MMW - Chapter 1
MMW - Chapter 1
Learning Outcomes
Mathematics is an old, broad, and deep discipline (field of study). People working to
improve math education need to understand "What is Mathematics?"
We define mathematics as a way of thinking about nature and the world in
general. It is a system of knowing or understanding our surroundings. It provides glimpses
into the nature of mathematics and how it is used to understand our world. This
understanding, in conjunction with other disciplines, contributes to a more complete portrait
of the world. Its central purpose is to explore those facets of mathematics that will
strengthen your quantitative understandings of our environs. Thus, patterns and numbers
that are useful in the world like Fibonacci sequence and other arrays of number will be
discussed and understand how they were used to predict and control the behavior of nature
and the phenomena in this world. In the future, we think about numerous applications of
mathematics as tools in decision- making.
Several uses of Mathematics in different fields are to calculate the results of
different activities, predict the behavior of a variable when the other variables are known,
identify well the requirements of a particular dosage of medicine to cure a certain illness,
and to verify whether a particular solution is applicable to the problem set. The chronology
of events in the past can identify patterns of situation.
Patterns are things that are repetitive, which can be found in nature as color, shape,
action, or some other sequence that are almost everywhere.
Mathematics is the science of patterns and relationships, and nature exploits just
about every pattern that there is. As a theoretical discipline, mathematics explores the
possible relationships among abstractions without concern for whether those abstractions
have counterparts in the real world. Mathematics uncovers these patterns and the rules
governing it.
The simplest mathematical objects are numbers and the simplest of nature's patterns
are numerical. These can be observed in the things and the events in our surrounding as
shown in the following examples.
These miraculous creations not only delight the imagination; they also challenge our
understanding.
Dragonfly Eye
Shapes in Nature
Mathematical shapes can always be reduced to numbers, which is how computers
handle graphics. Each tiny dot in the picture is stored and manipulated as a pair of
numbers: how far the dot is along the screen from right to left, and how far up it is from the
bottom, (coordinates of the dot). A general shape is a collection of dots, and can be
represented as a list of pairs of numbers. Simple shapes in nature are triangles, squares,
pentagons, hexagons, circles, ellipses, spirals, cubes, spheres, cones, and so on.
➢ circles also form in the ripples on a pond, in the human eye, on butterflies' wings, etc.
Even the well-known Pascal’s Triangle shows number patterns. As you build the layers of
the triangle, you will notice an interesting pattern. The inside number in each row can be found by
adding the two numbers above it. Thus, the middle number of the third line of the Pascal’s Triangle
is 1 + 1 = 2.
1
1 1
1 2 1
1 3 3 1
1 4 6 4 1
1 5 10 10 5 1
For further understanding of mathematical patterns, consider the suggested example the pattern and
find out the product of the 5th equation.
12345679 x 9 x 1 = 111111111
12345679 x 9 x 2 = 222222222
12345679 x 9 x 3 = 333333333
12345679 x 9 x 4 = 444444444
12345679 x 9 x 5 =
Fibonacci Numbers are the series of numbers that often occur in nature. The number
sequence was developed in the middle ages, and it was named after Leonardo Pisano
Bigollo, a famous Italian mathematician who also happened to discover Fibonacci. This
Fibonacci is a short term for the Latin filius bonascci, which means “the son of Bonacci”.
In 1202, Leonardo Pisano Bigollo published his most prominent work the Liber
Abaci (The Book of Calculating). He introduced his famous rabbit problem.
If a pair of rabbits is put into a walled enclosure (room) to breed, how many pairs of
rabbits will there be after a year if it is assumed that every month each pair produces one
new pair, which begins to bear young two months after its own birth?
Construction of Table 1.1 will be helpful to find the number of pairs of rabbits there
will be after a year. First, represent the adult pair of rabbits as A, and the baby pair of
rabbits as B. For the fourth month, replace A by AB and B by A.
12th month
Can you see the pattern? The number of A’s in 8 th month is the sum of the number of
A’s in the 7th month and the number of B’s that became A’s. And the number of B’s in the
8th month is the same as the number of A’s in the 7th month. Therefore, the number od A’s in
the 9th month will be the sum of the number of A’s in the 8th month, which is the number of
B’s that will be changed to A, (21+13=34). The number of B’s is the same as the number of
A’s in 8th month, which is 21.
