NATURE OF

MATHEMATICS
By:
Jonna Rissa Glomar
Objectives:
1. Identify patterns in nature and regularities in the
world.
2. Articulate the importance of mathematics in one’s
life.
3. Argue about the nature of mathematics, what it is,
how it is expressed, represented and used.
4. Express appreciation for mathematics as a human
endeavor.
 PATTERNS AND
NUMBERS IN NATURE
AND THE WORLD
PATTERNS – are regular, repeated, or recurring
forms or designs.

Studying patterns help students in identifying

relationships and finding logical connections to
form generalizations and make predictions.
Let’s take a look at this pattern:

What do you think will be the

next face in the sequence?
Example 1
What is the next figure in the pattern?

ANSWER: LETTER A
Example 2
What number comes next in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, __ ?

Patterns indicate a sense of structure and

organization that it seems only humans are capable
of producing these intricate, creative and amazing
formations.
Snowflakes and Honeycombs
Symmetry – indicates that you can draw an imaginary
line across an object and the resulting parts are mirror
images of each other.

Line or Bilateral symmetry – the left and right portions

are exactly the same.
- is evident in most animals, including humans.
•In the human body the central point is
naturally the navel. For if a man be
placed flat on his back, with his hands
and feet extended, and a pair of
compasses centered at his navel, the
fingers and toes of his two hands and
feet will touch the circumference of a
circle
•And just as the human body yields a
circular outline, so too a square figure
may be found from it.
•For if we measure the distance from
the soles of the feet to the top of the
head, and then apply that measure to
the outstretched arms, the breadth will
be found to be the same as the height, Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian
as in the case of plane surfaces which Man showing the proportion and
are perfectly square. symmetry of the human body.
There are other types of symmetry depending on
the number of sides or faces that are symmetrical.

Spiderwort with three – fold This starfish has a five – fold

symmetry symmetry
Rotational symmetry – when it still looks the same
after a rotation (of less than one full turn).

Angle of rotation – smallest angle that a figure can

be rotated while still preserving the original
formation.

Order of rotation – a more common way of

describing rotational symmetry.
Order of Rotation
A figure has a rotational symmetry of order n ( n – fold
rotational symmetry) if 1/n of a complete turn leaves the
figure unchanged.
To compute for the angle of rotation,
we use the following formula:

Consider the image

of a snowflake:
Honeycomb
Packing problems – involve finding the optimum method of
filling up a given space such as a cubic or spherical
container.

Square Packing Hexagonal Packing

 Tiger’s stripes and Hyena’s Spots
According to a theory by Alan Turing, the man famous for
breaking the Enigma code during World War II, chemical
reactions and diffusion processes in cells determine these
growth patterns.
A new model by Harvard University researches predicts that
there are three variables that could affect the orientation of
these stripes:
- the substance that amplifies the density of stripes patterns;
- the substance that changes one of the parameters involved
in stripe formation; and
- the physical change in the direction of the origin of the
stripe.
Tiger’s stripes and Hyena’s Spots

Tiger Hyena
 The Sunflower
Looking at a sunflower up close,
you notice that there is a definite
pattern of clockwise and
counterclockwise arcs or spirals
extending outward from the center
of the flower.
This is another demonstration of
how nature works to optimize that
available space.
This arrangement allows the
sunflower seeds to occupy the
flower head in a way that maximizes
their access to light and necessary
nutrients.
 The Snail’s Shell
The most common spiral patterns
can be seen in whirlpools and in
the shells of snails and other
similar mollusks.
Snails are born with their shells
called protoconch, which start
out as fragile and colorless.
These original shells harden as
the snails consume calcium.
As the snails grow, their shells
also expand proportionately so
that they can continue to live
inside their shells. Snail’s Shell
This process results in a
refined spiral structure
that is even more visible
when the shell is sliced.

This figure, called

equiangular spiral, follows
the rule that the distance
from the spiral center
increases (radius), the
amplitudes of the angles
formed by the radii to the
point and the tangent to
the point remain constant.
 Flower Petals
Flowers are easily considered as things of beauty.
Their vibrant colors and fragrant odors make them very
appealing as gift or decorations.

Iris and trillium have only 3 petals

Flowers with five petals are said to be the most
common.

Buttercup Columbine

Hibiscus
Flowers with eight petals:

Clematis Delphinium
Flowers with thirteen petals:

Ragwort Marigold
 World Population
As of 2017, it is estimated
that the world population is
about 7.6 billion.

World leaders, sociologist

and anthropologist are
interested in studying
population.

People celebrating the

Songkran New Year
Festival in Bangkok,
Thailand
 World Population
Mathematics can be used to model population growth.

Recall that the formula for exponential growth is A=Pe rt, where
A is the size of the population after it grows, P is the initial
number of people, r is the rate of growth, and t is time.

Recall further that e is Euler’s constant with approximate value

of 2.718.

Plugging in values to this formula would result in the

population size after t with a growth rate of r.
 World Population
For example:
The exponential growth model A = 30e0.02t describes the
population of a city in the Philippines in thousands, t years
after 1995.
What was the population of the city in 1995?
What will be the population in 2017?
 World Population
Solution
A.
Since our exponential growth model describes the population t years after
1995, we consider 1995 as t=0 and then solve for A, our population size.
A = 30e0.02t
A = 30 e(0.02)(0) Replace t with t = 0
A = 30 e0
A = 30 (1)
A = 30

Therefore, the city population in 1995 was 30,000.

 World Population
Solution:
B. The exponential growth model A = 30e 0.02t describes the
population of a city in the Philippines in thousands, t years after
1995. What will be the population in 2017?

