GEC 3: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

UNIT 1:
THE NATURE OF MATHEMATICS

MODULE 1
GEC 3: Mathematics in the Modern World

Prepared by
MARYGRACE L. ACIO, ECE, LPT

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 GEC 3: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

Lesson 1: Mathematics in our World

Learning Objective

• Identify different patterns in the nature and in the world.

Introduction
Nature and the World is a composition of patterns and numbers. Patterns in nature can be seen in different
forms. In general, patterns are regular, repeated, or recurring forms or designs. We see pattern every day, from the
layout of floor tiles, designs of skyscrapers, to the way we tie our shoelaces. Studying patterns help students in
identifying relationships and finding logical connections to form generalizations and make predictions.
Let’s consider a natural marvel of nature with beautiful
pattern, the honeycombs!.
Have you ever wonder why bees uses hexagonal patterns in
the design of their honeycomb?
Honey is very expensive. Honeybees use it as a source of
food and wax for their colony. They engineered the design of
honeycomb to maximize the amount of food they could store while
minimizing the amount of wax creating it.

Example 1: What figure comes next in the pattern?

Solution:
By carefully looking at the pattern, you would notice that the lines rotate in a clockwise direction by 90-degree
intervals. The number of lines increases as it rotates clockwise and it is only parallel to one side of the box.
You would also notice that, as the lines rotates clockwise each line added decreases its length. Considering
all the trends, this means that the next figure should have five lines that rotates clockwise in 90-degrees
interval and the same time the length of each line decreases. Among the two choices, clearly option A is the
correct choice.

Example 2: What number comes next in 5, 8, 9, 14, 17, …?

Solution:
Looking at the given numbers, the sequence is increasing, with each term being added with decreasing odd
numbers starting from 5. Thus the pattern is: 8 = 5 + 3; 9 = 8 + 1; 14 = 9 + 5; 17 = 14 + 3; 18 = 17 +1.
Therefore, the next term should be 23 =18 +5

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Activity 1: Name that Pattern

I. IDENTIFY IT: You can use any resources to answer the following questions:
1. What patterns formed by repeating tiles all over a flat surface? ________________
2. Any of various extremely irregular curves or shapes for which any suitable chosen part is similar in
shape to a larger or smaller part when magnified or reduced to the same size. _______________
3. What pattern has tiny, round ball of air or gas inside a liquid? ____________________
4. What do you call a disturbance that carry energy as they move? _____________________
5. A line or long narrow section differing in color and texture from parts adjoining. ________________

II. NAME ME: Identify the given pattern based on the given pictures.

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 GEC 3: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World

Nature is full of beautiful patterns and colors. These patterns in nature can be seen in different forms which
includes symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, arrays, cracks, and stripes.
Patterns in nature is not only for us to appreciate, but it is a source of knowledge that gives us vital clues in
understanding the world around us. Long ago early astronomers used to study these patterns to make observations
and conclusions.

FRACTALS
Fractals are any various extremely irregular curves or shapes for which any suitable chosen part is similar in shape to
a larger or smaller part when magnified or reduced to the same size. It possesses the property of self-similarity where
component parts resemble the whole. Fractals can be seen is some plants, trees, leaves, and others.

Flower Petals
Flowers are considered as things of beauty. Their vibrant colors and fragrant colors and fragrant odor make
them vey appealing as gifts or decorations. If you look more closely, you will note that different flowers have
different number of petals. Take the iris and trillium, for example. Both flowers have only 3 petals. Flowers
with five petals are said to be the most common. These numbers are all Fibonacci numbers, which we will
discuss in detail in the next section.

SYMMETRY
Sirug (2018) defined symmetry as a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion of balance or an object is invariant
to any of various transformations such as reflection, rotation, or scaling. Symmetry is classified into two: bilateral and
radial symmetry.
Bilateral symmetry is formed when organism is divided into two and the left side approximately mirrors the
right side along the midline (Sirug, 2018). The human body exhibits bilateral symmetry as well as those of animals.
Moreover, plant leaves and insects exhibit this type of symmetry.

