Chapter 1

MATHEMATICS IN OUR WORLD

With the rise of digital technology, many changes took place. Many new and
bright ideas, knowledge and insights were introduced in the society that had improve
every mankind’s way of living. In your everyday life, how often have you paused to
appreciate the beauty of things surrounding you? Have you even noticed that you do
the same routine tasks every day? Have you even wondered why some social media
posts become “trending” while others don’t even get a single reaction? Have you
noticed the sudden change in your routines during the COVID-19 pandemic?

No matter how fast-paced this society is, peoples’ brain still tends to
recognize and follow patterns, whether consciously or subconsciously. Recognizing
patterns is indeed a natural thing that the brain does. Early humans had used
patterns and their awareness to these patterns, such as the interval of day and night,
the cycle of the moon, appearance of birds and the changing of dry to wet season,,
had allowed them to survive. Truly, Mathematics plays a vital role in everyone’s
culture. Mathematics as a science also relies on both logic and creativity. For some
people, the essence of mathematics lies in its beauty and its intellectual challenge.
But for those whose works are mathematics-related, like engineers and scientists,
the main value of mathematics is how it is applied in their different fields of
specialization. Thus, because of the multifaceted role of mathematics in the life of
the people, understanding the nature of mathematics has become indispensable. So
in order to be able to use mathematics to facilitate performance of activities such as
problem solving which is abound in life, one needs to perceive and understand
mathematics as part of the everyday life, comprehend and appreciate the very

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 nature of mathematical thinking, and be acquainted with the important
mathematical ideas and skills.

This chapter presents patterns and regularities in the world, both in nature
and in human endeavors. It will also cover discussions on the importance of
Mathematics and its applications in various fields and in everyday living.
 Lesson 1.1
PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Identify patterns in nature and regularities in the world.
2. Argue about the nature of mathematics, what is it, how it is expressed,
represented and used.
3. Express appreciation for mathematics as a human endeavor.

One of the most interesting aspects of the world is that

it can be considered to be made up of patterns. A pattern is
essentially an arrangement. It is characterized by the order of
the elements of which it is made rather than by the intrinsic
nature of these elements. - Norbert Wiener

Also, pattern includes a repeated or recurring design. It is either natural or

human-made. Patterns are everywhere and are encountered everyday - from the
layout of the floor tiles, the design of fabrics/textiles, the blocks played by kids, the
arm and leg movements in an exercise, to the arrangement of books in a library.
Studying patterns helps people identify the relationships and logical connections of
things that would allow them to generalize or predict events.

Consider these patterns:

a. What number comes next in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 ?
b. What number comes next in 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36 ?
c.

?
d.

Which of the following image will complete the pattern?

 For any patterns, it is necessary to try to analyse what is happening before
you can predict the next number, or the pattern.

Number Patterns

Generally, patterns in numbers are sequence in a given set or series of

numbers. The pattern usually establishes a common relationship among all the
numbers in the set. In Mathematics, a basic and common number pattern is called a
sequence. The numbers in the sequence are called the term; that is, the first number
is the first term, the second number is the second term and so on. In predicting a
number pattern, at least 4 or 5 numbers are provided as basis; otherwise, the
predicted pattern may not hold for all the numbers under consideration.

There are many interesting number patterns in Mathematics. The common

mathematical sequences are the arithmetic sequence and the geometric sequence.
Other number patterns include triangular numbers, square numbers, cube numbers,
pentagonal numbers, and others. Aside from arithmetic and geometric sequences, a
special number pattern to be discussed in this chapter is the Fibonacci sequence.

Sequences in Mathematics

1. Arithmetic Sequence - is a sequence of numbers in which the difference

between any two consecutive numbers or expressions is the same.

Example1.1.1

a. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
b. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

2. Geometric Sequence – is a sequence of numbers in which each term is

formed by multiplying the previous terms by a number called the common ratio.

Example1.1.2

a. 3, 6, 12, 24, 48
b. 3, 9, 27, 81, 243

3. Fibonacci Sequence – this is a special sequence of numbers where each

number in a term is the sum of the two preceding numbers.

Fibonacci Sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, …

Logic Patterns

Pattern recognition is one of the most important skill in solving problems not
only in Mathematics but also in everyday life. Just like in number patterns, logic
 patterns also reveal a relationship among the pictures or images. The ability
in logical reasoning and the skill to observe patterns are considered to be the very
essence of Mathematics. In fact, it is one of the most important and considered as
the core component in measuring one’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Items in logical
reasoning are commonly included in standardized tests that are usually administered
in career placement examinations.

