Nature of Mathematics

Chapter 1
Nature of Mathematics
The emergence of digital technology has sparked a
monumental rise in the rate at which we consume and produce data.
In the fastpace society, how often have you stopped and
appreciate the beauty of the things around you? Have you ever paused
and pondered about the underlying principles that govern the
universe? How about the contemplating about the processes and
mechanism that make our lives easier, if not more comfortable?
As national creatures, we need to identify and follow
pattern whether consciously or subconsciously. Responding
patterns feel natural like our brain is hardwired to response them.
We will be looking at patterns and regularities in the world
and how mathematics comes into play, both in nature and in human
endeavor.
Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World
In the general sense of the word patterns are regular,
repeated or recurring forms or designs. Patterns are commonly
observed in natural objects such as sixfold symmetry of snowflakes.
Lets take a look at this pattern
Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World
What is the next figure in the pattern below?
Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World
What is the next figure in the pattern below?
Snowflakes and Honeycombs
Symmetry – the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts
facing each other or around an axis.
Snowflakes and Honeycombs
The figures on the previous slide is symmetric about the axis
indicated by dotted line. The left and the right is exactly the same.
This is known as line or bilateral symmetry.
Take a look of these images:
Order of Rotation
To compute the angle of rotation
360
0

Angle of rotation =
Consider the image of snowflakes
Honeycombs
Another marvel of nature’s design is the structure of a
honeycomb. People have long wondered how bees, despite of their
very small size, are able to produce such arrangement while humans
would generally need the use of a ruler and compass to accomplish
the same feat.
Honeycombs
Square Packing
2
ℎ

ℎ
x 100% = x 100% = 78.54%
2
4
Hexagonal Packing
A= 2
•3 = (2
2
) •3 = 2
4 •3

2
= 3
4 4 4
Hexagonal Packing
This gives the area of hexagon as 6 3 2. There are 3 circles that could fit inside the hexagon (the whole circle in the middle, and 6
one-thirds of a circle), which gives the total area of 3 2. The percentage of the hexagon’s area covered by circles will be

ℎ x 100% = 3
2 x 100% = 90.69%
ℎ ℎ 2
6 3
Tigers’ Stripes and Hyenas’ Spots
Patterns are also exhibited in the external appearances of
animals. We are familiar with how the tigers looks – distinctive reddish-
orange fur and dark stripes. Hyenas, another predator from Africa, are
also covered in pattern of spots. These seemingly random design are
believed to be governed by mathematical equations.
The Sunflower
Another demonstration of how natures works to optimize the
available spaces. This arrangement allows the sunflower seed to
occupy the flower head in a way that maximize their access to sunlight
and necessary nutrients
The Snail’s Shell
The Snail’s Shell
We are also very familiar with spiral patterns. The most
common spiral patterns can be seen in whirlpools and in the shell of
snails and other similar mollusks. Snails are born with their shells
called protoconch, which starts at fragile and colorless. This shells are
harden as the snails consume calcium. As the snails grow, their shells
also expand proportionately so that they can continue live inside their
shells. This process result in a refined spiral structure that is even more
visible when the shell is sliced. This figure is called an equiangular spiral,
follows the rule that as the distance from the spiral center increases
(radius), the amplitudes of the angles formed by the radaii to the point
and the tangent to the point remain constant. This another example of
how nature seems to follow a certain set of rules governed by
mathematics
The Snail’s Shell
Flower Petals
Flowers are easily considered as things of beauty. Their
vibrant colors and fragrant odor make them very appealing as gifts
or decorations. If you look more closely, you will note that different
flowers have different numbers of petals.
Flower Petals
Flowers with five petals are said to be most common (buttercup,
columbine and hibiscus). Among those flowers with eight petals are
clematis and delphinium, while ragwort and marigold are thirteen.
World Population
As of 2017, it is estimated that the world population is about 7.6 billion. World leaders, sociologies
and anthropologies are interested in studying population, including its growth. Mathematics can be used as a
model population growth. Exponential growth formula = ,

Where: A is the size of population after it

grows P is the initial number of people
r is the rate of growth
t is the time
e is Euler’s constant with an approximate value of 2.718
Plugging in values on this formula would result in population size
after time r with the growth rate of r.
Population growth
The exponential growth model = 30 0.02
describe the population of the city in the Philippines in thousand, t years after 1995.

