Republic of the Philippines

IFUGAO STATE UNIVERSITY

Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao

Mathematics in the Modern World

Code: GEC 121

An Instructional Resource Material

by

ANGEL B. MANUEL
Instructor
CP Number: 09265610699
Email Address: njelmanuel30@gmail.com
Facebook Account: Angel B. Manuel

For IFSU use only

Requirements of the Course

Students will be graded through:

1. learning activities;
2. chapter quizzes; and
3. midterm and final exams.

Reminders for all activities in the module:

➢ always check updates on the deadline for submission;
➢ follow instructions in each activity;
➢ be guided with the criteria of the activities given in the module
➢ for those who will encode their answers, use the font style “Times New Roman” with font
size “12” and for those who will hand write their answers, kindly write clearly.

ANGEL B. MANUEL
Instructor

CHAPTER 1: NATURE
OF MATHEMATICS
➢ Introduction to Math
➢ Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the
World
➢ The Fibonacci sequence
➢ Mathematics for our world
At the end of this chapter, the students will
be able to:
1. identify patterns in nature and
regularities in the world;
2. solve problems regarding Fibonacci
sequence and Golden Ratio; and
3. express appreciation for Mathematics
as a human endeavor through write
up. forms or designs. Pattern in nature visible
I. INTRODUCTION TO MATH
WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
It is the study of patterns and structure.
Mathematics is fundamental to the physical and
biological sciences, engineering and information
technology, to economics and increasingly to the
social sciences. It is also useful way think about
nature and our world.
It is a tool to quantify, organize and
control our world, predict phenomena and make
life easier to us. Before the internet was
developed, it takes lot of time to get several
information from the library to get a certain
answer but today, it is only just a click to get that
information needed. Another example is the
milling of rice. Few years ago, it needs a mortar
and pestle, time and strength to have the rice
ready to cook but now, just bring it in the milling
station.
In this fast changing time, did you ever
appreciate the things around you? Did you ever
consider the process and mechanisms that we
have in order to make life easier?
In the olden times, our ancestors noticed
some patterns that helped them survived. Some
of these are the repeating interval of day and
night (Circadian rhythm- It is a physical, mental,
and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour
cycle. These natural processes respond primarily
to light and dark and it affects most living things
including animals, plants, and microbes), the
cycles of the moon where they base planting
seasons, the angle of shadows as their basis of
time, the crow of the rooster which means it’s
already morning and many more. In a similar
fashion, many flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
also follow a certain pattern like the patterns in
the plant’s leaves and stems, the snail’s shell, the
tiger’s stripe and others.
Have you ever wonder about those
patterns? What examples could you think of?
Did you know that those patterns are related to
Mathematics?
In this chapter, we will look into some of
these patterns and how math comes into play in
both nature and human endeavor.
II. PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN
NATURE AND THE WORLD
Patterns are regular, repeated or recurring
regularities of form found in the natural world
and can be seen in the universe. It indicates a
sense of structure or organization such that it
would seem that 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 is created.
Check out examples of some of these patterns
and you may be able to spot a few the next time
you go for a walk.
1. Patterns can be observed even in stars
which move in circles across the sky each
day. In the present time, we have 12
zodiac signs that are used in astrology.
2. The weather season cycle each year. In
countries with 4 seasons, the sequence is
always winter, spring, summer, and fall.
3. All snowflakes contain six fold symmetry
which
no two are exactly the same.
EXAMPLE OF PATTERNS
4. Patterns can be seen in fish patterns like spotted
trunkfish, spotted puffer, blue spotted stingray,
spotted moral eel, coral grouper, red lion fish,
yellow boxfish and angel fish. These animals and
fish stripes and spots attest
To mathematical regularities in biological
growth and form.
5. Zebras, tigers, cats and snakes are covered in
patterns of stripes; leopards and hyenas are