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 GEC 3: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

Radial symmetry (or rotational symmetry) is a type of symmetry around a fixed point known as the center
and it can be classified as either cyclic or dihedral. Plants, flowers, and some groups of animals exhibit radial or rational
symmetry. A five-fold symmetry is found in echinoderms, which includes starfish, sea urchins and sea lilies. Radial
symmetry suits organisms like sea anemone whose adults do not move and jellyfish. (Sirug, 2018)

Another term we associate with radial symmetry is the angle of rotation. The angle of rotation is the smallest
angle that a figure can be rotated while still preserving the original formation. It is computed as 360° divided by n,
where n is the order of rotation. The order of rotation is the number of times a figure is rotated while preserving its
original form.

Example: The order of rotation of a starfish is 5.

360 360
𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = = = 72 °
𝑛 5

Snowflakes

It can be observed that the patterns on a snowflake repeat six times, indicating
that there is a six-fold symmetry. To determine the angle of rotation, we simply
divide 360° by 6 to get 60°.

Many combinations and complex shapes of snowflakes may occur, which lead
some people to think that “no two are alike”. If you look closely, however, many
snowflakes are not perfectly symmetric due to effects of humidity and
temperature on the ice crystal as it forms.

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 GEC 3: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

TESSELLATIONS
Tessellations are patterns formed by repeating tiles all over a flat surface. While common in art and design, exactly
repeating tiling are less easy to find in living things. The cells in the paper nests of social wasps, and the wax cells in
honeycomb built by honey bees are well-known examples.
Honeycombs
People have long wondered how bees, despite their very small side, are able to produce such
arrangement while human would generally need the use of a ruler and compass to accomplish the same feat.

(a) Square Packing (b) Hexagonal packing (c)

Translating this idea to three-dimensional space, we can conclude that hexagonal formations are
more optimal in making use of the available space referred to as packing problem. Packing problems involve
finding the optimum method of filling up a given space such as a cubic or spherical container. The bees have
instinctively found the best solution, evident in the hexagonal construction of their hives.

Mathematically, the circles have radius 1 cm, each of which will then have an area of 𝜋𝑐𝑚². We are then
going to fill a plane with these circles using square packing and hexagonal packing.

For square packing, each square will have an area of 4𝑐𝑚². Note from the
figure that for each square, it can fit only one circle (4 quarters).

The percentage of the square’s area covered by circles will be:

𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝜋 𝑐𝑚²

𝑥 100 % = 𝑥 100 % = 𝟕𝟖. 𝟓𝟒 %
𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 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.
The area of each triangle is given by:

𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 2 𝑥 √3 (2 𝑐𝑚)2 𝑥 √3 4 𝑐𝑚2 𝑥 √3

𝐴= = = = √𝟑 𝒄𝒎𝟐
4 4 4
This gives the area of the hexagon as 6√3𝑐𝑚². Looking at the figure, 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 the total area as 3𝜋
𝑐𝑚². The percentage of the hexagon’s area covered by circles will be:
𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒 3𝜋 𝑐𝑚²
𝑥 100 % = 𝑥 100 % = 𝟗𝟎. 𝟔𝟗 %
𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛 6√3 𝑐𝑚²

Comparing the two percentages, using hexagons will cover a large area than when using squares.

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STRIPES AND SPOTS

Patterns are exhibited in the external appearances of animals. Stripes consists of a line or long narrow section
differing in color and texture from parts adjoining.
We are familiar with how a tiger looks-distinctive reddish-orange fur and dark stripes. Hyenas are also covered
in patterns of spots. These seemingly random designs are believed to be governed by mathematical
equations. According to a theory by Alan Turing, the man famous for breaking the Enigma code during World
War 11, chemical reactions and diffusion processes in cells determine these growth patterns. More recent
studies addressed the question of why some species grow vertical stripes while others have horizontal ones.
A new model by Harvard University researchers predicts that there are three variables that could affect the
orientation of these stripes-the substance that amplifies the density of stripe pattern; the substance that
changes one of the parameters involved in stripe formation; and the physical change in the direction of the
origin of the stripe.