a. What was the population of the city in 1995?

b. What will be the population in 2017?
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.
b. We need to find A for the year 2017 . To find t, we subtract 2017 and
1995 to get t = 22 which we then plug in to our exponential growth.
Exercise 0.07
The exponential growth model = 50 describe the population of the city in the Philippines in thousand,
t years after 1997.

a. What is the population after 20 years?

b. What is the population in 2037?
Exercise Set
Determine what comes next in the given patterns
1. A, C, E, G, I, __
2. 15 10 14 10 13 10 __
3. 3612244896__
4. 27 30 33 36 39 __
5. 41 39 37 35 33 __
Substitute the given value in the formula = to find the missing quantity

6. P= 680,000, r = 12% per year, t = 8 years

7. A = 1,240,000, r = 8% per year, t = 30 years
8. A = 786,000, P = 247,000, t = 17 years
Solving for r
• Inputting the scientist's information into the equation for
rt
exponential growth, A = Pe , he has:
r5
• 550 = 50e
• The only unknown left in the equation is k, or the rate of
exponential growth.
• Solve for r
• To begin solving for r, first divide both sides of the
equation by 50. This gives you:
r5
• 550/50 = (50e )/50, which simplifies to:
_r_5
• 11 = e
Solving for r
• Next, take the natural logarithm of both sides, which
is notated as ln(x). This gives you:
r5
• ln(11) = ln(e )
x
• The natural logarithm is the inverse function of e , so it
x
effectively "undoes" the e function on the right side of the
equation, leaving you with:
• ln(11) = r5
• Next, divide both sides by 5 to isolate the variable,
which gives you:
• r = ln(11)/5
Fibonacci Sequence
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.
Generating a sequence
Analyze the given sequence and identify the next three terms
a. 1 10 100 1000
b. 2591420
Solution
a. Looking at he set of numbers, it can be observed that each
0 1 2 3
term is a power of 10: 1 = 10 , 10 = 10 , 100 = 10 , and 1,000 = 10 .
4 5
Following this rule, the next three terms are: 10 = 10,000, 10
6
= 100,000, and 10 = 1,000,000.
b. The difference between the first and second terms (2 and 5) is 3.
The difference between the second and third terms (5 and 9) is 4.
The difference between the third and fourth terms (9 and 14) is 5.
The difference between the fourth and the fifth terms is 6.
Following this rule, it can be deduced that to obtain the next three
terms, we should add 7, 8, 9, respectively, to the current term.
Hence, the next three terms are 20+7 = 27, 27+8 = 35, 35 +9 = 44.
Check your progress 1
Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify
the next three terms.
a. 16 32 64 128
b. 112358
Fibonacci Sequence
The sequence in Check Your Progress 1 Item B is a special sequence
called the Fibonacci sequence. It is named after the Italian
mathematician Leonardo of Pisa, who was better known by his
nickname Fibonacci. He is said to have discovered this sequence as he
looked at how a hypothesized group of rabbits bred and reproduced.
The problem involved having a single pair of rabbits and then finding
out how many pairs of rabbits will be born in a year, with the
assumption that a new pair of rabbits is born each month and this new
pair, in turn, gives birth to additional pairs of rabbits beginning at two
months after they were born. He noted that the set of numbers
generated from this problem could be extended by getting the sum of
the two previous terms.
Fibonacci Sequence
Starting with 0 and 1, the succeeding terms in the sequence can be
generated by adding the two numbers that came before the term:
0 +1=1 0,1,1
1 +1=2 0,1,1,2
1+2=3 0,1,1,2,3
2+3=5 0,1,1,2,3,5
3+5=8 0,1,1,2,3,5,8
5 + 8 = 13 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13
8 +13=21 0, 1, 1, , 3, 5, 8, 13, 21
Ex. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, and so on….
 13
21
8 = 1.6250

