Name: Georgette B.

Matin January 28, 2019

BSEd 1-1 Mathematics in the Modern World
Mathematics helps Organize Patterns and Regularities in the World

Natural patterns exist everywhere in nature and it can be seen in trees, symmetries, spirals,
waves, cracks, stripes etc. These beautiful patterns give rise to the question how does mathematics
helps organize patterns and regularities in the world?

Ian Stewart once said “Mathematics is the science of patterns, and nature exploits just about
every pattern that there is.” Mathematics became the key to unlock the mystery behind the patterns
that recur in nature from the smallest seashell to the leaves and branches of trees inland. Many
people became curious about these naturally occurring patterns just like Peter S. Stevens in his
lovely book Patterns in Nature. He also wondered why the branching of trees resembles that of
arteries and rivers. Why do some leaves and fern tips look like spiral galaxies and hurricanes? Why
do meandering rivers and meandering snakes look like the loop patterns in cables? Pat Murphy
also wrote in the book entitled Nature’s Design, it expresses similar sentiments, writing, nature, in
its elegance and economy, often repeats certain forms and patterns like the similarity between the
spiral pattern in the heart of a daisy and the spiral of a seashell, or the resemblance between the
branching pattern of a river and the branching pattern of a tree and ripples that flowing water. They
became curious about these patterns but did not focused to the mathematical perspective unlike
Ian Stewart did in his book Nature’s Numbers. Ian Stewart think of patterns as basically numerical
patterns, geometric patterns, and movement patterns.

However, before Ian Stewart published his book and had the curiosity about the patterns
that occurs in nature there were already people who tried to unlock the patterns of nature. The early
Greek philosophers first attempted to explain order in nature, anticipating modern concepts.
Pythagoras explained patterns in nature like the harmonies of music as arising from number,
Theophrastus noted that plants "that have flat leaves have them in a regular series." Leonardo da
Vinci also noted the spiral arrangement of leaf patterns and Johannes Kepler pointed out the
presence of the Fibonacci sequence in nature, using it to explain the pentagonal form of some
flowers. There are people who wondered about these patterns and it continued until 90’s where
fractals have been discovered. Thanks to mathematics and these great minds who did their best to
study and understand patterns of nature in a mathematical way.

In addition, mathematics plays an important role in determining the meaning of each

patterns and it can be seen in the patterns in seashells and flowers. Fibonacci numbers are found
in almost any flowers. Sunflowers have the seeds in perfect Fibonacci order. 1 seed then 2 seeds 3
seeds 6 seeds 12 seeds 24 seeds and so on in the flowers. This arrangement has a purpose and it is
to ensure that the maximum sunlight to each seed in the flower. Also, when the number of petals
in a flower is take off, it all follow a mathematical order. In the first chapter entitle the “Natural
Order” it emphasizes to the natural and numerical patterns that exist in the sky, animals and plants
from the stars to the stripes of zebras, spots of tigers and leopards.

According to Ian Stewart, there are numerical patterns in the geometric shapes including
triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, circles, ellipses, spirals, cubes, spheres, cones. Also all of
these shapes can be found in nature, although some are far more common than others. The fractals
and chaos also mentioned which explained the consequences or chaos. The book also deals with
the pattern of movement of different animals. Also give meaning to the pattern of movement
namely trot, pace, bound, walk, rotary, gallop, traverse gallop and canter. Given all the examples
mentioned in the book it shows that things around us can be understand with the aid of
mathematics. Mathematics can makes things beautiful because of its shapes, colors, strips, spots
etc. Mathematics help people to decipher the meaning of every ripples, curves, lines, stripes and
other patterns by incorporating with numbers.

As a matter of fact, mathematics proven that almost anything in the world can be calculated
by looking on its pattern. Mathematics is all about taking complex problems by making it objective
and measurable. In that way, it can help organize information and put them into various patterns
through their value. Every lines and shapes can be put into numbers. Mathematics helps organize
things and regularities in the world in a very beautiful, yet complex way. It is all inside the human
mind, the mind plays the tricks. It is innate to human to see and appreciate things that are in order.
Human like order, lines, similarities, arrangements, and piles. Example, if the arms of starfishes
are not symmetrical would it be beautiful? How about the rainbow’s arc? If the seashells are not
perfectly spiral would be still collected for decorations? How about the different sizes of flowers’
petals? If the human’s eyes are not place opposite to the other one how would it work? If there is
no pattern in the night sky would it be still nice to look at it? Without mathematics there will be
chaos. Mathematics brings out the beauty of the world. There is mathematics in stars,
constellations, moon, bacteria, insects, plants, animals, humans and everything.

All in all, mathematics is everywhere around us and it is truly wonderful. Thanks to the
development of new mathematical theories and it helping to reveal the vague secrets of the nature’s
patterns. With all the knowledge in patterns humans can now easily unravel nature’s secret and
understand things around them. It is very fascinating to see the world in a mathematical point of
view and to see how wonderful God’s creations are.