golden section, or extreme and mean ratio, n. the proportion of the division of a line so that the smaller is to the larger as the larger is to the whole, or of the sides of a rectangle so that the ratio of their difference to the smaller equals that of the smaller to the larger, supposed in classical aesthetic theory to be uniquely pleasing to the eye. This yields of which the inverse is 1.618033988.... = G + 1, which is also sometimes referred to as the golden ratio. It is a consequence of the definition that if one draws a rectangle with sides in the golden ratio (a golden rectangle), and then removes from it a square, the rectangle that remains has the same proportions as the original. If this process is be repeated as shown in the diagram below then the successive points of division lie on a logarithmic spiral. The golden mean is also the limit both of the continued fraction and of the ratio of successive terms of the Fibonacci numbers.