Golden Ratio
13= 1.6154
34
= 1.6190
21
55
34 = 1.6177
89
55 = 1.6182
1
1 = 1.0000
2
1 = 2.0000
3
2 = 1.5000
5
3 = 1.6667
8
5 = 1.6000
Exercise Set
Let Fib(n) be the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence, with Fib(1) = 1, Fib(2) = 1, Fib(3) =
2, and so on.
1. Find Fib (8).
2. Find Fib (19).
3. If Fib (22) = 17,711 and Fib(24) = 46,368, what is Fib 23)?
4. Evaluate the following sums:
a. Fib (1) + Fib (2) = ______
b. Fib (1) + Fib (2) + Fib (3)= ______
c. Fib (1) + Fib (2) + Fib (3) + Fib (4) = _____
5. Determine the pattern in the successive sums from the previous question. What
will be the sum of Fib (1) + Fib(2) +…+ Fib(10)?
Answer completely.
6. If you have a wooden board that is 0.75 meters wide, how long should you cut it
such that the Golden Ratio is observed? Use 1.618 as the value of the Golden Ratio.
Mathematics for our world
Mathematics help organize patterns and regularities in
the world. Mathematics helps predicts the behavior of
nature and phenomena in the world, as well as helps human
exert control over occurrences in the world for advancement
of our civilization.
Exercise Set
1. Vlad had a summer job packing sweets. Each pack should weight 200
grams. Vlad had to make 15 packs of sweets. He checked the weights,
in grams, correct in the nearest gram. Following are his measurements:
212 206 203 206 199 196 197 197
209 206 198 191 196 206 207
What is the frequent data?
2. A certain study found that the relationship between the students’ exams
scores (y) and the number of hours they spent studying (x) is given by
the equation y = 10x + 45. Using this information, what will be the
estimated score of a student who spent 4 hours studying?
3. The distance traveled by an object given its initial velocity and
acceleration over a period of time is given by the equation d = v 0t +
2
½at . Find the distance traveled by an airplane before it takes off if it
2
starts from rest and accelerates down a runway 3.50 cm/s for 34.5 s.
Chapter 1 Summary
1.1 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World
Patterns are regular, repeated, or recurring forms or designs. Patterns
are commonly observed in natural objects, such as the six-fold
symmetry of snowflakes, the hexagonal structure and formation of
honeycombs, the tiger's stripes and hyena's spots, the number of seeds
in a sunflower, the spiral of a snail's shell, and the number of petals of
flowers. Humans are hard wired to recognize patterns and by studying
them, we discovered the underlying mathematical principles behind
nature's designs.
Exponential Growth Model
Population growth and bacteria decay can be modeled by
rt
the exponential growth or decay formula A = Pe .
Chapter 1 Summary
1.2 The Fibonacci Sequence
Sequence. A 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. The terms of a sequence could be generated by
applying the rule to previous terms of the sequence.
Fibonacci Sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is formed by adding the preceding
two numbers, beginning with 0 and 1.
Ratios of two Fibonacci numbers approximate the Golden Ratio,
which is considered as the most aesthetically pleasing proportion.
Chapter 1 Summary
1.3 Mathematics for our World
Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities in the world.
Mathematics helps predict the behavior of nature and phenomena in
the world, as well as helps humans exert control over occurrences in
the world for the advancement of our civilization.
Chapter Test
1. What completes the following pattern? CSD, ETF, GUH, . . ., KWL.
2. What number should come next in this sequence? 22, 21, 25, 24, 28,
27, ...
3. What letter comes next in this pattern? O T T F F S S E...
4. What number comes next in 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, . .
5. Starting with the first Fibonacci number, Fib(1) = 1 and the
th
second Fibonacci number, Fib(2) = 1, what is the 15 Fibonacci
number, Fib(15)?
6. What is Fib(20)?
7. Given Fib(30) = 832,040 and Fib(28) = 317,811,what is Fib(29)?
Chapter Test
8 The ratio Fib(n+1)Fib(n) as n gets larger is said to approach the Golden Ratio, which is approximately equal to 1.618. What happens
to the inverse of this ratio Fib(n+1)Fib(n)? What number does this quantity approach? How does this compare to the original ratio?

9. Consider Fib(3) = 2. What do you notice about every third Fibonacci

number, i.e. Fib(6), Fib 9), Fib(12),...? Similarly, look at Fib(4) =3, then
check out every fourth Fibonacci number, i.e. Fib 8), Fib(12), Fib(16), ....
What seems to be the pattern behind these sequences generated
from Fibonacci numbers?
10. Exponential Growth. A house is purchased for P1,000,000 in 2002.
The value of the house is given by the exponential growth model A
0.645t
1,000,000e . Find t when the house would be worth P5,000,000.