Mathematics in the

Modern World
Carlito T. Gelito
CatSU CoEd Faculty
What is Mathematics in the Modern World?
Mathematics in the Modern World is a new
General Education course in undergraduate level
designed for the appreciation of Mathematics. The
course is intended for the students to see the
value and applicability of Math in the various facets
of human endeavor (Verdeflor & Pacadaljen, 2021)
Course Description

MMW is described as a course on “the nature of

Mathematics, appreciation of its practical, intellectual, and
aesthetic dimensions, and application of Mathematical tools in
daily life” (Commission on Higher Education, 2013). This should
provide the students an opportunity to go beyond the mainstream
notion of Mathematics, which is often perceived and regarded as
merely a compilation of formulas. Through this, students can see
Mathematics and its aesthetics, through the patterns of nature,
and as a powerful language itself, reigned by logic and reasoning
(Commission on Higher Education, 2013).
Topic outline
Section 1. The Nature of II. Part Two
Mathematics a) Geometric Designs
b) Codes
I. Mathematics in Our World
c) Linear Programming
II. Mathematical Language and
d) The Mathematics of
Symbols
Finance
III.Problem Solving and
e) Apportionment and Voting
Reasoning
f) Logic
Section 2. Mathematics as a Tool
g) The Mathematics of Graphs
I. Data Management
h) Mathematical Systems
Patterns and Numbers in Nature and in the World

Nature abounds with examples of mathematical

concepts. In our search to understand how things are
formed, we look for patterns and similarities that can
be measured and categorized. Listed below are some of
nature’s wonders that elude precise mathematical
descriptions.
1. Snowflakes
Nature is full of math and snowflakes are just one example. Their intricate
crystalline structures and patterns are beautiful and fascinating.
Snowflakes exhibit six-fold radial symmetry, with elaborate, identical
patterns on each arm. A branch of geometry called fractal geometry helps
explain the figures of snowflakes.
2. Honeycombs
• Honeycombs are an example of wallpaper symmetry. This is where a
pattern is repeated until it covers a plane. Other examples include mosaics
and tiled floors. Mathematicians believe bees build these hexagonal
constructions because it is the shape most efficient for storing the largest
possible amount of honey while using the least amount of wax. It is a
fascinating example of symmetry in nature.
3. Starfish
• Starfish or sea stars belong to a phylum of marine creatures called
echinoderm. The larvae of echinoderms have bilateral symmetry, meaning
the organism’s left and right side form a mirror image. However, during
metamorphosis, this is replaced with a superficial radial symmetry, where
the organism can be divided into similar halves by passing a plane at any
angle along a central axis. Sea stars or starfish are invertebrates that
typically have five or more ‘arms’. These radiate from an indistinct disk and
form something known as pentaradial symmetry.
4. Flower petal
If you count the number of petals of most flowers, you can notice that they
are either of one petal, two petals, three petals, five, or eight.
• 3 Petals: lily, iris
• 5 Petals: buttercup, wild rose, larkspur, columbine
• 8 Petals: delphiniums
• 13 Petals: ragwort, corn marigold, cineraria
• 21 Petals: aster, black-eyed susan, chicory
• 34 Petals: plantain, pytethrum
• 55, 89 Petals: michelmas daisies, the asteraceae family
5. Sunflower
• Mathematical biologists love sunflowers. The giant flowers are one of the
most obvious—as well as the prettiest—demonstrations of a hidden
mathematical rule shaping the patterns of life: the Fibonacci sequence.
• Count the clockwise and counterclockwise spirals that reach the outer
edge, and you'll usually find a pair of numbers from the sequence: 34 and
55, or 55 and 89, or—with very large sunflowers—89 and 144.
6. Pinecones
• Pinecones have seed pods that arrange in a spiral pattern. They consist of
a pair of spirals, each one twisting upwards in opposing directions. The
number of steps will almost always match a pair of consecutive Fibonacci
numbers. For example, a eight–to–thirteen cone meets at the back after
eight steps along the left spiral and thirteen steps along the right. This
spiralling Fibonacci pattern also occurs in pineapples.
7. Nautilus Shell
• Although more common in plants, some animals, like the nautilus,
showcase Fibonacci numbers. A nautilus is a cephalopod mollusk with a
spiral shell. A nautilus shell is grown in a Fibonacci spiral.
8. Faces and the human body
• Humans possess bilateral symmetry, and research suggests a person’s
symmetry is of paramount importance when determining physical attraction.
• The human face abounds with examples of the golden section or the
divine proportion.
9. Sun-Moon Symmetry
The sun has a diameter of 1.4 million kilometers, while the Moon has a
meagre diameter of 3,474 kilometers. With these figures, it seems near
impossible that the moon can block the sun’s light and give us around five
solar eclipses every two years. So what causes these solar eclipses? By
sheer coincidence, the sun’s width is roughly four hundred times larger
than that of the moon, while the sun is about four hundred times further
away.
The symmetry in this ratio causes the moon
and sun to appear almost the same size
when seen from Earth, and, therefore, it
becomes possible for the moon to block the
sun’s light when the two align.
Ian Stewart has stated in his popular
book Nature’s Numbers that:
…there is a formal system of thought for
recognizing, classifying and exploiting patterns. ...
It is called mathematics. Mathematics helps us to
organize and systemize our ideas about patterns;
in so doing, not only can we admire and enjoy
these patterns, but also we can use them to infer
some of the underlying principles that govern the
world of nature. ...
The Fibonacci Sequence
• The 13th Century Italian Leonardo of Pisa, better known by his
nickname Fibonacci, was perhaps the most talented Western
mathematician of the Middle Ages. Fibonacci is best known for his
introduction into Europe of a particular number sequence, which has
since become known as Fibonacci Numbers or the Fibonacci
sequence. He discovered the sequence - the first recursive number
sequence known in Europe - while considering a practical problem in
the “Liber Abaci” involving the growth of a hypothetical population of
rabbits based on idealized assumptions.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, …

