Republic of the Philippines

IFUGAO STATE UNIVERSITY

Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao

Mathematics in the Modern World

Code: GEC 111

An Instructional Resource Material

by

ANGEL B. MANUEL
Instructor
CP Number: 09265610699

Email Address: njelmanuel@gmail.com

Facebook Account: Angel Baguilat Manuel

For IFSU use only

Requirements of the Course

Students will be graded through:

1. learning activities;
2. chapter quizzes; and
3. midterm and final exams.

Reminders for all activities in the module:

 always check updates on the deadline for submission;

 follow instructions in each activity;
 be guided with the criteria of the activities given in the module
 for those who will encode their answers, use the font style “Times New Roman” with font
size “12” and for those who will hand write their answers, kindly write clearly.

ANGEL B. MANUEL

Instructor
 At the end of this chapter, the students will
be able to:
1. identify patterns in nature and
regularities in the world;
2. articulate the importance of
mathematics in one’s life especially
in their course;
3. argue about the nature of
mathematics, what is it, how it is
expressed, represented and used;
CHAPTER 1: NATURE 4. solve problems regarding Fibonacci
sequence and Golden Ratio; and
OF MATHEMATICS 5. express appreciation for Mathematics
as a human endeavor.
 Introduction to Math
 Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the
World
 The Fibonacci sequence
 Mathematics for our world
 I. INTRODUCTION TO MATH Check out examples of some of these patterns and you
may be able to spot a few the next time you go for a
WHAT IS MATHEMATICS?
walk.
It is the study of patterns and structure.
1. Patterns can be observed even in stars which
Mathematics is fundamental to the physical and
move in circles across the sky each day.
biological sciences, engineering and information
2. The weather season cycle each year. All
technology, to economics and increasingly to the social
snowflakes contain six-fold symmetry which
sciences. It is also useful way think about nature and our
no two are exactly the same.
world.
It is a tool to quantify, organize and control our
world, predict phenomena and make life easier to us.
Before the internet was developed, it takes lot of time to
get several information from the library to get a certain
answer but today, it is only just a click to get that
information needed. Another example is the milling of
rice. Few years ago, it needs a mortar and pestle, time
and strength to have the rice ready to cook but now, just 3. Patterns can be seen in fish patterns like
bring it in the milling station. spotted trunkfish, spotted puffer, blue spotted
stingray, spotted moral eel, coral grouper, red
In this fast changing time, did you ever
lion fish, yellow boxfish and angel fish. These
appreciate the things around you? Did you ever consider
animals and fish stripes and spots attest
the process and mechanisms that we have in order to
To mathematical regularities in biological
make life easier?
growth and form.
In the olden times, our ancestors noticed some
patterns that helped them survived. Some of these are
the repeating interval of day and night, the cycles of the
moon where they base planting seasons, the angle of
shadows as their basis of time, the crow of the rooster
which means it’s already morning and many more. In a
similar fashion, many flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
4. Zebras, tigers, cats and snakes are covered in
also follow a certain pattern like the patterns in the
patterns of stripes; leopards and hyenas are
plant’s leaves and stems, the snail’s shell, the tiger’s
covered in pattern of spots and giraffes are
stripe and others.
covered in pattern of blotches.
Have you ever wonder about those patterns?
What examples could you think of? Did you know that
those patterns are related to Mathematics?
In this chapter, we will look into some of these
patterns and how math comes into play in both nature
and human endeavor.

II. PATTERNS AND NUMBERS IN

NATURE AND THE WORLD
Patterns are regular, repeated or recurring forms
or designs. Pattern in nature visible regularities of form
found in the natural world and can be seen in the
universe. It indicates a sense of structure or organization
such that it would seem that only humans are capable of
producing these intricate, creative and amazing
formations. It is from this perspective that some people
see an “intelligent design” in the way that nature is
created.
 5. Natural patterns like the intricate waves across
the oceans; sand dunes on deserts; formation of
typhoon; water drop with ripple and others.
These serves as clues to the rules that govern
flow of water, sand, and air.
sea lilies. Radial symmetry suits organisms
like sea anemones whose adults do not
move and jellyfish (dihedral-D4 symmetry.
Radial symmetry is also evident in different
kinds of flowers.

6. Other patterns in nature can also be seen in the

ball of mackerel, the v-formation of the geese
in the sky and the tornado formation of
starlings.

