Part 1

The Nature of Mathematics

"The laws of nature are but the
mathematical thoughts of God"

- Euclid
 Introduction

Mathematics is a useful way to think about

nature and our world. The nature of mathematics
underscores the exploration of patterns (in
nature and the environment). Mathematics is an
integral part of daily life ; formal or informal. It
is used in technology, business, medicine,
natural and data sciences, machine learning and
construction. Mathematics has numerous
applications in the world making it
indespensable
In this fast-paced society, how often have you
stopped to appreciate the beauty of the things
around you?
As human beings we tend to identify and follow
patterns whether consciously or subconsciously.
Early humans recognized the repeating interval
of day and night, the cycle of the moon, the
rising and falling of tides and the changing of
seasons. Awareness of these patterns allowed
humans to survived.
Mathematics is all around us. As we discover
more and more about our environment and our
surroundings we see that nature can be described
mathematically. The beauty of a flower, the
majesty of a tree, even the rocks upon which we
walk can exhibit natures sense of symmetry.
Although there are other examples to be found in
crystallography or even at a microscopic level of
nature.
Patterns and Numbers in Nature
and the World

In the general sense of the word patterns are regular,

repeated or recurring forms or designs. We see
patterns everyday such as 2, 4, 6, 8 these are
number patterns. The most basic pattern is the
sequence of the dates in the calendar.
Some examples of patterns in
Nature

• Geometrical Shapes
• Symmetry
• Fibonacci spiral
• The golden ratio
• Fractals
• Stripes
 geometrical shapes
• Shapes - Perfect

Earth is the perfect shape for minimising the pull

of gravity on its outer edges - a sphere (although
centrifugal force from its spin actually makes it
an oblate spheroid, flattened at top and bottom).
Geometry is the branch of maths that describes
such shapes.
• Shapes - Polyhedra

For a beehive, being close is important to

maximise the use of space. Hexagons fit most
closely together without any gaps; so hexagonal
wax cells are what bees create to store their eggs
and larvae. Hexagons are six-sided polygons,
closed, 2- dimensional, many-sided figures with
straightedges.
• Shapes - Cones

Volcanoes form cones, the steepness and height of

which depends on the runniness (viscosity) of
the lava. Fast, runny lava forms flatter cones;
thick, viscous lava forms steep-sided cones.
Cones are 3-dimensional solids whose volume
can be calculated by 1/3 x area of base xheight.
• Parallel lines

In mathematics, parallel lines stretch to infinity,

neither converging nor diverging. These parallel
dunes in the Australian desert aren't perfect -
the physical world rarely is.
 Fibonacci Sequence

These numbers are natures numbering system.

They appear everywhere in nature, from the leaf
arrangement in plants, to the pattern of florets of a
flower, the bracts of a pinecone or the scales of a
pineapple. The Fibonacci numbers are therefore
applicable to the growth of every living thing
including a single cell, a grain of wheat, a hive of
bees and even all mankind
 Fibonacci numbers

If you construct a series of squares with lengths

equal to the Fibonacci numbers (1,1,2,3,5, etc) and
trace a line through the diagonals of each square, it
forms a Fibonacci spiral. Many examples of the
Fibonacci spiral can be seen in nature, including in
the chambers ofa nautilusshell.
 Symmetry

Symmetry is everywhere. Symmetry is when a figure

has two sides that are mirror images of one another. It
would then be possible to draw a line through a
picture of the object and along either side the image
would look exactly the same. This line would be called
a line of symmetry.
Thereare two kinds of Symmetries
• Bilateral symmetry
• Radial symmetry
 Bilateral symmetry

• One is Bilateral Symmetry in which an object has

two sides that are mirror images of each other.
• The human body would be an excellent example
of a living being that has Bilateral Symmetry.
 Radial symmetry
• The other kind of symmetry is Radial Symmetry. This is where
there is a center point and numerous lines of symmetry could
be drawn. Radial symmetry is rotational symmetry around a
fixed point known as the center. Radial symmetry can be
classified as either cyclic or dihedral. Cyclic symmetries are
represented with the notation Cn, where n is the numberof
rotations. Each rotation will have an angle of 360/n. For
example, an object having C3 symmetry would have three
rotations of 120 degrees. Dihedral symmetries differ from
cyclic ones in that they have reflection symmetries in addition
to rotational symmetry. Dihedral symmetries are represented
with the notation Dn where n represents the number of
rotations ,as well as the number of reflection mirrors present.
Each rotation angle will beequal to 360/n degrees and the
angle between each mirror will be 180/ndegrees. An object
with D4 symmetry would have four rotations, each of 90
degrees, and four reflection mirrors, with each angle
• A starfish provides us with a Dihedral 5 symmetry.
Not only do we have five rotations of 72 degrees
each, but we also have five lines of reflection.
• Hibiscus - C5 symmetry. The petals overlap,
so the symmetry might not be readily seen. It
will be upon closer examinationthough
 The golden ratio

• The ratio of consecutive numbers in the

Fibonacci sequence approaches a number
known as the golden ratio, or phi (=1.6182).
The aesthetically appealing ratio is found in
much human architecture and plant life. A
Golden Spiral formed in a manner similar to
the Fibonacci spiral can be found by tracing
the seeds of a sunflower from the center
outwards.
 fractals
• A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are
infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar
across different scales. They are created by
repeating a simple process over and over in an
ongoing feedback loop. Driven by recursion,
fractals are images of dynamic systems – the
pictures of Chaos.
conclusion

