Republic of the Philippines

Province of Batangas
CITY OF TANAUAN

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE

TANAUAN City of Colors
Mathematics
in nature
"The laws of nature are but the
mathematical thoughts of God"

- Euclid
 Mathematics in nature
• Geometrical Shapes
• Symmetry
• Fibonacci spiral
• The golden ratio
• Fractals
 Introduction

• 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.
A. Patterns and Numbers in Nature
and the World

 Human mind and culture have developed a formal

system of thought for recognizing, classifying, and
exploiting patterns called Mathematics.
 By using Mathematics to organize and systematize our
ideas about patterns, we have discovered a great
secret: nature’s patterns are not just there to be admired,
they are vital clues to the rules that governs natural
processes.
A. Patterns and Numbers in Nature
and the World
We live in a universe of patterns!
1. The snowflake
2. The honeycomb
3. The sunflower
4. The snail’s shell
5. Flower’s petals
6. Weather
The Snowflakes
 The Honeycomb
Why do the cells of a honeycomb have a hexagonal
form?
The shape turns out to be economical: much honey is
enclosed by minimum beeswax.

VIDEO: click here

 Petals of flowers

FLOWERS NUMBER OF PETALS

Lilies 3
Buttercups 5
Delphiniums 8
Marigolds 13
Asters 21
Daisies 34, 55, 89
 The Sunflower
Seed patterns of sunflower

All the sunflowers in the world show a number of

spirals that are within the Fibonacci sequence.
The Snail
Cycle of Seasons
 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, close packing 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 straight edges.
• 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 x height.
• 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
spiral
• 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 of a
nautilus shell.
 Symmetr
y
Symmetry is everywhere you look in Nature
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.
There are 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 symmetryRadial symmetry is rotational symmetry around a
fixed point known as thecenter. 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 objecthaving C3 symmetry
would have three rotations of 120 degrees.Dihedral symmetries
differ from cyclic ones in that they have reflectionsymmetries in
addition to rotational symmetry. Dihedral symmetries
arerepresented 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 90degrees, and four
reflection mirrors, with each angle
• A starfish provides us with a Dihedral 5 symmetry. Not only do
wehave five rotations of 72 degrees each, but we also have
five linesof reflection.
• 4.Hibiscus - C5 symmetry. The petals overlap,
so the symmetry might not be readily seen. It
will be upon closer examination though
 The golden
ratio
• The ratio of consecutive numbers in the
Fibonacci sequence approaches a number
known as the golden ratio, or phi
(=1.618033989...). 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.
 fracta
ls
• 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.
 B. The Fibonacci Sequence
Think of this!
At the beginning of a month, you are given a pair of
newborn rabbits. After a month the rabbits have 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?
At the start of 4th month, how many pairs of rabbits will there
be?
How about at the start of the 5th and 6th months?
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Batangas
Solution:
CITY OF TANAUAN

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE

TANAUAN City of Colors
 Fibonacci discovered that the number of
pairs of rabbits for any month after the
first two months can be determined by
adding the numbers of pairs of rabbits in
each of the two previous months. For
instance, the number of pairs of rabbits at
the start of the sixth monthis 3 + 5 = 8.
 A recursive definition for a sequence is one in which
each successive term of the sequence is defined by
using some of the preceding terms. If we use the
mathematical notation Fn to represent the nth
Fibonacci number, then the numbers in the Fibonacci
sequence are given by the following recursive
definition.

