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Math 101 Assignment 1

This document contains questions about mathematics in nature based on a book about Nature's Numbers by Ian Stewart. It asks what mathematics is, where it can be found, and what role it plays in the world. It then provides examples of patterns in nature like rocks and tree trunks. It discusses how the golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence appear in art, architecture, shells, and other natural forms. Further questions explore symmetries, fractals, spirals, shapes, and other mathematical phenomena in nature like concentric circles. It concludes by discussing applications of mathematics in society for fields like engineering, economics, and how it has allowed civilization to progress.

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312 views3 pages

Math 101 Assignment 1

This document contains questions about mathematics in nature based on a book about Nature's Numbers by Ian Stewart. It asks what mathematics is, where it can be found, and what role it plays in the world. It then provides examples of patterns in nature like rocks and tree trunks. It discusses how the golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence appear in art, architecture, shells, and other natural forms. Further questions explore symmetries, fractals, spirals, shapes, and other mathematical phenomena in nature like concentric circles. It concludes by discussing applications of mathematics in society for fields like engineering, economics, and how it has allowed civilization to progress.

Uploaded by

Flory Cabase
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cabase, Flory Joy V.

BSED-English
Assignment no. 1

After reading the book of Ian Stewart about Nature’s Numbers, please do the following
questions:

1. What is mathematics?
-When we hear the word “mathematics,” we would immediately think of numbers. However,
mathematics is much more complicated than we think. Mathematics is a systematic way of
probing into the structure and rules behind an observed pattern and applying those patterns in
formulating new ideas or theories that are very useful in understanding nature. In addition, Ian
Stewart also stated that mathematics is more like a landscape or an impenetrable jungle where
mathematicians employ to navigate through it, and they knit this landscape together through
the mathematical proof.

2. Where is mathematics?
-Mathematics can be found literally everywhere, even in ourselves, starting from our organ
systems, our physical attributes, to the things that we do in our everyday lives and the things
that we see in our surroundings. As what D' Arcy Thompson said, “mathematics can illuminate
many aspects of nature that we do not normally think of as being mathematical.” We may not
realize how strongly our lives were affected by mathematics, but it is there even when it is only
an abstraction.

3. What role does mathematics play in your world?


-Mathematics helps us in understanding the nature, such as knowing why and how nature
works, predicting how nature will behave, controlling nature for our own ends, and making
practical use of what we have learned about our world.

4. Collect and discuss other patterns in nature.

-One of the most obvious patterns in nature that we can easily notice are the rocks. Rocks come
in various shapes, sizes, colors, and textures depending on its kind. Rocks were made from a
combination of heat and pressure which created natural stone blocks, and this results in the
formation of granite, marble, travertine, limestone, and slate. As the earth's crust began to
grow and erode, it pushed minerals up from its core, forming massive rock deposits, which we
refer to as “quarries”. We can also find stripes of patterns from a chunk of wood or from tree
trunks. Even on our floors and walls, we can see patterns of cracks caused by relieving of stress
from inelastic materials, such as wood, cement, and bricks. These are only a few examples of
patterns in nature. There are still a lot of patterns in nature that can be found everywhere in
our surroundings.

5. Present and discuss some other artworks and in architecture which applies the golden ratio.
-One of the most famous artworks that were drawn according to the golden
ratio is the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. It has a golden ratio of
1:0.618 and it was termed golden since people find it aesthetically pleasing.
Da Vinci uses it to frame the woman in the painting. The spiral begins at her
left wrist, then goes to the background of the image, which contrasts the
beauty of her face. It then glides over her forehead and continues turning
until it touches her chin. It rises, going past the slight of her dimple. Lastly, it
completes one rotation which ends at the tip of her nose. 
-The golden ratio is also present in architecture and the Eiffel Tower is a
good example. The Eiffel Tower was built from 1887 to 1889 by French
engineer Gustave Eiffel. Despite its enormous height, Eiffel Tower doesn't
look out of proportion, all thanks to its golden ratio. The golden ratio of the
Eiffel Tower is 1.557 and its height and unique silhouette floating above the
Paris landscape quickly made the Eiffel Tower one of the most popular
attractions in Paris. The spiral begins at the top left of the tower, then it
travels to the background of the image, and then it slides underneath the
tower until it touches its second platform. Lastly, it completes one rotation
which ends in the middle of the first and second platform.

