Release News!

Very exciting news is afoot. This week marked the arrival of my official Advance Review copy (I tell everyone it's the only existing copy in the world, but I have a hunch that might be hyperbole). That means the official release date is now set - April 28!

Order your copy of Fibonacci Zooi today!

Of course, you can always to go Amazon.com right now and pre-order it. Their date shows April 10, so I don't know if they have some secret pipeline to book ordering (they ARE Amazon, after all) or if that's just when they start processing pre-orders. But either way, you can get your copy on order now if you like.

From Amazon, you have three options:

• English paperback: $9.95
• English hardcover: $17.95
• Spanish paperback $9.95

But if you would like to look at even more options, and maybe learn a little more about me, the supremely talented illustrator Christina Wald, or Arbordale Publishing, just click on the hyperlinks and they will take you where you want to go.

For an in-depth look at the writing process (for me at least), and how Fibonacci Zoo came to be, please read this interview (download, if you like!). I am in the process of setting up bookstore and school visits, so anyone wishing to schedule a time for me to come out and present the book, the Fibonacci Sequence in general or its many applications, or just to talk about the challenges involved in bringing a story from idea to the bookshelves, please just message me here, or visit my web site at Author Tom Robinson.

Finally, I want to announce that my first official appearance with Fibonacci Zoo will be May 5 at
7:00 pm at the University of Washington Bookstore (Bellevue site). The event is called Inside Story and it's sponsored by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I will have a short time to present my book and the story behind the story to teachers, librarians, booksellers, and anyone in the general public who is interested in new children's releases. I would love to see a lot of Fibonacci fans out!

Count on Fibonacci!!

What the Flock?!?

As we inch ever closer to the release of Fibonacci Zoo, this happened.

We were flocked by Young Life last night! Flocking is a fundraiser during which a 'flock' of flamingos (is that even the correct name for a group of flamingos? Hm....time to do a little research!) [Update - a group of flamingos is called, appropriately enough, a "stand".] is surreptitiously left on an unsuspecting family's front lawn, along with an envelope with information about what Young Life is all about, what they are raising money for (usually for sending kids to summer camp), and an invitation to pay (donate) to have the flamingos removed the following night. It's a fun, low-stress way to reach out to the local community, to educate folks about what Young Life stands for (I got my Young Life start in Kent, WA in 1984), and get the kids who will ultimately benefit from the funds raised out in their community.

But ... it seems they left the wrong number of flamingos (and, apparently, a small white dog that strangely resembles our dog Roxy). 

What's the correct number? If they had visited Fibonacci Zoo first, they would know. But you don't have to visit the zoo. All you need to do is read the book to find out! Coming next month. ‪#‎ArbordaleKids‬

Children's Book Week - May 4-10, 2015

I am pleased to announce the 96th annual Children's Book Week which will take place during the first full week of May. During this event, events will be hosted across the country in all 50 states with a focus on encouraging children to engage in reading and exploring new books. 

Look for events near you by visiting the CBW Web site. Beginning in March, children can vote for their favorite new books of the year. So encourage any kids you know to get out, read, and vote! And starting in April, be sure to have them read and vote for Fibonacci Zoo! Voting is currently closed, but you can visit this site for more information. 

I hope to be hosting an event in Chelan, WA, either at the Chelan Public Library or a Riverwalk Books as part of this year's celebration. Stay tuned for more information.

Fibonacci Zoetropes

Say what? Yes, zoetropes. And I have to confess. Before today, I had never heard that term before. But now that I have and have seen this video, I can't stop thinking about them.

What you are about to watch is the remarkable work of one John Edmark. John printed a number of 3D sculptures, each in its own way reflecting the Fibonacci Sequence. In one of the links, you will see how the 'golden angle' shows up in these pieces of art.

But the art isn't the real art here. He started them spinning, some up to 550 rpm, and then captured their spins with a stop-action video camera with a very fast shutter speed (1/2000 of a second). The combination of spin and shutter speeds produces a strobe-like effect, and the results are breathtaking.

