MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD Page 1

CHAPTER 1 Check out examples of some of these patterns and you

MATHEMATICS IN OUR WORLD may be able to spot a few the next time you go for a
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO): walk.
1. Identify patterns in nature and regularities in 1. Patterns can be observed even in stars which
the world. move in circles across the sky each day.
2. Articulate the importance of mathematics in 2. The weather season cycle each year. All
one’s life. snowflakes contains sixfold symmetry which no
3. Argue about the nature of mathematics, what two are exactly the same.
is it, how it is expressed, represented and used.
4. Express appreciation for mathematics as a
human endeavor.

WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
• Mathematics is the study of pattern and
structure. Mathematics is fundamental to the
physical and biological sciences, engineering and 3. Patterns can be seen in fish patterns like spotted
information technology, to economics and trunkfish, spotted puffer, blue spotted stingray,
increasingly to the social sciences. spotted moral eel, coral grouper, redlion fish,
• Mathematics is a useful way to think about yellow boxfish and angel fish. These animals and
nature and our world. fish stripes and spots attest to mathematical
• Mathematics is a tool to quantify, organize and regularities in biological growth and form.
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.
4. Zebras, tigers, cats and snakes are covered in
WHAT ROLE DOES MATHEMATICS PLAY IN OUR patterns of stripes; leopards and hyenas are
WORLD? covered in pattern of spots and giraffes are
• Mathematics helps organize patterns and covered in pattern of blotches.
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.

PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD 5. Natural patterns like the intricate waves across
Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form the oceans; sand dunes on deserts; formation of
typhoon; water drop with ripple and others.
found in the natural world and can also be seen in the
These serves as clues to the rules that govern the
universe. flow of water, sand and air.
Nature patterns which are not just to be
admired, they are vital clues to the rules that govern
natural processes.

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD Page 2

6. Other patterns in nature can also be seen in the ball symmetry is also evident in different kinds of
of mackerel, the v-formation of geese in the sky and flowers.
the tornado formation of starlings.

PATTERNS AND REGULARITIES

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. FRACTALS – a curve or geometric figure, each part of
Have you ever thought about how nature likes to which has the same statistical character as the
arrange itself in patterns in order to act efficiently? whole. A fractal is a never-ending pattern found in
Nothing in nature happens without a reason, all of these nature. The exact same shape is replicated in a
patterns have an important reason to exist and they also process called “self similarity.” The pattern repeats
happen to be beautiful to watch. itself over and over again at different scales. For
example, a tree grows by repetitive branching. This
TYPES OF PATTERNS same kind of branching can be seen in lightning bolts
1. SYMMETRY – a sense of harmonious and and the veins in your body. Examine a single fern or
beautiful proportion of balance or an object is an aerial view of an entire river system and you’ll see
invariant to any various transformations fractal patterns.
(reflection, rotation or scaling.)
a.) Bilateral Symmetry: 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. 3. SPIRALS - 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. 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. The reason for why plants use a spiral
form is because they are constantly trying to grow
b.) Radial Symmetry ( or rotational symmetry ): a but stay secure.
symmetry around a fixed point known as the center
and it can be classified as either cyclic or dihedral.
Plants often have radial or rotational symmetry, as
to flowers and some group of animals. A five-fold
symmetry is found in the echinoderms, the group in
which includes starfish (dihedral-D5 symmetry), sea
urchins and sea lilies. Radial symmetry suits
organism like sea anemones whose adults do not
move and jellyfish(dihedral-D4 symmetry). Radial FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

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 The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers The sequence encountered in the rabbit problem 1, 1, 2,
where a number is found by adding up the two numbers 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, …. is called the
before it. Starting with 0 and 1, the sequence goes 0, 1, Fibonacci sequence and its terms the Fibonacci numbers.
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so forth. Written as a rule, the GOLDEN RECTANGLE
expression is Leonardo of Pisa also known as Fibonacci
𝑿𝒏 = 𝑿𝒏−𝟏 + 𝑿𝒏−𝟐 discovered a sequence of numbers that created an
interesting numbers that created an interesting pattern
Named after Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo the sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34… each number is
of Pisa or Leonardo Pisano, Fibonacci numbers were first obtained by adding the last two numbers of the
introduced in his Liber Abbaci (Book of Calculation) in sequence forms what is known as golden rectangle a
1202. The son of a Pisan merchant, Fibonacci traveled perfect rectangle. A golden rectangle can be broken
widely and traded extensively. Mathematics was down into squares the size of the next Fibonacci number
incredibly important to those in the trading industry, and down and below. If we were to take a golden rectangle,
his passion for numbers was cultivated in his youth. break it down to smaller squares based from Fibonacci
sequence and divide each with an arc, the pattern begin
THE HABBIT RABBIT to take shapes, we begin with Fibonacci spiral in which
One of the book’s exercises which is written like we can see in nature.
this “A man put a pair of rabbits in a place surrounded on
all sides by a wall. How many pairs of rabbits are
produced from that pair in a year, if it supposed that
every month each pair produces a new pair, which from
the second month onwards becomes productive?” This
is best understood in this diagram:

FIBONACCI NUMBERS IN NATURE

Flower petals exhibit the Fibonacci number,
white calla lily contains 1 petal, euphorbia contains 2
petals, trillium contains 3 petals, columbine contains 5
petals, bloodroot contains 8 petals, black-eyed susan
contains 13 petals, shasta daisies 21 petals, field daisies
contains 34 petals and other types of daisies contain 55
and 89 petals.

GROWTH OF RABBIT COLONY

ADULT YOUNG
MONTHS TOTAL
PAIRS PAIRS
1 1 1 2
2 2 1 3
3 3 2 5
4 5 3 8
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE IN NATURE
5 8 5 13
The sunflower seed conveys the Fibonacci
6 13 8 21
sequence. The pattern of two spirals goes in opposing
7 21 13 34
directions (clockwise and counter-clockwise ). The
8 34 21 55
number of clockwise spirals and counter clockwise
9 55 34 89 spirals are consecutive Fibonacci numbers and usually
10 89 55 144 contains 34 and 55 seeds.
11 144 89 233
12 233 144 377

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 𝒂+𝒃 𝒂
𝝋= = 𝒃 = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟏𝟖𝟎𝟑𝟑𝟗𝟖𝟕 ….
𝒂

b a a/b
2 3 1.5
3 5 1.666666666…
5 8 1.6
The Fibonacci sequence can also be seen in the 8 13 1.625
way tree branches form or split. A main trunk will grow 13 21 1.615384615...
until it produces a branch, which creates two growth 21 34 1.61905
points. Then, one of the new stems branches into two, 34 55 1.61765
while the other one lies dormant. This pattern of . . .
branching is repeated for each of the new stems. A good . . .
example is the sneezewort. Root systems and even algae 144 233 1.618055556...
exhibit this pattern. 233 377 1.618025751...

GOLDEN TRIANGLE
Golden ratio can be deduced in an isosceles
triangle. If we take the isosceles triangle that has the two
base angles of 72 degrees and we bisect one of the base
angles, we should see that we get another golden
triangle that is similar to the golden rectangle. If we apply
the same manner as the golden rectangle, we should get
a set of whirling triangles. With these whirling triangles,
we are able to draw a logarithmic spiral that will
GOLDEN RATIO converge at the intersection of the two lines. The spiral
Fibonacci discovery of Fibonacci sequence converges at the intersection of the two lines and this
happened to approach the ratio asymptotically. He ratio of the lengths of these two lines is in the Golden
found the interesting and mysterious properties of the Ratio.
Fibonacci sequence that the series has a deep
relationship with the golden ratio.
The golden ratio was first called as the Divine
Proportion in the early 1500s in Leonardo da Vinci’s work
which was explored by Luca Pacioli entitled “De Divina
Proportione” in 1509. This contains the drawings of the
five platonic solids and it was probably da Vinci who first
called it “section aurea” which is Latin for Golden Secion.
In mathematics, two quantities are in the Golden
ratio if their ratio is the same of their sum to the larger
of the two quantities. The Golden Ratio is the
relationship between numbers on the Fibonacci
sequence where plotting the relationships on scales
results in a spiral shape. In simple terms, golden ratio is
expressed as an equation, where a is larger than b, (a+b)
divided by a is equal to a divided by b, which is equal to
1.618033987…and represented by 𝝋 (phi).
GOLDEN RATIO IN NATURE

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 It is often said that math contains the answers to
most of universe’s questions. Math manifests itself
everywhere. One such example is the Golden Ratio. This
famous Fibonacci sequence has fascinated
mathematicians, scientist and artists for many hundreds
of years. The Golden Ratio manifests itself in many places
across the universe, including right here on Earth, it is
part of Earth’s nature and it is part of us.