6. Identify and discuss symmetries, fractals, and spirals in your surroundings.


-Symmetry refers to the balanced or proportional two halves of an object that is divided
through the center line or point of the object. Something is symmetric if it
has two matching parts facing each other or around its center point. One
example of this is the external parts of the human body. Anything that can
be found on the right side of our body can also be found on the left side of
our body. However, both sides of our body are not perfectly symmetrical, so
we consider it as bilateral symmetry. Other common examples are the
flowers, leaves, insects, etc. But we can also see it in buildings and towers.

-Fractals are patterns that repeat its structure at


different scales, and it can be easily found in nature. The common
examples are: clouds, trees, snowflakes, vegetables like broccoli and
cauliflowers, and even lightning bolts and our blood vessels. These things
create similar structure on multiple scales.
-Spirals are patterns curling in a continuous and slowly widening curve. It is a
common shape found in nature. We can mostly find it on plants. The reason
behind this phenomenon on plants is because spiral plants are composed of
many thin white fibers connected to each other which form into a high
tubular structure that opens in a funnel shape. We can also see spiral
patterns in other natural systems, such as hurricanes, whirlpools, tornadoes,
milky ways, and even our DNA is spiral or helix.

7. List and explain some natural phenomena in relation to mathematics.


-Aside from the golden ratio, symmetry, fractals and spirals, there are still a lot of mathematics
in nature that are present in our surroundings. One common example is the shapes. All shapes
can be found in nature, although some are far more common than others. Hexagonal shape is
one of the most common shape that we can see in nature. A hexagon has 6 equal sides, and we
can mostly see it in a beehive. Snowflakes are also in the shape of hexagon, as well as bubbles
when it is pushed against each other on a surface of water. Another common shape that we can
find in nature is a set of concentric circles. Concentric circles are circles that share the same
center but have different areas or sizes and were put one inside the other. We can mostly we it
in the layers of onions, ripples in a pond, cut of tree trunks, orb of spider webs, and even the
solar system is concentric. Another example is the Fibonacci sequence. This number sequence
is very simple yet profound. It begins with the numbers 1 and 1, and then add the two previous
numbers to get the next number. Therefore, after 1 and 1, the next number is 2 (1+1). The next
number is 3 (1+2) and so on. This number sequence can often be seen in nature. A few
examples are the number of flowers in a petal, the number of sunflower or pineapple seeds,
etc. This number sequence can also form a unique shape which is called Fibonacci spiral and we
can find this in the form of shells. These are only a few examples of mathematics in nature.
There are still a lot of interesting things out there that we are just not aware of, and others are
yet to be discovered.

8. Identify and discuss some applications of mathematics in the society.


-Math is a subject that children are most afraid of because of its difficulty. But learning math is
necessary. It is not only necessary for studies, but it is present in our daily lives and is proven to
be really useful in building and advancing society. Without mathematics we would still be living
in the Stone ages, even unable to build something beyond the most basic shelter. Furthermore,
many scientific discoveries were predicted by math only and most of the progress achieved by
modern civilizations was based on Mathematics. Without Mathematics, we would be unable to
put satellites on orbit or to accurately predict heavy storms. Mathematics is also directly
applied in many fields such as Engineering (Civil, Military, Computer), Economics, Accounting
and so on. These fields are useful in constructing an advanced and progressive society. Many
things wouldn't be possible today without Mathematics. To sum it all up, mathematics is
important because it gives us the ability to understand the natural world and make it useful to
our lives. As what have Ian Stewart said, “Good mathematics, whatever its source, eventually
turns out to be useful.”

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