Module 1

Mathematics in our World

❖ Nature of Mathematics
Patterns and Numbers in Nature
and the World
The Fibonacci Sequence
Mathematics for our World

Suggested Time Allotment: 3 hours

Sorsogon State University GE-14 Mathematics in the Modern World MMW M O D U L E 1

Mathematics in our World

Introduction
This course deals with the nature of mathematics, Learning
appreciation of its practical, intellectual and aesthetic
Outcome
dimensions and applications of mathematical tools in daily life.
01
The course begins with an introduction to the nature of
Identify patterns in
mathematics as an exploration of patterns (in nature and in the nature and regularities
in the world.
environment) and as an application of inductive and deductive
02
reasoning. By exploring these topics, students are encouraged to
Articulate the
go beyond the typical understanding of mathematics as merely a importance of
mathematics in one’s
set of formulas but as a source of aesthetics in patterns of nature, life.

for example, and a rich language in itself (and of science)

03
governed by logic and reasoning.
Argue about the nature
of mathematics, what is
The course then proceeds to survey ways in which it, how it is expressed,
represented, and used.
mathematics provides a tool for understanding and dealing with

various aspects of present-day living, such as managing personal 04

finances, making social choices, appreciating geometric designs, Express appreciation
for mathematics as a
understanding codes used in data transmission and security, and human endeavor.

dividing limited resources fairly.

These aspects will provide opportunities for actually doing mathematics as a way of

knowing, and test the students’ understanding and capacity.

(CMO No. 20, series of 2013)

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Sorsogon State University GE-14 Mathematics in the Modern World MMW M O D U L E 1

Lesson 1 Nature of Mathematics

The emergence of digital technology has sparked a What is Mathematics?
monumental rise in the rate at which we consume and
produce data. Before the internet, it could take hours to get  Mathematics is the science of
several volumes of resources from the library for a research structure, order, and relation
paper. Today, a few minutes (or seconds, depending on the that has evolved from
speed of your connection) using your mobile device’s elemental practices of counting,
measuring, and describing the
browser could get you the same information, or even more. shapes of objects.
A few decades ago, it took hours for photographs to be  Mathematics is a useful way to
printed and shared. Now, it only takes a matter of seconds think about nature and our
for your perfect selfie to be uploaded and viewed by your world.
 Mathematics is a tool to
relatives and friends on the other side of the world. quantify, organize and control
our world, predict phenomena
In this fast-paced society, how often have you stopped to and make life easier for us.
appreciate the beauty of the things around you? Have you
ever paused and pondered about the underlying principles
that govern the universe? How about contemplating about Where is Mathematics?
the processes and mechanisms that make our lives easier, if  Many patterns and occurences
not more comfortable? Most people do the same routine exist in nature, in our world, in
tasks every day and the fundamental concepts that make our life. Mathematics helps
these activities possible are often overlooked. make sense of these patterns
and occurences.
As rational creatures, we tend to identify and follow
patterns, whether consciously or subconsciously. Importance of Mathematics
Recognizing patterns feels natural, like our brain is 1. Math is good for the brain promotes
hardwired to recognize them. Early humans recognized the logical and analytical thinking
repeating interval of day and night, the cycle of the moon, 2. Math helps you with your finances.
the rising and falling of tides, and the changing of the 3. Math makes you a better cook.
4. Every career uses math.
seasons. Awareness of these patterns allowed humans to 5. Time Management.
survive. In similar fashion, many flora and fauna also follow 6. Helps you understand the world
certain patterns such as the arrangement of leaves and stems better.
in plant, the shape of snowflake, the flowers’ petals, or even 7. Math is essential in a world of
the shape of a snail’s shell. constant change.

Do you also notice patterns around you? What other

examples can you think of?
In this chapter, we will be looking at patterns and
regularities in the world, and how mathematics comes into Father of
play, both in nature and in human endeavors. mathematics

(Richard N. Aufmann, et.al, Mathematics in the Modern World,

Philippine Edition, Rex Book Store, Inc. 2018) 287 BC – 212 BC

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Sorsogon State University GE-14 Mathematics in the Modern World MMW M O D U L E 1

Patterns and Numbers in Nature

1.1 and the World

Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form found in

the natural world and can also be seen in the universe.

Nature patterns are not just to be admired, they are vital

clues to the rules that govern natural processes.