covered in pattern of spots and giraffes are
covered in pattern of blotches.
6. Natural patterns like the intricate waves
across the oceans; sand dunes on
deserts; formation of typhoon; water
drop with ripple and others. These
serves as clues to the rules that govern
flow of water, sand, and air.
7. Other patterns in nature can also be seen
in the ball of mackerel, the v-formation of
the geese in the sky and the tornado
formation of starlings.
1. SYMMETRY- a sense of harmonious and
beautiful proportion of balance or an
object is invariant to any various
transformations (reflection, rotation, or
scaling).
a. Bilateral Symmetry- a symmetry in
which the left and right sides of the
organism can be divided into
approximately mirror image of each
other along the midline. This can be
seen in living things like insects,
animals, plants and others.
b. Radial Symmetry or Rotational
Symmetry- a symmetry around a
fixed point known as the center and
it can be classified as cyclic or
dihedral. Plants often have radial or
rotational symmetry, as to flowers
and some group of animals. A five
fold symmetry is found in the
echinoderms, the group in which
includes starfish (dihedral-D5
symmetry), sea urchins and
sea lilies. Radial symmetry suits
organisms like sea anemones whose
adults do not move and jellyfish
 (dihedral-D4 symmetry. Radial
symmetry is also evident in different
kinds of flowers.
2. FRACTALS- a curve or geometric figure,
each part of which has the same statistical
character as the whole. A fractal is
never-ending pattern
found in nature. The exact same shape is
replicated in a process called
“self-similarity”. The pattern repeats
itself over and over again at different
scales. For example, the tree grows by
repetitive branching. This same kind of
branching can be seen in lightning bolts
and the veins in your body.
3. SPIRALS- a logarithmic spiral or growth
spiral is a self-similar spiral curve which
often appear in nature. It was first
described by Rene Descartes and was
later investigated by Jacob Bernoulli. A
spiral is a curved pattern that focuses on
a center point and a series of circular
shapes that revolve around it. Examples
of Spirals are pine cones, pineapples,
hurricanes and others. It is because they
are constantly trying to grow but stay
secure.
4. MEANDER- one of the series of regular
sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or
windings in the channel of a river, stream,
or other watercourse. It is produced by a
stream or river swinging from side to side
as it flows across its floodplain or shifts its
channel within a valley.
5. WAVE- a disturbance that transfer energy
through matter or space, with line or no
associated mass transport. Waves consist of
oscillation or vibration of a physical medium or
a field, around relatively fixed locations.
Surface waves in water show water ripples.
6. Foam- substance formed by trapping
pockets of gas in a liquid or solid. A bath
sponge and the head on a glass of beer are
examples of foams. In most foams, the
volume of gas is large, with thin films of
liquid or solid separating the regions of
gas. Soap foams are also known as suds.
7. Tessellation- a flat surface is the tiling of
a plane using one or more geometric
shapes, called tiles, with no overlaps and
no gaps. In mathematics, it can generalize
to higher dimensions and a variety of
geometries.
8. FRACTURE or CRACK a separation of an
object or material into two or more pieces
 under the action of stress. The fracture of passion for numbers was cultivated in his youth.
a solid usually occurs due to the
development of certain displacement Sequence
discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a In mathematics, a sequence is an ordered list
displacement develops perpendicular to of number, called terms, that may have repeated
the surface of displacement, it is called a values.
normal tensile crack or simply a crack; if a
displacement develops tangentially to the Example 1: Generating a Sequence
surface of displacement, it is called a shear
Analyze the given sequence for its rule and
crack, slip band, or dislocation.
identify the next three terms.
A. 1, 10, 100, 1000, _____, _____,
_____ B. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20, _____,
_____, _____
Solutions:

A. Looking at the set of numbers, it can be

observed that each term is a power of 10: 100
9. Stripes- made by a series of bands or = 1; 101 = 10; 102 = 100; 103 = 1000;
strips, often of the same width and
therefore, the next three terms are: 104 =
color along the length.
10,000; 105 = 100,000; 106 = 1,000,000.