Example 1.1.3

a. What image will complete the given pattern?

?
b. What will be next image in this pattern?

Word Patterns

Pattern is also present in language in terms of morphological rules in plurals

of nouns, verb tenses, as well as in metrical rules of poetry. It focuses on the form
and syntax of the word, phrase or sentence.

Example 1.1.4

a. knife – knives wife – wives life – lives

b. fry – fried cry – cried try – tried

Nature Patterns

Patterns in nature are everywhere. These are regularities of form found in the
natural world and can also be seen in the universe.

Look at the following examples of patterns and you might be able to observe
some of these the next time you go for a walk.

1. Snowflakes contains six-fold symmetry and are unique. No two snowflakes

are exactly the same.

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 2. Patterns can be seen among fishes. These are observed in the following sea
creatures: spotted trunkfish, spotted puffer, blue spotted stingray, spotted
moral eel, coral grouper, red lion fish, yellow boxfish and angel fish. Their
stripes and spots are regularities in biological growth and form.

3. The different zoo animals like zebras, tigers, cats and snakes are covered in
patterns of stripes; leopards and hyenas are also covered with spots that has
patterns and giraffes are covered in pattern of blotches.

The waves across the oceans, sand dunes on deserts, formation of typhoon,
water drop with ripple and among others are examples of natural patterns. Other
patterns in nature can also be seen in a ball of mackerel, tornado formations and

alignment of stars in the skies at night.

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 Honeycombs of the bees show specific regular repeating hexagons.
4. Spider webs illustrate a beautiful pattern. The spider creates a structure by
performing innate steps. 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.
5. Turtles have growth rings called “scutes” which are hexagonal. Scutes
estimates the age of the turtle. Smallest scute is in the center and is the
oldest one, while the largest ones on the outside are the newer ones.

6. Foam bubbles formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid.

7. Cracks can also be found on the barks of trees which show some sort of
weakness in the bark. A meander on the other hand is one of a series of
regular sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the channel of the
body of water.

Geometric Patterns in Nature and Around Us

Mathematics is all around us. Did you know that you can describe your
environment mathematically? As one learns and discovers more about the
environment, one gets to learn how to mathematically describe the environment. The
beauty of a flower, the wonderful animal coverings, the rock formations and even the
trees around exhibit nature’s sense of symmetry. Have you ever thought about how
nature likes to arrange itself in patterns in order to act efficiently? These patterns tell
something important about the nature aside from telling everyone that nature is
indeed a beautiful art to watch.

Geometric patterns in nature are visible regularities that can be observed

from the environment. These patterns can be modelled mathematically and these
includes natural patterns like symmetries, tessellations, meanders, waves, fractals,
stripes, cracks and trees. The early Greek philosophers such as Plato and
Pythagoras used patterns to understand the laws of nature. Over time, the study of
patterns and their uses in understanding phenomena have developed progressively.
Types of Patterns

A. Symmetry – refers to an object that is invariant to various forms of

transformations. This exists whenever a figure or an object looks the same under a
transformation. Symmetry in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious
and beautiful proportion of balance. The common kinds of symmetry are
reflection/reflective symmetry and rotational symmetry.

*The opposite of symmetry is asymmetry.

1. Reflection (bilateral) symmetry – a symmetry in which the left and right

sides of the organism can be divided into approximately mirror image or reflection of
each other along the midline. The midline is also called the central line or the mirror
line. 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.

2. Radial Symmetry (or rotational symmetry) – is a symmetry around a fixed

point which is known as the center. Radial symmetry can be classified as either
cyclic or dihedral.

In cyclic symmetry, each rotation will

have an angle of 360/n and is denoted by
Cn, where n is the number of rotations. For
example, an object having C3 symmetry
would have three rotations of 120 degrees.

Dihedral symmetries have reflection symmetries in addition to rotational

symmetry. Dihedral symmetries are represented with the notation Dn where n is the
number of rotations, as well as the number of reflection mirrors present. Each
rotation angle is equal to 360/n degrees and the angle between each mirror is 180/n

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8
 degrees. Example, an object with D4 symmetry has four rotations, each angle
at 90 degrees and four reflection mirrors, each angle between them is 45 degrees.
B. Fractal – is a curve or geometric figure which is a result of shrinking and
moving applied many times. In fractals, the structure and appearance of each
component part is similar to the whole.
The word “fractal” was coined by Belgian mathematician, Benoit Mandelbrot,
in 1980. Mandelbrot used the word fractal to denote fraction. This is after he noticed
that the self-similar shapes have the property of not being one-dimensional or two-
dimensional, but instead, of fractional dimension. Fractals possess self-similarity,
fractional dimension and formation by iteration.