Patterns define as;

▪ regular
▪ Repeated
▪ Recurring forms or designs
▪ Identify relationships
▪ Find logical connections to form generalizations
▪ predictions

Examples:
1. Patterns can be observed even in stars which move in circles across the sky each day.
2. The weather season cycle each year. All snowflakes contain sixfold symmetry which no
two are the same.

3. Patterns can be seen in fish patterns like spotted trunkfish, spotted puffer, blue spotted
stingray, spotted moral eel, coral grouper, red lionfish, yellow boxfish, and angelfish.
These animals and fish stripes and spots attest to mathematical regularities in biological
growth and form.

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Patterns and Numbers in Nature

1.1 and the World

Examples:
4.Zebras, tigers, cats, and snakes are covered in patterns of stripes; leopards and hyenas are
covered in a pattern of spots, and giraffes are covered in a pattern of blotches.

4. Natural patterns like the intricate waves across the oceans; dunes on deserts; formation
of the typhoon; water drop with ripple and others. These serve as clues to the rules that
govern the flow of water, sand, and air.

5. Other patterns in nature can also be seen in the ball of mackerel, the V-formation of geese
in the sky, and the tornado formation of starlings.

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Learning Task 1
1-4. Which of the figures can be used to continue the series given below?

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. What number comes next?

Write a Reflection of your

Learning using the Guide
Questions below.

Learning Task 2
 Make a simple research paper with oral presentation focus on  1. What new ideas
identifying where mathematics, patterns and or numbers about mathematics did
(patterns, series, sequence etc.) are evident in nature. It can be you learn?
any of the following:
▪ Short videos  2. what is most useful
▪ Pictures about mathematics for
▪ documentaries humankind?
▪ and other collections (e.g. the sunflower, snail’s shell, flower
petals, etc.)

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Sorsogon State University GE-14 Mathematics in the Modern World MMW M O D U L E 1

Patterns and Regularities Types of Patterns

 Mathematics is all around us. As 1. SYMMETRY – a sense of harmonious and beautiful

we discover more about our proportion of balance or an object is invariant to any
environment, we can various transformations (reflection, rotation, or

mathematically describe nature. scaling.)

a.) Bilateral Symmetry : asymmetry in
The beauty of a flower, the
which the left and right sides of the organism
majestic tree, even the rock can be divided into approximately mirror
images of each other along the midline.
formation exhibits nature’s sense Symmetry exists in living things such as
insects, animals, plants, flowers, and others.
of symmetry.
Animals have mainly bilateral or vertical
 Have you ever thought about how symmetry, even leaves of plants and some
flowers such as orchids.
nature likes to arrange itself in

patterns to act efficiently?

Nothing in nature happens

without a reason, all of these

patterns have an important

reason to exist and they also

happen to be beautiful to watch.

b.) Radial Symmetry (or rotational symmetry): asymmetry around a fixed point known as the
center and it can be classified as either cyclic or dihedral . Plants often have radial or rotational
symmetry, as to flowers and some groups of animals. Five-fold symmetry is found in the
echinoderms, the group in which includes starfish (dihedral-D5 symmetry), sea urchins, and sea
lilies. Radial symmetry suits organisms like sea anemones whose adults do not move and
jellyfish(dihedral-D4 symmetry). Radial symmetry is also evident in different kinds of flowers.

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Sorsogon State University GE-14 Mathematics in the Modern World MMW M O D U L E 1

Types of Patterns

Order of Rotation Why bees used hexagon in making

honeycomb and not any other polygons?

A figure has a
rotational symmetry of Packing Problem
order n (n-fold rotational
symmetry) if 1/n of a It involves finding
complete turn leaves the optimum method of
the figure unchanged filling up a given space
such as a cubic or
spherical container.
Proof: Suppose you have circles of radius 1cm,
each of which will then have an area of 𝜋𝑐𝑚2. We
are then going to fill a plane with these circles using
square packing and hexagonal packing.

For square packing, each square will have an area

of 4cm2. Note from the figure that for each square,
it can fit only one circle (4quarters). The percentage
of the square’s area covered by circles will be

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2
For hexagonal packing, we • The are of the hexagon is 6√3𝑐𝑚
2
can think of each hexagon as • The total area of a circle is 3𝜋𝑐𝑚
composed of six equilateral
triangles with side equal to
2cm. The area of each
triangle is given by

It can clearly see that using

hexagons will cover a larger area
than when using squares.

