Report: 2^nd Zoya Science School STEAM Workshop, July 10-11, 2025
The Golden Ratio – Φ in Math, Art, and Us
The workshop built on the foundations laid in the 1^st ZSS STEAM Workshop, which introduced the girls to the evolution of number systems, including Roman numerals, Babylonian, and Indian numbers; Explored how number systems developed across cultures as human needs became more sophisticated, culminating in the binary system, which now powers computers and AI.
With that foundation in place, the 2^nd workshop took the next step: understanding number patterns, sequences, and series—and how these abstract ideas help us translate the designs we see in nature into mathematical forms, which are then used to create beauty and harmony in architecture, art, and design.

Its focus was the number Φ (Phi = 1.618…), also known as the Golden Ratio—a number that appears in nature, mathematics, and human creations across centuries and continents.

1. Discovering Number Patterns: the girls explored and resolved several number patterns, worked through exercises on number series, including Pascal’s Triangle, simple polynomials, and the Fibonacci series: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21… Then discovered that dividing each Fibonacci number by its previous number brings you closer and closer to Phi (1.618…). So, the abstract idea of Φ became something real and calculable for them.
2. Finding Φ in Architecture and Environment: The workshop then turned the girls into investigators. They examined the proportions of world-famous structures such as the Parthenon in Athens, Taj Mahal in Agra, and the design of modern architect Le Corbusier. Armed with the Golden Rectangle Finder they then surveyed their own school building: measured windows noting the (almost) 5ft x 8ft dimension, door frames, tables, and the proportions of the school’s façade. And recommended measurements for the planned Computer/AI Building, proposing golden-ratio-aligned dimensions to bring harmony and visual balance into the new structure.
3. The Vitruvian Challenge: Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the next segment of the workshop challenged the girls to become living examples of math in action. They took measurements of their arm span vs. forearm, face height vs. nose-to-chin—and calculated the resulting ratios, compiled averages to create a composite figure: the Vitruvian ZSS Girl, to see themselves as variations around universal patterns!