MATHEMATICS IN

NATURE AND Math 101 – Engr. Ian

Christopher M. Verano

GEOMETRIC DESIGN
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the module, you should be able to:
Discuss concepts and use various types of reasoning on the nature, language,
and symbols of Mathematics.
Use mathematics as a tool in processing, managing, analyzing data applicable
to various areas.
Affirm honesty and integrity in the application of mathematics to various
human endeavors.
WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
Short History of Math:
The study of math within early civilizations was the building blocks for the math of the
Greeks, who developed the model of abstract mathematics through geometry. Greece,
with its incredible architecture and complex system of government, was the model of
mathematic achievement until modern times. Greek mathematicians were divided into
several schools:
The Ionian School, founded by Thales, who is often credited for having given the first
deductive proofs and developing five basic theorems in plane geometry.
The Pythagorean School, founded by Pythagoras, who studied proportion, plane and
solid geometry, and number theory.
The Eleatic School, which included Zeno of Elea, famous for his four paradoxes.
WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
(CONT.)
The Sophist School, which is credited for offering higher education in the advanced
Greek cities. Sophists provided instruction on public debate using abstract reasoning.
The Platonic School, founded by Plato, who encouraged research in mathematics in
a setting much like a modern university.
The School of Eudoxus, founded by Eudoxus, who developed the theory of
proportion and magnitude and produced many theorems in plane geometry
The School of Aristotle, also known as the Lyceum, was founded by Aristotle and
followed the Platonic school.
WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
(CONT.)
Definition:
Mathematics is the science that deals with the logic of shape, quantity and
arrangement. Math is all around us, in everything we do. It is the building block for
everything in our daily lives, including mobile devices, architecture (ancient and
modern), art, money, engineering, and even sports.
Mathematics Helps us organize patterns and regularities in the world.
PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN
NATURE
Pattern
Are regular, repeated or recurring forms or design. Pattern indicates that it is seems
only humans are capable of producing these intricate, creative and amazing
formation.
Patterns in nature are visible regular forms found in the natural world. The
patterns can sometimes be modeled mathematically and they include symmetries,
trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes.
TYPES OF PATTERNS
Symmetry
Indicates that you can draw an imaginary lines across an object and the resulting
parts are mirror image of each other.
Examples:
 Butterflies
 Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man
Bilateral Symmetry - the left and the right portions are exactly the same.
TYPES OF PATTERNS (CONT.)
Starfish
Rotational Symmetry – If you rotate any figure , you can still achieve the same
appearance as the original position and the smallest measure angle that the object
rotated is called the “angle of rotation”.
Order of rotation:
Angle of rotation is , where n = no. of fold
 TYPES OF PATTERNS (CONT.)
Fractal
A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across
different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback
loop.
Spiral
Spirals. 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. 
Spirals are common in plants and in some animals, notably molluscs.
Tessellations
Tessellations are patterns formed by repeating tiles all over a flat surface. There are 17 wallpaper groups
of tilings. While common in art and design, exactly repeating tilings are less easy to find in living things.
OTHER PATTERNS AND
NATURE’S DESIGN
Honeycomb
People have long wondering how bees, despite of their
small size, are able to produce such arrangement. It is
observed that such formation enables the bee colony
to maximize their storage of honey using a small
amount of wax.
Packing Problems:
Finding the optimum method of filling up a given
space such as a cubic or spherical container.
PACKING PROBLEM PROOF:
Square
Let us illustrate that the radius of the circle is 1 cm, so the
formula would be A=.
Take note that each square can fit 1 circle (4quarters), so A=4 .
So therefore:

For each side of the

triangle it has a
equilateral side which has
Hexagonal Since the area of Hexagon is 6 2 cm
so therefore,
TIGER’S STRIPES AND
HYENA’S SPOTS
Patterns are also exhibited in the external appearance of animals. It was predicted
that there are 3 variables that could affect the orientation of the stripes
The substance that amplifies the density of the stripes patterns
The substance that change one [parameter involved in stripes formation
The physical change in the direction of the stripes.
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
Mathematics can be used to model the population growth. With the use of the
formula for the exponential growth:
A = Pert
Where A = is the size of the population after it grows, P = is the initial number of the
population, r = is the rate of the growth, t = time and e = Euler’s constatnt with the
approximate value of 2.718.
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
(EXAMPLE)
1. The exponential growth model A=30e 0.02t describe the population of a city in the
Philippines in thousands, t years after 1995
A. What was the population of the city in 1995?
B. What will be the population in 2017?
Solution:
A. A=30e 0.02t
=30e 0.02(0) since the describe the population t years after 1995, we
consider t =0.
=30e0
= 30(1) ; so therefor A=30
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
(EXAMPLE)
Solution for b.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
Fibonacci Sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where a number is the addition of the
last two numbers, starting with 0, and 1.
 The Fibonacci Sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55…

Numbers that are separated by commas are called “terms”.

FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
Fibonacci Sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where a number is the addition of the last two numbers,
starting with 0, and 1.
 The Fibonacci Sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55…

Numbers that are separated by commas are called “terms”.

History of Fibonacci Sequence
The Fibonacci sequence was invented by the Italian Leonardo Pisano Bigollo (1180-1250), who is
known in mathematical history by several names: Leonardo of Pisa (Pisano means "from Pisa") and
Fibonacci (which means "son of Bonacci").
Fibonacci, the son of an Italian businessman from the city of Pisa, grew up in a trading colony in
North Africa during the Middle Ages. Italians were some of the western world's most proficient
traders and merchants during the Middle Ages, and they needed arithmetic to keep track of their
commercial transactions. Mathematical calculations were made using the Roman numeral system (I,
II, III, IV, V, VI, etc.), but that system made it hard to do the addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division that merchants needed to keep track of their transactions.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
(CONT.)
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 9 10 11 12 13 14 ...
Fn = 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377 ...

So we can write the equation:

Fn = Fn-1  + Fn-2

GOLDEN RATIO
Golden Ratio
Φ The golden ratio (symbol is the Greek letter "phi" shown at left)
is a special number approximately equal to 1.618
It appears many times in geometry, art, architecture and other areas.
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...
In fact, the bigger the pair of Fibonacci Numbers, the closer the approximation. Let us try
a few: A B   B/A
2 3  1.5
3 5  1.666666666...
5 8  1.6
8 13   1.625
... ...   ...
144 233   1.618055556...
233 377   1.618025751...
... ...   ...
USING THE GOLDEN RATIO TO
CALCULATE FIBONACCI
NUMBERS
And even more surprising is that we can calculate any Fibonacci
Number using the Golden Ratio:

Fn =

The answer comes out as a whole number, exactly equal to the addition
of the previous two terms.
USING THE GOLDEN RATIO TO
CALCULATE FIBONACCI
NUMBERS (EXAMPLE)