2. FRACTALS – a curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical
character as the whole. A fractal is a never-ending pattern found in nature. The same shape
is replicated in a process called “self-similarity.” The pattern repeats itself over and over
again at different scales. For example, a tree grows by repetitive branching. This same kind
of branching can be seen in lightning bolts and the veins in your body. Examine a single fern
or an aerial view of an entire river system and you’ll see fractal patterns.

3. SPIRALS - A logarithmic spiral or growth spiral is a self-similar spiral curve that often
appears in nature. It was first described by Rene Descartes and was later investigated by
Jacob Bernoulli. A spiral is a curved pattern that focuses on a center point and a series
of circular shapes that revolve around it. Examples of spirals are pine cones, pineapples,
hurricanes. The reason why plants use a spiral form is that they are constantly trying to
grow but stay secure.

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Tiger’s Stripes and The Snail’s Flower Petals

The Sunflower
Hyena’s Spot Shell

Patterns exhibited in the external

appearances of animals. The tiger Looking at a As the snails Flowers are
looks and hyena’s spot, these sunflower, there grow, their easily
seemingly random designs are is a definite shells also considered as
believed to be governed by
pattern of expand things of
mathematical equation.
clockwise and proportionally. beauty.
counterclockwise This process
According to the theory of Allan Flowers with
Turing the chemical factors in the arc of spirals results in a
five petals are
cell determine growth patterns, extending refined spiral
said to be the
and influence factors like hair outward from the structure, it is
color. There are two chemical
most common.
center of the called as
process: reaction and diffusion. flower equiangular Number of
spiral. petals are all
Fibonacci
numbers.

Learning Task 3
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
A. The exponential growth model A=50e0.07t
describes the population of a city in the Philippines
in thousands, t years after 1997.
1. What is the population after 20 years?
2. What is the population in 2037?
B. Substitute the given values in the formula
rt
A = Pe to find the missing quantity.
1. P = 680,000; r = 12% per year; t = 8 years
2. A = 1,240,000; r = 8% per year; t = 30 years
3. A = 786,000; P = 247,000; t = 17 years
4. A = 731,093; P = 525,600; r = 3% per year
C. Suppose the population of a certain bacteria in a
laboratory sample is 100. If it doubles in population
every 6 hours, what is the growth rate? How many
bacteria will there be in two days?

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1.2 The Fibonacci Sequence

FIBONACCI
▪ Also known as Leonardo Bonacci,
Leonardo of Pisa, or Leonardo Bigollo
Pisano.
▪ Was an Italian mathematician from the
Republic of Pisa.
▪ Consifered to be “the most talented
western mathematician of the Middle
Ages”.

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Example: Learning Task 4

Analyze the given sequence for its rule
and identify the next three terms.
A. Let Fib(n) be the nth term of the fibonacci
a. 1, 10, 100, 1000 sequence, with Fib(1)=1, Fib(2)=1, Fib(3)=2, and
b. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20 so on.
Solution: a. Find Fib(8).
a. Looking at the set of numbers, it can be b. Find Fib(19).
observed that each term is a power of c. If Find Fib(22)=17,711 and Fib(24)=46,368,
10: what is Fib(23)?
1=10, 10=10, 100=10, and 1,000=10.
Following this rule, the next three terms B. Evaluate the following sums:
are 10 = 10,000, 10 = 100,000, and 10 = a. Fib(1) + Fib(2) = _____
1,000,000. b. Fib(1) + Fib(2) + Fib(3) = _____
c. Fib(1) + Fib(2) + Fib(3) + Fib(4) = _____
b. The difference between the first and
second terms (2 and 5) is 3. The C. Determine the pattern in the successive
difference between the second and third sums from the previous question. What will
terms (5 and 9) is 4. The difference be the sum of Fib(1) + Fib(2) + … + Fib(10)?
between the third and fourth terms (9
and 14) is 5. The difference between the D. If you have a wooden board that is 0.75
fourth and the fifth terms is 6. Following meters wide, how long should you cut it such
this rule, it can be deduced that to obtain that the Golden Ratio is observed? Use 1.618
the next three terms, we should add, as the value of the Golden Ratio.
7,8,9, respectively, to the current term.
Hence, the next three terms are 20 + 7 =
27, 27 + 8 = 35, 35+9 = 44.

