GE 105 - MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

The Nature of
Mathematics
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

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. discuss the role of mathematics in some disciplines; and
5. express appreciation for mathematics as human endeavor.
Patterns in Nature and the Regularities in the World
 A regularity is the fact that the same thing always happens in the same
circumstances.
 A pattern is a discernible regularity in the world or in a man-made design.
 Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form found in the natural world.
Patterns in Nature
 Symmetry means agreement in dimensions, due proportion and
arrangement.
Patterns in Nature
 A spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it
revolves around the point.
Patterns in Nature
 A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves, bends, loops,
turns, or windings in the channel of a river, stream, or other watercourse.
Patterns in Nature
 A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy through matter or space, with
little or no associated mass transport.
Patterns in Nature
 Foam is a substance formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid.
Patterns in Nature
 A tessellation of a flat surface is the tiling of a plane using one or more
geometric shapes, called tiles, with no overlaps and no gaps.
Tessellation
Tessellation
Tessellation
Patterns in Nature
 A fracture or crack is the separation of an object or material into two or
more pieces under the action of stress.
Patterns in Nature
 Stripes are made by a series of bands or strips, often of the same width
and color along the length.
Patterns in Nature
 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.
Fractal
Fractal
Patterns in Nature
 Affine Transformations - These are the processes of rotation, reflection and
scaling. Many plant forms utilize these processes to generate their
structure.
Other Patterns & Regularities in Nature

Sunflower Hyena’s spots Snowflakes

Snail shell Tiger stripes Honeycombs

Fibonacci Sequence
Fibonacci numbers are the numbers in the following integer sequence, called
the Fibonacci sequence, and characterized by the fact that every number after
the first two is the sum of the two preceding ones:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...

Also called as the Golden Ratio, Leonardo Fibonacci came up with the
sequence when calculating the ideal expansion pairs of rabbits over the
course of one year.
Fibonacci Sequence
While the Golden Ratio doesn’t account for every structure or pattern in the universe, it’s
certainly a major player. Here are some examples:

Seed heads
Fibonacci Sequence
While the Golden Ratio doesn’t account for every structure or pattern in the universe, it’s
certainly a major player. Here are some examples:

Pine cones
Fibonacci Sequence
While the Golden Ratio doesn’t account for every structure or pattern in the universe, it’s
certainly a major player. Here are some examples:

Shells
Fibonacci Sequence
While the Golden Ratio doesn’t account for every structure or pattern in the universe, it’s
certainly a major player. Here are some examples:

Spiral galaxies
Importance of Mathematics in Life
1. Restaurant tipping
2. Netflix film viewing
3. Calculating bills
4. Computing test scores
5. Tracking career
6. Doing exercise
7. Handling money
8. Making countdowns
9. Baking and cooking
10. Surfing internet
Nature of Mathematics
1. Patterns and relationships
2. Mathematics, Science and Technology
3. Mathematical inquiry
4. Abstraction and symbolic representation
5. Manipulating mathematical statements
6. Application
The Role of Mathematics in Some Disciplines
1. In Physical Sciences
2. In Chemistry
3. In Biological Sciences
4. In Engineering and Technology
5. In Agriculture
6. In Economics
7. In Psychology
8. In Actuarial Science, Insurance and Finance
9. In Archeology
10. In Logic
The Role of Mathematics in Some Disciplines
11. In Music
12. In Arts
13. In Philosophy
14. In Social Networks
15. In Political Science
16. In Linguistics
17. In Management
18. In Computers
19. In Geography
Appreciating Mathematics as a Human Endeavor
1. Accountants
2. Agriculturists
3. Architects
4. Biologists
5. Chemists
6. Computer Programmers
7. Engineers
8. Lawyers
9. Managers
10. Medical Doctors
Appreciating Mathematics as a Human Endeavor
11. Meteorologists
12. Military Personnel
13. Nurses
14. Politicians
15. Salespeople
16. Technicians
17. Tradesmen
In summary:
 Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities.
 Mathematics helps predict the behavior of nature and
phenomena in the world.
 Mathematics helps control nature and occurences in the world
for our own ends.
 Mathematics has numerous applications in the world making it
indispensible.