The properties of a fractal can be observed in nature. For example, a tree

grows by repetitive branching. This same kind of branching can be seen in lightning
bolts and the veins in human body. Examine a single fern or an aerial view of an
entire river system and you’ll see fractal patterns.
Example of Sierpinski Triangle

showing properties of fractals

C. Spirals - are patterns that center on a point and moves in a circular path
farther from the given point.

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. Examples of spirals are pine cones, pineapples,
hurricanes.

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 Lesson 1.2
THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE AND THE GOLDEN RATIO

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss various applications of Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio.
2. Examine Fibonacci sequence in nature and in art.
3. Calculate golden ratio in objects.

The Fibonacci Sequence

As introduced in the lesson 1.1, the Fibonacci

sequence is a series of numbers where a number is found by
adding up the two numbers before it. Starting with 0 and 1,
the sequence goes 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so forth.
Written as a rule, the expression is

The sequence was named after Leonardo Fibonacci, Leonardo Fibonacci (1170 –
also known as Leonardo of Pisa or Leonardo Pisano. It was 1250)
first introduced in his Liber Abbaci (Book of Calculation) in
1202. This book contains the problem created by Fibonacci
that concerns the birth rate of rabbits. Here is the Fibonacci’s rabbit problem:

At the beginning of a month, you are given a pair of newborn rabbits. After a
month, the rabbits produced no offspring; however, every month thereafter, the pair
of rabbits produces another pair of rabbits. The offspring reproduce in exactly the
same manner. If none of the rabbits dies, how many pairs of rabbits will there be at
the start of each succeeding month?

The solution of the given problem resulted to what we call now as Fibonacci
sequence. It is the sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377…and
its terms the Fibonacci numbers.
GROWTH OF RABBIT COLONY
Adult
Months Young Pairs Total
Pairs
1 1 1 2
2 2 1 3
3 3 2 5
4 5 3 8
5 8 5 13
6 13 8 21
7 21 13 34
8 34 21 55
9 55 34 89
10 89 55 144
11 144 89 233
12 233 144 377
Fibonacci Numbers in Nature

There are lots of flower petals that exhibit the Fibonacci number. Among
these are the white calla lily containing 1 petal, euphorbia with 2 petals, trillium with
3 petals, columbine with 5 petals, bloodroot with 8 petals, black-eyed susan with 13
petals, shasta daisies with 21 petals, field daisies with 34 petals and other types of
daisies with 55 and 89 petals.

Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

Fibonacci sequence is also seen in

different objects. The sunflower seed shows
a Fibonacci sequence. The pattern of two
spirals in opposing directions, clockwise and
counter-clockwise, are consecutive
Fibonacci numbers and usually contains 34
and 55 seeds.

Fibonacci numbers are also evident Image Credit:

http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted
in spirals of a pine cone. We can count 13 - ites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibnat.html
and 8 spirals in each direction, both
Fibonacci numbers.

The Fibonacci sequence can also be

observed in the way tree branches are
formed or split. A main trunk grows until it
has branches and soon creates two growth
points. Then, one of the new stems Image Credit:
branches into two, while the other one lies http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted
- sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibnat.html
dormant. This pattern of branching is
repeated for each of the new stems. The
sneezewort tree and algae display exhibit
such kind of pattern.
The Golden Ratio

The Fibonacci sequence has interesting and mysterious properties. Aside

from the fact that the sequence is very visible in nature, the ratios of the successive
Fibonacci numbers approach to the number phi (Φ), also known as the golden ratio
which is approximately equal to 1.618.

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.

The golden ratio (Φ) is the ratio between two numbers, a and b where a is
greater than b, if it is also the ratio between the sum and the larger of the two
numbers as in the equation below.
b a a/b
3 1.5
3 5 1.666666666…
5 8 1.6
8 13 1.625
13 21 1.615384615...
21 34 1.61905
34 55 1.61765
. . .
. . .
144 233 1.618055556...
233 377 1.618025751...