We need to find A for the year 2017. To find t, we subtract 2017 and
1995 to het t = 22, which we then plug in to our exponential growth
model.
A = 30e0.02t
A = 30e(0.02)(22) Replace t with t = 22
A = 30e0.44
A = 30(1.552707219) e0.44 ≈ 1.552707219 (Using the Euler’s A ≈
46.5812 constant or the symbol e in calculator.)
Therefore, the city population would be about 46, 581 in 2017.
 World Population
Another Solution:
B. The exponential growth model A = 30e 0.02t describes the
population of a city in the Philippines in thousands, t years after
1995. What will be the population in 2017?

We need to find A for the year 2017. To find t, we subtract 2017 and
1995 to het t = 22, which we then plug in to our exponential growth
model.
A = 30e0.02t
A = 30e(0.02)(22) Replace t with t = 22
A = 30e0.44
A = 30(1.552636384) e ≈ 2.7180.44 ≈ 1.552636384
A ≈ 46.5791
Therefore, the city population would be about 46, 579 in 2017.
Sequence – is an ordered list of numbers called terms,
that may have repeated values.
The arrangement of these terms is set by a definite
rule.
Example:
1. Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify
the next three terms:
a. 1, 10, 100, 1000
b. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20
 Fibonacci Sequence
Leonardo of Pisa, also known as Fibonacci (c. 1170-
1250), is one of the best – known mathematicians of
medieval Europe. In 1202, after a trip that took him to
several Arab and Eastern countries, Fibonacci wrote the
book Liber Abaci.
In this book Fibonacci explained why the Hindu – Arabic
numeration system that he had learned about his travels
was a more sophisticated and efficient system than the
Roman numeration system. This book also contains a
problem created by Fibonacci that concerns that birth of
rabbits. Here is a statement of Fibonacci’s rabbit problem.
At the beginning of a month, you are given a pair of
newborn rabbits. After a month the rabbits have
produced no offspring; however, every month
thereafter, the pair of rabbits produces another pair of
rabbits. The offspring reproduce in exactly the same
manner. If none of the rabbits dies, how many pairs of
rabbits will there be at the start of each succeeding
month?
Recursive definition for a sequence is one in
which each successive term of the sequence is
defined by using some of the preceding terms. If
we use the mathematical notation Fn to represent
the nth Fibonacci number, then the numbers in the
Fibonacci sequence are given by the following
recursive definition.
 F1 = 1, F2 = 1, and Fn = Fn-1 + Fn-2 for n ≥ 3.

For example,
Use the definition of Fibonacci numbers to find the
seventh and eighth Fibonacci numbers.
Solution:
The first six Fibonacci numbers to find the seventh and
eighth Fibonacci numbers. Thus,
F 7 = F6 + F5
=8+5
= 13
The eight Fibonacci number is
F8 = F 7 + F 6
= 13 + 8
= 21
Mathematics for our World
Mathematics for Organization
 A lot of events happen around us. In the blink of an eye, several
children have already been born, liters of water have been
consumed, or thousands of tweets have been posted.
 For us to make sense of all available information, we need
mathematical tools to help us make sound analysis and better
decisions.
 For instance, a particular store can gather data on the shopping
habits of its customers and make necessary adjustments to help
drive sales.
 Scientist can plot bird migration routes to help conserve
endangered animal populations.
 Social media analyst can crunch all online posting using
software to gauge the netizens’ sentiments on particular issues or
personalities.
Mathematics for Prediction
Applying the concept of probability, experts can calculate the
chance of an event occurring. The weather is a prime
example.
Based on historical patterns, meteorologist can make forecast
to help us prepare for our day – to – day activities. They can
also warn us of weather disturbances that can affect our
activities for weeks or months.
Astronomers also use patterns to predict the occurrence of
meteor showers or eclipses. In 2017, announcement were
made about heavenly phenomena such as the Draconid
Meteor Shower and “The Great American Eclipse”. They
were able to tell when these phenomena would occur and
where would be the best places to view them
Mathematics for Control
 There have been instances when a natural phenomenon has
been speculated to exist because mathematics says so but no
hard evidence have been found to support its existence. Such
phenomena were proven to exist only when advancement in
technology have allowed us to expand our horizons .
 For example, in 1916, Albert Einstein hypothesized the
existence of gravitational waves based on his theory of general
relativity.
 This is when “ripples” are formed in the fabric of space – time
due to large and violent cosmic events, very much like when a
pebble is thrown on a stagnant pond.
 About a hundred years later, the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced that it
found evidence of this phenomenon.
A large cosmic disturbance could cause
ripples in space – time, like a pebble
thrown in a pond.
Through the use of mathematics, man is also able to
exert control over himself and the effects of nature.
The threat of climate change and global warming has
been the subject of much debate over the years. It is
believed that unless man changes his behavior, patterns
are said to indicate that sea levels could rise to
catastrophic levels as the polar caps melt due to the
increase in global temperatures.
To ensure that greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere are kept at levels that would not interfere
with the climate system, the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) was signed in 1992 and has 197 parties as
of December 2015.
Mathematics is Indispensable
At most basic level, logical reasoning and critical
thinking are crucial skills that are needed in any
endeavor.
Read:
Chapter 1 – Nature of Mathematics: Mathematics in
the Modern World by Richard Aufmann, Joanne
Lockwood, Richard Nation, Daniel Clegg, Susanna S.
Epp and Edmundo P. Abad, Jr. (page 1-20)

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGeOWYOFoA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt2OlMAJj6o