Mathematics in Modern World

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

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Chapter 1 - MATHEMATICS in our WORLD

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Chapter 1 – Mathematics in our World

Objectives:
To cite examples of some applications of
mathematics in our everyday lives.
To define the meanings of the different
mathematical patterns applied to our daily lives.
To prove that mathematics has importance not
only in science but in our surroundings as well.

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

1.1 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World

This lesson presents the nature of mathematics. It

reveals hidden beautiful patterns found in nature
and introduce the famous mathematical number
sequence that is related to nature.

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.1.1 Nature of Mathematics

• The word mathematics comes from the Greek word

“máthēma” (noun) which means "learning”.
• Mathematics has no universally accepted definition
(Tobies, 2012).
• According to Webster’s dictionary, “Mathematics is
the science of number and their operations,
interrelations, combinations, generalizations and
abstractions and of space configurations and
generalizations. 5

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.1.1 Nature of Mathematics

1. Mathematics is the science of quantity. – Aristotle

2. Mathematics is the language in which god has written in the
universe. - Galileo
3. The science of indirect measurement. - Auguste Comte
4. Mathematics is the classification and study of all possible patterns.  -
Walter Warwick Sawyer
5. Mathematics is our one and only strategy for understanding the
complexity of nature. – Ralph Abraham
6. Mathematics is a formal system of thought for recognizing,
classifying, and exploiting patterns and relationships. - Stewart 6

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.1.1 Nature of Mathematics

It can be seen that the definition of mathematics

changes according to specific lights. Thus,
mathematics maybe defined as the study of patterns
which may be numerical, logical or geometric.
Mathematics as the study of patterns will be the
focus of the lesson.

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.1.2 Patterns in Nature

1. The snowflake
2. The honeycomb
3. The sunflower
4. The snail’s shell
5. Flower’s petals
6. Weather
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Snowflakes

Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Honeycomb

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 The
Sunflower
All the sunflowers in
the world show a
number of spirals
that are within the
Fibonacci sequence

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

The Snail’s
Shell

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 Petals of flowers
FLOWERS NUMBER OF PETALS
Lilies 3
Buttercups 5
Delphiniums 8
Marigolds 13
Asters 21
Daisies 34, 55, 89
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Cycle of
Seasons

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS
 1.1.2 Patterns in Nature
A pattern is an organized arrangement of objects in space
or time. It must have something that is repeated either
exactly or according to recognizable transformations. It is
the opposite of chaos.
example:
0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ?

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.1.2 Patterns in Nature

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.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 Symmetry

is when a shape looks

identical to its original shape
after being flipped or turned.
Reflective symmetry, or line
symmetry means that one half of an
image is the mirror image of the
other half.
Rotational symmetry means that
the object or image can be turned
around a center point and match
itself some number of times.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 Cracks

are linear openings that

form in materials to
relieve stress. The pattern
of cracks indicates
whether the material is
elastic or not. Some
examples are old pottery
surface, drying inelastic
mud, and palm trunk with
branching vertical cracks.
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Tessellation or Tiling
Distinct shapes are formed
from several geometric
units (tiles) that all fit
together with no gaps or
overlaps to form an
interesting and united
pattern.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 Fractal Pattern

is when an object exhibits self-

similar shape or form at any
scale and repeat itself overtime.
Trees are natural fractals,
patterns that repeat smaller and
smaller copies of themselves to
create the biodiversity of a
forest.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.1.3 Numbers in Nature
The natural world is full of sets of numbers. The
Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and
so on), that is, it follows a trivial logic in which the sum
of the later two numbers gives rise to the next number in
the sequence.
It is a simple pattern, but it appears to be a kind of built-
in numbering system to the universe.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Number in Flowers

An interesting fact
is that the number
of petals on a
flower always
turns out to be a
fibonacci number.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Another example is if you look at the bottom of pinecone,
and count clockwise and anti-clockwise number of
spirals, they turn out to be adjacent fibonacci numbers.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

The head of a flower is also subject to Fibonaccian
processes. Typically, seeds are produced at the center, and
then migrate towards the outside to fill all the space.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2 Fibonnaci Sequence and the Golden Ratio

This lesson presents a general view of

mathematical sequence, Fibonacci sequence and
Golden Ratio. It explains the existence of
Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio in
nature.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

A sequence is an ordered list of numbers; the numbers in this

ordered list are called the elements or the terms of the
sequence. The arrangement of these terms is set by a definite
rule. If a1, a2, a3, a4,……… etc. Where “a” denote the terms of
a sequence, then 1,2,3,4,…..denotes the position of the term.
A sequence can be defined based upon the number of terms i.e.
either finite sequence or infinite sequence. If a1, a2, a3, a4, …….
is a sequence, then the corresponding series is given by
Sn = a1+a2+a3 + ... + an
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

Example 1. Describe the following sequences.