The Golden Ratio
𝐹𝑛 Value of the 𝐹𝑛 Value of the
n n
𝐹𝑛−1 ratio 𝐹𝑛−1 ratio
• In the 1750s, 3
𝐹3 2
2 11
𝐹11 89
1.6181818182
= =
Robert Simson 𝐹2
𝐹4
1
3
𝐹10 55
𝐹12 144
noted that the 4
𝐹3
=
2
1.5 12
𝐹11
=
89
1.6179775281

ratio of each term 5

𝐹5
=
5
1.6666666667 13
𝐹13
=
233
1.6180555556
𝐹4 3 𝐹12 144
in the Fibonacci 𝐹6 8 𝐹14 377
6 = 1.6 14 = 1.6180257511
Sequence to the 𝐹5 5 𝐹13 233
𝐹7 13 𝐹15 610
previous term 7
𝐹6
=
8
1.625 15
𝐹14
=
377
1.6180371353

approaches a 8
𝐹8
=
21
1.6153846154 16
𝐹16
=
987
1.61803278689
𝐹7 13 𝐹15 610
certain number. 𝐹9 34 𝐹17 1597
9 = 1.6190476190 17 𝐹16
=
987
1.6180344478
𝐹8 21
𝐹10 55 𝐹18 2584
10 = 1.6176470588 18 𝐹17
=
1597
1.6180338134
𝐹9 34
The Golden Ratio
• It can be noticed that the ratio of two consecutive
Fibonacci numbers as n becomes large approaches a
ratio of approximately 1.6180339887 : 1 (it is actually
an irrational number equal to (1 + √5)⁄2 which has since
been calculated to thousands of decimal places). This
value is referred to as the Golden Ratio, also known
as the Golden Mean, Golden Section, Divine
Proportion, etc, and is usually denoted by the Greek
letter phi φ.
The Golden Rectangle
• A rectangle where the length and the width are in the
golden ratio is known as the Golden Rectangle. This
means that the length is approximately 1.62 times the
width.
• If a golden rectangle is cut into a square and a
rectangle, the smaller rectangle will be similar to the
larger rectangle. After the largest square is cut off, the
leftover piece is again a golden rectangle.
The Golden Spiral
• An arc connecting opposite points of ever smaller
nested Golden Rectangles forms a logarithmic spiral,
known as a Golden Spiral. The Golden Ratio and
Golden Spiral can also be found in a surprising number
of instances in Nature, from shells to flowers to animal
horns to human bodies to storm systems to complete
galaxies.
THE LAWS OF NATURE ARE
MATHEMATICAL
“The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God” -
Euclid