SPIRALS
A spiral (logarithmic spiral or growth spiral) is a plane curve that winds around a central point while moving farther
from it. It is a self-similar curve which often appears in nature and was first described by Descartes and investigated
by Jacob Bernoulli, who called it Spira mirabilis which means "the marvelous spiral". Spirals can be seen in plants,
animals, typhoons, galaxies, etc

The Snail’s Shell

The most common spiral patterns can be seen in whirlpools and in the shells of
snails and other similar mollusks. Snails are born with their shells, called
protoconch, which start out as fragile and colorless then eventually, these original
shells harden as the snails consume calcium. As the snails grow, their shells also
expand proportionately so that they can continue to live inside their shells. This
process resulted in a refined spiral structure that is even more visible when the
shell is sliced. This figure, called an equiangular spiral, follows the rule that as
the distance from the spiral center increase (radius), the amplitudes of the angles
formed by the radii to the point and the tangent to the point remain constant.

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CRACKS
Cracks are linear openings that form in materials to relieve stress. The pattern of cracks indicates whether the material
is elastic or not. When an elastic material stretches or shrinks uniformly, it eventually reaches its breaking strength and
then fails suddenly in all directions. Conversely, when an inelastic material fails, straight cracks form to relieve the
stress.

BUBBLES AND FOAM

A bubble is a tiny, round ball of air or gas inside a liquid. When two bubbles join together, they form a more complex
shape where the other surfaces are spherical. These surfaces are joined together by a third spherical surface as the
smaller bubble bulges slightly into the larger one. A mass of bubbles is called a foam.

WAVES/DUNES
Waves are disturbances that carry energy as they move. Ripples are created when waves in water or wind pass over
sand. On the other hand, dunes are formed when wind blows over large bodies of sand. We usually see ripples when
a stone is thrown on a still lake, while we see huge waves in the seashore during storm surge. Sand dunes can be
seen in deserts.

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
The formula for exponential growth 𝐴 = 𝑃𝑒 𝑅𝑡 , where A is the size of the population after it grows, P is the initial
number of people, r is the rate growth, and t is time. Recall that e is Euler’s constant with an approximate value of
2.718. plugging in values to this formula would result in the population size after time t with a growth rate of r.

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 GEC 3: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

World Population
As of 2017, it is estimated that the world population is about 7.6 billion. World leaders, sociologists, and
anthropologists are interested in studying population, including its growth. Mathematics can be used to
model population growth.

Example: Population Growth

The exponential growth model 𝐴 = 30𝑒 0.02𝑡 describes the population of a city in the Philippines in
thousands, t years after 1995.
a. What was the population of the city in 1995?
b. What will be the population in 2017?

Solution:
a. Since our exponential growth model describes the population t years after 1995, we considered
1995 as 𝑡=0 and then solve for A, our population size.
𝐴 = 30𝑒 0.02𝑡
𝐴 = 30𝑒 0.02(0) Replace t with t = 0
𝐴 = 30𝑒 0
𝐴 = 30

b. We need find A for the year 2017. To find t, we subtract 2017 and 1995 to get t = 22, which we then
plug in to our exponential growth model.

𝐴 = 30𝑒 0.02𝑡
𝐴 = 30𝑒 0.02(22) Replace t with t = 22
𝐴 = 30𝑒 0.44
𝐴 = 30(1.55271)
𝐴 = 46.5813

Activity 2: Solve it!

A. Determine what comes next in the given pattern.

1. A, C, E, G, I, _____
2. 27 30 33 36 39______
3. 65, 50, 80, 65, 95 ______

B. Substitute the given values in the formula 𝐴 = 𝑃𝑒 𝑟𝑡 to find the missing quantity.
P = 680,000; r = 12% per year; t = 8 year

Assignment 1: Do This!
Create your own tessellation. Draw it on a clean bond paper. A tessellation is a tiling over a plane with
one or more figures such that the figures fill the plane with no overlaps and no gaps.

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