It is a glorious time of year is it not? Spring has sprung and the Houston heat has not become too oppressive as yet. It is a month to plan vacations, to enjoy the explosion of life around us and to stop to smell the flowers. Everyone is young in May. All things are possible in May. All things are made new again in May.

Hopefully, your “lust” and “wicked little thoughts” will be directed to positive, creative things. Your “lust” will be for knowledge and your “wicked little thoughts” will take the form of intellectual curiosity and creativity.

But, do you think of Mathematics when you contemplate the wonders of the portion of God’s creation sometimes referred to as “Mother Nature”? From rainbows, river meanders, leaves, snowflakes, and shadows to spider webs, honeycombs, and the markings on animal coats, the visible world is full of patterns that can be described Mathematically. The examination of such readily observable phenomena introduces astute observers to the beauty of nature as revealed by Mathematics and the beauty of Mathematics as revealed in nature.

Even the world that is hard or impossible to see with the naked eye such as the orbits of the planets and the particles of the elements also move in a web of Mathematical relationships.

For example, the number “3” is extremely important in Mathematics. It is the approximate value of Pi (π) which is essential in determining the characteristics of geometrical shapes such as the circumference and area of a circle and the volume of a sphere. The strongest figure in geometry is a triangle which, of course, has 3 sides. You will have difficulty in persuading a square-shaped figure to stand on its own; but, attach a sturdy piece of material diagonally at two of its corners (thus forming two triangles) and you will have a fairly steady structure. Attach another one diagonally at the other two corners (thus forming four triangles) and you will have a strong structure. And, try standing on a stool that does not have at least 3 legs, arranged in a proper configuration.

Even “beliefs” such as religious beliefs have Mathematical qualities. The number “3”, for example, is extremely important in religion as well as Mathematics. It is probably the most important number in the Christian religion (e.g. 3 days that Jesus spent in the tomb before the resurrection and the Holy Trinity). Judaism has 3 main branches – Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative. Hindus recognize Brahman as the Supreme Spirit but worship him or her in 3 forms known as Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva (or Shakti depending on the sect). Islam has 3 major sects – Wahhabi, Shíites, and Sunnites. The practice of one’s religious belief in Buddhism is based on taking “refuge” in the three “jewels” known as “The Buddha”, “The Dharma”, and “The Sangha”. So, the number “3” is the basis or foundation of many things and provides physical and even spiritual strength.

Mathematics was obviously a major tool of the Creator in forming the universe. In fact, He, of course, even made the tool itself. Then, He challenged us to figure it all out and discover the wonders of His creation, also utilizing that same tool.

For example, utilizing Mathematics, we have discovered that a difference in the configuration of the top and the bottom of an object moving though a fluid can cause there to be a difference in pressure on those two surfaces producing a “lift” effect.

It is a natural phenomenon described by the Dutch-Swiss Mathematician Daniel Bernoulli in his book Hydrodynamica published in 1738. He had Mathematically quantified the effect of fluids and objects interacting by the formula P + p x ½ v^{2 = CONSTANT*}, which he derived from the principle of the conservation of energy as discovered by Sir Isaac Newton, developed by others, and created by God.

Of course, humans only discover what God has created and then describe those relationships with formulas. It took about 165 years for humans to “discover” that this principle could be applied to human flight in a machine as first successfully demonstrated by the Wright brothers in 1903.

Today, the mass of tons of metal known as an “airplane” is supported in flight by nothing but a difference in air pressure causing a “lift” effect. Nothing is done to create this effect except to move an object through a fluid. It simply happens naturally when an object such as an airplane moves through a fluid such as air (air is a “fluid” of sort). Amazing isn’t it?

If you are into discovering Mathematics in nature, check out “Fibonacci Numbers and Nature” at www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibnat.html and see many examples of the mischievous mingling of this progression of numbers in nature. Many books, articles, and classroom lesson plans have been written about Mathematics and nature.

In conclusion, let me share two interesting Mathematical Symmetries with you. Get out your calculator or turn on the calculation function of your brain and verify them if you wish.

(1x8) + 1 = 9

(12x8) + 2 = 98

(123x8) + 3 = 987

(1234x8) + 4 = 9876

(12345x8) + 5 = 98765

(123456x8) + 6 = 987654

(1234567x8) + 7 = 9876543

(12345678x8) + 8 = 98765432

(123456789x8) + 9 = 987654321

(1x9) + 2 = 11

(12x9) + 3 = 111

(123x9) + 4 = 1111

(1234x9) + 5 = 11111

(12345x9) + 6 = 111111

(123456x9) + 7 = 1111111

(1234567x9) + 8 = 11111111

(12345678x9) + 9 = 111111111

(123456789x9) + 10 = 1111111111

Neat, huh?

*

1 P=pressure generated by the interaction of the object  and the fluid

 

2  P=density of the fluid

 

2  1/2v2= one-half of the speed of the fluid or the object passing through the fluid multiplied time itself

 

3  CONSTANT. The sum of the pressure plus ½ of the density of the fluid times the speed of the object (or the fluid) times itself has to stay the same. For example, when an airplane in flight slows down, the speed is less so the pressure must be more in order for the CONSTANT to stay the same. It begins to descend because the pressures on the bottom of the plane and of the wings and the tops of each begin to equalize and the plane looses the “lift” that has kept it aloft. A plane not moving sufficiently fast enough though the air will descend.

Links to all of Bob’s columns can be found at www.newsnet713.com/BobConnor.htm.

Bob Connor is a continuing education teacher at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. You can reach him at bobconn@earthlink.net