GE 104 – MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

MODULE 1
NATURE OF MATHEMATICS

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:
 recognize the patterns and numbers in nature and the world
 analyze the population growth
 examine the sequence

Discussion

The emergence of digital technology has sparked a monumental rise in the rate at
which we consume and produce data. Before the Internet, it could take hours to get several
volumes of resources from the library for a research paper. Today, a few minutes (or
seconds, depending on the speed of your connection) using your mobile device’s browser
could get you the same information, or even more. A few decades ago, it took hours for
photographs to be printed and shared. Now, it only takes a matter of seconds for your
perfect selfie to be uploaded and viewed by your relatives and friends on the other side of
the world.
As rational creatures, we tend to identify and follow patterns, whether consciously
or subconsciously. Recognizing patterns feels natural, like our brain is hardwired to
recognize them. Early humans recognized the repeating interval of day and night, the cycle
of the moon, the rising and falling of tides, and the changing of the seasons. Awareness of
these patterns allowed humans to survive. In a similar fashion, many flora and fauna also
follow certain patterns such as the arrangement of leaves and stems in a plant, the shape of
a snowflake, the flowers’ petals, or even the shape of a snail’s shell.
Do you also notice patterns around you? What other examples can you think of?

Patterns and Numbers in Nature and the World

In the general sense of the word, patterns are regular, repeated, or recurring forms
or designs. We see patterns 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 take a
look at this pattern:

What do you think will be the next face in the sequence? It should be easy enough to
note that the pattern is made up of two smiling faces—one without teeth and one with
teeth. Beginning with a toothless face, the two faces then alternate. Logically, the face that
should follow is

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EXAMPLE 1. What Comes Next?

What is the next figure in the pattern below?

Solution:

Looking at the given figures, the lines seem to rotate at 90-degree intervals in a
counterclockwise direction, always parallel to one side of the square. Hence, either A or B
could be the answer. Checking the other patterns, the length of the lines inside the square
follow a decreasing trend. So again, either A or B could be the answer. Finally, looking at the
number of the lines inside the box, each succeeding figure has the number of lines increase
by 1. This means that the next figure should have five lines inside. This leads to option A as
the correct choice.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1

What is the next figure in the given pattern?

EXAMPLE 2. What Number Comes Next?

What number comes next in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9,_____ ?

Solution:
Looking at the given numbers, the sequence is increasing, with each term being two
more than the previous term: 3 = I + 2; 5 = 3 + 2; 7 = 5 + 2; 9 = 7 + 2. Therefore, the next
term should be 11 = 9 + 2.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 2

What number comes next in 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, _____?

Patterns indicate a sense of structure and organization that it seems 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.

Snowflakes and Honeycombs

Recall that symmetry indicates that you can draw an

imaginary line across an object and the resulting parts are
mirror images of each other.

The figure above 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 animals, including humans. Look in a mirror and see
how the left and right sides of your face closely match.

Leonardo the Vinci’s Vitruvian Man showing the proportions and symmetry of the human body

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There are other types of symmetry depending on the number of sides or faces that
are symmetrical. Take a look at these images.

Note that if you rotate the spiderwort and starfish above by several degrees, you can
still achieve the same appearance as the original position. This is known as rotational
symmetry. The smallest angle that a figure can be rotated while still preserving the original
formation is called the angle of rotation. For the spiderwort, the angle of rotation is 1200
while the angle of rotation for the baby starfish is 720.
A more common way of describing rotational symmetry is by order of rotation.

Order of Rotation

A figure has a rotational symmetry of order n (n-fold rotational symmetry) if 1/n of a

complete turn leaves the figure unchanged. To compute for the angle of rotation, we use
the following formula:

Angle of Rotation =

Consider this image of a snowflake.

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Another marvel of nature’s design is the structure and shape of a honeycomb.

People have long wondered how bees, despite their very small size, are able to produce
such arrangement while humans would generally need the use of a ruler and compass to
accomplish the same feat. It is observed that such formation enables the bee colony to
maximize their storage of honey using the smallest amount of wax.

You can try it out for yourself. Using several coins of the same size, try to cover as
much area of a piece of paper with coins. If you arrange the coins in a square formation,
there are still plenty of spots that are exposed. Following the hexagonal formation,
however, with the second row of coins snugly fitted between the first row of coins, you will
notice that more area will be covered.

