Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Northern Samar
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GE 1
Mathematics in the Modern World

Module 1
The Nature of Mathematics
(3 weeks)

MYRCESS P. TENEDERO, MAME

Course Instructor

Second Semester, School Year 2021-2022

Chapter 1: The Nature of Mathematics
1.1 What is mathematics ?
Mathematics is defined as the study of numbers and arithmetic operations. Others
describe mathematics as a set of tools or a collection of skills that can be applied to
questions of “how many” or “how much.” Still, others view it is a science which involves
logical reasoning, drawing conclusions from assumed premises, and strategic reasoning
based on accepted rules, laws, or probabilities. Mathematics is also considered as art which
studies patterns for predictive purposes or a specialized language which deals with form,
size, and quantity.
Whatever point of view is taken, there is no denying the fact that mathematics is
universal. People from around the world use math to get things done. It helps them perform
daily tasks as well as make important decisions like buying wisely, choosing the most
appropriate insurance plan, or even betting on an outcome with the highest chance of
actually occurring. The same mathematical concepts and language are applied regardless
of whether the users are Asians, Americans, Africans, or Europeans.
In examining the development of mathematics from a historical perspective, it can be
seen that much has been directed towards describing patterns of relationship that are of
interest to various individuals. Patterns arouse curiosity because that can be directly related
to common human experiences. In this chapter, attention will be focused on two points of
view: mathematics as a study of patterns and mathematics as a language.

1.1.1 Study of Patterns

A pattern is an arrangement which helps observers anticipate what they might
see or what happens next. A pattern also shows what may have come before. A pattern
organizes information so that it becomes more useful. The human mind is programmed
of make sense of data or to bring connections between seemingly unrelated bits of
information. In doing so, it sees patterns.
Here are examples of pattern-seeking behavior of humans from childhood to
adulthood:

 A toddler separates blue blocks from red blocks.

 A kindergarten student learns to count.
 A first grader does skip counting.
 A third grader notices that multiples of two are even numbers.
 A sixth grader creates patterns that cover a plane.
 A junior high school student learns that a function is essentially a pattern of how
one number is transformed to another.
 A college biology undergraduate studies the sequence of DNA and proteins.
 A stock trader studies trends in the stock market.
 A weatherman makes weather forecasts based on atmospheric patterns.
 A doctor decides who is healthy and who is not by recognizing certain health
patterns.

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 Patterns are studied because they are everywhere; people just need to learn to
notice them.
Mathematics is a study of patterns. That is one reason why those who use patterns
to analyze and solve problems often find success compared to those who cannot. Those
who recognize, generalize, and use patterns around them are better at solving problems,
have deeper appreciation of the uses of mathematics, and are better equipped to work
with mathematics than those who do not.
Below are examples of various patterns.

 Logic Patterns. Logic patterns are usually the first to be observed. Classifying
things, for example, comes before numeration. These patterns are seen on
aptitude tests in which takers are shown a sequence of pictures and asked to
select which figure comes next among several choices.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Answer (b)

 Number Patterns. Number patterns, such as 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 are familiar to

students since they are among the first patterns encountered in school.
Mathematics is especially useful when it helps predict events. “What will the
10th number of a certain pattern be? Moving on into the higher grades,
students again encounter number patterns through the concept of functions,
which is a formal description of the relationships among different quantities.

8, 13, 18, 23, 28, . . .

n th term = ?
Answer 5n + 3

 Geometric Patterns. A geometric pattern is a motif or design that depicts

abstract shapes like lines, polygons, and circles, and typically repeats like a
wallpaper. Visual patterns are observed in nature and in art. In art, patterns
present objects in a consistent, regular manner. They appear in paintings,
drawings, tapestries, wallpapers, tilings, and carpets. A pattern does not need
to repeat exactly as long as it provides a way of “organizing” the artwork.
Nature provides many examples of patterns, including symmetries, spirals,
tilings, stripes, and fractional dimensions.

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 Answer Figure 3

 Word Patterns. Patterns can also be found in language like the morphological
rules on pluralizing nouns or conjugating verbs for tense, as well as the
metrical rules of poetry.
knife : knives life : lives wife : ?

Answer wives

Exercises 1

1. What is mathematics for you?

2. Do you need mathematics every day? Why?
3. Identify the next shape in the series.

a.

b.

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 c.