Please take a few minutes to enjoy John's video work, and then follow the links to see some of the behind the scenes details of all that went into this production. Fibonacci. It never stops.

Try these links for the story behind this incredible video:

Blooming Zoetrope Sculptures by John Edmark

John Edmark's Stanford Web site (videos)

Consecutive Dates

Photo credit: USA Today

Well, a big consecutive date is now in the past. 12/13/14 has come and gone, and now we look ahead to the next major milestone of this kind. Most people note that because 13/14/15 isn't going to be possible next year, and indeed none of the integers that follow will ever be possible (as December is the 12th month), the next major such date will be 01/02/03, in 2103, a little over 88 years from now.

Photo credit:
KeepCalm-a-Matic

But never fear, Fibonacci is here! We actually have a Fibonacci date coming up in just under seven years! First let's look back at the last Fibonacci date. It would have been 05/08/13, or May 8th of last year. Our European friends would even argue that where they live, that date would have been August 5 of 2013, even more recent.



So when will the next Fibonacci date be? On August 13, 2021, the date will be 08/13/21. Sorry, Europeans. No such date for you. So make your plans early, and prepare for the last Fibonacci date celebration of the century!

Happy Fibonacci Day!

I want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Fibonacci Day, today, November 23. Why, you ask? The Fibonacci Sequence is a pattern of numbers that begins 1, 1, 2, 3, ... The key to the sqeuence is that you simply add any two consecutive number to produce the next number. Today, November 23, is 11/23 and for that reason we celebrate this powerful pattern.

Take a look through this blog for more about the Fibonacci Sequence, and be sure to look for my new book Fibonacci Zoo, due on shelves in April 2015!

Lesson #6 - Make Your Own Fibonacci Sequence

Ok, we have come to the final lesson in this journey. Your final task is a little more open-ended, but should be a fun one. I would like you to come up with your own Fibonacci Sequence.

A Triangular Number Sequence
Imagecredit: Math is Fun.com

I know what your first reaction may be: How is that possible? Isn't there only one Fibonacci Sequence?

And indeed, technically you may be correct. But think for a second about what makes this sequence so simple. All you do is add two consecutive numbers in the sequence to find the next number. That's pretty simple, right?

The Fibonacci Sequence (the real one) begins with the numbers 1 and 1. From there, 1+ 1 =2, 1 + 2 = 3, and so on.

A Pentagonal Number Sequence
Image credit: astarmathsandphysics.uk

What I would like you to do is to pick two different numbers to start your sequence. They can be the same numbe
r twice, just like Fibonacci did. Something like 2, 2, perhaps. Or they can be different numbers. Maybe 2, 3. Or you could pick two totally outlandish numbers, like -5 and 7.

It doesn't matter which two you pick. What's most important is that you figure out how to produce the next values in the sequence and then go exploring to see what the sequence holds in store.

Some questions to ponder:

A Hexagonal Number Sequence, of sorts
Imagecredit: drking.org.ca

• What common ratio does your sequence eventually lead to? The Fibonacci Sequence leads to 'phi', or approximately 1.618, which is often called the Golden Ratio. Does your sequence approach a similarly small value? Is it close to 'phi'?
• Is there any way to create a sequence of numbers that eventually matches the original Fibonacci numbers, if not all, at least some? 
• Is it possible to produce a spiral like the one the Fibonacci Sequence produces that could possibly be mirrored in nature?

This is the time to use your creativity and see where it takes you. Who knows? Maybe you could tell a story like Fibonacci did about rabbits that leads to a powerful new number pattern. And then, just maybe, in another thousand years (or less) math students of the future could find themselves studying the (Your Name Here) Sequence.

Good luck - good math!

-Tom Robinson

Pascal's Triangle (Stay tuned for Pascal's Orchard!)
Image credit: MtDouglas.ca

Here is a link to a Math Is Fun site that explores other number sequences you may be interested in. They are not Fibonacci sequences, but might be fun to discover on your own.