Mathematics in the Modern World: Mathematics in our World

The Nature of Mathematics

Introduction

Many people define mathematics through numbers and operations. Competence in

computational skills (performing arithmetic operations with speed and precision) has been the
society’s norm to say that a person is good in mathematics or is a “mathematician”. This unseemly
view of mathematics restrains us to understand and appreciate the nature of this body of
knowledge.

So what is mathematics all about? Mathematics is not all about numbers and operations. It
goes beyond arithmetic. It is more about reasoning, making logical inferences and generalizations,
and seeing relationships in both the visible and invisible patterns in the natural world. As this section
progresses, we will be able to further explore the importance of mathematics in our daily life and
acquire a complete understanding and appreciation of its existence in our world.

Chapter 1: Mathematics in our World

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

 Identify patterns in nature and regularities in the world;
 articulate the importance of mathematics in one’s life;
 argue about the nature of mathematics, what it is, how it is expressed,
represented and used;
 express appreciation for mathematics as a human endeavour.

Mathematics as a Science of Patterns

The characterization of mathematics as the “study of patterns” had been first made by British
mathematician G.H. Hardy.

As mentioned by Collins, regularity is the fact that the same thing always happens in the
same circumstances. A pattern is a visible regularity in the world or in a man-made design hence,
making its elements predictable. In a mathematical view, a pattern is a study of “tilings” and
“wallpaper symmetries”. This connotes order, regularity and lawfulness. In the modern world, the
patterns of counting, measuring, reasoning, motion, shape position, and prediction, reveal the
powerful influence mathematics has over people’s perception of reality.

Pattern recognition is a key determinant of logical, verbal, numerical and spatial abilities. The
following are some of the commonly used patterns today: the logic patterns, symbol patterns,
number patterns and word patterns.

Logic Patterns

One kind of logic pattern deals with the characteristics of various objects. Another kind deals
with order. Some patterns appear in sequence while some possess similar attributes. These types
of pattern are common in aptitude tests. To construct or solve a pattern, find the rule for the pattern,
understand the nature of the sequence, and analyse the difference between two successive terms.

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Examples

1.

Explanation: As the sequence progresses the number of dots alternates in opposite section of the
rectangle. For example, the top of the first rectangle has 4 black dots and the bottom of the second
rectangle has 2 black dots. The top of the third rectangle has 4 black dots and the bottom of the
fourth has 2 black dots and so on. Conversely, the number of black dots in the bottom of the first
rectangle has 5 black dots and the top of the second rectangle has 3 black dots and so on.
Therefore, the correct answer is D.

So, when responding to this question during abstract reasoning tests we can see that it is the
‘number of objects’ presented which was the main factor that we needed to observe and assess.

2.

Explanation: The closest shape to the left wall of the tile disappears in each step of the
sequence. The second and third shapes move one step forward and new shape comes to fill
out third place. Hence the next in the sequence must be C.

3.

What do you think comes next?

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Number Patterns

Mathematics is very useful in making predictions. Working with number patterns leads
directly to the concept of functions in mathematics. It is important that students are able to recognize
number patterns to help them develop their problem solving skill.

The first step in determining the rule that defines the pattern is to look for differences
between two consecutive numbers. The number pattern helps make a generalization of how the
numbers are arranged in a sequence. If there is no logic (addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, squares, cubes, primes, etc.) in the differences, find other operations used in the pattern.

Examples

1. What is the next number in the sequence: 5, 7, 10, 15, 22, __________ ?
Answer: The differences between each pair of consecutive terms in the sequence are as
follows: 2, 3, 5, 7. These primes are added to the previous number to get the next number.
5+2=7, 7+3=10, 10+5=15, 15+7=22. Since the next prime is 11, you know that 22+11=33 is
the next number in the sequence.

2. What is the next number in the sequence: 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, __________ ?
Answer: Notice that the numbers are all consecutive primes. So, the next number is 29.

3. Find the next number in the sequence: 12, 13, 15, 18, 22, ____________.
Answer: By looking at the numbers, it can be found out that the logical rule is: Add 1 to the
first number, then add 2 to the resulting number, then add 3 to the resulting number, then
add 4, and so on. Hence, the missing number is 27.

Patterns in Nature

Mathematics reveals hidden patterns that help us understand the world around us. Patterns
in nature are visible regularities of form found in the natural world. Some natural patterns include
symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes.

Some Examples of Patterns in Nature

Symmetry comes from a Greek word which means “to measure together”. Mathematically,
symmetry means that one object becomes exactly like another object when moved in some way:
turn, flip or slide. Two objects are said to be symmetrical if they have the same size and shape while
one object has different orientation from the other. When objects are not symmetrical, they are
asymmetric.

Bilateral symmetry in human face and butterfly Radial symmetry in starfish

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Spirals are another common pattern in nature that we see more often in living things. A
spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point.

