Editing Gustav Fechner (section)

=== Golden section hypothesis ===
Fechner constructed ten rectangles with different ratios of width to length and asked numerous observers to choose the "best" and "worst" rectangle shape. He was concerned with the visual appeal of rectangles with different proportions. Participants were explicitly instructed to disregard any associations that they have with the rectangles, e.g. with objects of similar ratios. The rectangles chosen as "best" by the largest number of participants and as "worst" by the fewest participants had a ratio of 0.62 (21:34).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Vorschule der Ästhetik|last=Fechner|first=Gustav|publisher=Breitkopf & Härtel|year=1876|location=Leipzig|pages=190–202}}</ref> This ratio is known as the "golden section" (or [[golden ratio]]) and referred to the ratio of a rectangle's width to length that is most appealing to the eye. [[Carl Stumpf]] was a participant in this study.

However, there has been some ongoing dispute on the experiment itself, as the fact that Fechner deliberately discarded results of the study ill-fitting to his needs became known, with many mathematicians, including [[Mario Livio]], refuting the result of the experiment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Livio |first=Mario |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49226115 |title=The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number |date=2002 |publisher=Broadway Books |isbn=0-7679-0815-5 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=49226115}}</ref>