B. The difference between the first and second

10. Affine Transformations- these are the
processes of rotation, reflection and scaling.
Many plant forms utilize these processes to
generate their structure. In these case of
Broccoli and Cauliflower heads, it can readily
be seen that there is a type of pattern, which
also shows some spiraling in the case of
Broccoli. Rotating pattern is very evident in
Cauliflower.
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.
Following this rule, it can be deduced
that to obtain the next term, the current
term should be increased by 2+n, where n
is the position of the current term. Hence,
the following three terms are 20+2+5=27
27+2+6=35
35+2+7=44
Fibonacci Sequence

The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of

numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ...

The next number is found by adding up the

two numbers before it:
• the 2 is found by adding the two numbers
before it (1+1),
III. THE FIBONACCI
• the 3 is found by adding the two numbers
SEQUENCE Fibonacci
before it (1+2),
Named after Fibonacci, also known as
• the 5 is (2+3),
Leonardo of Pisa or Leonardo Pisano, Fibonacci • and so on!
numbers were first introduced in his Liber Abbaci
(Book of Calculation) in 1202. The son of a Pisan Example: the next number in the sequence
merchant, Fibonacci traveled widely and traded above is 21+34 = 55
extensively. Mathematics was incredibly
important to those in the trading industry, and his It is that simple!
 Here is a longer list:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377,
610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711,
28657, 46368, 75025, 121393, 196418, 317811,
...
Can you figure out the next few numbers?

Fibonacci discovered this sequence as he So we can write the rule as:

looked at how a hypothesized group of rabbits
bred and reproduced. The problem involved xn = xn−1 + xn−2
having a single pair of rabbits and then finding
where:
out how many pairs of rabbits will be born in a
year, with the assumption that a new pair of • xn is term number "n"
rabbits is born each month and this new pair, in
turn, gives birth to additional pair of rabbits
beginning at two months after they were born. He
noted that the set of numbers generated from this
problem could be extended by getting the sum of
the two previous terms.

• xn−1 is the previous term (n−1)

• xn−2 is the term before that (n−2)

Example: term 9 is calculated like this:

X9= x9−1 + x9−2

= x8 + x7
= 21 + 13

= 34

The Rule

The Fibonacci Sequence can be written as a

"Rule". First, the terms are numbered from 0
onwards like this:

n= 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 …

xn = 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 …
Where is Fibonacci number/sequence in our real
life?
So term number 6 is called x6 (which equals 8). Flower petals exhibit the Fibonacci
Example: number: white call lily contains 1 petal,
euphorbia contains 2 petals, trillium contains 3
the 8th term is the 7th term plus the 6th term: petals, columbine contains 5 petals, bloodroot
contains 8 petals, black-eyed susan contains 13
petals, Shasta daisies contain 21 petals, field
daisies contain 34 petals and other kinds of daisies
contain 55 and 89 petals.
 192, 16, 208, 224, 432, 656, 1088, 1744, 2832,
4576, 7408, 11984, 19392, 31376, ...):
A B B/A

192 16 0.08333333...

16 208 13

208 224 1.07692308...

Moreover, sunflower seed conveys the 224 432 1.92857143...
Fibonacci sequence. The pattern of two spiral
goes in opposing direction (clockwise and ... ... ...
counterclockwise). The number of clockwise and
counterclockwise spirals are consecutive 7408 11984 1.61771058...
Fibonacci numbers and usually contains 34 and
55 seeds. 11984 19392 1.61815754...