F1 = 1, F2 = 1, then Fn = Fn-1 + Fn-2, for n≥3

 Binet’s Formula
 The following formula is known as Binet’s formula for the
nth Fibonaccinumber.
𝐧 𝐧
𝟏 𝟏+ 𝟓 𝟏− 𝟓
𝐅𝐧= −
𝟓 𝟐 𝟐

The advantage of this formula over the recursive formula

𝐅𝐧= 𝐅𝐧−𝟏 + 𝐅𝐧−𝟐
is that you can determine the nth Fibonacci number without
finding the two preceding Fibonacci numbers.
Exercise 1

 Use the definition of Fibonacci numbers to

find the eleventh and twelfth Fibonacci
numbers.
Exercise 2

 Use Binet’s formula and a calculator to

find the 20th, 30th, and 40th Fibonacci
numbers.
 Fibonacci inSunflower
The seeds on a sunflower are arranged in
spirals that curve both clockwise and counterclockwise
from the center of the sunflower’s head to its outer
edge. In many sunflowers, the number of clockwise
spirals and the number of counterclockwise spirals are
consecutive Fibonacci numbers. The number of
clockwise spirals is 34 and the number of
counterclockwise spirals is 55.
 Fibonacci inPineapple
Pineapples have spirals formed by their
hexagonal nubs. The nubs on many pineapples
form 8 spirals that rotate diagonally upward to
the left and 13 spirals that rotate diagonally
upward to the right. The numbers 8 and 13 are
consecutive Fibonacci numbers.
Fibonacci inPlants
 Fibonacci inFruits
Inside the fruit of many plants we can observe
the presence of Fibonacci order.
 Fibonacci inAnimals

The shell of the chambered Nautilus

has Golden proportions. It is a
logarithmicspiral.

The eyes, fins and tail of the

dolphin fall at golden sections
along the body.

A starfish has 5 arms.

Fibonacci inHuman
C. Mathematics helps organize patterns
and regularities in the world
 Patterns have underlying mathematical
structures
 Every living or nonliving thing in the
world may seem to follow a certain
pattern on their own.
 The mystery of Fibonacci sequence and
the golden ratio as common patterns in
nature.
 Suggested activity for students

 Explore patterns in nature and

present them as photo album, photo
exhibit, portfolio, etc. with written
reports.
 Video- presentation
 D. Mathematics helps predict the
behavior of nature and the world
 Mathematics help predict the location, size and
timing of natural disasters
 Made possible by the studyof fractals.

A fractal is a mathematical formula of a pattern

that repeats over a wide range of size and time scales.
These patterns are hidden within more complex
systems.
❑ Benoit Mandelbrot is the father of fractals, who
described how he has been using fractals to find order
within the complex systems in nature, such as the shape
of coastlines.
E. Mathematics helps control natureand
occurences in the world for our own
ends
 Fractal Geometry has been applied in
different fields of knowledge such as
in engineering, computer graphics,
medicine,etc.
 F. Mathematics has numerous
applications in the world making it
indispensable
 Mathematics helps you build things
 Mathematics is helpful in managing financial matters
 Many more…
 Thanks to the development of new mathematical
theories, these more elusive nature’s patterns are
beginning to reveal their secrets. Already we are
seeing practical impact as well as an intellectual
one. But most important of all, it is giving us a
deeper vision of the universe in which we live in,
and for our own place init.
 ESSAY– Short Response

1.What new ideas about Mathematics did

you learn?
2.What is it about that have changed your
thoughts about it?
3.What is it most useful about Mathematics
for humankind?
 SYNTHESIS PAPER
 Prepare a 3-page synthesis paper
focusing on one of the following aspects
of Mathematics:
a. Mathematics helps organize patterns and
regularities in the world.
b. Mathematics helps predict the behavior of
nature and phenomena in the world.
c. Mathematics helps control nature and
occurrences in the world for our ownends.
 “Learning Mathematics outside
the classroom is not enrichment,
it is at the core of empowering our
understanding of the subject.
Links need to be made between
Mathematics and real life
to give learning a sense of purpose
and a need for us students to
achieve.“
“Teachers give most consideration
to what students are actually
learning. However, it is just as
important to give thought to how
and where students learn.
Then, it is the role of teachers to
utilize places, other than the
classroom,
to stimulate, to inspire and to
enhance learning. ”
 REFERENCES
❑ Essential Mathematics for the Modern World by
Nocon and Nocon
❑ Nature’s Numbers by Ian Stewart

 Video clip: https://vimeo.com/9953368

 Mathematical Excursions (Ch. 1) by R.Aufmann

• , et al.