2. FRACTALS- a curve or geometric figure, each

EXAMPLE OF PATTERNS
1. SYMMETRY- a sense of harmonious and
beautiful proportion of balance or an object is
invariant to any various transformations
(reflection, rotation, or scaling).
part of which has the same statistical character
as the whole. A fractal is never-ending pattern
found in nature. The exact same shape is
replicated in a process called “self-similarity”.
The pattern repeats itself over and over again at
different scales. For example, the tree grows by
repetitive branching. This same kind of
branching can be seen in lightning bolts and the
veins in your body.

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. This can be
seen in living things like insects, animals,
plants and others.
3. SPIRALS- a logarithmic spiral or growth spiral
is a self-similar spiral curve which often appear
in nature. It was first described 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
and others. It is because they are constantly
trying to grow but stay secure.

b. Radial Symmetry or Rotational

Symmetry- a symmetry around a fixed
point known as the center and it can be
classified as 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
4. MEANDER- one of the series of regular
sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings
in the channel of a river, stream, or other
watercourse. It is produced by a stream or river
swinging from side to side as it flows across its
floodplain or shifts its channel within a valley.
5. WAVE- a disturbance that transfer energy
through matter or space, with line or no
associated mass transport. Waves consist of
oscillation or vibration of a physical medium or
a field, around relatively fixed locations. Surface
waves in water show water ripples.
6. Foam- substance formed by trapping pockets of
gas in a liquid or solid. A bath sponge and the
head on a glass of beer are examples of foams.
In most foams, the volume of gas is large, with
thin films of liquid or solid separating the
regions of gas. Soap foams are also known as
suds.
7. Tessellation- a flat surface is the tiling of a plane
using one or more geometric shapes, called tiles,
with no overlaps and no gaps. In mathematics, it
can generalize to higher dimensions and a
variety of geometries.
8. FRACTURE or CRACK a separation of an
object or material into two or more pieces under
the action of stress. The fracture of a solid
usually occurs due to the development of certain
displacement discontinuity surfaces within the
solid. If a displacement develops perpendicular
to the surface of displacement, it is called a
normal tensile crack or simply a crack; if a
displacement develops tangentially to the
surface of displacement, it is called a shear
crack, slip band, or dislocation.
9. Stripes- made by a series of bands or strips,
often of the same width and color along the
length.
10. Affine Transformations- these are the processes
of rotation, reflection and scaling. Many plant
forms utilize these processes to generate their
structure. In these case of Broccoli and
Cauliflower heads, it can readily be seen that
there is a type of pattern, which also shows some
spiraling in the case of Broccoli. Rotating
pattern is very evident in Cauliflower.
Practice 1: Identify Me!
Instruction: Test yourself by identifying if it is bilateral
symmetry, radial symmetry, fractals or spirals. Write
your answer in the space provided. After answering,
check your answer from the key to correction.
1. __________
III. THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
Fibonacci
Named after Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo of
Pisa or Leonardo Pisano, Fibonacci numbers were first
introduced in his Liber Abbaci (Book of Calculation) in
1202. The son of a Pisan merchant, Fibonacci traveled
widely and traded extensively. Mathematics was
incredibly important to those in the trading industry, and
his passion for numbers was cultivated in his youth.

Sequence
In mathematics, a sequence is an ordered list of
number, called terms, that may have repeated values.
2. __________ Example 1: Generating a Sequence
Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify
the next three terms.
A. 1, 10, 100, 1000, _____, _____, _____
B. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20, _____, _____, _____
Solutions:
3. __________ A. Looking at the set of numbers, it can be
observed that each term is a power of 10: 100 =
1; 101 = 10; 102 = 100; 103 = 1000;
therefore, the next three terms are: 104 =
10,000; 105 = 100,000; 106 = 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
4. __________ and 14) is 5. Following this rule, it can be
deduced that to obtain the next term, the current
term should be increased by 2+n, where n is the
position of the current term. Hence, the
following three terms are 20+2+5=27
27+2+6=35
35+2+7=44

Practice 2: What’s Next?

