The Nature of

Mathematics
On completion of this chapter, the students will be
able to:
 discuss different ways of looking at mathematics​
 explain concepts associated with viewing math as a
study of patterns.​
 share learned insights on the importance of looking
back in time.
 A set of problem solving tools

A language
Mathematics A process of thinking
is…
A study of patterns

An art
Mathematics as a Study
of Patterns
A pattern is an arrangement
which helps observer anticipate
what they might see or what
happens next. A pattern also
shows what may have come
before. A pattern organizes
information so that it becomes
more useful.
Here are some examples of pattern-seeking behavior of humans from childhood to adulthood:
A toddler separates blue blocks from red blocks.
A kindergarten student learns to count.
A first grader does skip counting
A third grader notices that multiples of two are even numbers.
A sixth grader creates patterns that cover a plane.
A juniorhigh school student learns that a function is essentially a pattern of how
one number is transformed to another.
A college biology undergraduate studies the sequence of DNA and proteins.
A stock trader studies trends in the stock market.
A weatherman makes weather forecasts based on atmospheric pattern.
Patterns are studies because they are everywhere; people just need to learn to notice them.
Examples of various patterns:
Logic Patterns. Logic patterns are usually the
first to be observed. Classifying things, for
example, comes before numeration. Being able
to tell which things are blocks and which are
not precedes learning to count blocks. One kind
of logic pattern deals the characteristics of
various objects while another deals with order.
What is the next block in the following images?

A B C D
Number Patterns. Number patterns, such
as 2,4,6,8,10 are familiar to students
since they are among the first patterns
encountered in school. Mathematics is
especially useful when it helps predict
events.
 Geometric
Patterns. A
geometric pattern
is a motif or
design that depicts
abstract shapes
like lines,
polygons, and
circles, and
typically repeats
like a wallpaper.
Visual patterns are
observed in nature https://www.canva.com/
and in art.
 Word Patterns. Patterns can also be found in language
like the morphological rules on pluralizing nouns or
conjugating verbs for tense, as well as the metrical rules
of poetry. Each of these examples supports mathematical
and natural language understanding. The focus here is
pattern in form and in syntax, which lead directly to the
study language in general and digital communication in
particular.

knife: knives wife:?

 Nature of
Mathematics
Pattern indicate a sense of structure and
organization that it seem only humans are
capable of producing these intricate, creative,
and amazing formations. It is from this
perspective that some people see an “intelligent
design” in the way that nature forms.
  Recall that symmetry indicates that you can
draw an imaginary line across an object and
resulting parts are mirror images of each
other.

 The figure, on the left side, is symmetric

about the axis indicated by the dotted line.
Note that the left and right portions are
exactly the same. This type of symmetry,
known as line or bilateral symmetry, is
evident in most animal, including humans.

source: https://www.yourdictionary.com/
Leornardo da
Vinci’s
Vitruvian man
showing the
proportion and
symmetry of
human body.
There are other This starfish has a
types of five-fold
symmetry
symmetry
depending on the source: https://www.thesprucepets.com/

number of sides
or faces that are
This spiderwort with
symmetrical. Look three-fold
at these images. symmetry

source: https://www.thespruce.com/
 A figure has a rotational symmetry
of order n (n-fold rotational
Order of symmetry) if 1/n of a complete turn
leaves the figure unchanged. To
Rotation compute for the angle of rotation,
we use the following formula:
Fibonacci
Sequence
Fibonacci sequence is named after
Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa,
who was better known by his nickname
Fibonacci. He is said to have
discovered this sequence as he look a
hypothesized group of rabbits bred
and reproduced.
 Starting with 0 and 1, succeeding terms in the sequence can
be generated by adding the two numbers that came before
the term:
0+1=1 0,1,1
1+1=2 0,1,1,2
1+2=3 0,1,1,2,3
2+3=5 0,1,1,2,3,5
3+5=8 0,1,1,2,3,5,8
… 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,…
Fibonacci sequence has many interesting
properties. Among these pattern are visible
in nature. Some beautiful pattern, like the
spiral arrangement of sunflower seeds, the
number of petals in a flower, and the shape
of a snail’s shell – all contain Fibonacci
numbers.
It is also interesting to note that the ratios of successive Fibonacci
number approach the number Φ (Phi), also known as the Golden
Ratio. This is approximately equal to 1.618.

The "golden ratio" is a unique mathematical relationship. Two numbers are in the golden
ratio if the ratio of the sum of the numbers (a+b) divided by the larger number (a) is equal
to the ratio of the larger number divided by the smaller number (a/b). Also, golden ratio is
irrational number like and e.
 Geometrically, it can
also be visualized as
a rectangle perfectly
formed by a square
and another
rectangle, which can
be repeated
infinitely inside each
section.
End of Chapter 1
References:
 Nocon, R.C. & Nocon, E.G. (2016). Essential Mathematics for the
Modern World. Philippines: C & E Publishing, Inc.
 Aufmann, R.N., Lockwood, J.S., Nation, R.D., & Clegg, D.K. (2010).
Mathematical Excursions (2nd ed.). Australia: Brooks/Cole Cengage
Learning.
 Heimbuch, Jaymi,. Nature Blows My Mind! The Hypnotic Pattern of
Sunflower. August 24, 2012. Retrieved from
https://www.treehugger.com/