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Chapter 1.
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Explain the importance of mathematics in real life;
2. Identify patterns existing in nature;
3. Express the appreciation for mathematics through nature’s number.

Mathematics in our World

What is mathematics? Mathematics is a branch of science, which involves mathematical
operations and processes in the solution of
a problem or study of some scientific field.Mathematics is called the common language of
science for many reasons. It is a useful study for acquiring logical thinking for making
appropriate predictions for the future in today's complicated world.
Most people associate mathematics with numbers and its rigorous operations. It has the
reputation of being hard to understand. Unfortunately, this notion has restrained many students
to discover the true meaning of mathematics and instead, they developed the fear for the
subject thereby, depriving themselves of the opportunity to fully understand and appreciate the
beauty of mathematics through God’s creation.
Mathematics is more than just numbers. It nurtures our power of reasoning and logical
inferences, creativity, abstract or spatial thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving ability and
even effective communication skills. Learning this subject makes a man methodical or
systematic in life. Mathematics is used in each and every aspect of life. It helps to make our life
orderly and prevents chaos.
Mathematics is the cradle of all creations here on earth. Consciously or unconsciously,
we are engaged in using Mathematics in our daily life. It is around us, and is present in different
forms. Reading time on a watch, using the cell phone to call somebody, making recipe in the
kitchen, budgeting the allowance, travelling to some new place, getting scores in the class
exams, buying items in a grocery, paying for utility bills, watching over body weight, sending or
receiving money through money remittances, paying for a discounted items on a sale,these are
just few of the countless times that we use our simple mathematics when we do simple
computations in our mind.Be it a vendor or a driver, a student or a teacher, a salesman or an
engineer, a doctor or an artist, a scientist or a farmer, no one is exempted from having to use
math.
In today’s fast paced society, where development and innovations are supported by
ubiquitous reliance on mathematics, we really need to embrace mathematics with all our
hearts.It plays a predominant role in our everyday life and it has become an indispensable factor
for the progress of our present day world. Breakthrough in science and engineering is an
evidence of employing mathematics in these two equally important fields. From the discovery of
the first personal computer to the launching of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), we are now
in the age where we can locate a place through applications such as Google Map or WAZE in
our personal computers or cell phones. It is therefore very important that we should be more
mathematical in our approach to solve problems in life, and we make use of mathematics as a
tool in our hands to make our life simpler and easier. Mathematical modeling to predict weather
or population dynamics, financial forecasting and stock pricing, engineering and building
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construction, disease predictions and development of new medicines through researches and
experiments,wireless telecommunications technology, barcode scanning and the use of our
credit card for cashless transaction, are just some of the technology breakthroughs that we
benefit when math and science work together. Most that we enjoy now like the gadgets and
modern structures are results of the effective application of mathematics.
Nature also embraces mathematics completely. There are many different things around
us thathave a deep sense of awareness and appreciation of
patterns. Nature provides numerous examples of beautiful
shapes and patterns, from the nightly motion of the stars and
the rainbow that we see in the sky. Some animals show
pattern in their body like the tiger’s stripe and hyena’s spots.
Snails make their shells, spiders design their webs, and bees
build hexagonal combs. The structured formation of the body
parts of human beings, animals and insects, and the beautiful
pattern of plants and flowers are examples of patterns that
possess utility and beauty. The patterns that we see are also
the keys to understanding the processes of biological growth. It
is indeed true that the place we live is a world of patterns.
The importance of mathematics can be understood by
the definition given by Galileo. He defined mathematics as ‘a
language in which God has written the world’.

Class work:
A. Answer the following
questions. (Maximum of 5 sentences).
1. Why is mathematics important in life?
2. Enumerate 5 situations based on your own experience that you have to use
mathematics.
3. Describe three other patterns of shapes that you see in nature and discuss the
mathematics in it.
B. Watch the following videos.
a. Video #1. Nature by Numbers
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b. Video #2. Why Honeybees Love Hexagons.

Provide an answer for the following.
1. List down three thing that you significantly learned.
2. List down two thingabout what you have watched that you can relate in your life.
3. List down one question you want to ask.
Homework:
A. Form a group with 4 or 5 members and follow the instructions.
1. Observe and find out the pattern in the following (Choose only 1 example for each).
a. Animals
b. Plants or fruits
c. Things or man made
d. Natural phenomenon
2. Take a photo of each, a, b & c only. For d, you may search for a picture.
3. Make a 10 min. presentation of your work. Each member should have a part on the
presentation.
B. Describe in details the importance of mathematics in the following areas. Cite specific and
real life example for each.
1. Business
2. Medicine
3. Engineering
4. Technology
5. Music and Arts
6. Society
Make an organized paper presentation of your work. You may add a picture for each.

