Nature of Mathematics

Gina May Natividad

August 23, 2019

 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Patterns

Patterns are regular, repeated, or recurring forms or designs.

Human mind and culture have developed a formal system of thought
for recognizing, classifying, and exploiting patterns called mathematics.
By using mathematics to organize and systemize our ideas about
patterns, we have discovered a great secret: nature's patterns are not
just there to be admired, they are vital clues to the rules that govern
natural processes.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Patterns

Example.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Patterns

Example.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Patterns

Example. How many tiles are there in the 5th gure of the sequence?

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Patterns

Example. How many tiles are there in the 6th gure of the sequence?

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Patterns

Example.

What number comes next in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, _?

What number comes next in 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, _?

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Bilateral Symmetry

Bilateral Symmetry

Symmetry indicates that you can draw an imaginary line across an

object and the resulting parts are mirror images of each other.

Bilateral Symmetry is a symmetry where an image is divided into two

exactly the same portions.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Bilateral Symmetry

Example.

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man showing the proportions and symmetry of the
human body

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Bilateral Symmetry

Example.

Human face has bilateral symmetry

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Rotational Symmetry

Rotational Symmetry

There are other types of symmetry depending on the number of sides or

faces that are symmetrical.
An image has rotational symmetry if you can achieve the same
appearance after a rotation. The smallest angle that a gure can be
rotated while preserving the original formation is called the angle of
rotation.

A more common way of describing rotational symmetry is by order of

.
rotation

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Rotational Symmetry

An image has a rotational symmetry of order n (n-fold rotational

symmetry) if n1 of a complete turn leaves the gure unchanged. To
compute for the angle of rotation, we use the following formula:
360◦
Angle of rotation = .
n

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Rotational Symmetry

Example.

Spiderwort with three-fold symmetry

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Rotational Symmetry

Example.

This starsh has a ve-fold symmetry.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Rotational Symmetry

Example.

Snowake with six-fold symmetry

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Weather

The Cycle of Seasons

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Packing Problem

Honeycomb
Packing problems involve nding the optimum method of lling up a
given space.
Why do the cells of a honeycomb have hexagonal form?
- The shape turns out to be economical: much honey is enclosed by
minimum beeswax.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World Sunowers

Sunowers
You will notice that there is a denite pattern of clockwise and
counterclockwise arcs or spirals extending outward from the center of the
ower. This arrangement allows the sunower seeds to occupy the ower's
head in a way that maximizes their access to light and necessary nutrients.

Sunower optimizing the available space

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World World Population

World Population

World leaders, sociologists, and anthropologists are interested in studying

population, including its growth. Mathematics can be used to model
population growth.
The formula for the exponential growth is
A = Pe rt ,

where A is the size of the population after time t , P is the initial

number of people, and r is the rate of growth. Recall that e is Euler's
constant with an approximate value of 2.718.

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 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World World Population

Examples
1 The exponential growth model A = 30e 0.02t describes the population
of a city in the Philippines in thousands, t years after 1995.
I What was the population on the city in 1995?
I What will be the population in 2017?
2 The exponential growth model A = 50e 0.07t describes the population
of a city in the Philippines in thousands, t years after 1997?
I What is the population after 20 years?
I What is the population in 2037?

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 Fibonacci Sequence Introduction

Flower petals

Example.

Flowers Number of Petals

Lilies 3
Buttercups 5
Delphiniums 8
Marigolds 13
Asters 21
Daisies 34, 55, 89

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 Fibonacci Sequence Introduction

The Snail's Shell

Example.

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 Fibonacci Sequence Introduction

The Snail's Shell

Example.

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 Fibonacci Sequence Introduction

The Fibonacci Sequence

Think of this!

At the beginning of a month, you are given a pair of newborn rabbits.

After a month the rabbits have matured and have produced no ospring.
However, every month thereafter, the pair of matured rabbits produces
another pair of rabbits. The osprings reproduce in exactly the same
manner. If none of the rabbits dies, how many pairs of rabbits will there be
at the start of each succeeding month?

At the start of 4th month, how many pairs of rabbits will there be?

How about at the start of the 5th and 6th months?

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 Fibonacci Sequence Introduction

Solution.

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 Fibonacci Sequence Recursive Denition

If Fn represents the nth Fibonacci number, then the numbers in the

Fibonacci sequence are given by the following recursive denition:
F1 = 1, F2 = 1, and Fn = Fn−1 + Fn−2 for n ≥ 3.

Exercise.
Use the denition of Fibonacci numbers to nd the eleventh and twelfth
Fibonacci numbers.

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 Fibonacci Sequence Recursive Denition

Example.
Determine whether each of the following statements about Fibonacci
numbers is true or false. Note: The rst 10 terms of the Fibonacci
sequence are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and 55.
1 If n is even, then Fn is an odd number.

2 2Fn + 3 = Fn+2 .

3 2Fn − Fn−2 = Fn+1 for n ≥ 3.

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 Fibonacci Sequence Golden Ratio

Golden Ratio

The ratios of successive Fibonnaci numbers approach the number φ, also

known as the Golden Ratio. This is approximately equal to 1.618.
Golden ratio can be observed if for any positive number a an b where
a > b , then
a+b a
= = φ ≈ 1.61803
a b

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 Fibonacci Sequence Golden Ratio

Exercise.

If you have a wooden board that is 1 meter wide, how long should you cut
it such that the Golden Ratio is observed. Use 1.618 as the value of the
Golden Ratio.

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 Mathematics for our World Mathematics for Organization

Mathematics for Organization

A lot of events happen around us. In the blink of an eye, several children
have already been born, liters of water have been consumed, or thousands
of tweets have been posted. For us to make sense of all available
information, we need mathematical tools to help us make sound analysis
and better decisions. For instance,
a particular store can gather data on the shopping habits of its
customers and make necessary adjustments to help drive sales,
scientists can plot bird migration routes to help conserve endangered
animal populations,
social media analysts can crunch all online postings using software to
gauge the netizens' sentiments on particular issues or personalities.

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 Mathematics for our World Mathematics for Prediction

Mathematics for Prediction

It is sometimes said that history repeats itself. As much as we can use

mathematical models using existing data to generate analysis and
interpretations, we can also use them to make predictions. Applying the
concept of probability, experts can calculate the chance of an event
occurring. Examples:
Based on historical patterns, meteorologists can make forecasts to help
us prepare for our day-to-day activities.
They can also warn us of the weather disturbances that can aect our
activities for weeks or months.
Astronomers also use patterns to predict the occurrence of meteor
showers or eclipse.

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Synthesis Paper
Prepare a 2-page synthesis paper focusing on one of the following aspects
of Mathematics:
1 Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities in the world.

2 Mathematics hepls predict the behavior of nature and phenomena in

the world.
3 Mathematics helps control nature and occurrences in the world for our

own ends.
Format

Encoded/Typewritten on a short bond paper

Font - Times New Roman
Font size - 12
1 inch margin around
Spacing - 1.5
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