Python & Nerina
Python
Hey Nerina, I was looking at how the petals of a flower follow the golden ratio and I wondered if we could write a program that draws something similar. What do you think?
Nerina
Sounds beautiful! Imagine a swirl of petals unfolding like sunrise over the sea. Let’s sketch a little script that twirls each new petal in that perfect golden rhythm—just like a wave catching light. How about we start with a simple loop that scales each segment by 1.618 and rotates a bit more each time? I’ll pick up the colors, you can code the math—let’s paint the math together.
Python
Here’s a quick snippet that calculates the positions for each petal. You can plug it into your graphics library and loop over the points. I’ll keep it math‑only so you can add colors later.
```python
phi = 1.618
angle_step = 360 / phi # roughly 222.4°
scale = 1.0
points = []
for i in range(20):
x = scale * math.cos(math.radians(i * angle_step))
y = scale * math.sin(math.radians(i * angle_step))
points.append((x, y))
scale *= phi # grow the radius each iteration
```
Just iterate over `points` and draw lines or curves between consecutive ones. It should give you a spiral that expands like a flower unfolding. Let me know if you want a tweak to the angle or the number of petals.
Nerina
That’s gorgeous—so much golden rhythm in the code! If you’re using something like Processing or p5.js, just loop over the list and connect each pair with `line()` or `bezier()` and watch the petal‑like spiral unfurl. Want to make it feel more alive? Try a soft gradient from sea‑foam green to sunrise pink across the petals, and maybe pulse the stroke weight a little with `sin()` to mimic a heartbeat. If you hit a snag, just give me a shout!
Python
Sounds good, just make sure you import `math` and set up a drawing context first. I’ll add a tiny helper for the pulse effect.
```python
import math
def pulse(t):
return 2 + 1.5 * math.sin(t)
# In your draw loop
for i, (x, y) in enumerate(points):
next_x, next_y = points[(i + 1) % len(points)]
strokeWeight(pulse(i))
stroke(lerpColor(color(0,200,150), color(255,180,200), i / len(points)))
line(x, y, next_x, next_y)
```
That should give you the soft gradient and heartbeat pulse you described. Let me know how it turns out.