Republic of the Philippines

Sorsogon State College

Sorsogon City Campus
Sorsogon City
________________________________________________________________________
JHON DAVE SURBANO
BSED-SCIENCE 1A
MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

READING ASSIGNMENT:

Read chapters 1 to 5 of Ian Stewart ‘s Nature ‘s Number and be ready to answer the following
discussion questions.

1. Which sentence or paragraph in the first five chapters is your favorite? Why?
My favorite phrase is derived from chapter 3 saying that “Numbers are the heart of mathematics;
Mathematics is not mostly a matter of numbers”. Those phrases were able to catch my attention and
through that phrases I was able to realized that it is indeed that numbers greatly the major and
significant ingredients of mathematics. It is emphasizing my knowledge in terms of this aspect because I
discovered that like humans, mathematics also has a heart. Mathematics is useless without numbers or
numerical integers. That’s why, numbers are the vital part of mathematics that mostly dictate the
mathematical processes and solutions. I knew that the world of mathematics is not just about numbers;
however, numbers is still the very significant elements in building the foundations of mathematics. As
an individual, I admit that I like mathematics due to numbers. Nonetheless, as what is stated, I believed
that mathematics is not just about numbers, but it is also a tool of applications and operations. What I
mean is, mathematics is one of the tools in order to understand a certain concept and also a tool to
equip the individual with quantitative learnings and ideas. I therefore reflect that mathematics has a
function in our daily lives that inter and interventions processes which enable us to come up and
discovered to understand each equation or purposed in any kinds of patterns.

2. Is there any statement or point of view in the first five chapters that you disagree with?

I definitely agreed with Stewart’s point of views and ideas, but If there is only one thing (although I
respect his personal point of view) that I would disagree with is that Stewart generalizes his point of
view in some of the statements. Say for instance, he stated that all of the mathematicians are describe
as creators. Although, this is a valid perspective, but not all of the mathematicians will treat themselves
as creators. Some of them will see themselves as explorers, not creators. Subsequently, not all of the
mathematicians will believe and see mathematics as being “invented”, some of them will still believe
that it was being “discovered”.
3. How would you summarize each chapter (in one, two, or three sentences per chapter)?

Chapter 1: Stewart begun his book by elucidating and describing that nature is endowed with
multitude of patterns and clues. Patterns and clues are evident that it become a key to unfold the
nature secrets, to recognize new discoveries in natural world/universe, to show the uniqueness nor
the similarities in all living things, and to understand more deeply the behavior, beauty, and
numerical basis of nature. Thus, as harmonies and appreciations in patterns are become visible, it
become reason to create variations (such as fractals and spirals) uses, kinds (numerical or
geometric), movements, and applications.

Chapter 2: Stewart trots the book through of major mathematical discoveries by exemplifying some
of the discoveries of notable person such as Kepler/s planetary motion and Leibniz/Newton’s
invention of calculus. He mentioned that mathematics is a providing tool (which let the scientist
understand what nature is doing) and a providing new theoretical questions (which let the
mathematicians explore further). He also stated that nature exploits every pattern that there is and
believed that mathematics is not just about analyzation, but it is also a matter of prediction.

Chapter 3: Stewart embarked and explained the discovery, history, and evolution of numbers. He
clearly and distinctively outlines the applications and invention of the variation of fractions and
numbers (natural, rational, real, complex, etc.…) Generally, he believed that mathematics is not just
about numbers, but it is also about applications (operations and functions) and in compare of
landscapes --- in which similar proofs and theories are clustered together to create peak and
through.

Chapter 4: Stewart explains how the changes in nature can be described by mathematical processes
through the Isaac Newton’s basic insights and ideas. As what he stated, Newton invented Calculus
to help work-out solutions to the moving bodies through basic operations with differentiation and
integration. Calculating rates of change is a crucial aspect of mathematics, engineering, cosmology,
and many other areas of science.

Chapter 5: Stewart stated the historical recap of how the formula and equations was existed by
giving initial investigations into the way a violin string vibrates and how those formula and
equations turned out to be useful in mapping electricity and magnetism. He also describes the
contributions made by Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Heinrich Hertz, and Guglielmo
Marconi. Likewise, he also made a point that mathematical theory tends to start with the simple
and immediate that grow-ever more complicated.

4. How does Stewart differentiate the external aspects of mathematics from the internal aspects of
mathematics?

As what I have understand when I read Stewart’s book, he differentiates the internal and
external aspects of mathematics which implied way of presenting and describing the statements.
Based on what I have learned; the internal aspects of mathematics focus on the nature of
mathematical reasoning (or how the mathematical numbers were derived and exemplified). While,
external aspects of mathematics merely focus on the specific topics or components that build-up
the subject.
I am not sure with this, but the example of external aspects of mathematics are the fractions
and patterns. On the other hand, internal aspects of mathematics are the problem-solving and
reasoning