Golden ratio tolerances

by Paul Burmeister

Markowsky proposes that ±2% is acceptable tolerance for the ratio. I have no quarrel with his tolerance. What I quarrel with is his projection that if a designer or artist makes a selection outside of this tolerance, then the designer or artist is no longer working with a golden ratio concept. My graphic shows the ratio, 2% and 4% tolerances. An artist or designer works more intuitively with visual measurements and ratios than a mathematician or engineer does.

-4%, -2%, 0, +2%, +4%