How to Construct a Golden Rectangle
If you want to draw a classically proportioned rectangle, draw a Golden Rectangle. This is also a convenient way to find two numbers that are related to each other by the Golden Mean. Follow these steps to learn what the ancient Greeks knew and draw a Golden Rectangle.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Paper and pencil
- Straightedge
- Ruler or other measuring device
- Compass
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1
Draw a square using a straightedge and a measuring device. The square can be any size, but leave enough room at the top of your paper for extending the square up into a Golden Rectangle.
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2
Bisect (divide in half) one side of the square, called the baseline, using the following method: Open the compass to a little over half the length of a side of the square. Then put the point of the compass on one end of the line you're bisecting and draw two small arcs above and below the line. Place the point on the other end and do the same thing, making the arcs intersect above and below the line. Draw a line connecting these intersection points, and the connecting line will pass through the square's side at the halfway point.
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3
Place the point of the compass on the halfway mark and the pencil on one of the square's corners on the opposite side. Scribe an arc big enough so that there will be a point where the arc intersects an extension of the baseline. Extend the bisected side of the square until it intersects the arc.
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4
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the opposite side to the baseline. When you're done, you should have extension lines of the exact same length on either side of the square.
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5
Connect the two extension lines. Now you have a Golden Rectangle.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Use the Golden Rectangle to find pleasing ratios for a variety of design applications, from furniture to scrapbooking.
