MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World

Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class

number: _______ Section: ____________ Schedule:
________________________________________ Date: ________________

Lesson Title: Recognizing Patterns in Nature and Materials: student

Configurations in the World activity sheets,
pencil, calculator, graphing papers
Lesson Objectives: At the end of this module, you
should be able to: References
1. Determine different mathematics patterns of nature. 2. https://vimeo.com/9953368
Identify the Fibonacci numbers in nature and art. 3. https://www.mathsisfun.com/num bers/fibonacci-
sequence.html
Generate the Fibonacci sequence and create a spiral.

Productivity Tip: "Preparation is key! Check the information above regarding materials. Did you make
sure you have all of those materials ready? Go get them if you haven't yet. Having all materials ready will
make your work go smoother. Remember to make your study space well-organized!”

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

Introduction
Look around your house and see patterns, like the design on your curtains or the arrangement of leaves
in one of your mother’s plant collections.

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. Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry can explain patterns in nature at different levels . Understanding the visible patterns of nature can
help improve your creativity and design skills in arts, fashion and the way you solve problems in real life.
Looking at nature patterns will make you appreciates the beauty of natural things around you.

B. MAIN LESSON
Content Notes
Always set your reading goals, highlight key points in the notes and read in portions to absorb the concepts
clearly.

MATH PATTERNS IN NATURE

 Have you ever thought about how nature likes to arrange itself in patterns in order to act efficiently?
Nothing in nature happens without a reason, all of these patterns have an important reason to exist and
they also happen to be beautiful to watch. 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. Here are some math patterns in nature.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class

number: _______ Section: ____________ Schedule:
________________________________________ Date: ________________
A Fractal is a detailed pattern A Spiral is a curved pattern that A Voronoi pattern provides
that looks similar at any scale focuses on a center point and a clues to nature’s tendency to
and repeats itself overtime. It series of circular shapes that favor efficiency: the nearest
shows simple shapes revolve around it. neighbor, shortest path, and
multiplying over time, yet tightest fit.
maintaining the same pattern.

Fractals in nature are Spirals in nature are pine cones, Voronoi patterns in nature are
snowflakes, trees branching, some shells, pineapples, and skin of giraffe, corn on the
lightning, and ferns. hurricanes cob, honeycombs, foam
bubbles, a head of a garlic.

*If you have extra time, visit this site https://www.fi.edu/math-patterns-nature to view several animated
patterns of mathematics.

TRY THIS!!!
Any fractal has some infinitely repeating pattern. When creating such fractal, you would suspect that the easiest
way is to repeat a certain series of steps which create that pattern. Instead of the word "repeat" we use a
mathematical synonym "iterate" and the process is called iteration.
Suppose a circle is drawn as shown in figure below. Iteration 1 has 4 circles created around the previous
iteration. Iteration 2 has 4 circles drawn around each of the circles created in the previous iteration. How
many circles would be created (added) in Iteration 3? _____________ Draw Iteration 3 below.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class number:

_______ Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________________ Date:
________________

“
Check your answers against the Key to Corrections found at the end of this SAS.
Write your score on your paper.”

Skill-building Activities

The Fibonacci sequence named after the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci of PIsa, who in1202
introduced the sequence. It turns out that simple equations involving the Fibonacci numbers can
describe most of the complex spiral growth patterns found in nature.
Rule of Fibonacci Sequence
The Fibonacci Sequence can be written as a "Rule". The terms are numbered from 0 onwards like
this: n = 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ...
xn = 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377 ...

From the array above, term number or when n = 6 , that is x6 = 8 .

So, the Rule can be written as: xn = xn-1 + xn-2 where: xn is the
“n” term
xn-1 is the previous term (n−1)
 xn-2 is the term before that (n−2)
Example: Find the 8th term of Fibonacci sequence: x8 = x7 + x6 = 13 + 8 = 21.

Let’s Draw a Fibonacci Spiral. Get a piece of graphing paper and pencil then follow the steps.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class

number: _______ Section: ____________ Schedule:
________________________________________ Date: ________________ Instructions: Using the
graphing paper you will now create a spiral. You need to estimate which square you will start (not in the
middle). You may also extend your graphing paper to make it bigger if you have a bigger space in your work
area.

Step 1. Draw a square that measures one square unit.