Fibonnaci Numbers
The Fibonacci sequence exhibits a certain numerical pattern
which has turned out to be one of the most interesting ever written
down. Its method of development has led to far-reaching
applications such as to model or describe an amazing variety of
phenomena, in mathematics and science, and evenmore fascinating
is its surprising appearancein Nature and in Art, in classical theories
of beauty and proportion.The mathematical ideas of the Fibonacci
sequence leads to the discovery of the golden ratio, spirals and self-
similar curves, and have long been appreciated for their charm and
beauty, but no one can really explain why they are echoed so clearly
in the world of art and nature.
Leonardo Pisano Bigollo was born late in the twelfth century in Pisa, Italy: Pisano in
Italian indicated that he was from Pisa. His father was a merchant called GuglielmoBonaccio
and it's because of his father's name that Leonardo Pisano became known as Fibonacci. The
name came from "filiusBonacci" meaning "son of Bonaccio" – as his surname, and “Fibonacci”
was born. Math was incredibly important to those in the trading industry, and his passion for
numbers was cultivated in his youth.
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Fibonacci numberswere first introduced in his Liber abaci in 1202. Knowledge of

numbers is said to have first originated in the Hindu-Arabic arithmetic system, which Fibonacci
studied while growing up in North Africa. Prior to the publication of Liber abaci, the Latin-
speaking world had yet to be introduced to the decimal number system. He wrote many books
about geometry, commercial arithmetic and irrational numbers. Except for his role in spreading
the use of the Hindu-Arabic numerals, Leonardo’s contribution to mathematics has been largely
overlooked. His name is known to modern mathematicians mainly because of the Fibonacci
sequence derived from a problem in the Liber abaci, which was about how fast rabbits could
breed in ideal circumstances.
A certain man put a pair of rabbits in a place surrounded on all sides by a wall. How many pairs
of rabbits can be produced from that pair in a year if it is supposed that every month each pair
begets a new pair which from the second month on becomes productive?

Beginning with a male and female rabbit, how many pairs of rabbits could be born in a year?
The problem assumes the following conditions:
a. Begin with one male rabbit and female rabbit that have just been born.
b. Rabbits reach sexual maturity after one month.
c. The gestation period of a rabbit is one month.
d. After reaching sexual maturity, female rabbits give birth every month.
e. A female rabbit gives birth to one male rabbit and one female rabbit.
f. Rabbits do not die.

This is illustrated in the following diagram.

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After one month, the first pair is not yet at sexual maturity and can't mate. At two months,
the rabbits have mated but not yet given birth, resulting in only one pair of rabbits. After three
months, the first pair will give birth to another pair, resulting in two pairs. At the fourth month
mark, the original pair gives birth again, and the second pair mates but does not yet give birth,
leaving the total at three pairs. This continues until a year has passed, in which there will be 233
pairs of rabbits.

The resulting number sequence, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 (Leonardo himself omitted
the first term), is the first recursive sequence (in which the relation between two or more
successive terms can be expressed by a formula) known in Europe. The Fibonacci sequence is
a series of numbers where a number is found by adding up the two numbers before it. Written
as a rule, the expression is xn = xn-1 + xn-2.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610…

The relationship of this sequence to the Golden Ratio lies not in the actual numbers of
the sequence, but in the ratio of the consecutive numbers. Since the ratio is basically a fraction,
we will find the ratios of these numbers by dividing the larger number by the smaller number that
fall consecutively in the series.

2/1 = 2.0 8/5 = 1.6 34/21 = 1.619

3/2 = 1.5 13/8 = 1.625 55/34 = 1.618
5/3 = 1.67 21/13 = 1.615 89/55 = 1.618

Notice that as we continue down the sequence, the ratios seem to be converging upon
one number. As the numbers in the sequence gets larger and larger, the ratio will eventually
become the same number, and that number is the Golden Ratio.
Golden Ratio
The golden ratio is the division of a given unit of length into two parts such that the ratio
of the whole to the longer partis equals the ratio of the longer part to the shorter part. It is also
known as the golden proportion, golden mean, golden section, golden number, and divine
proportion.

It is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances in simple geometric figures,
such as the pentagon, pentagram, decagon and dodecahedron. It is a ratio or proportion
defined by an irrational number Phi = 1.618033988749895... It is expressed algebraically as,

𝑎+𝑏 𝑎
= =𝜑
𝑎 𝑏
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It has its unique positive solution with a value

1 + √5
𝜑= ≈ 1.6180339887
2

One more interesting thing about Phi is its reciprocal. If you take the ratio of any number
in the Fibonacci sequence to the next number (this is the reverse of what we did before), the
ratio will approach the approximation 0.618. This is the reciprocal of Phi: 1/1.618 = 0.618. It is
highly unusual for the decimal integers of a number and its reciprocal to be exactly the same.
This only adds to the mystique of the Golden Ratio and leads us to ask: What makes it so
special?

The Golden Rectangle

The Golden Rectangle is famous concept relating
aesthetics and mathematics thatis found in many natural
and man-made things on Earth. A golden rectangle is
one that has a certain length to width ratio and is most
pleasing to the eye. The ancient Greeks considered the
Golden Rectangle to be the most aesthetically pleasing of
all rectangular shapes.
A classic example is the front of the Parthenon
that is comfortably framed with a Golden Rectangle.

