Chapter 1: Nature

of Mathematics
Section 1.1
Patterns and
Numbers in Nature
and the World
PATTERNS
In this discussion, we will be looking at patterns and
regularities in the world, and how MATHEMATICS comes
into play, both in nature and in human endeavor.
Definition
Patterns are regular, repeated or recurring forms or
designs.
Example

layout of floor
tiles designs of
buildings
the way we tie
Studying patterns helps us in identifying relationships
our shoelaces
and finding local connections to form generalizations
and make predictions.
PATTERNS
1. Which of the figures can be used to continue the
series given below?
PATTERNS
2. Which of the figures, you think best fits the
series below?

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PATTERNS
3. Which of the figures can be used to continue the
series given below?

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PATTERNS

4. Which number should come next in this

series?

10, 17, 26, 37, ?

A. 46
B. 52
C. 50
D. 56

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PATTERNS
5. Which number should replace the question
mark "?"

A.
4
B.
5
C. M . Yanday
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61: Nature of Mathematics
Chapter University
PATTERNS

1 The base figure rotates at an angle of 45◦ in the

counterclockwise direction. Hence choice C is the
perfect match.
2 The base figure rotates at an angle of 90◦ in the
clockwise direction. Hence choice A is the best fit.
3 In the given series, a figure is followed by the
combination of itself and its vertical inversion. Thus
D. is the right choice.
4 Beginning with 3, each number in the series is a
square of the succeeding no. plus 1.
5 For each row the sum of the first two columns is
equal to the multiple of the last two columns.
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
SYMMETRY

Definition
Symmetry indicates that you can draw an imaginary line
across an object and the resulting parts are mirror images
of each other.
Example

butterfly
Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian
Man starfish

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
SYMMETRY

Figure 1

The butterfly is symmetric about the axis indicated by the

black line. Note that the left and right portions are
exactly the same. This type of symmetry is called
bilateral
Anna Clarice symmetry.
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
SYMMETRY

Figure 2

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man shows the

proportion and symmetry of the human body.
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
SYMMETRY
There are other types of symmetry depending on the
number of sides or faces that are symmetrical.

Figure
3
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
SYMMETRY

Note that if you rotate the starfish in Figure 3 by 72◦ ,

you can still achieve the same appearance as the original
position. This is known as the rotational symmetry. The
smallest measure of angle that a figure can be rotated
while still preserving the original position is called the
angle of rotation. A more common way of describing
rotational symmetry is by order of rotation.

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
ORDER OF ROTATION

A figure has a rotational symmetry of order n (n- fold

rotational 1
symmetry) if n of a complete turn leaves the figure
compute forTo
unchanged. the angle of rotation, we use the
formula
360◦
Angle of rotation =
n

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
ORDER OF ROTATION

Exampl
e

Figure
4

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
ORDER OF ROTATION

As seen in Figure 4, the pattern on the snowflake repeat

six times, indicating that there is a 6-fold symmetry.
Using the formula, the angle of rotation is 60◦.

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
HONEYCOMB

Figure 5

Do you wonder why bees used hexagon in making

honeycomb and not any other polygons? The reason is
that more area will be covered using hexagon compared
to other polygons. The following computation proves
this.
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PACKING PROBLEM

Definition
Packing problem involve finding the optimum method of
filling up a given space such as a cubic or spherical
container.
Claim: If hexagonal structure is used, then more
area will be covered.

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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PACKING PROBLEM

Proof.
Suppose you have circles of radius 1 cm, each of which
will then have an area of π cm2. We are then going to fill
a plane with these circles using square packing and
hexagonal packing.

Figure
6
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PACKING PROBLEM

Proof (Cont.)
For square packing, each square will have an area of 4
cm2. Note from Figure 6 that for each square, it can
only fit one circle. The percentage of square’s area
covered by circles will be

area of the circles× 100% = π cm

×
2
100% ≈ 78.54%
area o f the square 4 cm2

For hexagonal packing, we can think of each hexagon as

composed of six equilateral triangles with side equal to 2
cm.
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PACKING PROBLEM
Proof
(Cont.)

Figure 7

The area of each triangle is given by

√ √
3 3
√
A = × side2 = × (2 cm)2 = 3 cm2
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
PACKING PROBLEM

Proof (Cont.)
√
Thus, the area of the hexagon is 6 3 cm2. Looking at
Figure 7, there are 3 circles that could fit inside one
hexagon (the whole circle in the middle and 6 one-thirds
of a circle), which gives total area as 3 π cm2. The
percentage of the hexagon’s area covered by circles will
be

area of the circles× 100% = √ 3 π×cm 2

100% ≈ 90.69%
area o f the hexagon 6 3 cm 2

Comparing the two percentages, we can clearly see that

using the hexagons will cover a larger area than
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when
Pangasinan State
using
Chapter squares.
1: Nature of Mathematics University
OTHER MATHEMATICS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD
Example
s

Figure 8 Hyena’s Spot and Tiger Stripes

According to Alan Turing, a British Mathematician,
the for- mation of hyena’s spot and tiger stripes is
governed by a set of equations. What Turing proposed
was that there are two chemi- cals interacting inside
the embryo of an animal. He did not know what these
chemicals were, so he named them morphogens and
proposed that they reacted with each other and
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
OTHER MATHEMATICS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD

Examples
diffused through the embryo according to a system of
"reaction-diffusion equations."
Fibonacci numbers on flowers and nautilus shell (play
videos)
Mathematics used to model population growth
with the formula
A = Pe r t
where A is the size of the population after it grows, P
is the initial number of people, r is the rate of
growth, t is time and e is the Euler’s constant with
an approximately value of 2.718.
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Chapter 1: Nature of Mathematics University
OTHER MATHEMATICS IN NATURE AND THE WORLD
Example
The exponential growth model A = 30e0.02t describes the
population of a city in the Philippines in thousands, t
years after 1995.
1 What was the population of the city in 1995?
Solution: Since our exponential growth model
describes the population t years after 1995, we
consider 1995 as t = 0 and then solve for A. Thus, A
= 30 and the city population in 1995 is 30,000.
2 What will be the population in 2017?
Solution: We need to find A for the year 2017. To
find t, we subtract 2017 and 1995 to get t = 22.
Hence, A = 46.5813 and the city population in 2017 is
approximately 46,581.