The Golden Rectangle

A golden rectangle comprises

of squares that is represented by the
numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.
Spirals among flowers, shells of
snails, human embryo and ears
exhibit the golden rectangle. This is
also seen in different artworks and in
architecture.

The Golden Ratio in Nature Image Credit: https://mindblown.smumn.edu/uncategorized/ can-

beauty-be-explained-through-math/
The Golden Ratio manifests itself in many places across the universe,
including Earth’s nature and even to our human body parts.
 1. Flower petals. The number of flower petals 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 chicory has 21 of them, the daisy
has often 34 or 55 petals, etc.

2. Faces. Faces, both human and nonhuman,

abound with examples of the Golden Ratio. The mouth
and nose are each positioned at golden sections of the
distance between the eyes and the bottom of the chin.
Similar proportions can be 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. Your hand creates a
golden section in relation to your arm, as the ratio of your
forearm to your hand is also 1.618, the Divine Proportion.
The foot has several proportions based on phi lines,
including:

1. The middle of the arch of the foot

2. The widest part of the foot

The base of the toe line and big toe

3. The top of the toe line and base of the “index” toe

Image Credit:
https://www.goldennumber
.net/huma

4. Shells. Snail
shells and nautilus
shells follow the
logarithmic spiral, as
does the cochlea of
the inner ear. It can
also be seen in the
horns of certain goats,
and the shape of
certain spider’s webs.

5. Spiral
Galaxies. Spiral
galaxies are the most
common galaxy
shape. The Milky Way
has several spiral
arms, each of them a
logarithmic spiral of about 12 degrees.

6. Hurricanes. The powerful swirls of

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hurricane also match the Fibonacci sequence.

The Golden Ratio in Arts and Architecture

The golden ratio can be used to achieve beauty, balance and harmony in art,
architecture and design. It was used as a tool in art and design to achieve balance in
the composition. The following are some of the examples:

1. The exterior dimension of the

Parthenon in Athens, Greece
embodies the golden ratio.

2. Leonardo da Vinci used the golden

ratio to define the fundamental
portions in his works. He
incorporated the golden ratio most of
Image Credit:
his own paintings such as the https://emptyeasel.com/2009/01/20/a-guide-
Vitruvian Man, The Last Supper, and to-the- golden-ratio-aka-golden-section-or-
golden-mean-for-artists/

Monalisa.
3. Michaelangelo di Lodovico Simon also used golden ratio in his painting,
“The Creation of Adam”. This painting can be seen on the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel. He 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 that contains them.

Image
credit:https://mindblown.smumn.edu/uncate
gorized/can- beauty-be-explained-through-
math/

Page 14
4. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino or more popularly known as Raphael was also a
painter and architect during the Renaissance period. In his paintings, the

golden triangle and pentagram are found in “The School of Athens” and
“Crucifixion.”

5. The Taj Mahal in India used the golden ratio in its construction and was
completed in 1648. The order and proportion of the arches of the Taj Mahal
on the main structure keep reducing proportionately following the golden ratio.

6. 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.

Image Credit: https://www.goldennumber.net/architecture/

 Lesson 1.3
IMPORTANCE OF MATHEMATICS IN THE WORLD

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. identify and discuss applications of Mathematics in various fields; and
2. apply mathematical concepts in solving societal problems.

We have seen how human knowledge has evolved throughout time. We have
observed in the previous lessons how evident Mathematics is in the natural world,
not only in patterns, but on how nature followed logical and mathematical structures.
It is therefore necessary to understand the many applications of mathematical
methods in different fields such as science, engineering, business, computer science
and industry.

This section discusses mathematics as an integral part of our everyday life,

as a necessary tool needed to communicate and interact in the society we live in.

Mathematics helps people to predict different phenomena in the world and to

understand the behavior of nature. Through Mathematics, people are able to exert
control over the occurrences of events in the world and enable advancement in the
society to take place. Mathematics is indeed applicable in various applications fields.
Some of these includes forensic science, medicine, engineering, information
technology, cryptography, archaeology, social sciences, political science and other
fields.

1. In forensic science, mathematics is applied specifically in collection,

measurement, analysis and documentation of evidences. Forensic scientist use
proportions in their analyses. For example, if a human leg bone is discovered in an
unmarked grave, forensic scientists use math equations to determine what
proportion, or percentage, of a person’s overall height the leg bone would be. This
will enable them to know if the person is a child or an adult. Trigonometry is also
useful in forensic science. It is used by a blood spatter analyst to study how blood
from a human injury splatters on a wall or other surface. Analysts use angles and
distances to calculate the third point of the triangle: the person who struck the
victim, where the attacker was standing and how hard he must have hit the victim.

