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Chapter 1

Nature of Mathematics

LEARNING OUTCOME(S):
• Appreciate the patterns, beauty and practical uses of mathematics in everyday life
• Identify Patterns in Nature and regularities in the world.
• Appreciate the nature, beauty and uses of mathematics in everyday life.

TIME FRAME: 3 hours

LESSON 1: Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World

A hike in the woods or a walk along the road to our houses reveals an endless variety of forms.
Nature abounds in spectral colors and intricate shapes - the rainbow mosaic of a butterfly's
wing; the delicate curlicue of a vine tendril; the undulating ripples of the raindrops. But these
miraculous creations not only delight the imagination, they also challenge our understanding.
How do these patterns develop? What sorts of rules and guidelines, shape the patterns in the
world around us?

butterfly's wing vine tendril ripples of the raindrops

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Some patterns are molded with a strict regularity. Thousands of times over, the cells of a
honeycomb repeat their hexagonal symmetry. The honeybee is a skilled and tireless artisan
with an innate ability to measure the width and to gauge the thickness of the honeycomb it
builds. Although the workings of an insect's mind may baffle biologists, the regularity of the
honeycomb attests to the honey bee's remarkable architectural abilities.

The nautilus is another meticulous craftsman, who designs its shell in a shape called a
logarithmic or equiangular spiral (explained ahead). This precise curve develops naturally as the
shell increases in size but does not change its shape, ever growing but never changing its
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proportions. The process of self-similar growth yields a logarithmic spiral. We find the same
spiral in the path traced by a moth drawn towards a light.

honeycomb nautilus shell

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Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form found in the natural world. These patterns
recur in different contexts and can sometimes be modelled mathematically. Natural patterns
include symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes.
Early Greek philosophers studied pattern, with Plato, Pythagoras and Empedocles attempting to
explain order in nature. The modern understanding of visible patterns developed gradually over
time.

As a practical matter, mathematics is a science of pattern and order. Its domain is not
molecules or cells, but numbers, chance, form, algorithms, and change. As a science of abstract
objects, mathematics relies on logic rather than on observation as its standard of truth, yet
employs observation, simulation, and even experimentation as means of discovering truth.

Let's take a look at some of the different types of patterns to help you appreciate them as well.

1. Symmetry is when different sides of something are alike. These reflections may be mirror
images with only two sides like the two sides of our bodies, they may be symmetrical on several
sides like the inside of an apple sliced in half, or they might be symmetrical on all sides like the
different face of a cube.

We understand symmetry quite well in living organisms because it is a function of their

environment. In order to balance, we need to have symmetrical body structure so we don't fall
over from imbalanced weight.

What we don't understand very well is symmetry in non-living things. Snowflakes have six-fold
symmetry but it is unclear why this occurs. Crystals like diamond are likewise constructed with
mathematical regularity. A chemist could readily explain how positively and negatively charged
sodium and chloride ions arrange themselves neatly in a crystal lattice, resulting in salt crystals
with a perfect cubic structure, and while beautiful it is still somewhat of a mystery.
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face of Dr. Gellor Snowflake diamond

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2. Fractals are the 'never-ending' patterns that repeat indefinitely as the pattern is iterated on
an infinitely smaller scale. Infinite iteration is not possible in nature so all 'fractal' patterns are
only approximate We see this type of pattern in trees, rivers, mountains, shells, clouds, leaves,
lightning, and more.

Ferns are a common example of a self-similar

set, meaning that their pattern can be
mathematically generated and reproduced at
any magnification or reduction. The
mathematical formula that describes ferns,
named after Michael Barnsley. In other words,
random numbers generated over and over
using Barnsley's Fern formula ultimately
produce a unique fern-shaped object
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This variant form of cauliflower is the ultimate

fractal vegetable. Its pattern is a natural
representation of the Fibonacci or golden
spiral, a logarithmic spiral where every quarter
turn is farther from the origin by a factor of
phi, the golden ratio.

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3. Spirals are another common pattern in nature that we see more often in living things. Think
of the horns of a sheep, the shell of a nautilus, and the placement of leaves around a stem. A
special type of spiral, the logarithmic spiral, is one that gets smaller as it goes. We see this
pattern in galaxies, hurricanes, and some seashells

The Galaxy hurricane Yolanda (Nov. 2013)

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LESSON 2: THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, . ..

The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it. The number 2 is found by
adding the two numbers before it (1+1). 3 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+2),
and 5 is (2+3), and so on

When we make squares with those widths, we get a nice spiral:

Do you see how the squares fit neatly together?

For example 5 and 8 make 13, 8 and 13 make 21,
and so on

A nautilus is a cephalopod mollusk with a spiral

shell and numerous short tentacles around its
mouth.
A nautilus shell is grown in a Fibonacci spiral. The
spiral occurs as the shell grows outwards and tries
to maintain its proportional shape.

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Other Amazing Examples of the Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

Sunflowers boast radial symmetry of the Fibonacci

sequence. This is not uncommon since many plants
produce leaves, petals and seeds in the Fibonacci sequence.
Sunflowers and other plants abide by mathematical rules
for efficiency. In simple terms, sunflowers can pack in the
maximum number of seeds if each seed is separated by an
irrational-numbered angle.

Here are the three most natural ways to find spirals

in this pattern. Note that the black pattern is
identical in all the images on this page. Only the
colored lines indicating the selected spirals are
different. The 1st set of lines show 34 spirals of
seeds.

Choosing another slope, these set of lines And choosing a very shallow slope, these
show 55 spirals of seeds. set of lines show 21 spirals of seeds
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LESSON 3: THE GOLDEN RATIO

1. The Golden Ratio is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts so that the
longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the
longer part. It is often symbolized using phi, after the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In
an equation form, it looks like this:

𝑎 (𝑎 + 𝑏)
= = 1.6180339887498948420 …
𝑏 𝑎
Each section of your index
finger, from the tip to the
base of the wrist, is larger
than the preceding one by
about the Fibonacci ratio
of 1.618, also fitting the
Fibonacci numbers 2, 3, 5
and 8.
By this scale, your fingernail is 1 unit in length. Curiously enough, you also have 2 hands, each
with 5 digits, and your 8 fingers are each comprised of 3 sections. All Fibonacci numbers!

Here are other ways of expressing the same basic relationship in its connection to the golden
ratio and golden spiral

Engr. Lynn M. Remo

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