The sequence begins with zero or one. Each subsequent number is the sum of the two
preceding numbers.
In particular,
2 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+1) 3 is
found by adding the two numbers before it (1+2); 5 is
found by adding the two numbers before it (2+3); and 8 is
from (3+5), and so on…
Table 1.2
n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 …
F(n) 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 …
Example: If we want to find the 8th term, that is 7th term plus the 6th term:
F8 = F7 + F6
So, F8 = 13 + 8
Therefore, F8 = 21
A Recurrence Relation makes the rule of Fibonacci sequence that the next number is
the sum of the two previous numbers. Mathematically, this is written into a functional
notation that is
Fn = Fn-1 + Fn-2 using f0 = 0 and f1 = 1.
n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 …
Fn 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 …
Fibonacci Spiral
Drawing the Fibonacci Spiral
Fibonacci spiral is the
application of geometric design
in using Fibonacci numbers in
our nature. The instructions at
the right may be followed to
construct the spiral. The well-
known sunflowers have a Golden
Spiral seed arrangement. This
provides a biological advantage
because it maximizes the number
of seeds that can be packed into a
seed head.
Similarly, we can see a double set of spirals in the pinecones or pineapples- one
going in a clockwise direction and one in the opposite direction. When these spirals are
counted, the two sets are found to be adjacent Fibonacci numbers.
a b b/a
2 3 1.5
3 5 1.6666…
5 8 1.6
8 13 1.625
Their ratio is very close to the Golden Ratio “φ”, which is approximately
1.618034…. Golden Ratio is an irrational number and is typically represented by the Greek
letter Phi “φ”.
Golden Ratio is a special number also known as the Golden Section, Golden Mean,
Divine Proportion, or Greek letter Phi, which exists when a line is divided into two parts,
and the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided
by (a), which both equal 1.618.
If point M divides line AB into two pieces, one of length a and the other of length b
where a is larger than b, the total length is a + b. (See figure below.)
a+b
a b
Figure 1.8
Observe that the ratio of the longest part to the shorter part is the same as the ratio of
the whole line AB to the longer part. In other words, as the longer part is to be shorter part,
so is the whole line to the longer part. In equation: a:b = (a+b) : a then the special ratio
between the two numbers is called the Golden Ratio.
It means, a/b is Golden Ratio if the following equation holds true:
a/b = (a + b)/ a
Using the Golden Ratio, we can calculate any Fibonacci number. In Table 1.4, the
notation φn/ fn ≈ 2.236… = √5.
N 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ….
The golden ratio, a simple and insignificant number as we might think it is, has
intrigued and fascinated mathematicians and even thinkers in other disciplines. While it is
unknown when exactly this number was discovered, it could be seen in history that this was
actually used by Greeks in designing and constructing the renowned Parthenon (see bottom
left photo). Da Vinci’s famous artwork, Mona Liza (bottom, 2nd from left photo) also
followed this ratio. Amazingly, many things that are pleasing to the eyes actually follow the
golden ratio. (Consider the face in the photo below).
A lot of investigations has been done on this mysterious number as it occurs in almost
everything around us: from the seeds of a sunflower, flower petals, DNA, snail shells,
buildings, to our very own bodies!
Patterns that we observe in nature are the regularities of form in our natural world. These patterns
may recur in different circumstances and sometimes can be mathematically modeled. These are
illustrated in the following examples. recur
The flow of fluids provides an inexhaustible supply of nature's patterns. Similar patterns
can be found in the atmosphere including the vast spiral of hurricane as seen by orbiting
astronaut.
Noctilucent Clouds
The simplest pattern is of transverse dunes (upper leftmost photo below) which,
like ocean waves, line up in parallel straight rows at right angles to the prevailing wind
direction which are called barchanoid ridges when the rows are wavy. Sometimes they
break up into innumerable shield-shaped barchan dunes. On the other hand, a slightly moist
sand with a little vegetation to bind it together forms parabolic dunes, shaped like a U, with
the rounded end pointing in the direction of the wind which when in clusters, resembles the
teeth of a rake. If the wind direction is variable, clusters of star-shaped dunes form with
several irregular arms radiating from a central peak, arranged in a random pattern of spots.