Golden section continues to be

used today in modern architecture
just likethe design of Notre Dame in
Paris and the United Nations

Headquarters.

The Golden Ratio in Arts

For centuries, designers of art and architecture
have recognized the significance of the Golden
Ratio in their work. The ratio of the width of Mona
Lisa’s forehead to the length from the top of her
head to the chin, displays a perfect golden
rectangle. The Golden Section was used
extensively by Leonardo Da Vinci in his work, “The
Last Supper”.
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Fibonacci Spirals
Fibonacci spirals and Golden Mean ratios appear
everywhere in the universe. A golden spiral is a logarithmic
spiral with a growth factor of ‘Phi’, which is the golden ratio –
that means it gets wider by a factor of Phi for every quarter turn
it makes. Some examples are the natural flow form of water
when it is going down the drain and the natural flow form of air
in tornadoes and hurricanes. A beautiful example of a
Fibonacci spiral in nature is the Nautilus shell.

Examples of Fibonacci Numbers in Nature

1. Flower petal 4. Fruits: Pineapple, banana 7. Spiral galaxies
2. Seed head 5. Succulent plants 8.Hurricane
3. Pine cone 6. Tree branches 9. Human ear
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The Divine Proportion

The photo below illustrates the following golden ratioproportions in

the human face:
1. Center of pupil : Bottom of teeth : Bottom of chin
2. Outer & inner edge of eye: Center of nose
3. Outer edges of lips : Upper ridges of lips
4. Width of center tooth : Width of second tooth
5.Width of eye : Width of iris
The Proportions in the Body
1. The white line is the body’s height.
2. The blue line, a golden section of the white line, defines the
distance from the head to the fingertips.
3. The yellow line, a golden section of the blue line, defines the
distance from the head to the navel and the elbows.
4. The green line, a golden section of the yellow line, defines the
distance from the head to the pectorals and inside top of the
arms, the width of the shoulders, the length of the forearm and the
shin bone.
5. The magenta line, a golden section of the green line, defines the
distance from the head to the base of the skull and the width of
the abdomen. The sectioned portions of the magenta line
determine the position of the nose and the hairline.
6. Although not shown, the golden section of the magenta line (also
the short section of the green line) defines the width of the head and half the width of the
chest and the hips.

The Ratio of your Forearm to Hand is Phi

Your Hand Shows Phi and the Fibonacci Numbers

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Class work:
A. Answer the following questions. (Maximum of 5 sentences).
1. Did the lesson presented changed your perspective in Mathematics? Why?
2. What is the most fascinating information that you have learned about Mathematics in
Nature?
3. Enumerate and describe two other things for each of the following:
a. that show the Fibonacci numbers.
b. that illustrates the Golden Ratio.
c. that follows a Golden Rectangle.
B. Watch the following videos. Provide an answer for the following.
a. Video #3.Fibonacci Sequence, Spirals in Nature
b. Video #4. Fibonacci Sequence, the Golden Rectangle and Architecture.
Provide an answer for the following.
1. List down three thing that you significantly learned.
2. List down two thingabout what you have watched that you can relate in your life.
3. List down one question you want to ask.
C. Let us try to analyze your face and body to see if the Golden Ratio is
present or not.Find a partner and do the measuring as stated in “The
Divine Proportion” in the human face and body. Compare your ratios
and find out who shows the golden ratio more.
D. The pentagram has the Golden Ratio in it:Form a group with three
members. Draw a perfect Pentagram that illustrates the Golden Ratio
in it. Provide values for a, b, c, and d.

Homework:
A. Form a group with 4 or 5 members. Observe your surrounding and look for items or things
that show the Fibonacci numbers. Prepare a 5 min. actual demonstration in the class on
how the natures number is shown in your chosen item.
B. Let's try to analyze you faces to see if the Golden Ratio is present or not. Choose your
partner and measure certain aspects of his/her face. Then you will compare your ratios. You
will need the following measurements, to the nearest tenth of a centimeter:
a = Top of head to chin g = Width of head
b = Top of head to pupil h = Hairline to pupil
c = Pupil to nose tip i = Nose tip to chin
d = Pupil to lip j = Lips to chin
e = Width of nose k = Length of lips
f = Outside distance between eyes l = Nose tip to lips

Now find the following ratios and find out if you are governed by the golden ratio.
a/g = cm e/l = cm
b/d = cm f/h = cm
i/j = cm k/e = cm
i/c = cm
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C. Make an in depth reflection of what you learned from A and B above. How did these
activities made you appreciate mathematics? Use 1 whole short bond paper.
References:
Stewart, I. (1995). Nature’s Number, Basic Books

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/The-importance-of-maths-in-everyday-
life/articleshow/48323205.cms

https://www.livescience.com/37470-fibonacci-sequence.html

https://math.temple.edu/~reich/Fib/fibo.html

https://plus.maths.org/content/life-and-numbers-fibonaccihttps://www.tokenrock.com/explain-golden-ratio-
177.html

https://www.goldennumber.net/face/