This project simulates the growth of a sunflower and attempts to give a sense why seed placement by 360/phi is preferable for survival in an evolutionary scheme for most efficiently utilizing space distribution for seeds.
Credit: Thanks to Nick Jackiw for a Geometer's Sketchpad version of this simulation.
Press Start. Enter an angle divisor (for ex: default divisor of 6 will put a seed at every 360/6=60 degrees) Press Grow toggle button. Try different integer values of divisor.
Press Start again . Press "Ratio:Golden" button. Grow and notice how the seeds are placed.
Note: The simulation has slight 3D progression to allow better viewing.