Another example is the tree brunches as ... ... ...

the form or split. A main trunk will grow until it
produces a branch, which creates two growth
points. Then, one of the new stems branches into
two, while the other one lies dormant. This
pattern of branching is repeated for each of the
new stems. A good example is the sneezewort.
Golden Ratio
And here is a surprise. When we take any
two successive (one after the other) Fibonacci
Numbers, their ratio is very close to the Golden
Ratio "φ" which is approximately 1.618034...
It takes longer to get good values, but it
shows that not just the Fibonacci Sequence can
do this!
USING THE GOLDEN RATIO TO
CALCULATE FIBONACCI NUMBERS
And even more surprising is that we can
calculate any Fibonacci Number using the
Golden Ratio:

In fact, the bigger the pair of Fibonacci Numbers, xn =���� − (��−��)��

the closer the approximation. Let us try a few: √��
A B B/A
The answer comes out as a whole
1 1 1 number, exactly equal to the addition of the
previous two terms.
1 2 2
Example 1: x6
2 3 1.5
x6 =(1.618034...)6 −
3 5 1.666666666... 6
(1−1.618034...) √��
5 8 1.6
X6 = 8. 000000332
8 13 1.625 The answer is the same even using the Fibonacci
formula:
... ... ...

144 233 1.618055556... xn = xn−1 + xn−2

233 377 1.618025751... x6 = x6−1 + x6−2
... ... ... x6 = x5 + x4
x6 = 5 + 3
We don't have to start with 2 and 3, here I
randomly chose 192 and 16 (and got the sequence x6 = 8
 mathematical relationships.

Example 2: x10

X10 =(1.618034...)10−
10
(1−1.618034...) √��
X10 = 55. 00000382
And when using the Fibonacci formula: 3. Euclid was the first to give definition of
the golden ratio as “a dividing line in the
xn = xn−1 + xn−2 extreme and mean ratio” in his book the
“Elements”. He proved the link of the
x10 = x10−1 + x10−2 numbers to the construction of the
pentagram, which is now
x10 = x9 + x8
x10 = 34 + 21
x10 = 55
GOLDEN RATIO IN NATURE

Most of the golden ratio is manifested in

many places across the universe, including right known as golden ratio. Each intersection
here on earth. to the other edges of a pentagram is a
golden ratio. Also the ratio of the length
1. Flower Petals of the shorter segment to the segment
2. Faces bounded by the two intersecting lines is
3. Body parts a golden ratio.
4. Seed heads
5. Fruits, vegetables and trees 4. Leonardo da Vinci was into many interests
6. Shells such as invention, painting, sculpting,
7. Spiral galaxies architecture, science, music,
8. Hurricanes mathematics, engineering, literature,
anatomy, geology, botany, writing,
Most of the examples are also in the history, and cartography. He used the
examples of Fibonacci in nature, as we have seen golden ratio to define the fundamental
the similarities between the two. portions in his work. He incorporated the
golden ratio in his own paintings such as
Furthermore, golden ratio is also seen in arts
the Vitruvian Man, The Last Super,
to achieve beauty, balance and harmony:
Monalisa and St. Jerome in the
1. The exterior dimensions of the Pathernon Wilderness.
in Athens, Greece.

