Mathematics
is the science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations,
generalizations, and abstractions and of space configurations and their
structure, measurement, transformations, and generalizations.
The
Origins of Mathematics.
Like every other aspect of human
invention, mathematics has its origin, and like every technology, and
mathematics is at least partly that, its origin is based upon needs of mankind.
The particular needs are those arising from the wants of society. The more
complex the society, the more complex the needs. The primitive tribe has little
mathematical needs beyond counting. The complex society intent on building
great temples, mustering conquering armies, or managing large capital assets
has logistical problems that demand mathematics to solve.
Branches of Mathematics – Applied
and Pure Mathematics
In today's world, mathematics has two
broad divisions:
Applied mathematics, which gives us
the tools we need to shape the world around us. From the simple arithmetic of
counting your change at the store, to the complex functions and equations used
to design jet turbines, this field is the practical, hands on side of math.Pure math is the esoteric part of the discipline, where mathematicians seek proofs and develop theorems. I studied pure mathematics (not very successfully) at school and it is almost like a different language; professional mathematicians seem to see the world in a different way, their elegant theorems and mathematical functions giving them a different insight onto the world.
Mathematics is a core
skill for life
It seems to be generally agreed that
in order for adults to function (reasonably well) in an increasingly complex
world, they require a basic level of numeracy (All Party Parliamentary Group on
Financial Education, 2011; Burghes, 2012; Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology, 2013; Gove in foreword to Vorderman et al., 2011). Numeracy, or
mathematical knowledge, is seen as a crucially important (Ofsted, 2012; Vorderman
et al., 2011) which is increasingly necessary in a range of life-skills, such
as personal finance, (e.g. choosing a mortgage, budgeting, phone contracts) and
data-handling. (All Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education, 2011;
Norris, 2012; Vorderman et al., 2011)
The importance of the need for all
citizens to understand data and view statistics critically is strongly made
(British Academy, 2012; Porkess, 2012). The argument is that more and more
debate in society rests on statistical arguments, particularly with increasing
amounts of data within a digital society, and an understanding of these
arguments is necessary for informed debate and decision making (British
Academy, 2012; Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2013; Porkess,
2012; Vorderman et al., 2011). For example, the British Academy (2012) states
that:
Without statistical understanding
citizens, voters and consumers cannot play a full part. To call politicians,
media and business to account, we need the skills to know when spurious
arguments are being advanced.
Maths in nature
1 – Sun-Moon
Symmetry
The sun has a diameter of 1.4 million
kilometres, while his sister, the Moon, has a meagre diameter of 3,474
kilometres. With these figures, it seems near impossible that the moon can
block the sun’s light and give us around five solar eclipses every two years.
2-Peacock
Most
animals have bilateral symmetry, which means drawing an even centre line would
create two matching halves.The
peacock takes the earlier principle of using symmetry to attract a mate to the
nth degree. In fact, Charles Darwin, who famously conceived the survival of the
fittest theory, detested peacocks.
3-Star fish
The larvae of echinoderms have bilateral symmetry, meaning the organism’s left
and ride side form a mirror image. However, during metamorphosis, this is
replaced with a superficial radial symmetry, where the organism can be divided
into similar halves by passing a plane at any angle along a central axis.
4. Crop circles
It’s
possible alien-made crop circles exist on Earth; however, the fact the circles
are getting more complicated suggests most are man-made. It’s counterintuitive
to think aliens trying to make contact would create increasingly complicated
messages that are near impossible to decipher. It’s more likely people are
learning from each other through example
5 – Orb
Web Spiders
There are approximately 5,000 types of orb web
spiders. All of them create near-perfect circular webs that have
near-equal-distanced radial supports coming out of the middle and a spiral that
is woven to catch prey.
6. Faces
Humans possess bilateral symmetry, and research
suggests a person’s symmetry is of paramount importance when determining
physical attraction.
8 – Tree Branches
The Fibonacci
sequence is so widespread in nature that it can also be seen in the way tree
branches form and split.
9 – Honeycombs,
9 – Honeycombs,
Bees are renowned as first-rate honey producers,
but they’re also adept at geometry. For centuries, mankind has marvelled at the
incredible hexagonal figures in honeycombs
10 – Pinecones,
Pinecones have seed pods that arrange in a
spiral pattern. They consist of a pair of spirals, each one twisting upwards in
opposing direction
11 – Romanesco
This example can be found in the produce section
of the humble grocery story. Romanesco broccoli has an unusual appearance, and
many assume it’s another food that’s fallen victim to genetic symmetry in modification.
However, it’s actually one of many instances of fractalnature.
12 – Nautilus Shell,
A nautilus is a cephalopod mollusk with a spiral shell and numerous short tentacles around its mouth.
Although more common in plants, some animals, like the nautilus, showcase Fibonacci numbers. A nautilus shell is grown in a Fibonacci spiral. The spiral occurs as the shell grows outwards and tries to maintain its proportional shape.
13 – Uteruses,
14 – Sunflowers,
Bright, bold and beloved by bees, sunflowers boast radial symmetry and a type of numerical symmetry known as the Fibonacci sequence, which is a sequence where each number is determined by adding together the two numbers that preceded it. For example: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 24, 55, and so forth.
15 – Snowflakes,
We can’t go past the tiny but miraculous snowflake as an example of symmetry in nature. Snowflakes exhibit six-fold radial symmetry, with elaborate, identical patterns on each arm. Researchers already struggle to rationalise why symmetry exists in plant life, and in the animal kingdom, so the fact that the phenomenon appears in inanimate objects totally infuriates them.
POLYGONS
A polygon is any 2-dimensional shape formed with straight lines.Triangles,quadrilaterals,pentagons and hexagons are all examples of polygons. Every polygons have interior and exterior angles. Let us discuss about the way of finding the sum of angles in a polygon