5. __________
Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify
the next three terms. After identifying your answer,
compare it from the key to correction.
1. 16, 32, 64, 128, _____, _____, _____
2. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, _____, _____, _____
 The Rule
Fibonacci Sequence The Fibonacci Sequence can be written as a "Rule".
The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers: First, the terms are numbered from 0 onwards like this:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ... n= 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 …
xn = 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 …
The next number is found by adding up the two
numbers before it:
So term number 6 is called x6 (which equals 8).
 the 2 is found by adding the two numbers before
it (1+1), Example:
 the 3 is found by adding the two numbers before the 8th term is the 7th term plus the 6th term:
it (1+2),
 the 5 is (2+3),
 and so on!
Example: the next number in the sequence above is
21+34 = 55
It is that simple!
Here is a longer list:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610,
So we can write the rule as:
987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657,
46368, 75025, 121393, 196418, 317811, ...
xn = xn−1 + xn−2
Can you figure out the next few numbers?
where:
Fibonacci discovered this sequence as he
 xn is term number "n"
looked at how a hypothesized group of rabbits bred and
reproduced. The problem involved having a single pair  xn−1 is the previous term (n−1)
of rabbits and then finding out how many pairs of
rabbits will be born in a year, with the assumption that  xn−2 is the term before that (n−2)
a new pair of rabbits is born each month and this new Example: term 9 is calculated like this:
pair, in turn, gives birth to additional pair of rabbits
beginning at two months after they were born. He noted X9= x9−1 + x9−2
that the set of numbers generated from this problem
= x8 + x7
could be extended by getting the sum of the two
previous terms. = 21 + 13
= 34
Practice 3: Solve the required term in the Fibonacci
number! After answering, check your answers in the
key to correction.

1. 𝑋15
2. 𝑋20
Where is Fibonacci number/sequence in our real life? Golden Ratio
Flower petals exhibit the Fibonacci number: And here is a surprise. When we take any two
white call lily contains 1 petal, euphorbia contains 2 successive (one after the other) Fibonacci Numbers,
petals, trillium contains 3 petals, columbine contains 5 their ratio is very close to the Golden Ratio "φ" which
petals, bloodroot contains 8 petals, black-eyed susan is approximately 1.618034...
contains 13 petals, Shasta daisies contain 21 petals, field
In fact, the bigger the pair of Fibonacci Numbers, the
daisies contain 34 petals and other kinds of daisies
closer the approximation. Let us try a few:
contain 55 and 89 petals.
A B B/A
1 1 1
1 2 2
2 3 1.5
3 5 1.666666666...
5 8 1.6

Moreover, sunflower seed conveys the 8 13 1.625

Fibonacci sequence. The pattern of two spiral goes in ... ... ...
opposing direction (clockwise and counterclockwise).
The number of clockwise and counterclockwise spirals 144 233 1.618055556...
are consecutive Fibonacci numbers and usually contains 233 377 1.618025751...
34 and 55 seeds.
... ... ...

We don't have to start with 2 and 3, here I

randomly chose 192 and 16 (and got the sequence 192,
16, 208, 224, 432, 656, 1088, 1744, 2832, 4576, 7408,
11984, 19392, 31376, ...):

A B B/A
Another example is the tree brunches as the 192 16 0.08333333...
form or split. A main trunk will grow until it produces a
branch, which creates two growth points. Then, one of 16 208 13
the new stems branches into two, while the other one
208 224 1.07692308...
lies dormant. This pattern of branching is repeated for
each of the new stems. A good example is the 224 432 1.92857143...
sneezewort.
... ... ...
7408 11984 1.61771058...
11984 19392 1.61815754...
... ... ...

It takes longer to get good values, but it shows

that not just the Fibonacci Sequence can do this!
USING THE GOLDEN RATIO TO CALCULATE
FIBONACCI NUMBERS
x
Practice 4: Solve the 21st (or 21) of the Fibonacci
number using the Fibonacci formula and the golden
And even more surprising is that we rule formula then compare the two answers if they
can calculate any Fibonacci Number using the are the same. After answering, check your answer
Golden Ratio: in the key to correction.
𝝋𝒏 − (𝟏−𝝋)𝒏
xn = √𝟓 GOLDEN RATIO IN NATURE
The answer comes out as a whole number,
Most of the golden ratio is manifested in many
exactly equal to the addition of the previous two terms.
places across the universe, including right here on earth.
Example 1: x6
1. Flower Petals
(1.618034...)6 − (1−1.618034...)6 2. Faces
x6 = 3. Body parts
√𝟓 4. Seed heads
5. Fruits, vegetables and trees
X6 = 8. 000000332 6. Shells
The answer is the same even using the Fibonacci 7. Spiral galaxies
formula: 8. Hurricanes
Most of the examples are also in the examples of
xn = xn−1 + xn−2 Fibonacci in nature, as we have seen the similarities
between the two.
x6 = x6−1 + x6−2
Furthermore, golden ratio is also seen in arts to
x6 = x5 + x4 achieve beauty, balance and harmony:
1. The exterior dimensions of the Pathernon in
x6 = 5 + 3 Athens, Greece.
x6 = 8

