Mathematics in Nature: I. II. Iii

MATHEMATICS
IN NATURE
I. NUMBERS AND PATTERNS IN NATURE
II. SEQUENCES
III. FIBONACCI SEQUENCE AND THE GOLDEN RATIO
WEEK 2: MATHEMATICS IN NATURE
The objective of this lesson is to appreciate and familiarize the students about the different patterns and
sequences in nature using mathematical concepts and ideas.
After the completion of this lesson, the student should be able to:
1. Identify Fibonacci sequence in nature;
2. Determine the nth term of Fibonacci sequence;
3. Use Golden ratio in appreciating mathematics in human anatomy in photography;
4. Examine the nature and relationship of numbers in a sequence;
5. Determine nth term of a number sequence; and,
6. Generate a pattern to form a number sequence.
Can you identify this!
BROCCOFLOWER
LIGHTNINGS
MUSHROOM
Sunflower
Human Body
What is a Pattern?
Patterns include a series or sequence that generally
repeats itself. The patterns that we observe in our daily
lives are those of colors, actions, shapes, numbers, etc.
Forms of Pattern
Two general forms of pattern:
1. Number Patterns
Number pattern is the most common type of pattern in mathematics where a list of numbers follows a
certain sequence based on a rule.
Ex. Arithmetic Sequence, Series, etc.
2. Geometric Patterns
A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated like a
wallpaper design.
Types of Pattern
There are three types of patterns that are commonly used in mathematics:
• Repeating Pattern - A pattern that keeps repeating over and over again in the sequence of
numbers is called the repeating pattern.

• Growing Pattern - If the numbers or objects are arranged in an increasing order in a
sequence, that pattern is called a growing pattern.

• Shirking Pattern - A shirking pattern is a pattern where numbers or objects are arranged in
a decreasing order.
Mathematical Patterns in Nature
⮚Fractals
⮚Voronoi Patterns
⮚Spiral Patterns
FRACTALS
A fractal is a detailed pattern that looks similar at any scale and repeats itself over time. A fractal's
pattern gets more complex as you observe it at larger scales.
Examples of Fractal Pattern
Examples of fractals in nature are snowflakes, trees branching,

lightning, and ferns, clouds, mountains, river networks,
cauliflower or broccoli, and systems of blood vessels.
Fractal Patterns in Nature
The Koch Snowflake and Self-Similarity
A geometric fractal is a shape known as the Koch snowflake [named after the Swedish mathematician
Helge von Koch (1870–1954)].
The Koch snowflake is constructed by means of a recursive process, a process in which the same set of
rules is applied repeatedly in an infinite feedback loop—the output at one stage becomes the input at the
next stage.
Construction of Koch Snowflake
Start. Start with a shaded equilateral triangle
◦

◦

VORONOI PATTERNS
A Voronoi pattern provides clues to nature’s tendency
to favor efficiency: the nearest neighbor, shortest path, and
tightest fit. Each cell in a Voronoi pattern has a seed point.
Everything inside a cell is closer to it than to any other seed.
The lines between cells are always halfway between
neighboring seeds.
Other examples of Voronoi patterns are the skin of a giraffe,

corn on the cob, honeycombs, foam bubbles, the cells in a
leaf, and a head of garlic.
VORONOI PATTERNS
SPIRAL PATTERNS
A spiral is a curved pattern that focuses on a center point and a series of
circular shapes that revolve around it.
Examples of spirals are pine cones, shell of snail, hurricanes, spider web,
etc.
GOLDEN RATIO
◦
The GOLDEN RATIO
Construction of Spiral Patterns
A golden spiral can be approximated by first starting with a rectangle
for which the ratio between its length and width is the golden ratio.
This rectangle can then be partitioned into a square and a similar

rectangle and this newest rectangle can then be split in the same way.
After continuing this process for an arbitrary number of steps, the
result will be an almost complete partitioning of the rectangle into
squares. The corners of these squares can be connected by quarter-
circles. The result, though not a true logarithmic spiral, closely
approximates a golden spiral.
THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
Rewind the clock to the year 1202. That’s the year that a
young Italian mathematician named Leonardo Pisano,
known to the world as Fibonacci, published a book
called Liber Abaci (literally translated as “The Book of
Computation”). In Liber Abaci, Fibonacci introduced to
the Europe of the Middle Ages the Hindu numerals and
the Arabic algorithms for doing arithmetic and basic
algebra— practically all of the school mathematics of
today.
The Fibonacci’s Rabbit Breeding Problem
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
1

1
2

3

5
The month-by-month sequence for the growth of the rabbit population is given by 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, . . . .
The Fibonacci Sequence and The Fibonacci
Numbers
◦
REFERENCES
p. 386 McIek/Shutterstock p. 390 Peter Tannenbaum p. 390 Peter Tannenbaum p. 390 E. Spek/ Shutterstock p. 390 Alex
Virid/Shutterstock p. 390 Alex Virid/Shutterstock p. 390 Eiji Ueda/ Shutterstock p. 390 Eiji Ueda/Shutterstock p. 392
Katusha161107/Fotolia p. 392 Amurca/ Fotolia p. 392 Laurent Renault/Shutterstock p. 399 Aaltair/Shutterstock p. 399 Arto
Hakola/ Shutterstock p. 399 Jim Barber/Shutterstock p. 401 Aleksandar Mijatovic/Fotolia p. 401 Nikhg/Fotolia p. 401
Nikhg/Fotolia p. 401 Nikhg/Fotolia p. 401 Le Do/Shutterstock p. 401 Leo Blanchette/Shutterstock

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MATHEMATICS

Examples of Fractal Pattern

Examples of fractals in nature are snowflakes, trees branching,

Other examples of Voronoi patterns are the skin of a giraffe,

This rectangle can then be partitioned into a square and a similar

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