Golden numbers
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Not to be confused with the golden ratio, in mathematics a specific ratio of two quantities, known sometimes as the golden number..
The golden numbers (sometimes capitalized) are numbers assigned to each year in sequence to indicate the year's position in a 19-year Metonic cycle. They are used in the computus, the calculation of the date of Easter and also in the Runic calendar. The golden number of any Julian or Gregorian calendar year can be calculated as the year number modulo 19, plus 1.
The term golden number was not used in classical times. Its first documented use is in the computistic poem Massa Compoti by Alexander de Villa Dei in 1200. Later, a scribe added it to tables originally composed by Abbo of Fleury in 988.
