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Is it possible to apply the mean value theorem to the closed form of the Fibonacci sequence for the 7 numbers starting at 1 and ending with 13 (inclusive)?


It's been a LONG time since I studied university-level math, and it would take me a long time to get back to the place where I could figure this out on my own. I am trying to "solve" a practical problem, but I am not even sure that I am asking the right question. If this is possible, could someone show me how this would be done step=by-step? I would like to see this done (again, if possible), but I am trying to find the fibonacci number that is closest to being half way between 1 and 13. Thanks for any help or correction in approach.

clm
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You can extend the Fibonacci numbers to a continuous function: $$F(n)=\frac{(1+\sqrt5)^x+(1-\sqrt5)^x}{2^x\sqrt5}$$ and you could apply the mean value theorem to that function, but I don't think doing so would solve your problem or bring you any closer to a solution.

All the mean value theorem says is that, at some point somewhere between the first Fibonacci number (1) and the seventh (13), if you drew a line tangent to your graph of $F(x)$, the tangent line would have the same slope as the line connecting the points $(1, 1)$ and $(7, 13)$. It wouldn't promise that this point, wherever it is (on which point the Mean Value Theorem is also unhelpfully silent), was anywhere near equally distant between $F(1)$ and $F(7)$, nor would there be any reason to think the value of $F$ at this point was one of the Fibonnaci numbers.

The easier solution would be to know in advance what number was half way between 1 and 13 (Take the difference, divide by two: $(13-1)/2=6$, add that to your starting value of one to get seven) and from there just start rattling off Fibonacci numbers until you find the ones nearest 7 (This will be 5 on the low side, 8 on the high. Two answers.)

You can still do this, even with the exponential growth of the fibonacci numbers which isn't really a problem at all. However, if you're trying to use this version of the middle fibonacci number as a measure of central tendency, that might or might not be a problem depending on what exactly you're hoping to do. Is that what you were thinking of when you mentioned worries about the fibonacci numbers not growing linearly?

EDIT This metaphor might, with luck, clarify why -- despite $F$'s exponential growth -- you can still use the approach described in paragraph three to find the Fibonacci number that is closest to being equally distant between $F(1)$ and $F(7)$. Suppose two people are running a race. The track is labeled in increments of one meter, with the runners starting at the mark for one meter and ending at the thirteen meter mark (that is, the track is twelve meters long). The displacement function of one runner, measuring how far the runner has gone from the starting line, grows linearly. The other, against common sense and probably also against medical advice, has a displacement function which increases exponentially. Where is the middle of the track for the first runner? Where is the middle for the second? In the same place: at the seven meter mark, six meters from the starting line and six meters from the finish line. When they get there will be different (and in fact the linear runner will get to the half way point in half the time it takes him to run the race, which isn't true of non-linear functions) but "where is the middle of the track?" doesn't depend on how fast you run it.

In this case, what's the middle of these two fibonacci numbers is like asking what the middle of the track is. The "when?" question, where different growth rates get you different answers is "at what value of $n$ is $F$ halfway between its initial value $F(1)$ and its final value $F(7)$?" What value is halfway between the two isn't so mysterious, that's just the middle of the track.

EDIT 2 I also made an embarrassing mistake in finding the midpoint of 1 and 13 in the previous answers, which has now been fixed. The midpoint is seven and the fibonacci numbers 5 and 8 tie for the closest number.

Trold
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  • Concerning your second paragraph, thanks for explaining what the MVT would give me. I did not think that the result would necessarily be a Fibonacci number; that's why I said the Fibonacci number closest to being 1/2 way between 1 and 13. However, I thought you could only do what you suggest in your 3rd paragraph if there was a linear relationship between the numbers. I still do not understand why this isn't a problem with exponential growth of numbers. I am using Fibonacci numbers as a (non-linear) scale and need to find a half-way point between two numbers on the scale. – clm Mar 09 '15 at 01:13
  • I assume you could do this with a logarithmic scale and conjectured it would be possible to do with a exponential scale (if I can use that term for a scale constructed from Fibonacci numbers). However, I did not think it would be possible to treat the problem linearly (if I am making any sense here). – clm Mar 09 '15 at 01:16
  • The second paragraph is clearer now. Thanks! Is there a better way to find where a point would indeed be equally distant between F(1) and F(7)? Even if the result were the same as in the third paragraph, I want to understand how to do this more exactly. – clm Mar 09 '15 at 01:34
  • Sounds like I might be over-complicating things then. I was thinking that I need to find a midpoint on a curve. However, in your metaphor/analogy, meter marks would be equidistant around the track, so if there were some way to "straighten" the track, it's a simple matter of finding the halfway point. But if the marks were not equidistant (and not proportional), it seems like I would need to find another way to find the half-way point. I probably need to go back and study math almost from the beginning :-). Thinking about the rate of growth of the numbers might help me. – clm Mar 09 '15 at 02:48
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No, the mean value theorem requires a continuous function but all you have is a few discrete values.

The easy way of programming it would be to just calculate the average of two fib numbers and then compare the distances of the nearest fib numbers to it.

  • Okay, the first part of your answer makes sense to me. And I realize that I am currently in over my head, but I've seen several graphs where fibonacci numbers (y-axis) are plotted against their associated position (x-axis) in the sequence. That made me think that I could not do something like you suggest because there is not a linear relationship between the numbers (sorry, I am doing the best I can). – clm Mar 09 '15 at 00:13
  • A clarification (and I realize that I am currently in over my head). The graphs which I am referring to show that there is not a linear relationship between the fibonacci numbers. So, the MVT is the only thing that came to mind. Can someone explain why the above approach would yield accurate results given the absence of a linear relationship between the numbers? – clm Mar 09 '15 at 00:25