MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD
Topics:
I. Mathematics in our World
II. Fibonacci Numbers
III. Golden Ratio
MATHEMATICS IN OUR WORLD
 Mathematics is the study of pattern and
structure.
 A useful way to think about nature and our
world.
 A fundamental to the physical and biological
sciences, engineering and information
technology, to economics and increasingly to
the social sciences.
 Many patterns and occurrences exist in
nature, in our world, in our life.
 It helps make sense of these patterns and
occurrences.
 A tool to quantify, organize and control our
world, predict phenomena and make life
easier for us.
 Mathematics is everywhere in this universe
and it also express itself everywhere, in all
most every facet of life – in nature all around
us.
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,
spiral, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations,
cracks and stripes.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
 A set of numbers that starts with one or a zero,
followed by one.
 Proceeds base on the rule that each number
(Fibonacci number).
 Starts like this: 0,1,1,3,5,8,13,21,34,55 and so on.
 Each number is the sum of the two numbers that
precede it.
 Simple pattern, but it appears to be a kind of built
in numbering system to the cosmos.
 15 astounding examples of phi in nature.
Fibonacci Spirals in Sunflowers
Pineapples grow in a Numerical Sequence
 8 parallel rows of scales spiraling gradually
 13 parallel rows of scales spiraling at a
medium slope
 21 parallel rows of scales spiraling stooply
 1-2-3--5-8-13-21-34-55-89
Flower petals
 The number of petals on some flowers follow
the Fibonacci sequence.
 It is believed that in the Darwinian processes,
each petal is placed to allow for the best
possible exposure of sunlight and other
factors.
Pinecones
 The spiral pattern of the seed pods spiral
upward in opposite directions.
 The number of steps the spiral take tend to
match Fibonacci numbers.
Tree branches
 The way tree branches form or split is an
example of the Fibonacci sequence.
 Root systems and algae exhibit this formation
pattern.
Looking at simple things deeply, finding a pattern and
using the pattern to gain new insights provides great
value.
Fibonacci: Leonardo Pisano
An Italian mathematician from the republic of
Pisa, who is considered to be ”the most talented
Western mathematician of the Middle Ages”.
Parallel Lines
In mathematics, parallel lines stretch to
infinity, neither converging nor diverging.
 Parallel dunes in the Australian desert aren’t
perfect – the physical world rarely is.
GEOMETRICAL SHAPES
Shapes – (1) Perfect
 Earth is the perfect shape for minimizing the pull
of gravity on its outer edges – a sphere
(centrifugal force from its spin actually makes it
an oblate spheroid, flattened at top and bottom).
 Geometry is the branch of math that describes
such shapes.
Shapes – (2) Polyhedra
 For a beehive, close packing is important to
maximize the use of space.
 Hexagons fit most closely together without any
gaps
 Hexagonal wax cells are what bees create to store
their eggs and larvae.
 Hexagons are 6 – sided polygons, closed 2 –
dimensional many – sided figures with straight
edges.
Shapes – (3) Cones
 Volcanoes form Cones
 Steepness and height of which depends on the
runniness (viscosity) of the lava.
 MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD
 Fast, runny lava forms flatter cones; thick,
viscous lava forms steep-sided cones.
 Cones are 3 – dimensional solid
Fractals
 A never-ending pattern.
 Infinitely complex pattern that are self-similar
across different scales.
 They are created by repeating a simple process
over in over in an ongoing feedback loop.
 Driven by recursion, fractals are images of
dynamic systems – the pictures of Chaos.
GOLDEN RATIO
 A special number found by dividing a line into
two parts so that the longer part divided by the
smaller part is also equal to the whole length
divided by the longer part.
 Symbolized using phi, after the 21 st letter of the
Greek alphabet.
Phi
 The ratio of the circumference of circle to its
diameter.
 Usually rounded off to 1.618
 Golden mean, the Golden section, and divine
proportion.
 Can be seen in the architecture of many ancient
creations (like the Great Pyramids and the
Parthenon)
Pine cones show the golden ratio clearly.
 8 sets of clockwise spirals and 13 sets of
counter clockwise spirals. When 13 is divided
by 8, the result gives the golden ration 1.6
Leonardo da Vinci
 Artist and engineer who is best known for his
paintings (Mona Lisa and the Last supper.
 Also a genius when it came to mathematics
and invention.
 Leonardo’s talent as an artist may well have
been outweighed by his talents as a
mathematician.
 Incorporated geometry into many of his
paintings.
 Golden ratio is just one of his many
mathematical tools.
 Experts agree that he probably thought that
Golder measurements made his paintings more
attractive.
 Maybe he was just a little too obsessed with
perfection.
 Is everywhere when you look in Nature
Symmetry
 When a figure has two sides that are mirror
images of one another.
 A line of symmetry is a line draw through a
picture of the object and along either side the
image would look exactly the same.
There are two kinds of Symmetries
 Bilateral symmetry
 Radial symmetry
Bilateral Symmetry
 An object has two sides that are mirror images
of images of each other.
 Human body would be an excellent example
of a living being.
Radial symmetry
 A rotational symmetry around a fixed point
known as the center.
 Can be classified as either cyclic or dihedral.
Cyclic symmetries
 Represented with the notation Cn, where n is
the number of rotations.
 Each rotation will have an angle of 360/n/
Dihedral symmetries
 Represented with the notation Dn, where n
represents the number of rotations, as well as
the number of reflection mirrors represent.
 Each rotation angle will be equal to 360/n
degrees and the angle between each mirror
will be 180/n degrees.
 An object with D4 symmetry would have a
four rotations, each of 90 degrees, and four
reflection mirrors, with each angle.

Symmetry