Nature's love of stripes, spots and other patterns extend in the animal and plant
kingdoms
Spots, stripes and several other patterns in plants and animals are almost always
present in our surroundings. Few examples are shown in the following photos.
In human, the feet strike the ground in a regular rhythm. When a four-legged
creature, like horse walks, there is more complex but equally rhythmic pattern. The
prevalence of pattern in locomotion extends to the scuttling of insects, the flight of birds,
the pulsation of jellyfish, and the wavelike movements of fish, worms, and snakes. The
sidewinder, a desert snake, moves like a single coil of a helical spring, thrusting its body
forward in a series of S-shaped curves in an attempt to minimize its contact with the hot
sand. Tiny bacteria propel themselves along using microscopic helical tails which rotates
rigidly like a ship's screw.
Each of nature's patterns is a puzzle, nearly always a deep one. Mathematics is brilliant
at helping us to solve puzzles. It is a more or less systematic way of digging out the rules
and structures that lie behind some observed pattern or regularity, and then using those rules
and structures to explain what's going on. Indeed, mathematics has developed alongside our
understanding of nature, each reinforcing the other.
Organize the underlying patterns and regularities in the most satisfying way.
Nature's patterns are not just there to be admired, they are vital clues that govern natural
processes.
‣ Four hundred years ago, German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, argued that
snowflakes must be made by packing tiny identical units together based on the
sixfold symmetry of snowflakes, which is natural consequence of regular packing.
(That is, if you place a large number of identical coins on a table and try to pack
them as closely as possible, the arrangement would be that of a honeycomb in
which every coin, except those at the edges, is surrounded by six others, arranged
in a perfect hexagon.)
‣ By performing a mathematical analysis of astronomical observations made by the
contemporary Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, Kepler was eventually driven to
the conclusion that planets move in ellipses.
‣ The regular nightly motion of stars is a clue that Earth rotates
‣ Waves and dunes are clues to the rules that govern the flow of water, sand, and
air
‣ The tiger's stripes and hyena's spots attest to mathematical regularities in
biological growth and form,
‣ Rainbows tell us about the scattering of light, and indirectly confirm that
raindrops are spheres.
‣ Lunar haloes are clues to the shape of the ice crystals.
When you go to the travel agent and book a vacation, you don't need to understand
the intricate mathematical and physical theories that make it possible to design computers
and telephone lines, the optimization routines that schedule as many flights as possible
around any particular airport, or the signal-processing methods used to provide accurate
radar images for the pilots.
When a farmer plants a new strain of potatoes, he does not need to know the
statistical theories of genetics that identified which genes made that particular type of plant
resistant to disease.
Understanding the nature's secret regularities has many uses in our physical
environment. The following are some instances that use such.
‣ steer artificial satellites to new destinations with far less fuel than anybody had
thought possible,
‣ help avoid wear on the wheels of locomotives and other rolling stock,
‣ improve the effectiveness of heart pacemakers
‣ manage forests and fisheries,
‣ make efficient dishwashers, and most importantly
‣ give a deeper vision of the universe in which we live and of our own place in it.
In addition, using mathematics to understand the structure of some plants and animals and
how they behave empowered us to develop useful mechanism that help us perform jobs
efficiently. Few examples are:
‣ Helicopter is designed from studying the built and movement of a dragonfly
‣ Climbing pads capable of supporting human weight are a mimic of the
biomechanics of gecko feet.
‣ The aerodynamics of the famous Japanese Bullet train was inspired by the shape
of a bird’s beak.
‣ The first flying machine heavier than the air from the Wright brothers, in
1903, was inspired by flying pigeons.
‣ Architecture is inspired by termite mounds to design passive cooling structures.
‣ Velcro is born from the observation of the hooks implemented by some plants
for the propagation of their seeds via animal’s coat.
‣ The study of shark skin is at the origin of particularly effective swimming
suits, as well as a varnish for planes fuselage
Tolentino, A., et. al. (2018). Mathematics in the modern world. Mutya Publishing
House, Manila
Adam, J. (2009). Mathematical nature walk. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.