Mathematics is all around us. As we discover more and

more about our environment and our surroundings, we see that
nature can be described mathematically. We have seen how
evident mathematics is in the natural world, specifically in how
the patterns that we observe in nature follow logical and
mathematical structures.
Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities
in the world
• 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.
Fractals
Detailed pattern that looks similar at any scale and repeats itself over time.

A fractal's pattern
gets more complex
as you observe it
at larger scales.
Examples of
fractals in nature
are snowflakes,
trees branching,
lightning, and
ferns.
Spiral
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.
Voronoi
A Voronoi pattern
provides clues to
nature’s tendency to
favor efficiency: the
nearest neighbor,
shortest path, and
tightest fit. Examples of
Voronoi patterns are the
skin of a giraffe, corn on
the cob, honeycombs,
foam bubbles, the cells
in a leaf, and a head of
garlic.
 Waves, Dunes
As waves in water or
wind pass over sand,
they create patterns of
ripples. When winds
blow over large bodies
of sand, they
create dunes,
sometimes in
extensive dune fields
as in the Taklamakan
desert.
• The geometry of most patterns in nature can
be linked to mathematical numbers either
directly or indirectly. Though, for some
cases, these relations seem to have been
forced through, the high degree to which
natural patterns follow mathematical series
and numbers is amazing.
Mathematics as a study of Patterns and
Relationships
• Patterns are repeated design or recurring sequence. It
could be an ordered set of numbers, shapes or other
objects arranged according to a rule.
• Patterns provide a sense of order. It allows one to make an
educated guess.
• Investigating the patterns that one finds in numbers, shapes
and expressions would lead to mathematical discoveries.
• In order to recognize patterns, one needs to have an
understanding of critical thinking and logical reasoning.
Mathematics helps predict the behavior of nature and
phenomena in the world
Using mathematical tools we create models which correspond to what we
can measure and observe in the world of reality.

Mayon Volcano, the Philippine’s most

active volcano and the world’s most
perfect volcanic cone because of
the symmetry of its shape, had its most
destructive eruption in 1814, when the
town of Cagsawa was buried and
approximately 1,200 people were killed.
Today, scientists monitor volcanoes like Mt.
Mayon for signs of impending outbursts,
hoping to avoid a modern-day disaster.
• Using math to model the future state of the atmosphere is called
numerical weather prediction. Today, powerful supercomputers
and advances in modeling capabilities continue to improve
weather, climate, and water prediction, especially for extreme
events.
• The importance of math is nothing new. All of
history’s most important technological advances
were made possible through mathematics. Math
enabled the ancients to build the pyramids and
the modern innovators to put a man on the moon,
but it will prove even more critical in the decades
ahead.
Common Patterns
• LOGIC PATTERNS
• patterns that deal with characteristics of various objects or those that deal
with orders.
Common Patterns
• Number Patterns
• A list of numbers that follow a certain sequence or arrangement.

• Arithmetic Sequence 1, 5, 9, 13, 17,… -9, -4, 1, 6, 11, …

• Geometric Sequence 4, 16, 64, … 9, 3, 1, 1/3, …
• Quadratic Sequence 1, 4, 9, 16, 25,… 4, 5, 7, 10, 14,…
• Cubic Sequence 1, 8, 27, 64, … 1, 8, 29, 70, …
• Fibonacci Sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, …
Common Patterns
• Geometric Pattern
• Patterns formed by sequences of lines and curves to form geometric shapes
and figures.
The Mathematical Language
Can anyone tell me what the following texts
mean?