4. Calculate 1 + 3 + 5 + . . . + (2n −¿1) for n = 1, 2, . . . , 6.

5. Find the values of the last two numbers in the sequence448, 224, 112, 56, 28, ? ,
?.
6. What is the missing number in the sequence 84, ? , 76, 72, . . .
7. What is the formula for the sequence 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, . . . from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . ?

1.1.2 Mathematical Language

Language is “a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or

conventional symbols” (Chen, 2010, p. 353). It is the code humans use as a form of
expressing themselves and communicating with others. It may also be defined as a
system of words used in a particular discipline.

These definitions describe language in terms of the following components:

 a vocabulary of symbols or words
 a grammar consisting of rules on the use of these symbols
 a community of people who use and understand these symbols
 a range of meanings that can be communicated with these symbols

Since all aforementioned components are found in mathematics, it also qualifies

as a language. Mathematics is a system of communication about objects like numbers,
variables, sets, operations, functions, and equations. It is a collection of both symbols
and their meaning shared by a global community of people who have an interest in the
subject. Regardless of where in the world learners of math come from or what language
they speak, they will likely understand what those symbols mean. It must be noted that
no language is self-explanatory. The language of mathematics is certainly non-instinctive
and must be learned.

Mathematics is a universal language, the only one shared by all human beings
regardless of culture, religion, or gender. It is not just for mathematics majors, but for
everyone. It is not just about calculating complicated equations, but about making lives
more efficient, more secure, richer, and fuller.

Elements of the Mathematical Language

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 Like other languages, mathematics has nouns, pronouns, verbs, and sentences.
It has its own vocabulary, grammar, syntax, synonyms, negations, sentence structure,
paragraph structure, conventions, and abbreviations.
Mathematics uses many of symbols. There are the ten digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9), symbols for operations, (+, −, × ,÷ ), symbols that represent values ( x , y , z etc . ¿,
and many other special symbols (=, ¿ , ≤ , π , etc . ¿.

Illustration
In the equation y=ax+ b, it is assumed that a and b are constants and x is a
variable whose value changes, which in turn makes the variable y change its value as
well.

Even though the words “noun,” “verb,” or “pronoun,” are not used in
mathematics, the similarities with the English language can be observed:
 Nouns could be constants, such as numbers or expressions with numbers:
1
● 12, 2(4 - ), -58
3
 A verb could be the equal sign =, or inequality symbol like ¿ or ≤.
 Pronouns could be variables like x or y .
−4
● 5
x−8
, 2 xy ,
x
 Sentence could be formed by putting together these parts:
● 3 x+ 7=24 , 2 x+3 y =7

Exercises 2

1. Identify the following as either expression or sentence.

a) 3 x+ 7 d) x=2 x−5
b) 2<5 ; e)2+3=5
c) x +a
2. Give the formula for the following.
a) area of a square d) area of a circle
b) perimeter of a square e) circumference of a circle
c) perimeter of a rectangle

Propositional Calculus
A proposition is a complete declarative sentence that is true or false but not both.

Illustration
All of the following statements are propositions:
(a) Manila is the capital of the Philippines.
(b) Shanghai is the capital of China.
(c) 1+1=2
(d) 2+2=3

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 Answer
Propositions (a) and (c) are true while propositions (b) and (d) are false.

Illustration
Consider the following sentences:
(a) Is it time?
(b) Pay attention to this.
(c) x +1=2
(d) x + y=z

Answer
Sentences (a) and (b) are not propositions because they are not declarative
sentences or statements. Likewise, sentences (c) and (d) are not propositions because
they are neither true nor false, since the variables in these sentences have no assigned
value yet.

If a proposition p is true, its truth value is true, denoted by T. If it is false, its truth
value is false, denoted by F.

Connectives∧Compound Propositions

A propositionalconnective is an operation that combines two propositions to

yield a new one whose truth value depends only on the truth value of the two original
propositions. Propositions build up by combining propositions using propositional
connectives are called compound propositions .