1. Flower petals
number of petals in a flower is often one of the following
numbers: 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 or 55. For example, the lily
has three petals, buttercups have five of them, the GOLDEN RATIO IN ARTS
chicory has 21 of them, the daisy has often 34 or 55 The golden ratio can be used to achieve beauty,
petals, etc. balance and harmony in art, architecture and design. It
2. Faces can be used as a tool in art and design to achieve balance
Faces, both human and nonhuman, abound with in the composition. Check out some examples of golden
examples of the Golden Ratio. The mouth and nose are ratio in arts.
each positioned at golden sections of the distance 1. The exterior dimension of the Pathernon in
between the eyes and the bottom of the chin. Similar Athens, Greece embodies the golden ratio.
proportions can been seen from the side, and even the
eye and ear itself.
3. Body parts
The Golden Section is manifested in the structure of the
human body. The human body is based on Phi and the
number 5.The number 5 appendages to the torso, in the
arms, leg and head. 5 appendages on each of these, in
the fingers and toes and 5 openings on the face. Animal
bodies exhibit similar tendencies.
4. Seed heads
Typically, seeds are produced at the center, and then 2. In “Timaeus” Plato describes five possible
migrate towards the outside to fill all the space. regular solids that relate to the golden ratio
Sunflowers provide a great example of these spiraling which is now known as Platonic Solids. He also
patterns. considers the golden ratio to be the most
5. Fruits, Vegetables and Trees bringing of all mathematical relationships.
Spiraling patterns can be found on pineapples and
cauliflower. Fibonacci numbers are seen in the
branching of trees or the number of leaves on a floral
stem; numbers like 4 are not. 3’s and 5’s, however, are
abundant in nature.
6. Shells
Snail shells and nautilus shells follow the logarithmic
spiral, as does the cochlea of the inner ear. It can also be
3. Euclid was the first to give definition of the
seen in the horns of certain goats, and the shape of
golden ratio as “a dividing line in the extreme
certain spider’s webs.
and mean ratio” in his book the “Elements”. He
7. Spiral Galaxies
proved the link of the numbers to the
Spiral galaxies are the most common galaxy shape. The
construction of the pentagram, which is now
Milky Way has several spiral arms, each of them a
known as golden ratio. Each intersections to the
logarithmic spiral of about 12 degrees.
other edges of a pentagram is a golden ratio.
8. Hurricanes
Also the ratio of the length of the shorter
It’s amazing how closely the powerful swirls of hurricane
segment to the segment bounded by the two
match the Fibonacci sequence.
intersecting lines is a golden ratio.

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 6. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino or more popularly
known as Raphael was also a painter and
architect from the Rennaisance. In his painting
“The School of Athens,”, the division between
the figures in the painting and their proportions
are distributed using the golden ration. The
golden triangle and pentagram can also be found
in Raphael’s painting “Crucifixion”.

4. Leonardo da Vinci was into many interests such

as invention, painting, sculpting, architecture,
science, music, mathematics, engineering,
literature, anatomy, geology, botany, writing,
history and cartography. He used the golden
ratio to define the fundamental portions in his
7. The golden ratio can also be found in the works
works. He incorporated the golden ratio in his
of other renowned painters such as
own paintings such as the Vitruvian Man, The
a.) Sandro Botticelli (Birth of Venus);
Last Supper, Monalisa and St. Jerome in the
b.) George-Pierre Surat (“Bathers at
Wilderness.
Assinieres”, “Bridge of Courbevoie” and “A
Sunday on La Grande Jette”), and
c.) Salvador Dali (“The Sacrament of the Last
Supper”).

5. Michaelangelo di Lodovico Simon was

considered the greatest living artists of his time.
He used golden ratio in his painting “The
Creation of Adam” which can be seen on the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His painting used
the golden ratio showing how God’s finger and
Adam’s finger meet precisely at the golden ratio
point of the weight and the height of the area GOLDEN RATIO IN ARCHITECTURE
that contains them. Some of the architectural structures that exhibit
the application of the Golden ratio are the following:
1. The Great Pyramid of Giza built 4700 BC in
Ahmes Papyrus of Egypt is with proportion
according to a “Golden Ratio”. The length of
each side of the base is 756 feet with a height of
481 feet. The ratio of the base to the height is
roughly 1.5717, which is close to the Golden
ratio.

2. Notre Dame is a Gothic Cathedral in Paris, which

was built in between 1163 and 1250. It appears
to have a golden ratio in a number of its key
proportions of designs.