2. In “Timaeus” Plato describes five possible
regular solids that relate to the golden
ratio which is now known as Platonic
Solids. He also considers the golden
ratio to be the most bringing of all
5. Michael Angelo di Lodovico Simon used
golden ratio in his painting “The Creation of
Adam” which can be seen on the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel. His painting used
the golden ratio showing how God’s
 finger and Adam’s finger meet precisely
at the golden ratio point of the weight
and height of the area that contains them.
6. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino or more
popularly known as Raphael was also a
painter and architect from Renaissance.
In his painting “the School of Athens”,
the division between the figures in the
painting and their proportions are
distributed using the golden ratio.
7. The golden ratio can also be found in the
works of other renowned painters such
as
a. Sandro Botticelli (Birth of Venus);
b. George-Pierre Surat (“Bathers at
Assinieres”, “Bridge of Courbevoie”
and “A Sunday on La Grande
Jette”); and
c. Salvador Dali (“The Sacrament of the
Last Supper”).
GOLDEN RATIO IN ARCHITECTURE
1. Great pyramid of Giza
2. Notre Dame
3. Taj Mahal
4. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in
Paris 5. United Nation Building
6. Eiffel Tower
7. CN Tower in Toronto
IV. MATHEMATICS FOR OUR
WORLD
“Pure Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry
of logical ideas.”
-Albert Einstein
MATHEMATICS HELPS US:
1. Unravel the puzzles of nature, a useful
way to think about nature
2. Organize patterns and regularities as well
as irregularities
3. Predict some uncertainties
4. Control weather, epidemics
5. Provide tools for calculations
6. Provides new questions to think about
IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING MATH IN LIFE:
1. Restaurant Tipping
2. Netflix film viewing
3. Calculating Bills
4. Computing Test Scores
5. Tracking Career
6. Doing Exercise
7. Handling Money
8. Making Countdowns
9. Baking and Cooking
10. Surfing Internet
In our daily life, we use mathematics directly
or indirectly in various fields. The application of
mathematical methods in different fields such as
science, engineering, business, computer science
and industry is a combination of mathematical
science and specialized knowledge. For example,
statistics, combinatory, and graph theory are used
by investigators to solve crimes. Other
applications of mathematics are in forensic
science, medicine, engineering, information
technology, cryptography, archaeology, social
sciences, political science and other fields.

1. In forensic, mathematics is applied
specifically the differential and integral
calculus to clarify the blurred image to
clear image. Another application of
6.
calculus is optimization
(maximize or minimize) surface areas,
volumes, profit and cost analysis,
projectile motion, etc.
2. In medical field, much of a function of a
protein is determined by its shape and
how the pieces move. Many drugs are
designed to change the shape or motions
of a protein by modeling using geometry
and related areas. Mathematics is also
being applied in the development of
medicine to cure diseases.
3. In fluid dynamics, engineers use numerical
analysis in phenomena involving heat,
electricity and magnetism, relativistic
mechanics, quantum mechanics and other
theoretical constructs.
4. In Information Technology, modern
computer is invented through the help of
mathematics. An important area of
applications of mathematics in the
development of formal mathematical
theories related to the development of
computer science. Computer science
development includes logic, relations,
functions, basic set theory, counting
techniques, graph theory, combinatory,
discrete probability, recursion, recurrence
relations and number theory,
computer-oriented numerical analysis and
Operation Research techniques.
5. Cryptography is a combination of both
mathematics and computer science and is
affiliated closely with information theory,
computer security and engineering. It is
used in applications present in
technologically advanced societies,
How is Math done?
We should do it with curiosity; with a penchant for seeking patterns and generalities;
with desire to know the truth; with trial and error; without fear of facing more questions and
examples include the security of ATM
cards, computer passwords and electronic
commerce.
In archaeology, archaeologists use a variety
of mathematical and statistical techniques
to present the data from archaeological
surveys and try to find patterns to shed on
past human behavior an in carbon dating
artifacts.
7. In Social Sciences such as economics,
sociology, psychology and linguistics all
now make extensive use of mathematical
models, using the tools of calculus,
probability, game theory, and network
theory.
8. In Economics, mathematics such as matrices,
probability and statistics are used. The
models may be stochastic or deterministic,
linear or non-linear, static or dynamic,
continuous or discrete and all types of
algebraic, differential, difference and
integral equations arise for the solution of
these models.
9. In political Science, political analysts study
past election results to see changes in voting
patterns and the influence of various factors
on voting behavior or switching of votes
among
political parties and mathematical models
for Conflict Resolution using Game Theory
and Statistics.
10. In music and arts, the rhythm that we find
in all music notes is the result of
innumerable permutations and
combinations. Music theorists understand
musical structure and communicate new
ways of hearing music by applying set
theory, abstract algebra, and number theory.
problems to solve; and with tenacity (willingness to keep working).