2. In medical field, Mathematics is applied in developing medicines to cure

diseases. In particular, probability and statistics are used to validate the
effectiveness of new drugs and estimate the survival rate of cancer patients
undergoing certain treatments. Many drugs are designed to change the shape and
how the pieces move. Medical professionals also use mathematics when they write
prescriptions or administer medication. They also use mathematics when drawing
up statistical graphs of epidemics or success rates of treatments. Mathematics
applies to x-rays and Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) scan.
 Mathematical modeling is useful in medicine. Experts use calculus, functions,
graphs and differential equations to understand the nature and behavior of an
epidemic disease and to suggest counter solutions as treatment for it.
3. In Fluid dynamics, calculus and numerical analysis are used by engineers
in understanding phenomena involving heat, electricity and magnetism, relativistic
mechanics, gravity currents, quantum mechanics, viscous motions and others.

4. In Computer Science, applications of different mathematical concepts

such as Boolean algebra, logic, relations, functions, basic set theory, counting
techniques, graph theory, combinatorics, discrete probability, recursion, number
theory, computer-oriented numerical analysis and Operation Research techniques
are necessary in writing complicated software. Discrete Mathematics and algorithms
are considered as the lingua franca for computer scientists and software developers.

5. Cryptography is a combination of 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 which includes
the security of ATM cards, computer passwords and other electronic or digital
commerce.

6. In archaeology, archeologists used mathematical and statistical

techniques to present data from archaeological surveys. They also use patterns to
try to understand past human behavior and to carbon-date artifacts.

7. In Social Sciences, mathematical models in economics, sociology,

psychology and linguistics are necessary tools to understand societal dynamics.
Social scientists use calculus, probability, game theory, and network theory to
understand social phenomena.

8. In Economics, mathematical concepts such as matrices, probability and

statistics are used to generate models that try to capture present or future economic
status of a country. Models such as stochastic or deterministic, linear or non-linear,
static or dynamic, continuous or discrete are derived. Constructing such models
requires knowledge on algebraic, differential and integral equations in order to derive
these models.

9. In music and arts, the rhythm that is found in all music notes is the result
of permutations and combinations. Music theorists apply set theory, abstract algebra,
and number theory to understand a musical structure.
 Exercise 1.1
Patterns and Number in Nature and the World

Name: Denver Whyngham A. Walis Score:

Course and Year: BAFL 1A Date:

A. Determine what comes next in the following given patterns.

1. A, C, E, G, I, K , M , O
2. 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192 , 384 , 768
3. 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000 , 100000 , 1000000
4. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20, 27 , 35 , 44
5. 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, 216 , 343 , 512
6. What completes the pattern?
CSD, ETF, GUH, IVJ , KWL, MXN
7. What letter comes next in this pattern?
OTTFFSSE N T E

B.Determine the correct answer for each pattern. Encircle the letter of the
correct answer.
1. 2.

3. 4.

5.
Exercise 1.2

Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio

Name: Score:
Course and Year: Date:

A. Starting with the first Fib (1) = 1 and the second Fib (2) = 1, determine the
following?
1. Fib (15) =
2. Fib (20) =
3. If Fib (30) = 832, 040 and Fib (28) = 317, 811, what is Fib (29)?
4. If Fib (24) = 46, 368 and Fib (23) = 28, 657, what is Fib (22)?
B. Read and solve completely.
1. 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.

2. Jefferd wants to send his picture to Jessy. He wants the picture frame to be a golden
rectangle so that he will look good in it. If Jefferd wants the width of the frame to be
1-foot long, what should be length of the frame? Use 1.618 as the value of the
Golden Rectangle.

3. A wood that is 120 inches in length is to be cut into two parts such that the ratio of
the parts constitutes the Golden Ratio. What must be the lengths of the wood?

C. Find three examples of golden ratios in your surroundings. Include a photograph

as well as the estimates of the ratio of the base to the height for each example.
 Exercise 1.3
Importance of Mathematics in the World

Name: Score:
Course and Year: Date:

A. Write an answer to the following:

1. Cite five (5) other fields/ disciplines where Mathematics is applied. Provide
a specific example of use of Mathematics in the identified field.