2000

The End of the Hoax Argument.

Over the decades, a number of crop circles have presented an undeniable challenge to both the rational-minded, and those who still advocate human beings as the cause of the entire phenomenon. The honour of this year's challenge to the sceptic community goes to the sunflower crop circle at Woodborough Hill.

This spectacular design is based on the Golden Mean spiral, a mathematical ratio found in nature, and commonly refered to as phi. The diagram above shows how to build one Golden Mean spiral by using a square and applying the phi ratio (1:1.618) to generate the various compass points required to grow the spiral. In the case of this crop circle, this would then have to be repeated 22 times, reversed and overlaid (shown below); fourteen concentric rings are then inscribed to complete the matrix. Then it's a matter of simply laying the crop in alternate segments.

But it doesn't end there. The entire 'sunflower' crop glyph consists of 22x2 spirals (clockwise, and counterclockwise), followed by 14 radial circles. Effectively this produces 44/17, or 22/7 – that convenient mathematical ratio for that other unusual mathematical conumdrum, pi.

Once again, the Circlemakers have used beauty as a bait to lure us into wonder and enquiry. Perhaps it's time we returned the favour by enquiring why they are here, and what subtle messages are being given to us in this, the most benevolent form of communication.

Excerpt - Text and diagrams © Freddy Silva 2000. Images © Freddy Silva