Here, I understand not only that sum (Problem/ Puzzle), but the whole class of sums in the time I would have spent being bored... - Reflections from Axxxx, Class 8, SES Gurukul " Yesterday, in class, we continued our graph theory work & revisited some game theory in the afternoon. The complexity of these subjects have baffled me completely. These topics are usually taught in higher grades, so I was unsure if I would pick up, but in reality, it was word play. We have been learning Euler's theorem, and how it proves that it isn't possible to have an odd number of vertices with odd degrees. (Utpal @uc59) Sir makes these topics interesting, and explains in detail. In school, I would have just gotten bored, but here I understand not only that sum (problem/ puzzle), but the whole class of sums in the time I would have spent in getting bored. In the afternoon, we played "Chomp". I like how we learn math through games! "Chomp" involves taking pieces out of a "chocolate bar". Whichever piece the first player takes, all pieces to its right & above get 'eaten'. We learnt a strategy on how to win, but it only works if you are Player 1, playing on an 'n x n' board. The way we are taught to think while playing games or solving puzzles is not something we are taught in school, and the same concepts are made much more interesting. Though at times, some work gets heavy, but we have breaks every couple of hours to keep our head clear, & we resume math with renewed vigour. " @vishnu_agni @sjpatil @rpanchanathan @uc59 #giftedsummerprogram #reflections #math

I look forward to doing Maths everyday, and have a new outlook towards it! - Rxxx, Grade 8 student, @VidyaValley Sharing yesterday's reflection from one of the students in "Explorations in Math" - one of the many courses on offer at the 3-week Residential #Giftedsummerprogram (May 2024). This course covers elements of Graph Theory & Routing, the #Maths of Games and Puzzles, among others. Below is the transcribed version. The attached image is in the student's handwriting... "Yesterday's Math class was really fun! We had started the basics of Graph Theory a day earlier... Although, in the beginning, I thought it was going to be really boring, Utpal Sir (@uc59) explains it in a fun and imaginative way that makes me think of math from a whole different perspective. We also played "Games" like "Chomp", where the aim of the game was to not eat the deathly end of a chocolate bar. We got some time to play the game with our classmates during which we played a couple of matches and developed our own strategies - some good, and some not so good. After this, @uc59 analyzed the game with us, by guiding us along the right track, using cryptic clues, which I feel is the best way to teach someone how to solve puzzles. I ended up having so much fun that I made my parents play against me as soon as I called them (during the only 30min window which is not device-free on the program). Thanks to Utpal Sir, I look forward to doing Maths everyday, and have a new outlook towards it! @sjpatil @vishnu_agni @rpanchanathan

"Assume the head is a cube" @SukanyaSinha8 has made it one of her life missions to impart this essential skill - Intelligent Estimation - to students she works with... {and there are more than a handful of 50 year-olds who are proud to be her students on this topic!} 40 Grade 6/7 students from around the country, who have all performed exceptionally well on the 2-grades-above-level AssetTalentSearch (from @eistudy1) were settling down on Day 1 of their 2-week Residential Summer Program on May 16, 2024. They were going to experience the "Pleasure of Finding Things Out", as also the "Joy of Creating Things", in sequence. Guesstimation ("Intelligent Estimation") was one of the themes in the "Pleasure of Finding Things Out" segment. The questions were of the the nature of Fermi Problems (see here: x.com/GenWise_/status/179208…). Working on such problems often requires innovatively solving them by (at least) two different methods and see that the answers agree broadly. In addition, such estimations rarely require mathematics beyond multiplication and division . The calculations are so simple that they can be performed on the "back of an envelope". The class furiously engaged in guesstimating various problems - 1. How many individual pieces of kabuli chana (chickpea) were in a transparent plastic container? The class was given no more than 30s for this. They had to record their estimate (E1). They were then allowed to "spread" the chickpeas on a clean white A4 paper and record their estimate (E2). They were then given a similar sheet of paper, which had grid lines pre-drawn, and record this new estimate (E3). It was fascinating to see how close E3 was to the actual number for all the 5 groups of children (4 each). 2. Sukanya then skillfully extends this topic to estimating the # of fish in a pond. The students are introduced to the concept of "Tag and Release", and extrapolating from the sample to the whole. Tagged fish are rajma (Kidney Beans), and along with the Chickpeas, make up all the "fish" in the pond. They mix the Kidney Beans and the Chickpeas really well, and sample. The student are asked what assumptions do we make in the estimation - for example, that the total count of fish remains the same (between 'tag and release', and the sampling). Sukanya then extends this to estimating tiger populations (where tigers can actually move in and out, apart from being born/ die). 3. The class is now tasked with a different problem - estimating the # of strands of hair on each of their heads. Students who had been introduced to a sphere modeled the head as one; one of the younger children who hadn't been introduced to spheres, independently chose to "Imagine the head as a Cube"! #giftedsummerprogram #junior #guesstimation

Lesson: We Must Have Wider Margins The session moved on to works of Mathematical Greats such as Euler, Gauss, Euclid, Fermat, etc. and@SukanyaSinha8happened to show images of these mathematicians to the class. "Looks Very Grumpy" was distinctly audible. Sukanya then shared the story of Fermat's Last Theorem ("Oh, how could he name a theorem after himself, and call it his last"). Fermat scribbled the claim in a book, famously writing: “I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this, which this margin is too narrow to contain.” "We must have wider margins in our notebooks" was heard loud and clear! #GiftedSummerProgram #At_the_mentors_lounge

Its a couple of days since Program Start, and the Economics mentor is puzzled about how to engage this high school child who is clearly paying attention but not very expressive. 10 minutes before lunch every day, he has an Ask Me A Random Question session. The questions must NOT be related to Economics. One of the other kids asks the mentor to come up with a Dad joke. ...and our kid's eyes light up like never before. Two more Dad jokes later, this child is completely alive. The Economics teacher is practicing Dad jokes over breakfast with the other mentors at this Gifted Summer Program. #dadjokes #giftedsummerprogram @sjpatil @NGKabra @ashish2727