Example 2: x10

(1.618034...)10 − (1−1.618034...)10
X10 = √𝟓

X10 = 55. 00000382 2. In “Timaeus” Plato describes five possible

regular solids that relate to the golden ratio
And when using the Fibonacci formula: which is now known as Platonic Solids. He also
considers the golden ratio to be the most
xn = xn−1 + xn−2 bringing of all mathematical relationships.

x10 = x10−1 + x10−2

x10 = x9 + x8
x10 = 34 + 21
x10 = 55
3. Euclid was the first to give definition of the
golden ratio as “a dividing line in the extreme
and mean ratio” in his book the “Elements”. He
proved the link of the numbers to the
construction of the pentagram, which is now
known as golden ratio. Each intersection to the
other edges of a pentagram is a golden ratio.
Also the ratio of the length of the shorter
segment to the segment bounded by the two
intersecting lines is a golden ratio.
6. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino or more popularly
known as Raphael was also a painter and
architect from Renaissance. In his painting “the
School of Athens”, the division between the
figures in the painting and their proportions are
distributed using the golden ratio.

7. The golden ratio can also be found in the works

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

GOLDEN RATIO IN ARCHITECTURE

5. Michael Angelo di Lodovico Simon 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 height of the area that
contains them.

1. Great pyramid of Giza

2. Notre Dame
3. Taj Mahal
4. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in Paris
5. United Nation Building
6. Eiffel Tower
7. CN Tower in Toronto
 IV. MATHEMATICS FOR OUR in the development of formal mathematical
WORLD theories related to the development of computer
science. Computer science development
“Pure Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of includes logic, relations, functions, basic set
logical ideas.” theory, counting techniques, graph theory,
-Albert Einstein combinatory, discrete probability, recursion,
recurrence relations and number theory,
IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING MATH IN LIFE computer-oriented numerical analysis and
Operation Research techniques.
1. Restaurant Tipping
5. Cryptography is a combination of both
2. Netflix film viewing
mathematics and computer science and is
3. Calculating Bills
affiliated closely with information theory,
4. Computing Test Scores
computer security and engineering. It is used in
5. Tracking Career
applications present in technologically
6. Doing Exercise
advanced societies, examples include the
7. Handling Money
security of ATM cards, computer passwords
8. Making Countdowns
and electronic commerce.
9. Baking and Cooking
6. In archaeology, archaeologists use a variety of
10. Surfing Internet
mathematical and statistical techniques to
In our daily life, we use mathematics directly or present the data from archaeological surveys
indirectly in various fields. The application of and try to find patterns to shed on past human
mathematical methods in different fields such as behavior an in carbon dating artifacts.
science, engineering, business, computer science and 7. In Social Sciences such as economics,
industry is a combination of mathematical science and sociology, psychology and linguistics all now
specialized knowledge. For example, statistics, make extensive use of mathematical models,
combinatory, and graph theory are used by investigators using the tools of calculus, probability, game
to solve crimes. Other applications of mathematics are theory, and network theory.
in forensic science, medicine, engineering, information 8. In Economics, mathematics such as matrices,
technology, cryptography, archaeology, social sciences, probability and statistics are used. The models
political science and other fields. may be stochastic or deterministic, linear or
non-linear, static or dynamic, continuous or
1. In forensic, mathematics is applied specifically discrete and all types of algebraic, differential,
the differential and integral calculus to clarify difference and integral equations arise for the
the blurred image to clear image. Another solution of these models.
application of calculus is optimization 9. In political Science, political analysts study
(maximize or minimize) surface areas, past election results to see changes in voting
volumes, profit and cost analysis, projectile patterns and the influence of various factors on
motion, etc. voting behavior or switching of votes among
2. In medical field, much of a function of a political parties and mathematical models for
protein is determined by its shape and how the Conflict Resolution using Game Theory and
pieces move. Many drugs are designed to Statistics.
change the shape or motions of a protein by 10. In music and arts, the rhythm that we find in
modeling using geometry and related areas. all music notes is the result of innumerable
Mathematics is also being applied in the permutations and combinations. Music
development of medicine to cure diseases. theorists understand musical structure and
3. In fluid dynamics, engineers use numerical communicate new ways of hearing music by
analysis in phenomena involving heat, applying set theory, abstract algebra, and
electricity and magnetism, relativistic number theory.
mechanics, quantum mechanics and other
theoretical constructs.
4. In Information Technology, modern computer
is invented through the help of mathematics. An
important area of applications of mathematics
 LEARNING ACTIVITIES C. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the correct
example of pattern from the given choices for
A. MODIFIED TRUE or FALSE. Write TRUE each picture.
if the statement is correct and if the statement
is wrong, CHANGE THE HIGHLIGHTED a. b. c. d.
WORD/S to make it right. bilateral fractals Spiral radial
symmetry symmetry
__________1. Patterns are regular, repeated or
recurring forms or designs. ____1. _____6.
__________2. A spiral is never-ending pattern
found in nature.
__________3. Fibonacci is named after Fibonacci,
also known as Leonardo the Pisa or Leonor
Pisano.
_____2. _____7.
__________4. The Fibonacci rule is expressed as
xn = xn−1 + xn−2.
__________5. The Golden Ratio "φ" is
approximately 1.618034...
__________6. The value of the general ratio is an
irrational number. _____3. _____8.