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1.3 Mathematics for our World

We have seen in the preceding lessons how evident mathematics is in the natural world, specially
in how the patterns that we observe in nature follow logical and mathematical structures. It is, therefore,
important that we learn mathematical concepts and apply them in solving societal problems.

Mathematics for Organization Mathematics for Prediction

A lot of events happen around us. In the blink It is sometimes said that history repeats
of an eye; itself. As much as we can use mathematical models
using existing data to generate analysis and
• several children have have already been interpretations, we can also use them to make
born, predictions.
• liters of water have been consumed, and
• thousands of comments, pictures in fb have Applying the concept of probability, experts
been posted. can calculate the chance of an event occurring.

For us to make sense of all available Examples:

information; The weather is a prime example. Based on
• we need mathematical tools to help us make historical patterns, meteorologists can make
sound analysis and better decisions. forecasts to help us prepare for our day-to-
day activities. They can also warn us of
Examples: weather disturbances that can affect our
A particular store can gather data on the activities for weeks or months.
shopping habits of its customers and make Astronomers also use patterns to predict the
necessary adjustments to help drive sales. occurrence of meteor showers or eclipses.
On the night of May 25-27, 2021 observers in
Scientists can plot bird migration routes to
Oceania, Hawaii, eastern Asia and Antarctica
help conserve endangered animal
will see a lunar eclipse that coincides with the
populations. moon's closest approach to Earth — making it a
Social media analysis can crunch all online "supermoon" eclipse that will turn the moon
postings using software to gauge the reddish — also known as a "blood moon." (The
netizens’ sentiments on particular issues or dates of this eclipse span two days because the
personalities. area it will be visible spans the international date
line).

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The Laser Interferometer Gravitational

Mathematics for Control Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced that it
We have demonstrated by means of found evidence of this phenomenon.
examples around us that patterns are definitely
present in the universe. There seems to be an
underlying mathematical structure in the way that
natural objects and phenomenon behave
The following observations of nature, as well
as their interactions and relationships, could be
more elegantly described by means of Through the use of mathematics, man is
mathematical equations. also able to exert control over himself and the
effects of nature.
▪ Photographers could capture a single
moment through snapshot.
▪ Videographers could record events Mathematics is Indispensable
as they unfold.
How is it possible that mathematics, a product of human
▪ Painters and sculptors could create thought that is independent of experience, fits so
masterpieces in interpreting their excellently the objects of reality? -Albert Einstein-
surroundings.
▪ Poets could use beautiful words to In this module, it was highlighted how
describe an object. mathematics plays a huge role in the underpinnings
▪ Musicians could capture and of our world. We have seen it in living creatures and
reproduce sounds that they hear. natural phenomena. We have also looked at
examples of how mathematical concepts could be
(“With a few symbols on a page, you can describe a wealth of applied.
physical phenomena.”) – Briane Greene, astrophysicist
Whether you are on your way to becoming a
It is interesting then to ponder on how doctor, an engineer, an accountant, a public
mathematics, an invention of the human mind, servant, or a chef, a knowledge of mathematics will
seems to permeate the natural laws that hold the be helpful.
universe together. At the most basic level, logical reasoning
and critical thinking are crucial skills that are
There have been instances when a natural needed in any endeavor.
phenomenon has been speculated to exist because As such, the study of mathematics should be
mathematics says so but no hrd evidence have embraced as it paves the way for more educated
been found to support its existence. decisions and in a way, brings us closer to
understanding the natural world.
Such phenomenon were proven to exist only
when advancements in technology have allowed us
to expand our horizons.
Learning Task 5
Essay. One-two-page synthesis paper focusing on
Examples:
one of the following aspects of mathematics:
In 1916, Albert Einstein hypothesized the
1. Mathematics helps organize patterns
existence of gravitational waves based on
and regularities in the world.
his theory of general relativity. This is when
2. Mathematics helps predict the behavior
“ripples” are formed in the fabric of space-
of nature and phenomena in the world.
time due to large and violet cosmic events,
3. Mathematics helps control nation and the
very much like when pebble is thrown on a
occurences in the world for our own
stagnant pond.
ends.

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