我不知道
私は知らない
No lo sé 나도 몰라
Wala ko kabalo
I don’t know
Many people see mathematics only as a body of
rules for manipulating strange symbols and
formulas.

Some would even argue that they need to learn

only the basic concepts like addition and
multiplication and that they do not need all those
other symbols and processes in their practical
lives. For them, mathematics is full of symbols
that they cannot understand.
There are over 4,000 languages and dialects
in the world.
• All of these languages and dialects share one
thing in common: they have a category for words
representing nouns, or objects, and a category for
words representing verbs, or actions. Taking this
commonality as a starting point provides an
interesting way of looking at Mathematics as a
language.
Mathematics is called the language of science.

Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei is

attributed with the quote,
"Mathematics is the language in which God has
written the universe."
The Language of Mathematics
Math is an exact science in the sense that it is not
subjective, but objective. A statement is either true or
false. Solutions and proofs are either correct or
incorrect.
We must communicate mathematics in verbal and
written form both formally and informally.
This is not easy to learn and there are many aspects to
that process which can be confusing.
• We have words in math that mean different
things in different contexts. The word “tangent”
can be used to mean a trigonometric function,
or a type of line. We have symbols that mean
different things in different contexts. Using “−1”
as a superscript could mean the power of
negative 1 or the inverse of a function.
• We have learned about addition from our early years
as a child. After examination, we realize that addition
of real numbers has properties of closure,
associativity, commutativity, an identity, and each
number has a negative. Now we may use the symbol +
to indicate an operation that has these same
properties, but may be different from our usual
understanding of the operation of addition that we
learned in elementary school.
 basis of all
communication

primary instrument of
thought

governed by rules and

What is systems

Language system of words or

codes used within a
discipline

system of
communication using
symbols or sounds
 Language components:
Vocabulary

• There must be a vocabulary of words or symbols.

Meaning
• Meaning must be attached to the words or symbols.
• A language employs grammar, which is a set of rules that
Grammar
outline how vocabulary is used.
• A syntax organizes symbols into linear structures or
Syntax
propositions
• A narrative or discourse consists of strings of syntactic
Narrative
propositions.
• There must be (or have been) a group of people who use
People
and understand the symbols.
Characteristics of Mathematical Language
• Precise. It can make very fine distinctions or
definitions among a set of mathematical
symbols.
• Concise. A mathematician can express otherwise
long expositions or sentences briefly using the
language of mathematics.
• Powerful. One can express complex thoughts
with relative ease.
Characteristics of Mathematical Language
• For example, consider the sentence “The sum of
any two real numbers is also a real number.” In
mathematical notation, this declarative sentence
can be written as: ∀𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ 𝑅, 𝑎 + 𝑏 ∈ 𝑅
Mathematics as a Symbolic Language
• the ten digits:

