Chapter 1- Mathematics

in our World
● Mathematics in the modern world deals with the
nature of mathematics appreciation of its practical,
intellectual, and aesthetic dimensions and
applications of mathematical tools in daily life.
● This lesson discusses the nature of mathematics as
an exploration of patterns and as an application of
inductive and deductive reasoning.
● By exploring topics in this subject students may go
beyond the typical understanding of mathematics as
merely a set of formulas but as a source of aesthetics
in patterns of nature and a rich language itself
governed by logic and reasoning.
Objectives

● Identify patterns in nature and regularities in the world.

● Articulate the importance of mathematics in one’s life.
● Argue about the nature of mathematics, what is it, how it is
expressed, represented and used.
● Express appreciation for mathematics as a human
endeavor.
TOPIC 1: Nature of Mathematics

● WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
● WHERE IS MATHEMATICS?
● WHAT ROLE DOES MATHEMATICS PLAY IN
OUR WORLD?
What is Mathematics?

● Mathematics is the study of pattern and structure. Mathematics is

fundamental to the physical and biological sciences, engineering
and information technology, to economics and increasingly to the
social sciences.
● Mathematics is a useful way to think about nature and our world.
● Mathematics is a tool to quantify, organize and control our world,
predict phenomena and make life easier for us.
WHERE IS MATHEMATICS?

●Many patterns and occurrences exists in nature,

in our world, in our life. Mathematics helps
make sense of these patterns and occurrences.
WHAT ROLE DOES MATHEMATICS PLAY IN
OUR WORLD?
● Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities in our
world.
● Mathematics helps predict the behavior of nature and
phenomena in the world.
● Mathematics helps control nature and occurrences in the
world for our own ends.
● Mathematics has numerous applications in the world
making it indispensable.
TOPIC 2: PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN
NATURE AND THE WORLD
● Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form
found in the natural world and can also be seen in
the universe.
● Nature patterns which are not just to be admired,
they are vital clues to the rules that govern natural
processes.
 1. Patterns can be observed even in stars
which move in circles across the sky each day.
 The weather season cycle each year. All
snowflakes contains sixfold symmetry which
no two are exactly the same.
 Patterns can be seen in fish patterns like
spotted trunkfish, spotted puffer, blue spotted
stingray, spotted moral eel, coral grouper,
redlion fish,
yellow boxfish and angel fish.
These animals and fish stripes and spots
attest to mathematical regularities in
biological growth and form.
Zebras, tigers, cats and snakes are covered in
patterns of stripes; leopards and hyenas are
covered in pattern of spots and giraffes are
covered in pattern of blotches.
 Natural patterns like the intricate waves
across the oceans; sand dunes on deserts;
formation of typhoon; water drop with ripple
and others. These serves as clues to the rules
that govern the flow of water, sand and air.
 Other patterns in nature can also be seen in
the ball of mackerel, the v-formation of geese
in the sky and the tornado formation of
starlings.
PATTERNS AND REGULARITIES
1. Mathematics is all around us. As we discover more about our
environment, we can mathematically describe nature. The beauty
of a flower, the majestic tree, even the rock formation exhibits
nature’s sense of symmetry.

2. 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.
TYPES OF PATTERNS
1. SYMMETRY
2. FRACTALS
3. SPIRALS
Symmetry
1. a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion of balance or an object is invariant to any
various transformations (reflection, rotation or scaling.)

a. Bilateral Symmetry

b. Radial Symmetry (or rotational symmetry)

Bilateral Symmetry
1. a symmetry in which the left and right sides of the organism can be divided into
approximately mirror image of each other along the midline. Symmetry exists in living
things such as in insects, animals, plants, flowers and others. Animals have mainly bilateral
or vertical symmetry, even leaves of plants and some flowers such as orchids.
Radial Symmetry (or rotational Symmetry)
1. A symmetry around a fixed point known as the center and it can be classified as either cyclic or dihedral
2. Plants often have radial or rotational symmetry, as to flowers and some group of animals.
3. A five-fold symmetry is found in the echinoderms, the group in which includes starfish , sea urchins and sea lilies.
4. Radial symmetry suits organism like sea anemones whose adults do not move and jellyfish. Radial symmetry is also
evident in different kinds of flowers.
Fractals
1. a curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. A fractal is a never-
ending pattern found in nature. The exact same shape is replicated in a process called “self similarity.” The pattern
repeats itself over and over again at different scales. For example, a tree grows by repetitive branching. This same
kind of branching can be seen in lightning bolts and the veins in your body.
2. Examine a single fern or an aerial view of an entire river system and you’ll see fractal patterns.
SPIRALS
1. A logarithmic spiral or growth spiral is a self-similar spiral curve which often appears in nature. It was
first describe by Rene Descartes and was later investigated by Jacob Bernoulli.
2. 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.
3. The reason for why plants use a spiral form is because they are constantly trying to grow but stay
secure.
Activity
1. Find at least two object around your environment that portrays the different types of pattern:

a. Symmetry

i. Bilateral

ii. Radial

b. Fractal

c. Spiral
References
1. https://www.slideshare.net/JishnaVV/mathematics-73580397
2. https://pdfcoffee.com/module-1-mathematics-in-the-modern-world-pdf-free.html