LESSON 1

THE NATURE OF
MATHEMATICS
Mathematics in our World
OUTLINE
1. What is mathematics?
2. Fibonacci Sequence
3. Patterns and Regularities
4. Applications of Mathematics
 WHAT IS
MATHEMATICS?
Nature of Mathematics
What is mathematics?
◦ has no universally accepted definition
◦ is a science of quantity (Aristotle)
◦ a science of indirect measurement
(Auguste Comte)
◦ is the science that draws necessary
conclusions (Benjamin Pierce)
◦ mathematics is symbolic logic
(Bertrand Russel)
◦ a system for recognizing, classifying and
exploiting patterns
Mathematics has two essential characteristics:

◦ form of language
◦ When objects or events are named and described to reveal
quantity, form, pattern and change it becomes a
mathematical language.
◦ body of knowledge
◦ When concepts and relationships are discovered and invented
through logical reasoning, then this characterizes the body of
knowledge.
Mathematics for our World
◦ helps recognize patterns and regularities in the world
◦ predict the behavior of nature and the phenomena in the world
◦ helps human exert control over occurrences in the world for the
advancement of our civilization
FIBONACCI
SEQUENCE
What is a sequence?
◦ is an ordered list of numbers, called terms
◦ may have repeated values
◦ arrangement of terms is set by a definite rule
Example
Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify the next three
terms.
1. 1, 10, 100, 1000
2. 2, 5, 9, 14, 20
Solution
1. It can be observed that each term is a power of 10: 100=1, 101=10, 102=100,
103=1000. Following this rule, the next three terms are: 104=10,000, 105=100,000,
106=1,000,000.

1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, 1000000

2. 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, we should add 7, 8, 9, respectively, to the current term. Hence, the next
three terms are, 20+7=27, 27+8=35, 35+9=44.

2, 5, 9, 14, 20, 27, 35, 44

What is Fibonacci sequence?
◦ a list of ordered numbers: 1, 1, 2,3,5,8,13,21,34, …
◦ The first two terms are 1 and 1, and the succeeding natural
numbers are the sum of the two consecutive numbers
immediately preceding them.
Binet Formula
◦ To determine the nth value in the Fibonacci sequence, a non-
recursive formula was discovered by Jacques Binet in 1843.

𝑛
1 1+ 5
𝐹𝑛 =
5 2
Example
Find the 14th number in the sequence.
Given: n=14
Solution: Use the Binet formula

𝑛
1 1+ 5
𝐹𝑛 =
5 2
14
1 1+ 5
𝐹14 =
5 2

𝐹14 =377.00053 ≈ 377

Golden Ratio
◦ First called as the Divine Proportion in the early 1500s in Da Vinci’s work
◦ The relationship between numbers on the Fibonacci sequence where plotting
the relationships on scales results in a spiral shape. In simple terms, golden ratio
is expressed as an equation:

◦ The value 1.618034… possesses some unique characteristics. If 1 is subtracted from 1.618034…
it results to 0.618034… which is its reciprocal. If 1 is added it results to 2.618034… which is its
square.
PATTERNS AND
REGULARITIES
Patterns
◦ are regular, repeated or recurring forms or designs.
◦ commonly observed in natural objects, such as the six-
fold symmetry of snowflakes, the hexagonal structure
and formation of honeycombs, the tiger’s stripes and
hyena’s spots, the number of seeds in a sunflower, the
spiral of a snail’s shell and the number of petals of
flowers.
Symmetry
◦ Any line splitting a shape into two parts such that the two parts are the same is called
the line of symmetry.
Fractals
◦ are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are
created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop.
Spirals
◦ curved patterns that focus on a center point and series of circular shapes that
revolve around it. Examples of spirals are pine cones, pineapples, hurricanes.
Exponential Growth Model
◦ Population growth and bacterial decay can be modeled by the
exponential growth or decay formula

A=Pe .
rt
◦ Where: A is the size of population after it grows, P is the initial number of
people, r is the growth rate, t is the time, e is Euler's constant with an
approximate value of 2.718.
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=30e0.02(0) Replace t with t=0
A=30e0 e0=1
A=30
Therefore, the city population in 1995 was 30,000.
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 substitute in our exponential growth model.
A=30e0.02t
A=30e0.02(22) Replace t with t=0
A=30e0.44 e0.44= 1.55271
A=30 (1.55271)
A=46.5813
Therefore, the city population in 1995 was 46,581.
Problem Solving involving Exponential
Growth Model
◦ 2 months ago you had 3 mice, you now have 18. Assuming the growth continues like
that. What is the "r" value?
Given: A=18; P=3; t=2 months
Required: r=?
Formula: A=Pert
Substitute the values: 18 = 3e2r
Divide both sides by 3: 6 = e2r
Take the natural logarithm of both sides: ln(6) = ln(e2r) ln(ex)=x
So: ln(6) = 2r
Swap sides: 2r = ln(6)
Divide by 2: r = ln(6)/2
r=0.896
Other Useful Patterns
◦ 80:20 Percent Rule
◦ also known as the law of vital few
◦ states that for many events, 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes
◦ Optimizations
◦ the goal of optimization is to maximize (or minimize) the quantity of an output, while
at the same time minimizing the quantity of the resources needed to produce it. Eg.
Honeycombs
◦ Recursion formula
◦ A mathematical statement or statements that repeat a process to produce a list of
output with an identical or shared property is called a recursion formula. Eg. stripes in
tigers and the sunflower pattern
◦ Eliot Wave Principle
◦ proposes that the sequence of highs and lows in the behavior of stock prices mimics
the propagation of a Fibonacci sequence
References
Aufmann, Richard (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World. Sampaloc, Manila. Rex
Book Store
Sirug, Winston S.(2018). Mathematics in the Modern Word. Intramuros, Manila.
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
Reyes, Juan Apolinario C. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World.Intramuros, Manila.
Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing Inc
END OF WEEK 1
TOPIC
Assignment Activity
I. Let Fib(n) be the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence, with
Fib(1)=1; Fib (2)=1; Fib(3)=2, and so on.
1. Find Fib(8)
2. If Fib(22)=17,711 and Fib(24)=46,368 what is Fib(23)?

II. Substitute the given values in the formula A=Pert to find the
missing quantity.
1. P=680,000; r=12% per year; t=8 years
2. A=786,000; P=247,000, t=17 years
Deadline?

Before Prelim
Examination
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