Twirling, Swirling, and Spiraling

From the Milky Way to our DNA, the world is full of swirls and spirals and things that twirl and coil. A “true” spiral is defined by the mathematical formula of the Fibonacci Sequence, that is produced in a Nautilus shell, for example, with the swirls becoming ever larger. Most of what we call spirals, however, do not widen according to a mathematical formula. Think of spiral staircases, barberpole lighthouses, cinnamon rolls, or coiled rope on a ship’s deck, for example.

Patterns and numbers are fascinating and quirky. Did you know that forty is the only number that has its letters in alphabetical order, and one is the only number that has its letters in reverse alphabetical order? Or that in any room of 23 people, there is about a 50% chance that two will have the same birthday. In a room of 75 people, the odds are nearly 100%? But are those statements really true?

Those are just a few of the statements in the true/false trivia quiz and a sampling of the quirky facts in the weekly Wiser Now Wednesday e-newsletter for January 26 which focuses on spirals in architecture, Nature, and more. Wiser Now Wednesday is free, fun, good for your brain, and a great conversation starter.

Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is not only the author of the award-winning Wiser Now Wednesday, but also of webinars, slide shows, five books, hundreds of trivia quizzes, word games, and more, always with a lighthearted bent. [email protected]?