 Mathematics is everywhere in this

universe. We seldom note it. We
enjoy nature and are not
interested in going deep about
what mathematical idea is in it.
 mathematics express itself
everywhere, in all most every facet
of life- in nature all around us.
Importance of Mathematics in Life

According to Katie Kim (2015), Math is a

subject that makes students either jump for joy
or rip their hair out. However, math is in
inescapable as you become an adult in the
real world

 Computing Test Scores and Grades

Importance of Mathematics in Life

 Restaurant tipping
 Netflix film viewing
 Calculating bills
 Tracking career
 Doing exercise
 Handling money
 Making countdown
 Cooking
 Surfing the internet
Nature of Mathematics

According to the American Association for

the Advancement of Science (1990),
Mathematics relies on both logic and
creativity, and it is pursued both for a variety of
practical purposes and for its intrinsic interest.
For some people, and not only professional
mathematicians, the essence of
mathematics lies in its beauty and its
intellectual challenge
Nature of Mathematics

1. PATTERNS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Mathematics is the science of patterns and
relationships. As a theoretical discipline,
mathematics explores the possible
relationships among abstractions without
concern for whether those abstractions have
counterparts in the real world. The
abstractions can be anything from strings of
numbers to geometric figures to sets of
equations
 Nature of Mathematics

2. MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

Because of its abstractness, mathematics is
universal in a sense that other fields of human
thought are not. It finds useful applications in
business, industry, music, historical scholarship,
politics, sports, medicine, agriculture,
engineering, and the social and natural
sciences
 Nature of Mathematics

3. MATHEMATICAL INQUIRY
Normally, people are confronted with
problems, In order to live at peace, these
problem must be solved
 Nature of Mathematics
4. ABSTRACTION and SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION
Mathematical thinking often begins with the process of abstraction—that is,
noticing a similarity between two or more objects or events. Aspects that
they have in common, whether concrete or hypothetical, can be
represented by symbols such as numbers, letters, other marks, diagrams,
geometrical constructions, or even words. Whole numbers are abstractions
that represent the size of sets of things and events or the order of things within
a set. The circle as a concept is an abstraction derived from human faces,
flowers, wheels, or spreading ripples; the letter A may be an abstraction for
the surface area of objects of any shape, for the acceleration of all moving
objects, or for all objects having some specified property; the symbol +
represents a process of addition, whether one is adding apples or oranges,
hours, or miles per hour. And abstractions are made not only from concrete
objects or processes; they can also be made from other abstractions, such
as kinds of numbers (the even numbers, for instance).
 Nature of Mathematics
5. MANIPULATING MATHEMATICAL STATEMENTS
After abstractions have been made and symbolic
representations of them have been selected, those
symbols can be combined and recombined in various
ways according to precisely defined rules. Typically,
strings of symbols are combined into statements that
express ideas or propositions. For example, the symbol A
for the area of any square may be used with the symbol
s for the length of the square's side to form the proposition
A = s2. This equation specifies how the area is related to
the side—and also implies that it depends on nothing
else
 Nature of Mathematics
The physicist Albert Einstein did not directly participate in the
invention of the atomic bomb. But as we shall see, he was
instrumental in facilitating its development.

In 1905, as part of his Special Theory of Relativity, he made the

intriguing point that a large amount of energy could be released
from a small amount of matter. This was expressed by the
equation E=mc2 (energy = mass times the speed of light
squared). The atomic bomb would clearly illustrate this principle.

But bombs were not what Einstein had in mind when he

published this equation.
Einstein's greatest role in the invention of the atomic bomb was
signing a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt urging that the
bomb be built.
 Nature of Mathematics
6. Application
Mathematical processes can lead to a kind of model of a thing,
from which insights can be gained about the thing itself. Any
mathematical relationships arrived at by manipulating abstract
statements may or may not convey something truthful about the
thing being modeled. For example, if 2 cups of water are added
to 3 cups of water and the abstract mathematical operation 2+3
= 5 is used to calculate the total, the correct answer is 5 cups of
water. However, if 2 cups of sugar are added to 3 cups of hot tea
and the same operation is used, 5 is an incorrect answer, for such
an addition actually results in only slightly more than 4 cups of very
sweet tea.

Sometimes common sense is enough to enable one to decide

whether the results of the mathematics are appropriate.
QUIZ 1 PATTERN
 QUIZ 1
1-3. What are the next three numbers in this
pattern: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, ___, ___, ___, ...?

4-6. What are the next three numbers in this

pattern: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ___, ___, ___?

7-9. What are the next three numbers in this

pattern: m + 2, 2m + 4, 3m + 6, 4m + 8, ___, ___, ___?
 QUIZ 1
10. Fernando Amorsolo is making one-color
versions of all his paintings. He uses the colors in the
following order and then starts over from the
beginning: Red, Blue, Pink, Green, and Purple.

What color is painting 31?

11. Find the next number in the sequence:

31, 28, 31, 30, ....
 QUIZ 1
12-13. Find the next number in the sequence:
3, 3, 5, 4, 4, ...

14-15. Can you determine which letter comes

next?