The propositional connectives ˄, ˅, → , and ↔ (called conjunction, disjunction,

implication, biconditional, respectively) are defined by the following truth table.

p q p˄q p˅q p→q p↔q

T T T T T T
T F F T F F
F T F T T F
F F F F T T

Example
Let p and q be the propositions “Today is Monday” and “It is raining today,”
respectively. Find
(a) p ˄ q
(b) p ˅ q
(c) p → q
(d) p ↔ q

Solution

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 (a) p ˄ q: “Today is Monday and it is raining today.”
(b) p ˅ q: “Today is Monday or it is raining today.”
(c) p → q: “If today is Monday, then it is raining today.”
(d) p ↔ q: “Today is Monday if and only it is raining today.”
If p is a proposition, the expression ¬p is defined as a new proposition with the
following truth table:

p ¬p
T F
F T

Tautology , Contradiction ,∧Contingency

A compound proposition that is always true regardless of the truth values of the
propositions that occur in it, is called a tautology. A contradiction is a compound
proposition that is always false while a contingency is neither a tautology nor a
contradiction.

Illustration
Consider the compound proposition p˄¬p and p˅¬p. The compound
proposition p˅¬p is a tautology while p˄¬p is a contradiction.

p ¬p p˅¬ p p˄¬p
T F T F
F T T F

The proposition p and q are logically equivalent if p ↔ q is a tautology. It is

denoted by p ↔ q.

Example

Show that the following are logically equivalent: ¬¿ p ˅ q) and ¬p ˄¬q

Solution

p q p˅q ¬¿ p ˅ q) ¬p ¬q ¬p ˄¬q
T T T F F F F
T F T F F T F
F T T F T F F

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 F F F T T T T

Implications
In an implication of the form p → q, the proposition p is called the hypothesis (or
the antecedent) and the proposition q is called conclusion (or the consequence).

The proposition q → p is called the converse of p → q; ¬p → ¬q is called the

inverse of p → q; and ¬q → ¬p is called contrapositive of p → q. An implication is
always logically equivalent to its own contrapositive.

Example

Find the converse and the contrapositive of the implication “If today is Friday,
then I have a quiz today.”

Solution

Converse: “I have a quiz today, then today is Friday.”

Contrapositive: “I do not have a quiz today, then today is not Friday.”

Propositional Functions∧Quantification

A propositional function (or predicate) is a complete declarative sentence P( x )

that makes a statement about the variable x . The variable x is called the argument of
P( x ). If x is assigned a particular value, then P( x ) becomes a proposition with a definite
truth value.

Example
Let P( x ) denote the statement x > 3. What are the truth values of P( 4) and P(2)
?

Solution
P(4) : 4 > 3. This proposition has truth value T.
P ( 2 ): 2 > 3. This has truth value F.

When all variables in a propositional function are assigned values, the resulting
statement has a truth value. There is another method to change propositional functions
into propositions called quantification which may be universal or existential.

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 The universal quantification of P( x ) is the proposition “ P(x ) is true for all values
of x in the domain of discourse.”

The notation ∀ x P( x ), read as “ For all x , P(x ) “ or “For every x , P ( x ) , denotes

the universal quantification of P ( x ) . The domain of discourse specifies the possible
values of the variable x .

Example
Express the statement “Every student in this class has studied calculus” as a
universal quantification.

Solution
Let P ( x ) denote the statement “ x has studied calculus.” The given statement can
now be expressed as ∀ x P(x ), where the domain of discourse consists of the students
in the class.

Example
(a) Let P( x ) be x + 1 > x. What is the truth value of ∀ x P ( x ) where the domain
of discourse is the set R of real numbers?
(b) Let Q( x ) be x < 2. What is the truth value of ∀ x Q ( x ) where the domain of
discourse is the set Q of rational numbers?

Solution
(a) ∀ x P ( x ) : “ For all x , x +1> x .” Since a real number x will always be smaller
than x +1 , ∀ x P ( x ) has the truth value T.
(b) ∀ x Q ( x ) : “ For all x , x <2. Since x <2 is not true when x=3 , ∀ x Q ( x ) has the
truth value F.

The existential quantification of P( x ) is the proposition “There exists an element

x in the domain of discourse such that P(x ) is true.” The notation ∃ x P (x) is read as
“There is an x such that P( x )” or “For some x , P ( x ) . These denote the existential
quantification of P ( x ) .

Example
Let P( x ) and Q(x ) be as in the preceding example . What are the truth values of
∃ x P ( x) and ∃ x Q(x)?

Solution
∃ x P ( x) : “There is an x such that x +1> x .” Since x +1> x when x=1 , ∃ x P(x )
has truth value T.
∃ x Q(x) : “There is an x such that x <2.” Since x <2when x=0 , ∃ x Q( x) also has
truth value T.

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