Javier Peralta ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

     Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

     Madrid, España

     
• Localización: Teaching mathematics and its applications, ISSN 0268-3679, Vol. 27, Nº. 4, 2008, págs. 200-209
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • In this article, we will show that the Pythagorean approximations of 2–√2 coincide with those achieved in the 16th century by means of continued fractions. Assuming this fact and the known relation that connects the Fibonacci sequence with the golden section, we shall establish a procedure to obtain sequences of rational numbers converging to different algebraic irrationals. We will see how approximations to some irrational numbers, using known facts from the history of mathematics, may perhaps help to acquire a better comprehension of the real numbers and their properties at further mathematics level.