{1, 2, 3, 4,…} is a very simple sequence (and it is an infinite
sequence)
{20, 25, 30, 35,…} is also an infinite sequence.
{1, 3, 5, 7} is the sequence of the first 4 odd numbers (and is a
finite sequence)
{1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, …} is an infinite sequence where every term
doubles
{a, b, c, d, e} is the sequence of the first 5 letters alphabetically.
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

An arithmetic sequence is a list of numbers with a definite

pattern. If you take any number in the sequence then subtract it
by the previous one, and the result is always the same
or constant then it is an arithmetic sequence.
 The constant difference in all pairs
of consecutive or successive numbers in a sequence is called
the common difference, denoted by the letter d.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

Example 2. Find the next term in the sequence below.

 2, 5, 8,11,14, ___
 

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

A geometric sequence is a sequence of numbers where each term

after the first is found by multiplying the previous one by a fixed,
non-zero number called the common ratio.
A geometric sequence goes from one term to the next by
always multiplying (or dividing) by the same value. So 1, 2, 4, 8,
16,... is geometric, because each step multiplies by two;
The number multiplied (or divided) at each stage of a
geometric sequence is called the "common ratio" r, because
dividing (that is, if you find the ratio of) successive terms, the
value are the same.
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

•  
Example 4. Find the common ratio and the seventh term
of the following sequence:

To find the common ratio, divide a successive pair of terms.

 
The ratio is always 3, so r = 3.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.1 Sequence

Since the problem has given the five terms, the sixth term is the very
next term; the seventh will be the term after that. To find the value
of the seventh term, multiply the fifth term by the common ratio
twice:

a6 = (18)(3) = 54

a7 = (54)(3) = 162

Thus, the common ratio: r = 3 and the seventh term is 162.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.2 The Fibonacci Sequence

The Fibonacci sequence is a set of numbers that starts

with a one or a zero, followed by a one, and proceeds
based on the rule that each number (called a
Fibonacci number) is equal to the sum of the
preceding two numbers.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 1.2.2 The Fibonacci Sequence

The Fibonacci spiral also known as golden spiral has an association

with the golden mean, and it is based on the Fibonacci sequence.
Fibonacci spiral is also reffered to as golden spiral.

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

•   1.2.2 The Fibonacci Sequence

Binet’s Formula

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

FIBONACCI
IN
NATURE
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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

 Pineapples have spirals formed by their
hexagonal nubs. The nubs on many
pineapples form 8 spirals that rotate
diagonally upward to the left and 13
Fibonacci spirals that rotate diagonally upward to
the right. The numbers 8 and 13 are
in consecutive Fibonacci numbers.
Pineapple

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Emerson Jay Bellon, DMNS

Fibonacci in Pinecone

The number of spirals going from

the center of the cone (where it
attached to the tree) to the outside
edge. Count the spirals in both
directions. The resulting numbers are
usually two consecutive Fibonacci
numbers.

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Fibonacci in Plants

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JOSEPH G. TABAN,
Fibonacci in Inside the fruit of many
Fruits plants we can observe the
presence of Fibonacci
order.

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 1.2.3 The Golden Ratio
Golden ratio, also known as the golden section, golden
mean, or divine proportion, in mathematics, the 
irrational number (1 + √5)/2, often denoted by the Greek
letter ϕ or τ, which is approximately equal to 1.61803 39887
49894 84820. In the world of mathematics, the numeric
value is called "phi", named for the Greek sculptor Phidias.

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 1.2.3 The Golden Ratio
It is the ratio of a line segment cut into two pieces of different lengths
such that the ratio of the whole segment to that of the longer segment is
equal to the ratio of the longer segment to the shorter segment. The origin
of this number can be traced back to Euclid, who mentions it as the
“extreme and mean ratio” in the Elements.

 
𝒂 𝒂 +𝒃
=
𝒃 𝒂
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 1.2.3 The Golden Ratio
The relationship of the Fibonacci sequence to the Golden Ratio lies not
in the actual numbers of the sequence, but in the ratio of the consecutive
numbers.
2/1 = 2.0
3/2 = 1.5
5/3 = 1.67
8/5 = 1.6
13/8 = 1.625
21/13 = 1.615
34/21 = 1.619
55/34 = 1.618
89/55 = 1.618 43
Golden Ratio in
Nature

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Golden Ratio in Architecture and
Engineering

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Golden Ratio in
Arts

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Golden Ratio in
Humans

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