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FACULTY OF TEACHER EDUCATION
MATH 15 – MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORD
CHAPTER 1
• MATHEMATICS IN OUR WORLD
➢ PATTERNS AND NUMBER IN NATURE AND THE WORLD
➢ THE FIBONNACI SEQUENCE
➢ THE GOLDEN RATIO
OBJECTIVES:
➢ Identify patterns in nature.
➢ Discuss the concept of Fibonacci Sequence and its application.
➢ Discuss the golden ratio in arts and architecture.
➢ Relationship of Fibonacci and golden ratio.
➢ Discuss the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
1.1 PATTERNS AND NUMBER IN NATURE AND THE WORLD
Mathematics is defined as the study of numbers and arithmetic operations. Others describe mathematics as a set of
tools or a collection of skills that can be applied to questions of "how many" or "how much." Still, others view it is a
science which involves logical reasoning, drawing conclusions from assumed premises, and strategic reasoning based
on accepted rules, laws, or probabilities. Mathematics is also considered an art which studies patterns for predictive
purposes or a specialized language which deals with form, size, and quantity.
Mathematics in Nature
The existence of mathematics in our environment is undeniable. The shapes and heights of the buildings, the speed of
the moving vehicles, the formations of mountains and terrains, the growth of the plants and pistil formations, and the
human daily activities such as the way we buy in the market, asking weights and prices of any commodities, and even
in dancing; they all involve numbers, and needless to say, mathematics.
A Study of Patterns
A pattern is an arrangement which helps observers anticipate what they might see or what happens next. A pattern also
shows what may have come before. A pattern organizes information so that it becomes more useful. The human mind
is programmed to make sense of data or to bring order where there is disorder. It seeks to discover relationships and
connections between seemingly unrelated bits of information. In doing so, it sees patterns. Here are examples of pattern-
seeking behavior of humans from childhood to adulthood:
• A toddler separates blue blocks from red blocks.
• A kindergarten student learns to count.
• A first grader does skip counting.
• A third grader notices that multiples of two are even numbers.
• A sixth grader creates patterns that cover a plane.
• A junior high school student learns that a function is essentially a pattern of how one number is transformed to another.
• A college biology undergraduate studies the sequence of DNA and proteins.
• A stock trader studies trends in the stock market.
• A weatherman makes weather forecasts based on atmospheric patterns.
• A doctor decides who is healthy and who is not by recognizing certain health patterns.
Patterns are studied because they are everywhere; people just need to learn to notice them.
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1.2 FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
The Fibonacci sequence, also known as Fibonacci numbers, is defined as the sequence of numbers in which
each number in the sequence is equal to the sum of two numbers before it. The Fibonacci Sequence is given as:
Fibonacci Sequence = 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ….
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Golden Ratio to Calculate Fibonacci Numbers
The Fibonacci Sequence is closely related to the value of the Golden Ratio. We know that the Golden Ratio value is
approximately equal to 1.618034. It is denoted by the symbol “φ”. If we take the ratio of two successive Fibonacci
numbers, the ratio is close to the Golden ratio. For example, 3 and 5 are the two successive Fibonacci numbers. The
ratio of 5 and 3 is:
5/3 = 1.6666
Take another pair of numbers, say 21 and 34, the ratio of 34 and 21 is:
34/21 = 1.619
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It means that if the pair of Fibonacci numbers are of bigger value, then the ratio is very close to the Golden Ratio.
So, with the help of Golden Ratio, we can find the Fibonacci numbers in the sequence.
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