Step 2. Draw a second square of one square unit to the right (R) of the square.
Step 3. Draw a 2x2 square above (A) the squares just drawn; making sure that one side of your
squares is the length of the two squares just drawn.
Step 4. Draw a 3x3 to the left (L) of the other three squares.
Step 5. Draw a 5x5 below (B) the squares.
Step 6. Continue this pattern (R-A-L-B) until you have filled up the graphing paper with same number of
squares as a side for the next set of squares.
Step 7. To create the spiral, you need to draw an arc starting on the inside of the initial square and
have it pass from one corner to the next so that it is continuously passing each new square from
corner to corner.

… and you will have something like this! Great work! Keep on going …
 Do not forget to answer this!!!

After creating the spiral, explain the pattern used to find the remaining numbers for the sequence.
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“Check your answers against the Key to Corrections found at the end of this SAS.
Write your score on your paper. “

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class

number: _______ Section: ____________ Schedule:
________________________________________ Date: ________________ Check for
Understanding
Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. A fractal is a _____ pattern repeated over and over.

A. complicated B. complex C. simple D. chaotic

2. Which of the following is an example of fractal patterns found in nature.

A. Bumblebees B. Snowflakes C. Dolphins D. Rocks

3. What is the rule for this pattern? 32, 36, 40, 44

A. add 4 B. multiply 2 C. subtract 4 D. divide by 2

4. What are the three next numbers in the pattern? 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ____, ____, ____
 A. 30, 35, 40 B. 65, 35, 116 C. 26, 27, 28 D. 20, 15, 10

5. Which pattern follows the rule below? Rule: Start with 4 and multiply by 3 each time until there are 4
numbers.
A. 4, 12, 38, 114 B. 4, 12, 36, 108 C. 4, 7, 10, 13 D. 4, 7, 11, 14

6. The Fibonacci sequence looks like this:

A. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 13, ... B. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ...
C. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... D. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, ...

7. What is the missing Fibonacci number? 610, _____, 1597, 2584

A. 887 B. 1107 C. 1007 D. 987

8. The first few Fibonacci numbers are 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13... These numbers are named after
Fibonacci, whose real name is?
A. Leonardo da Vinci B. Leonardo da Pisa
C. Leonardo Di Caprio D. Leonardo da Euler
9. Fibonacci spirals (generated by drawing a quarter-circle in each box, where a larger box lays
adjacent to a smaller one, and the lengths of these boxes are Fibonacci numbers) are claimed to
appear in the arrangements and patterns of fruits, vegetables, pine cones, seed heads and shells. A.
True B. False
10.Which of the following is NOT an example of Fibonacci numbers found in nature?
A. spirals on a sunflower B. pinecone spirals
C. the number of petals on a daisy D. a mountain range

11.What is a spiral?
A. curve that starts at a center point and moves away from the center

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class

number: _______ Section: ____________ Schedule:
________________________________________ Date: ________________ B. repetition of straight-
line shapes
C. start from a single point and grow outward in many directions
D. D. occurs when an organism has no right or left side

12.What is a pattern?
A. movement of energy from one place to another
B. curve that starts at a center point
C. a group of recurring objects or shapes
D. starts from a single point and grow outward in many directions
“Check your answers against the Key to Corrections found at the end of this SAS.
 Write your score on your paper.”
C. LESSON WRAP-UP
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where are patterns used in real life?
Examples of natural patterns include waves, cracks, or lightning. Man-made patterns are often
used in design and can be abstract, such as those used in mathematics, science, and language.
In architecture and art, patterns can be used to create visual effects on the observer

2. What are the types of patterns in nature?

The patterns can sometimes be modeled mathematically and they include symmetries, trees,
spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes.

3. What is a golden ratio?

The golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, golden mean, or golden section, is a
number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances in simple geometric figures
such as the pentagon, pentagram, decagon and dodecahedron.

Thinking about learning

This part sums-up all about your learning experience for this module.

1. Did you have challenges in today’s learning? How did you overcome those challenges?
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2. What could you have done better to improve your learning today?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #2 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________ Class

number: _______ Section: ____________ Schedule:
________________________________________ Date: ________________

KEY TO CORRECTIONS
Skill Building Activities
*In Iteration 3, there will be 64 more circles created from the previous creation. (5 points)
*The number of squares on each step represents the Fibonacci sequence. (3 points)
The spiral can also be drawn on opposite direction if we follow the (L-B-R-A) steps from the
beginning.
Check for Understanding. (1 point each)
(1) C (2) B (3) A (4) A (5) B (6) C (7) D (8) B (9) A (10) D (11) A (12) C

Suggested videos only:

https://study.com/academy/lesson/inductive-and-deductive-reasoning-in
geometry.html#:~:text=Lesson%20Summary,What%20have%20we&text=We've%20learned%20that
%20inductive ,in%20the%20world%20of%20mathematics.

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