Typically, seeds are produced at the center, and then

migrate towards the outside to fill all the space.

Sunflowers provide a great example of these spiraling
patterns.
5. Fruits, Vegetables and Trees
Spiraling patterns can be found on pineapples and
cauliflower. Fibonacci numbers are seen in the
branching of trees or the number of leaves on a floral
stem; numbers like 4 are not. 3’s and 5’s, however, are
abundant in nature.
6. Shells
Snail shells and nautilus shells follow the logarithmic
spiral, as does the cochlea of the inner ear. It can also
be seen in the horns of certain goats, and the shape of
certain spider’s webs.
7. Spiral Galaxies
Spiral galaxies are the most common galaxy shape. The
Milky Way has several spiral arms, each of them a
logarithmic spiral of about 12 degrees.
8. Hurricanes
It’s amazing how closely the powerful swirls of
GOLDEN RATIO IN NATURE hurricane match the Fibonacci sequence.
It is often said that math contains the answers
to most of universe’s questions. Math manifests itself
everywhere. One such example is the Golden Ratio.
This famous Fibonacci sequence has fascinated
mathematicians, scientist and artists for many hundreds
of years. The Golden Ratio manifests itself in many
places across the universe, including right here on
Earth, it is part of Earth’s nature and it is part of us.

1. Flower petals
number of petals in a flower is often one of the
following numbers: 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 or 55. For
example, the lily has three petals, buttercups have five
of them, the chicory has 21 of them, the daisy has often GOLDEN RATIO IN ARTS
34 or 55 petals, etc. The golden ratio can be used to achieve beauty,
2. Faces balance and harmony in art, architecture and design. It
Faces, both human and nonhuman, abound with can be used as a tool in art and design to achieve
examples of the Golden Ratio. The mouth and nose are balance in the composition. Check out some examples
each positioned at golden sections of the distance of golden ratio in arts.
between the eyes and the bottom of the chin. Similar 1. The exterior dimension of the Pathernon in
proportions can been seen from the side, and even the Athens, Greece embodies the golden ratio.
eye and ear itself.
3. Body parts
The Golden Section is manifested in the structure of the
human body. The human body is based on Phi and the
number 5.The number 5 appendages to the torso, in the
arms, leg and head. 5 appendages on each of these, in
the fingers and toes and 5 openings on the face. Animal
bodies exhibit similar tendencies.
4. Seed heads

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD by PMSJR Page 1

 2. In “Timaeus” Plato describes five possible Symmetry Fractals Spirals
regular solids that relate to the golden ratio Trees Meanders Waves
which is now known as Platonic Solids. He also Foams Tessellations Cracks
considers the golden ratio to be the most Stripes Spots
bringing of all mathematical relationships.
Golden Ratio can be found in the beauty of
nature, the growth patterns of many plants,
insects, and the universe.

1. Honeycombs of the bees

show specific regular
repeating hexagons. It
uses the least amount of
3. Euclid was the first to give definition of the wax to store the honey
golden ratio as “a dividing line in the extreme giving a strong structure
and mean ratio” in his book the “Elements”. He with no gaps.
proved the link of the numbers to the 2. Zebra’s coat, the alternating pattern of blacks
construction of the pentagram, which is now and white are due to mathematical rules that
known as golden ratio. Each intersections to the govern the pigmentation chemicals of its skin.
other edges of a pentagram is a golden ratio.
Also the ratio of the length of the shorter 3. S p i d e r
segment to the segment bounded by the two spider creates a
intersecting lines is a golden ratio. structure by
1. ratio. performing innate
steps.
2. Notre Dame is a Gothic Cathedral in Paris,
which was built in between 1163 and 1250. It
appears to have a golden ratio in a number of 4. T h e n a u
its key proportions of designs. contains a spiral shape called logarithmic spiral.

3. The Taj Mahal in India used the golden ratio in

its construction and was completed in 1648. 5. Age of the trees can be
The order and proportion of the arches of the
Taj Mahal on the main structure keep reducing
proportionately following the golden ratio.
4. height of 553.33 is 0.618 or phi, the reciprocal
of phi.

determined by applying
dendrochronology which is a scientific method of
dating based on the amount of rings found in the core
of a tree.

6. Turtles have growth rings

called “scutes” which are
hexagonal.
Scutes estimates the age of
the turtle.
Smallest scute is in the
BEHAVIOR OF NATURE center and is the oldest
Behavior of nature can be observed around us. one, while the largest ones
Natural regularities of nature: on the outside are the
newer ones.

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD by PMSJR Page 2

7. Lightning during storms creates fractals. Foam
bubbles formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or 3. In fluid dynamics, engineers use numerical
solid. analysis in phenomena involving heat,
electricity and magnetism, relativistic
mechanics, quantum mechanics and other
theoretical constructs.

4. In Information Technology, modern computer

are invented through the help of mathematics.
An important area of applications of
mathematics in the development of formal
mathematical theories related to the
development of computer science. Computer
5. Cracks can also be found on the barks of trees science development includes logic, relations,
which show some sort of weakness in the bark. functions, basic set theory, counting
The meander is one of a series of regular techniques, graph theory, combinatorics,
sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings discrete probability, recursion, recurrence
in the channel of the body of water. relations and number theory, computer-
oriented numerical analysis and Operation
Research techniques.

5. Cryptography is a combination of both

mathematics and computer science and is
affiliated closely with information theory,
computer security and engineering. It is used in
applications present in technologically
advanced societies, examples include the
APPLICATIONS OF MATHEMATICS IN THE WORLD security of ATM cards, computer passwords and
In our daily life, we use mathematics directly or electronic commerce.
indirectly in various fields. The application of
mathematical methods in different fields such as 6. In archaeology, archaeologists use a variety of
science, engineering, business, computer science mathematical and statistical techniques to
and industry is a combination of mathematical present the data from archaeological surveys
science and specialized knowledge. For example, and try to find patterns to shed on past human
statistics, combinatorics, and graph theory are used behavior an in carbon dating artifacts.
by investigators to solve crimes.
Other applications of mathematics are in 7. In Social Sciences such as economics, sociology,
forensic science, medicine, engineering, information psychology and linguistics all now make
technology, cryptography, archaeology, social extensive use of mathematical models, using
sciences, political science and other fields. the tools of calculus, probability, game theory,
1. In forensic, mathematics is applied specifically and network theory.
the differential and integral calculus to clarify
the blurred image to clear image. Another 8. In Economics, mathematics such as matrices,
application of calculus is optimization (maximize probability and statistics are used. The models
or minimize) surface areas, volumes, profit and may be stochastic or deterministic, linear or
cost analysis, projectile motion, etc. non-linear, static or dynamic, continuous or
2. In medical field, much of a function of a protein discrete and all types of algebraic, differential,
is determined by its shape and how the pieces difference and integral equations arise for the
move. Many drugs are designed to change the solution of these models.
shape or motions of a protein by modeling
using geometry and related areas. 9. In political Science, political analysts study past
Mathematics is also being applied in the election results to see changes in voting
development of medicine to cure diseases.

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD by PMSJR Page 3

 patterns and the influence of various factors on
voting behavior or switching of votes among
political parties and mathematical models for
Conflict Resolution using Game Theory and
Statistics.

10. In music and arts, the rhythm that we find in all

music notes is the result of innumerable
permutations and combinations. Music
theorists understand musical structure and
communicate new ways of hearing music by
applying set theory, abstract algebra, and
number theory.

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD by PMSJR Page 4