GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World

Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo

Nature of Mathematics

Mathematics in our World

Intended Learning Outcomes:

• Identify patterns in nature and regularities in the world
• Articulate importance of Mathematics in one’s life
• Argue about nature of mathematics what it is, how it is expressed,
represented, and used.
• Express appreciated for mathematics as a human endeavor.

Introduction:

The emergence of digital technology has sparked monumental rise in

the rate at which we consume and produce data. Before the Internet, it could
take hours to get several volumes of resources from the library for research
paper. Today, a few minutes (or seconds, depending on the speed of your
connection) using mobile phone’s browser could get you the same information,
or even more. A few decades ago, it took hours for photographs to be printed
and shared. Now, it only takes a matter of seconds for your perfect selfie to be
uploaded and viewed by your relatives and friends on the other side of the
world.

In this fast-paced society, how often have you stopped to 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 the process and mechanisms that make our lives easier, if not more
comfortable? Most people do the same routine tasks every day and the
fundamental concepts that make these activities possible are often overlooked.

As rational creatures, we tend to identify and follow patterns, whether

consciously or subconsciously. Recognizing patterns feels natural, like our
brain is hardwired to recognize them. Early humans recognized the repeating
interval of day and night, the cycle of the moon, the rising and falling of tides,
and the changing of the seasons. Awareness of these patterns allowed humans
to survive. In a similar fashion, many flora and fauna also follow certain patterns
such as the arrangement of leaves and stems in a plant, the shape of a
snowflake, the flowers’ petals, or even, the shape of a snail’s shell.

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 play, both in nature and in human endeavors.

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GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World
Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo

PATTERNS ANS NUMBERS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD

In general sense of the word, patterns are regular, repeated, or

recurring forms or designs.

A pattern is an arrangement of lines or shapes, especially a design in

which the same shape is repeated at regular intervals over a surface.

Let’s take a look at this pattern:

What do you think will be the next figure in the sequence? Logically, the
next figure that should follow is

Patterns with dots

Some problems for the pattern can also involve a pattern of dots, where
we need to find out the number and position of the dots in the pattern.

Examples

In the given examples, we found out the pattern by finding the dots that
were added to the next figure.

• Number patterns are not restricted to a few types. They could be

ascending, descending, multiples of a certain number, or series of even
numbers, odd numbers etc.

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GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World
Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo
Number Pattern

Number pattern is a pattern or sequence in a series of numbers. This

pattern generally establishes a common relationship between all numbers.

For example:

0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ...

Here, we get the numbers in the pattern by skip counting by 5. Given are
the steps to identify a number pattern.

To solve the problems of number pattern, we need first to find the rule
being followed in the pattern.

To find out the rule, we need to see the first few numbers in the series.

Try to see the difference between consecutive numbers, it will help us

understand the relationship between the numbers.

Example:

· 11, 17, 23, 29, 35, 41, 47, 53

In this pattern, we see that every term in the sequence has grown or
increased by 6 or the difference between any two consecutive numbers is 6.
So, we can get the next term by adding 6 to the previous term.

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GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World
Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo
Example:

· 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3

In this number pattern, we can see that every term in the sequence has
reduced by 3 or 3 has been subtracted from every number compared to its
previous one. So, we can subtract 3 from the previous term to get the next term.

In the above two examples, the number pattern is formed by a common

difference in all its terms.

Patterns indicate a sense of structure and organization that it seems only

humans are capable of producing these intricate, creative, and amazing
formations. It is from this perspective that some people see an “intelligent
design” in the way that nature forms.

Symmetry indicates that one can draw an imaginary line across an

object and the resulting parts are mirror images of each other. (see figure
below)

The figure above is symmetric about the axis indicated by the dotted line.
Note that the left and right portions are exactly the same. This type of symmetry,
known as line or bilateral symmetry, is evident in most animals, including
humans. Look in a mirror and see how the left and right sides of your face
closely match.

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GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World
Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo

Examples of Patterns and Symmetries in Nature

1. SNOWFLAKES – 6 fold
symmetry, “no two are alike”,
many snowflakes are not
perfectly symmetric due to the
effects of humidity and
temperature on the ice crystal as
it forms.

2. STARFISH – it is an example
of radial symmetry. Rotating this
animal one-fifth of a turn doesn't
change the object, its pattern, or
its appearance even though the
positions of the arms have
changed. In other words, the
pattern remains the same even
though the animal is rotated.

3. SPIDERWORT – threefold
symmetry, have nearly regular,
bisexual flowers with 3 sepals
and 3 petals, usually with 2
broad petals and the third
reduced in size.

4. ZEBRAS – alternating pattern

of the black and white stripes is
governed by the mathematical rule of
the pigmentation chemical of the skin.

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GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World
Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo

5. CHAMBERED NAUTILUS SHELL – the spiral shape is called the

logarithmic spiral.

6. SPIDER WEBS – illustrates a beautiful geometric pattern.

7. PINE CONES – the pattern

demonstrate the Fibonacci
sequence. The cone is smaller at
the bottom, and becomes
increasingly wider near the top.

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GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World
Instructor: Jan Mar S. Mateo
8. TURTLES – growth rings which are hexagonal in shape. With these
shapes you can estimate the turtle’s age.

9. DENDROCHRONOLOGY – the scientific method of dating a tree based

on the amount of rings found in the core.

10. HONEYCOMBS – shows a specific regular pattern of repeating

hexagons – highly efficient that it uses the least amount of wax to store
the honey.

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