MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD |SEM 1

PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN

NATURE AND THE WORLD
○ A very curious pattern indeed occurs in the petals of flowers.
PATTERNS In nearly all flowers, the number of petals is one of the
○ We live in a universe of patterns (Stewart, 1995). He added numbers that occur in the strange sequence 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34,
that the human mind and culture have developed a formal 55, 89. There is a definite pattern to those numbers, but one
system of thought for recognizing, classifying, and that takes a little digging out: each number is obtained by
exploiting patterns. We call it mathematics. By using adding the previous two numbers together. For example, 3
mathematics to organize and systematize our ideas about + 5 = 8, 5 + 8 = 13, and so on. The same numbers can be
patterns, we have discovered a great secret: nature’s found in the spiral patterns of seeds in the head of a
patterns are not just there to be admired; they are vital clues sunflower.
to the rules that govern natural processes. Patterns possess ○ The simplest mathematical objects are numbers, and the
utility as well as beauty. simplest of nature’s patterns are numerical. The phases of
○ Patterns are regular, repeated, or recurring forms or design the moon make a complete cycle from new moon to full
(Aufmann, et al, 2018). moon and back again every twenty-eight days. The cycle of
○ As students, studying patterns helps you identify day and night occurs in 24 hours. A year is roughly 365
relationships and recognize logical connections for you to days. Land animals have either 2, 4, 6, 8 … legs. And the list
form generalizations and create predictions. continues.
○ Patterns of symmetry, fractals, waves, chaos, spirals and
Examples others are abundantly manifested by nature in their shapes,
○ Every night the stars move in circles across the sky. The regular nightly
forms and movements. Many shells form spirals, most flora
motion of the stars is a clue, this time to the fact that the Earth rotates.
○ Tigers and zebras are covered in patterns of stripes while leopards and and fauna are bilaterally symmetrical and viruses assume
hyenas are covered in patterns of spots. The tiger’s stripes and the geometric shapes. Observe how we walk, how animals
hyena’s spots attest to mathematical regularities in biological growth move in complex but equally rhythmic patterns – galloping
and form. of horses; scuttling of insects; flight of birds; pulsations of
○ Intricate trains of waves march across the oceans; very similar trains of
sand dunes march across the desert. Waves and dunes are clues to the
jellyfish; wavelike movements of fishes, worms and snakes
rules that govern the flow of water, sand, and air. and the rotation movement of tiny bacteria.
○ Colored arcs of light adorn the sky in the form of rainbows and ○ Humans have the ability to recognize patterns and by
sometimes a bright circular halo surrounds the moon on winter nights. studying them, we are able to discover the underlying
Rainbows tell us about the scattering of light, and indirectly confirm that mathematical principles behind nature’s designs.
raindrops are spheres. Lunar haloes are clues to the shape of ice crystals.
The planets were the clues to the rules behind gravity and motion.
○ The symmetries are evident in the way nature forms exuding pleasing MATHEMATICS FOR OUR WORLD
proportionality and balance.
Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities in the world.
It helps predict the behavior of nature and phenomena and assists
Reflection (Line Symmetry) us to exert control over occurrences for the development and
○ Capture symmetries in advancement of human civilization.
which half of the pattern
is the same as the other Mathematics for Organization
half (FLIP). ○ We need mathematical tools to help us make sound analysis
and better decisions.
○ For example, the teachers can gather data on the learning
styles of students to implement appropriate strategies and
improve students’ academic performance. Scientists can
Rotation (Radial Symmetry) plot migration routes of animals to help conserve
○ Capture symmetries in which endangered animal populations.
the same unit repeat around a
circle (TURN). Mathematics for Prediction
○ It is a symmetry around a fixed ○ We use mathematical models with existing data to generate
point (center). analysis and interpretation and make predictions. Using
○ Can either be a cyclic or probability, experts can calculate the occurrence of an
dihedral. event.
○ The best example is weather. Meteorologists can make
weather forecasts to help us prepare for our daily activities.
Translation (Translational Symmetry)
○ Capture symmetries in Mathematics for Control
which units are repeated. ○ Through the use of mathematics, humans are able to exert
○ Transformation that slide control over themselves and the effects of nature.
objects without rotation ○ In the threat of climate change and global warming, it is
(SLIDE). believed that unless we change our behavior, patterns are
said to indicate the rise in catastrophic level of sea levels and
increase in global temperature.

|CRUZ BSN 1C
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD |SEM 1
THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE AND
THE GOLDEN RATIO
Using digits 1-9; fill in the squares such that the
numbers in rows, columns and diagonals have the
same sum and no digit is used more than once. In
mathematics, we can generate patterns by
performing one or several mathematical
operations repeatedly. Suppose we choose the
number 3 as the first number in our pattern. We then choose to
add 5 to our first number, resulting in 8, which is our second
number. Repeating this process, we obtain 13, 18, 23, 28… as the
succeeding numbers that form our pattern. In mathematics, we
call these ordered lists of numbers a sequence.

SEQUENCE
○ an ordered list of numbers, called terms, which may have
repeated values. The arrangement of these terms is set by a
definite rule.

Example 1:
a) 1, 10, 100, 1000, _______, ________, ________. Looking at the set of
numbers, it can be observed that each term is a power of 10: 1 = 100, 10 =
101, 100 = 102, and 1,000 = 103. Following this rule, the next three terms are:
104 = 10,000, 105 = 100,000, and 106 = 1,000,000.
b) 2, 5, 9, 14, 20, _______, ________, ________. The difference between the
first and second terms (2 and 5) is 3. The difference between the second
and third terms (5 and 9) is 4. The difference between the third and fourth
terms (9 and 14) is 5. The difference between the fourth and the fifth terms
is 6. Following this rule, it can be deduced that to obtain the next three
terms are 20 + 7 = 27, 27 + 8 = 35, 35 +9 = 44.
c) 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, _____, _____, _____. The Fibonacci
sequence begins with the following 14 integers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34,
55, 89. Each number, starting with the third, adheres to the prescribed
formula. For example, the seventh number, 8, is preceded by 3 and 5,
which add up to 8. Following this rule, it can be deduced that to obtain the
next three terms are 144, 233, 377.

LEONARDO OF PISA
○ Item c above is a special sequence called
the Fibonacci sequence. It is named after
the Italian mathematician Leonardo of
Pisa, who was better known by his
nickname Fibonacci.
○ He is one of the best-known
mathematicians of medieval Europe.
○ In 1202, after a trip that took him to several Arab and Eastern
countries, Fibonacci wrote the book Liber Abaci. In this book
Fibonacci explained why the Hindu-Arabic numeration
system that he had learned about during his travels was a
more sophisticated and efficient system than the Roman
numeration system. This book also contains a problem
created by Fibonacci that concerns the birth rate of rabbits.

Fibonacci is said to have discovered this

sequence as he looked at how a hypothesized
group of rabbits bred and reproduced.
The problem involved having a single pair of
rabbits and then finding out how many pairs
of rabbits will be born in a year, with the
assumption that a new pair of rabbits born
each month and this new pair, in turn,
gives birth to additional pairs of rabbits
beginning at two months after they were
born.

|CRUZ BSN 1C