Chapter 1

Nature of Mathematics
LEARNING OUTCOME(S):
 Discuss and argue about the nature of mathematics, what it is, how it is expressed,
represented, and used.
 Identify Patterns in Nature and regularities in the world
 Appreciate the nature and uses of mathematics in everyday life.

LESSON 1: Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World

TIME FRAME: 1 hour CODE:

Mathematics reveals hidden patterns that help us understand the world around us. Aside from
arithmetic and geometry, mathematics today is a diverse discipline that deals with data,
measurements, and observations from science; with inference, deduction, and proof; and with
mathematical models of natural phenomena, of human behavior, and of social systems.

As a practical matter, mathematics is a science of pattern and order. Its domain is not molecules
or cells, but numbers, chance, form, algorithms, and change. As a science of abstract objects,
mathematics relies on logic rather than on observation as its standard of truth, yet employs
observation, simulation, and even experimentation as means of discovering truth.

The special role of mathematics in education is a consequence of its universal applicability. The
results of mathematics--theorems and theories--are both significant and useful; the best results
are also elegant and deep. Through its theorems, mathematics offers science both a foundation
of truth and a standard of certainty.

In addition to theorems and theories, mathematics offers distinctive modes of thought which
are both versatile and powerful, including modeling, abstraction, optimization, logical analysis,
inference from data, and use of symbols. Experience with mathematical modes of thought
builds mathematical power--a capacity of mind of increasing value in this technological age that
enables one to read critically, to identify fallacies, to detect bias, to assess risk, and to suggest
alternatives. Mathematics empowers us to understand better the information-laden world in
which we live.
LESSON 2: FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

1. The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers: 0 , 1 ,1 , 2 ,3 , 5 , 8 ,13 , 21 ,34 ,.. .

The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it. The number 2 is found by
adding the two numbers before it (1+1). 3 is found by adding the two numbers before it (1+2),
and 5 is (2+3), and so on

When we make squares with those widths, we get a nice spiral:

Do you see how the squares fit neatly together?

For example 5 and 8 make 13, 8 and 13 make 21,
and so on

A nautilus is a cephalopod mollusk with a spiral

shell and numerous short tentacles around its
mouth.
A nautilus shell is grown in a Fibonacci spiral. The
spiral occurs as the shell grows outwards and tries
to maintain its proportional shape.
Not every nautilus shell makes a Fibonacci spiral,
though they all adhere to some type of logarithmic
spiral.

Other Amazing Examples of the Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

 Sunflowers boast radial symmetry of the Fibonacci
sequence. This is not uncommon since many plants
produce leaves, petals and seeds in the Fibonacci
sequence. Sunflowers and other plants abide by
mathematical rules for efficiency. In simple terms,
sunflowers can pack in the maximum number of
seeds if each seed is separated by an irrational-
numbered angle.

Here are the three most natural ways to find spirals in

this pattern. Note that the black pattern is identical in
all the images on this page. Only the colored lines
indicating the selected spirals are different. The 1 st set
of lines show 34 spirals of seeds.

Choosing another slope, these set of lines And choosing a very shallow slope, these set
show 55 spirals of seeds. of lines show 21 spirals of seeds
 WORKSHEET 1

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

1. Continue The Fibonacci Sequence by completing the 1st table below.

0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34

2. Complete the 2nd table below by taking the ratio of the two successive Fibonacci
Sequence from the 1st table. Round off your answer to the nearest thousandths.

x x 1.000 2.000 1.500

3. What is the relationship between the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ration?

4. Take a picture (or cut out from a magazine) of any example of Fibonacci Sequence that
you can find from your local community and paste it in the space provided below.
LESSON 3: GOLDEN RATIO

2. The Golden Ratio is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts so that the
longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the
longer part. It is often symbolized using phi, after the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In an
equation form, it looks like this:

a (a+ b)
= =1.6180339887498948420…
b a

Each section of your index

finger, from the tip to the
base of the wrist, is larger
than the preceding one by
about the Fibonacci ratio
of 1.618, also fitting the
Fibonacci numbers 2, 3, 5
and 8.
By this scale, your fingernail is 1 unit in length. Curiously enough, you also have 2 hands, each
with 5 digits, and your 8 fingers are each comprised of 3 sections.  All Fibonacci numbers!

Here are other ways of expressing the same basic relationship in its connection to the golden
ratio and golden spiral
 WORKSHEET 2

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

1. Measure your arm from A to B and from A to C as shown in the figure below. And write
your measurement (cm) in the given table below. Gat the ratio of AC/AB. Look for other
measurements from your classmates and get the average.

A B C

Name of Students AB (cm) AC (cm) AC/AB (cm)

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

2. What can you say about ratio of your forearm to your hand?

3. What other proportions in the human body that is equal to phi (1.618)?