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Translating this idea to three-dimensional space, we can conclude that hexagonal

formations are more optimal in making use of the available space. These are referred to as
packing problems. 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. These geometric patterns
are not only simple and beautiful, but also optimally functional.
Let us illustrate this mathematically. Suppose you have circles of radius 1 cm, each of
which will then have an area of it cm2. 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 4 cm 2. 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

= 100% = x 100% = 78.54%

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

√ √ √
A= = = =√

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This gives the area of the hexagon as 6√ cm2. Looking at the figure, there are three
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 3 cm2. The percentage of the hexagon’s area covered
by circles will be

= 100% = x 100% = 90.69%

√

Comparing the two percentages, we can clearly see that using hexagons will cover a
larger area than when using squares.

The Sunflower

Looking at the sunflower up close, you will notice that there is a definite pattern of
clockwise and counterclockwise arcs or spirals extending outward from the center of the
flower. This is another demonstration of how nature works to optimize the available space.
This arrangement allows the sunflower seeds to occupy the flower head in a way that
maximizes their access to light and necessary nutrients.

The Snail’s Shell

We are also familiar with spiral patterns. 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. 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
results in a refined spiral structure that is even more visible when the shell is sliced. This
figure, called an equilateral spiral, follows the rule that as the distance from the spiral center
increases (radius), the amplitudes of the angles formed by the radii to the point and the
tangent to the point remain constant. This is another example of how nature seems to
follow a certain set of rules governed by mathematics.

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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. Recall that the formula for
exponential growth is A = Pert, where A is the size of the population after it grows, P is the
initial number of people, r is the rate of growth, and t is time. Recall further 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.

EXAMPLE 3. Population Growth

The exponential growth model A = 30e0.02t 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
consider 1995 as t = 0 and then solve for A, our population size.

A = 30e0.02t

A = 30e(0.02)(0) Replace t with t = 0

A = 30e0

A = 30(1) e0 = 1

A = 30

Therefore, the city population in 1995 was 30,000.

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b. We need to 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 = 30e0.02t

A = 30e(0.02)(22) Replace t with t = 22

A = 30e0.44

A = 30(1.55271) e0 = 1.55271

A = 46.5813

Therefore, the city population would be about 46,581 in 2017.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 3

The exponential growth model A = 50e0.07t describes the population of the city in the
Philippines in thousands, t years after 1997.

a. What is the population after 20 years?

b. What is the population in 2037?

SEQUENCE

A sequence is an ordered list of numbers, called terms, that they have repeated
values. The arrangement of these terms is set by a definite rule.

Example 1. Generating a Sequence

Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify the next three terms.
a. 1, 10, 100, 1000

b. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20

Solution:

a. Looking at the set of numbers, it can be observed that each term is a power of 10:
1 = 100, 10 = 101, 100 = 102, 1,000 = 103. Following the rule, the next three terms
are: 104 = 10,000, 105 = 100,000, and 106 = 1,000,000.

b. The difference between the first and second terms (2 and 5) is 3. The difference between
the second and third terms (5 and 9) is 4. The difference between the third and
fourth terms (9 and 14) is 5. The difference between the fourth and fifth terms is 6.
Following this rule, it can be deduced that to obtain the next three terms are
20 +7 = 27, 27 +8 = 35, 35 + 9 = 44.

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SELF-CHECK: Solve the following problems and show the solutions.

Determine what comes next in the given patterns.

1. A, C, E, G, I, _____?

2. 15, 10, 14, 10, 13, 10, _____?

3. 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, _____?

4. 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, _____?

5. 41, 39, 37, 35, 33, _____?

6. What completes the following pattern?

CSD, ETF, GUH, _____, KWL

7. What number should come next in this sequence?

22, 21, 25, 24, 28, 27, _____

8. What number comes next in 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, _____?

Substitute the given values in the formula A = Pert to find the missing quantity.

9. P = 680,000; r = 12% per year; t = 8 years

REFERENCES:

Aufmann, R, J. Lockwood, R. Nation, D. Clegg and S. Epp.2018.Mathematics in the Modern

World. Rex Book Store, Inc.

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