Mathematics in Our World

What is mathematics? Where is mathematics? What role does

mathematics play in your world?
Patterns and Numbers in Nature and in the World
In this digital age,

everyone seems to be hooked in the use of internet and

different computer applications
Have you experienced visiting a farm or walking along the beach?
 Did you notice patterns on things around you?

Did you appreciate the beauty of nature displayed in front of you?

We live in a world of patterns.
In the simplest sense of the word, patterns are visible, regular,
repeated, or recurring forms or designs. We see patterns everyday
– the way we tie our shoe laces; the designs of floor tiles; the way
spider make its web; the stripes in tigers, zebras and cats; the
spots in hyenas; the blotch in giraffes; ocean waves; dessert sand
dunes; the wave-like movement of fish, worms and snakes; ferns;
and the symmetry in snowflakes and honeycombs.
Early humans recognized some patterns in nature. Their awareness of some of these
changing patterns allowed them to adapt and survive.
Other patterns displayed in nature
ball of mackerel Flying birds make a V formation Typhoon formation

Murmuration of starlings Jelly fish

Patterns possess utility as well as beauty. Man was able to develop
a formal system of thought for recognizing, classifying, and using
patterns called Mathematics.
By applying Mathematics, some people see an “intelligent design”
on how nature form
Studying patterns help students in identifying relationships and
finding logical connections to form generalizations and make
predictions.
Example
1. Look at this figures

What do you think will be the next figure?

Symmetry
Symmetry comes from a Greek word meaning 'to measure
together' and is widely used in the study of geometry.
Mathematically, symmetry means that one shape becomes exactly
like another when you move it in some way: turn, flip or slide. For
two objects to be symmetrical, they must be the same size and
shape, with one object having a different orientation from the first.
There can also be symmetry in one object, such as a face. If you
draw a line of symmetry down the center of your face, you can see
that the left side is a mirror image of the right side
2. What is the next figure in the pattern below?

3. What number comes next?

1 10, 100, 1000, 10000, ________
Bilateral Symmetry
 Also known as line symmetry
 Imaginary plane/line divides the body into left and right sides
that are mirror images of each other.
There are other types of symmetry depending on the number of
sides or faces that are symmetrical. Take a look at these images:

three-fold symmetry five-fold symmetry eight-fold symmetry

Rotational Symmetry
 The property that a shape has when it looks the same after
some rotation by a partial turn.

Rotated at 72 degrees
 A figure has a rotational symmetry of order n (n-fold rotational
symmetry) if 1 𝑛 of a complete turn leaves the figure
unchanged.

Angle of rotation – the smallest angle that a figure can be rotated

while still preserving the original formation
3600
Angle of Rotation = 𝑛
Consider this:

The snowflake has six-fold symmetry. To find the angle of

rotation, 360 6 = 600 .
note:
If you look closely, however, many snowflakes are not perfectly symmetric due
to the effects of humidity and temperature on the ice crystals as it forms.
Honeycomb
Another marvel of nature’s design is the structure and shape of a
honeycomb. People have long wondered how bees, despite their
very small size, are able to produce such arrangement while
humans would generally need the use of ruler and compass to
accomplish the same. It is observed that such formation enables
the bee colony to maximize their storage of honey using the
smallest amount of wax.
Student Activity: In an activity using 1-peso coins to cover a piece of paper, if
you arrange the coins in a square formation, there are plenty of spots that are
exposed. However, if you follow the hexagonal formation, more areas are
covered.
Hexagonal formations are more optimal in making use of available
space. Packing problems involve finding the optimum method of
filling up a given space such as a cubic or spherical container.
Example
The Fibonacci Sequence

*** watch video (nature’s numbers) ***

Sequence
 Is an ordered list of numbers, called terms, that may have
repeated values. The arrangement of these terms is set by a
definite rule.
Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify the next three
terms.
a. 1, 10, 100, 1000
b. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20
c. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8
Answer
a. Power of 10
100 101 102 103 104 105 106

1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000

b. Difference bet 2 consecutive numbers: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
2, 5, 9, 14, 20 , 27, 35, 44
c. Fibonacci Sequence
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34
The Fibonacci Sequence
 Fibonacci have discovered this sequence as he looked at how a
hypothesized group of rabbits bred and reproduced. The
problem involved a single pair of rabbits and then finding out
how many pair of rabbits will be born in a year, assuming that a
new pair of rabbits is born each month, and this new pair in
turn gives birth to additional pair of rabbit.
0+1=1 0, 1, 1
1+1=2 0, 1, 1, 2
1+2=3 0, 1, 1, 2, 3
2+3=5 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5
3+5=8 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8
5 + 8 = 13 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13
8 + 13 = 21 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21
13 + 21 = 34 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34
21 + 34 = 55 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55
The Fibonacci Sequence
 named after the Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa (who
was better known as Fibonacci).
 The Fibonacci sequence is derived from the Fibonacci numbers.
The Fibonacci numbers are as follows: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,
34, 55, 89, 144, . . . And so on.
 These numbers are obtained by adding the two previous
numbers in the sequence to obtain the next higher number.
 The formula is: Fn = Fn-1 + Fn-2
 Every third number is even and the difference between each
number is 0.618 with the reciprocal of 1.618. These numbers
are known as the “golden ratio” or “golden mean”.
Fibonacci sequence has many interesting properties. Among these
is that this pattern is very visible in nature. Some of nature’s most
beautiful patterns, like the spiral arrangement of sunflower seeds,
the number of petals in a flower, and the shape of the snail’s shell
– all contain Fibonacci numbers. It is also interesting to note that
the ratios of successive Fibonacci numbers approach the number
Ф (Phi), also known as the Golden Ratio. This is approximately
equal to 1.618
Golden Ratio

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 mathematics, two quantities are in the Golden ratio if their ratio
is the same of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. The
Golden ratio is the relationship between numbers on the Fibonacci
sequence where plotting the relationships on scales results in a
spiral shape. In simple terms, golden ratio is expressed as an
equation, where a is larger than b,
(a +b)/a = a/b = 1.6180339887498948420 …
The Golden ratio was first called as the Divine Proportion in the
early 1500s in Leonardo da Vinci’s work, called “section aurea”
which is Latin for golden section.
Golden Ratio is so special it is found in all most every where in
the world
 Triangle with golden ratio
Pentagram
Applications of Mathematics in the World
a. Mathematics for Organization

b. Mathematics for prediction

 Apply concept of probability to calculate the chance of an
event occurring (path of typhoon, predict the occurrence of
meteor showers, etc.)
c. Mathematics for control
 through the use of mathematics, man is able to exert
control over himself and the effects of nature.
Thank You!