Activity No. 1.2 Synthesis. Nature's Number

GED 102-Mathematics in the modern world
HERRERA, KENNETH S. SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BSED-MATH 1101
Synthesis
Nature’s Number
In mathematics, the natural numbers are those used for counting and ordering. In
common mathematical terminology, words colloquially used for counting are "cardinal
numbers", and words used for ordering are "ordinal numbers". And Natural patterns
exist everywhere in nature and it can be seen in trees, symmetries, spirals, waves,
cracks, stripes, etc. These beautiful patterns give rise to the question of how does
mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities in the world.
According to Ian Stewart "Mathematics is the science of patterns, and nature
exploits just about every pattern that there is." Mathematics became the key to unlock
the mystery behind the patterns that recur in nature from the smallest seashell to the
leaves and branches of trees inland. Many people became curious about these naturally
occurring patterns just like Peter S. Stevens in his lovely book Patterns in Nature. He
also wondered why the branching of trees resembles that of arteries and rivers. Why do
some leaves and fern tips look like spiral galaxies and hurricanes? Why do meandering
rivers and meandering snakes look like the loop patterns in cables? Pat Murphy also
wrote in the book entitled Nature's Design, it expresses similar sentiments, writing,
nature, in its elegance and economy, often repeats certain forms and patterns like the
similarity between the spiral pattern in the heart of a daisy and the spiral of a seashell,
or the resemblance between the branching pattern of a river and the branching pattern
of a tree and ripples that flowing water. They became curious about these patterns but
did not focus on the mathematical perspective unlike Ian Stewart did in his book
Nature's Numbers. Ian Stewart thinks of patterns as basically numerical patterns,
geometric patterns, and movement patterns.
However, before Ian Stewart published his book and had the curiosity about the
patterns that occur in nature there were already people who tried to unlock the patterns
of nature. The early Greek philosophers first attempted to explain the order in nature,
anticipating modern concepts. Pythagoras explained patterns in nature like the
harmonies of music as arising from the number, Theophrastus noted that plants "that
have flat leaves have them in a regular series." Leonardo da Vinci also aims that the
spiral arrangement of leaf patterns and Johannes Kepler pointed out the presence of
the Fibonacci sequence in nature, using it to explain the pentagonal form of some
flowers. Some people wondered about these patterns and it continued until the '90s
where fractals have been discovered. Thanks to mathematics and these great minds
who did their best to study and mathematically understand patterns of nature.
Besides, mathematics plays an important role in determining the meaning of
each pattern and it can be seen in the patterns in seashells and flowers. Fibonacci
numbers are found in almost any flower. Sunflowers have the seeds in perfect
Fibonacci order. 1 seed then 2 seeds 3 seeds 6 seeds 12 seeds 24 seeds and so on in
the flowers. This arrangement has a purpose and it is to ensure that the maximum
sunlight to each seed in the flower. Also, when the number of petals in a flower is taken
off, it all follows a mathematical order. The first chapter entitled "Natural Order"
emphasizes the natural and numerical patterns that exist in the sky, animals, and plants
from the stars to the stripes of zebras, spots of tigers and leopards.
According to Ian Stewart, there are numerical patterns in the geometric shapes
including triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, circles, ellipses, spirals, cubes,
spheres, cones. Also, all of these shapes can be found in nature, although some are far
more common than others. The fractals and chaos also mentioned which explained the
consequences of chaos. The book also deals with the pattern of movement of different
animals. Also, give meaning to the pattern of movement namely trot, pace, bound, walk,
rotary, gallop, traverse gallop, and canter. Given all the examples mentioned in the
book, it shows that things around us can be understood with the aid of mathematics.
Mathematics can make things beautiful because of its shapes, colors, stripes, spots,
etc. Mathematics helps people to decipher the meaning of every ripple, curves, lines,
stripes, and other patterns by incorporating them with numbers.
Mathematics has proven that almost anything in the world can be calculated by
looking at its pattern. Mathematics is all about taking complex problems by making it
objective and measurable. In that way, it can help organize information and put them
into various patterns through their value. Every line and shape can be put into numbers.
Mathematics helps organize things and regularities in the world in a very beautiful, yet
complex way. It is all inside the human mind, the mind plays the tricks. It is innate to
humans to see and appreciate things that are in order. Humans like orderly lined,
similarities, arrangements, and piles. For example, if the arms of starfishes are not
symmetrical would it be beautiful? How about the rainbow's arc? If the seashells are not
perfectly spiral shape would be still collected for decorations? How about the different
sizes of flowers' petals? If the human's eyes are not placed opposite to the other one
how would it work? If there is no pattern in the night sky would it be still nice to look at
it? Without mathematics, there will be chaos. Mathematics brings out the beauty of the
world. There is mathematics in stars, constellations, moon, bacteria, insects, plants,
animals, humans, and everything.
All in all, mathematics is everywhere around us and it is truly wonderful. Thanks

to the development of new mathematical theories and it helping to reveal the vague
secrets of nature's patterns. With all the knowledge in patterns, humans can now easily
unravel nature's secret and understands things around them. It is very fascinating to see
the world from a mathematical point of view and to see how wonderful God's creations
are.
Bibliography
Stewart, Ian and Martin Goubitsky, Fearful Symmetry

(Oxford: Blackwell, 1992)
Thompson, D’Arcy, On Growth and Form, 2 vols. (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1972)
Stewart, Ian, the Problems of Mathematics, 2d ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1992).
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Numbers-Unreal-Reality-Mathematics-
ebook/dp/B001FOPVUO
https://www.ams.org/notices/199711/comm-cremona.pdf
In “websites” and “Books”
Strogatz, Steven, and Ian Stewart, "Coupled Oscillators and Biological Synchronization,
Scientific American (December 1993): 102-109.
https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Regular-Patterns-Introduction-
Dimensions/dp/0262690888
In “websites”
German astronomer Johannes Kepler

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Kepler
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kepler/
in website and internet
Leonardo da Vinci (1519)
https://www.leonardodavinci.net/leonardo-da-vinci-biography.jsp#:~:text=Born%20in
%201452%20in%20Vinci,%2C%20draftsmen%2C%20and%20an%20inventor.
https://www.leonardodavinci.net/the-vitruvian-man.jsp
In “Books” and Websites

Activity No. 1.2 Synthesis. Nature's Number

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Activity No. 1.2 Synthesis. Nature's Number

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Activity No. 1.2 Synthesis. Nature's Number

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GED 102-Mathematics in the modern world

HERRERA, KENNETH S. SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

All in all, mathematics is everywhere around us and it is truly wonderful. Thanks

Stewart, Ian and Martin Goubitsky, Fearful Symmetry

German astronomer Johannes Kepler

You might also like