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 3. The Taj Mahal in India used the golden ratio in
its construction and was completed in 1648. The 1. Honeycombs of the
order and proportion of the arches of the Taj bees show specific regular
Mahal on the main structure keep reducing repeating hexagons. It uses the
proportionately following the golden ratio. least amount of wax to store
the honey giving a strong
4. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in Paris, structure with no gaps.
France also exhibits the Golden ratio. 2. Zebra’s coat, the
alternating pattern of blacks and white are due
5. In the United Nation Building, the window to mathematical rules that govern the
configuration reveal golden proportion. pigmentation chemicals of its skin.

3. Spider webs
6. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, erected in 1889
illustrate a beautiful
is an iron lattice. The base is broader while it
pattern. The spider
narrows down the top, perfectly following the
creates a structure
golden ratio.
by performing innate
steps.
7. The CN Tower in Toronto, the tallest tower and
freestanding structure in the world, contains the
golden ratio in its design. The ratio of 4. The nautilus shell has
observation deck at 342 meters to the total natural pattern which contains
height of 553.33 is 0.618 or phi, the reciprocal of a spiral shape called logarithmic spiral.
phi.

5. Age of the trees can be

determined by applying
dendrochronology which is a
scientific method of dating based
on
the

amount of rings found in the

core of a tree.

6. Turtles have growth rings

BEHAVIOR OF NATURE
called “scutes” which are
Behavior of nature can be observed around us.
hexagonal.
Natural regularities of nature:
Scutes estimates the age of
Symmetry Fractals Spirals
the turtle.
Trees Meanders Waves
Smallest scute is in the center and is the oldest one, while
Foams Tessellations Cracks
the largest ones on the outside are the newer ones.
Stripes Spots
7. Lightning during storms creates fractals. Foam
Golden Ratio can be found in the beauty of bubbles formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or
nature, the growth patterns of many plants, insects, solid.
and the universe.

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD Page 8

 and magnetism, relativistic mechanics, quantum
mechanics and other theoretical constructs.

4. In Information Technology, modern computer

are invented through the help of mathematics.
An important area of applications of
mathematics in the development of formal
mathematical theories related to the
development of computer science. Computer
8. Cracks can also be found on the barks of trees science development includes logic, relations,
which show some sort of weakness in the bark. functions, basic set theory, counting techniques,
The meander is one of a series of regular sinuous graph theory, combinatorics, discrete
curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the probability, recursion, recurrence relations and
channel of the body of water. number theory, computer-oriented numerical
analysis and Operation Research techniques.

5. Cryptography is a combination of both

mathematics and computer science and is
affiliated closely with information theory,
computer security and engineering. It is used in
applications present in technologically advanced
societies, examples include the security of ATM
cards, computer passwords and electronic
APPLICATIONS OF MATHEMATICS IN THE WORLD commerce.
In our daily life, we use mathematics directly or
indirectly in various fields. The application of 6. In archaeology, archaeologists use a variety of
mathematical methods in different fields such as mathematical and statistical techniques to
science, engineering, business, computer science present the data from archaeological surveys
and industry is a combination of mathematical and try to find patterns to shed on past human
science and specialized knowledge. For example, behavior an in carbon dating artifacts.
statistics, combinatorics, and graph theory are used
by investigators to solve crimes. 7. In Social Sciences such as economics, sociology,
Other applications of mathematics are in psychology and linguistics all now make
forensic science, medicine, engineering, information extensive use of mathematical models, using the
technology, cryptography, archaeology, social tools of calculus, probability, game theory, and
sciences, political science and other fields. network theory.
1. In forensic, mathematics is applied specifically
the differential and integral calculus to clarify the
8. In Economics, mathematics such as matrices,
blurred image to clear image. Another
probability and statistics are used. The models
application of calculus is optimization (maximize
may be stochastic or deterministic, linear or non-
or minimize) surface areas, volumes, profit and
linear, static or dynamic, continuous or discrete
cost analysis, projectile motion, etc.
and all types of algebraic, differential, difference
2. In medical field, much of a function of a protein
and integral equations arise for the solution of
is determined by its shape and how the pieces
these models.
move. Many drugs are designed to change the
shape or motions of a protein by modeling using
9. In political Science, political analysts study past
geometry and related areas. Mathematics is also
election results to see changes in voting patterns
being applied in the development of medicine to
and the influence of various factors on voting
cure diseases.
behavior or switching of votes among political
parties and mathematical models for Conflict
3. In fluid dynamics, engineers use numerical
Resolution using Game Theory and Statistics.
analysis in phenomena involving heat, electricity

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 10. In music and arts, the rhythm that we find in all
music notes is the result of innumerable
permutations and combinations. Music
theorists understand musical structure and
communicate new ways of hearing music by
applying set theory, abstract algebra, and
number theory.

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