__________7. Fibonacci number is not alike with

the general ratio.
__________8. In generating sequence, it is
important to understand first the relationship
between the given terms.
_____4. _____9.
__________9. Using the Fibonacci formula, if n=9
then 𝑥9 = 34.
__________10. Using the golden ratio, if n=-1
then 𝒙−𝟏 = −𝟏.

B. Explore!
From your own respective places, choose one
example of pattern: Bilateral Symmetry, Radial ______5. _____10.
Symmetry, Fractal, Spiral, Meander, Wave,
Foam, Tessellation, Fracture or Crack, Stripes,
or Affine Transformation. Find a certain thing/
animal that shows the type of pattern that you
chose and explain how did you say so. Include
a picture when needed.

Criteria:
Correctness 5 points
Explanation 10 points
TOTAL 15 points
 D. SOLVING. Solve the following with
complete solutions.
FIBONACCI and GOLDEN RATIO
Let Fib(n) be the nth term of the Fibonacci
sequence, with Fib (1)=1, Fib (2)=1, and so
on.
1. Find Fib (12) F. CLASS OUTPUT: Cite the mathematical
2. If Fib (22)= 17,711 and Fib (24)=46,368, application that you commonly do in each of
what is Fib(23)? the following stations and state your
3. Evaluate the following sums: appreciation.
3.1 Fib (2) + Fib (3) = __________ Stations Application of
3.2 Fib (3) + Fib (4) + Fib (5) and appreciation
=__________ for Mathematics
3.3 Fib (10) + Fib (12) + Fib (13)= 1. Market
_______ 2. Bus/Jeepney
4. Consider Fib (3)=2. What do you notice 3. Church
4. Clinic
about every third Fibonacci number
5. Court
example Fib (6), Fib (9), Fib (12), . . .?
6. Laboratory
Similarly, look at Fib (4)=3, then check
7. Birthday Party
out every fourth Fibonacci number like
8. Watching
Fib (8), Fib (12), Fib (16), . . .What seems games
to be the pattern behind these sequence 9. Police station
generated from Fibonacci numbers? 10. School
5. Using the formula of Golden ratio, solve
for 𝑥5 .
6. If 𝑥𝑛 = 8, 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑛? KEY TO CORRECTION
𝑥10
7. What is the value of ? Practice 1:
𝑥5
1. Fractals
E. ESSAY. 2. Fractals
3. Bilateral symmetry
Select one of the following aspects of Math
4. Radial symmetry
and explain:
5. Spirals
a. Mathematics helps organize patterns and
Practice 2:
regularities in the world
b. Mathematics helps predict the behavior of 1. 256, 512, 1024
nature and phenomena in the world 2. 13, 21, 34
c. Mathematics helps control nature and
occurrences in the world for our own ends. Practice 3:

NOTE: Do not answer the questions in bullet form, 1. 610

use paragraph form (maximum of 5 sentences). Be 2. 6765
guided with the following criteria: Practice 4:
-Brevity (short but concise) 5 points 10946.0016
-Grammar 10
-Logic (soundness of your explanation) 10______
TOTAL 25 points
 Name:____________________ Course:____________ Year and Section:_____
ANSWER SHEET

A. MODIFIED TRUE or FALSE

1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.

B. EXPLORE!

___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
C. MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.

D. SOLVING (Utilize the space for your solutions)

 E. ESSAY
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

F. CLASS OUTPUT
(submit the class output in my email account. One output for every section)