0, 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9
 Mathematics as a Symbolic Language
• The alphabets
• a, b, c : A constant is most likely to be named with a lowercase letter
at the beginning of the alphabet;
• i, j, k, m , or n: A variable with universal set ℤ (set of integers) is most
likely to be named with a lowercase letter near the middle of the
alphabet;
• t , x , or y : A variable with universal set ℝ (set of real numbers) is most
likely to be named with a lowercase letter from the end of the
alphabet;
• A , B , or S: Sets are usually represented by uppercase letters.
• f, g, or h: Functions are usually represented by letters.
Mathematics as a Symbolic Language
• the Greek alphabet
• special constants such as 𝜋 ≈ 3.1415 and 𝜑 ≈ 1.618
• α, β, and θ are often used to represent angles
• the capital letter ‘sigma’ or Σ to represent the
summation of numbers
• the set of numbers:
• ℝ set of real numbers, ℤ set of integers , ℚ set of rational
numbers, ℕ set of natural/counting numbers
Mathematics as a Symbolic Language
• common binary operators:
+ plus ÷ divide − minus × times
• common relational operators
= equals ≤ less than or equal < less than
≥ greater than or equal > greater than
• and many special symbols:
∈ is an element of; ∀ for all (for any), ∃ there exists
⇒ if…, then; ⇔ if and only if;
∈ + = ℝ a 0 1
≤ ℚ b 2 3
∀ ÷ c
< ℤ 4 5
∃ − n
≥ ℕ x 6 7
× > y 8 9
z
 English-Math Translation
1. The sum of a number and 5 4. Seven subtracted from twice a
x+5 number
2. Five is an integer. 2x – 7
5∈ℤ 5. 5 is not a rational number.
3. Twelve is a multiple of 3. 5∉ℚ
12 ∈ {3n, n ∈ ℕ} 6. Nine is not an even number
9 ∉ {2n, n ∈ ℕ}
English-Math Translation
7. The square of any real
number is greater than or
equal to zero
∀ x ∈ ℝ, x2 ≥ 0
9. There exist real numbers
p and q such that their
product is equal to their
sum.
∃ p, q ∈ ℝ, pq = p + q
8. The sum of the squares of
two numbers is 25
∀ x,y ∈ ℝ, x2 + y2 = 25
10. For every real number x,
there exists real number y such
that their sum is 20.
∀ x ∈ ℝ, ∃ y ∈ ℝ, x + y = 20
Math-English Translation
1. 3x – 4
• Thrice a number x less 4
• Thrice a number x diminished by 4
• Thrice a number x subtracted by 4
• Thrice a number x minus 4
• Three times , triple
• Four subtracted from thrice a number x
• Four less than thrice a number x
• Four less than the product of three and the number x
Math-English Translation
1. 16 ∈ {4n, n ∈ ℕ}
• Sixteen is a multiple of 4.
• Sixteen is an element of the set of 4n where n is natural number
2. 8 ∉ {2n+1, n ∈ ℕ}
• Eight is not an odd number
3. (x + y)2
• The square of the sum of x and y
• The square of the quantity of x plus y
4. ∀ x ∈ ℕ, ∃ y ∈ ℝ, xy = 100
• For any natural number x, there exists a real number y such that their product
is 100 ,(x times y is/equals/is equal to 100)
• For any element x of natural numbers, there exists an element y of real
numbers such that their product is 100.
EXPRESSIONS VS. SENTENCE
• Consider the following to study further the analogies
between the English language and Mathematics:
• In English, nouns are used to name things we want to talk
about (like people, places, and things); whereas sentences
are used to state complete thoughts. A typical English
sentence has at least one noun, and at least one verb. For
example, in the sentence:
Carl likes mathematics.
• `Carl' and `mathematics' are nouns; `likes' is a verb.
• In Mathematics, the analogue of a `noun' is called an expression.
Thus, an expression is a correct arrangement of mathematical
symbols used to represent a mathematical object of interest. An
expression does NOT state a complete thought. The mathematical
analogue of a `sentence' is also called a sentence. A mathematical
sentence states a complete thought. Just like in the English language,
a mathematical sentence also has ‘nouns’ and ‘verbs’. For example, in
the sentence:
log1000 = 3
• ‘log1000’ and ‘3’ are expressions and ‘=’ is the verb.
 English Mathematics
Name given to an Noun Expression
object of interest Examples: Examples:
Carl 7
Virac x+2
Catanduanes sin 450
A complete Sentence Sentence
thought Examples: Examples:
Carl lives in Virac, sin 450 = x + 2
Catanduanes. 7∈ℤ
Virac is the capital town of
Catanduanes.
Four basic concepts:
Sets, Relations, Functions, Binary Operations
Set
• A set is a well-
defined collection
of distinct objects.
A set is said to be
well-defined if one
can easily
determine if an
object is a
member of that
set or not.
Relation
Function
• A function f from set A to
set B (in symbols, f :
A→B) is a rule that
specifies, that every
element x of A is mapped
to exactly one element y =
f (x) of B.
• A function is a special type
of relation in which no two
ordered pairs have the
same first coordinate.
Binary Operation
• A binary operation on a set A is a
function that takes pairs of elements of A
and produces further elements of A from
them.
• On the set of real numbers, a binary
operation takes two real numbers to
produce another real number. Some
familiar examples of binary operations
are addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division and exponentiation.