Tessellation or a tiling is when we cover a surface with a pattern of flat shapes so that there are
no overlaps or gaps.

Corn
Turtle Shell
Pineapple

Stripes and spots are often of the same width or size and color. Some of these are observed in
external appearances of animals.

A fractal is a pattern that the laws of nature repeat at different scales. It is an object or quantity that
displays self-similarity, in a somewhat technical sense, on all scales. It can be also thought of as a
never-ending pattern.

You will also find fractal patterns in
growth spirals, which follow a Fibonacci
Sequence (also referred to as the
Golden Spiral) and can be seen as a
special case of self-similarity.
Lightning’s terrifying power is both Though not as famously geometric as
awesome and beautiful. The fractals its relative the Romanescu, broccoli is
created by lightning are fascinatingly also a fractal.
arbitrary and irregular.

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Mathematics in the Modern World: Mathematics in our World

The Fibonacci Sequence

Fibonacci sequence are nature’s numbering system. In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are
the numbers in the following integer sequence, called the Fibonacci sequence, characterized
by the fact that the next number is found by adding up the two numbers immediately
preceding it. These are the numbers 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 5 5, 89, 144, …

Nature of Mathematics
Because mathematics plays such a central role in modern culture, some basic
understanding of the nature of mathematics is a requisite in scientifc literacy in the modern world.

 A science of measure- Measurement is an integral part of modern science as well

as of engineering, commerce and daily life. For example, measurement can
represent average weight of garbage from a community, the kilowatt usage of
electricity of a household, or the maximum profit a business can have on a particular
product.
 Intellectual game-Intellectual games are games that require significant intelligence
and cognitive effort. Discovering patterns in mathematics needs patterns of
intellectual skills that make one mathematical abstraction a reality.
 The art of drawing conclusions- There are various examples of mathematical
reasoning that will be vital to draw conclusions and make generalizations about those
ideas.
 A tool subject- In many fields of human activity, mathematics is truly a highly
powerful instrument of investigation. Mathematics is applied in the fields of
engineering, theoretical and applied physics, and all other sciences. In business, an
understanding of mathematics will be very helpful to understand interests, yields,
amortization, production optimization, etc.
 A system of logical procedure- Problem-solving is an important component of
mathematics.
 An intuitive method- Mathematicians have traditionally regarded intuition as a way
of understanding proofs and conceptualizing problems. Proving theorems is not
mechanical, proving theorems does require formal manipulation. Yet, it also requires
the use of intuition, the ability to see what is reasonable or not, and the ability to put
all these together.

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Mathematics in the Modern World: Mathematics in our World

Importance of Mathematics in Life

Mathematics is inevitable. Our daily life engages mathematics from cooking, going to school
or work, managing our money, etc. You have actually numerous reasons why you should study
mathematics.

1. Transportation Expenses

Everyday we go to different places to perform our tasks may it be in school, market, malls, or
friend’s house by means of transportation. In some transportation vehicles, discounts are
given as special priviledges to some passengers like students. You must possess a basic
math skill to compute how much discount you will enjoy for a particular ride.

2. Baking and Cooking

Eating as necessity requires the skill of cooking or baking. To achieve the expected taste of
your food, you must distinguish the difference between a quarter from a half tablespoon.
Yes, you do math in cooking!

3. Building Houses

As you put up your own house, you must atleast possess a basic knowledge in computing
area and perimeter to estimate how much tiles, cement and other house materials are
needed while avoiding cost to materials unnecessary. This will help you accurately model
your home within the budget and maximize your resources.

4. Saving Money

For many, saving money means being ready. Many organizations like banks and
cooperatives encourage individual to grow their money by opening an account and saving
money in their organization. Individual who want to avail greater interest should know the
policies of the different companies and apply mathematical skills to compare and choose
wise decision.

5. Competition

Imagine judging a competition without numbers. How would you compare and assess the
performances of 10 performers? Mathematics makes it easy to assess performances in a
competition because numbers are measurable.

6. Doing Exercise

Getting n shape and staying fit means achieving your health goals. Maybe you want to meet
a personal goal by the end of the month. You need a math to know how many more reps to
curl, or how many seconds to cut off your mile time, or how many more pounds to lose to
achieve that goal.

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References

1. Earnhart, R. T., & Adina, E. M. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World: Outcome-Based
Module. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
2. Calingasan, R.M., Martin, M. C., & Yambao, E. M. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World.
Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
3. Daligdig, R.M. (2019). Mathematics in the Modern World. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing
Company
4. Fractals in Nature. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.diygenius.com/fractals-in-nature/
https://www.google.com/search?q=nonverbal+reasoning+test+for+licensure+exam&rlz=1C1
RLNS_enPH680PH680&oq=nonverbal+reasoning+test+for+lice&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j33l3.1
3013j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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