DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, HYDERABAD REPORT ON GANIT WEEK HELD IN SCHOOL FROM 16.12.2014 to 22.12.2014 "Mathematics is the Queen of the Sciences." - Carl Friedrich Gauss Mathematics is the study of structure, space and numbers. It deals with the logic of shape, quantity and arrangement. Mathematics has been around us since the beginning of time and most probably began with counting. It has an all pervasive, encompassing role in ones’ daily life. From cradle to grave, the use of math is inevitable. It is the queen of all sciences and king of all arts. Mathematics expresses itself everywhere in almost in every facet of life. It is all around us. Since the beginning of history, math has been at the forefront of the civilized society and in use even in the most primitive of cultures. The need of math arose based on the wants of society. As the civilizations progressed from simple to complex math followed suit. It is the building block of our for everything in our daily life---- be it buying or selling, engineering, architecture, school , workplace and sports, one cannot do without math. Even those suffering from math related phobias and anxieties cannot escape its presence in their lives. While celebrating Sri Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary, it is pertinent to note the ways in which one experiences mathematical applications in day to day life from the time one gets up to the time one goes to bed. The GANIT week gave an opportunity to the students of DPS, Hyderabad to present their knowledge in an innovative manner. The following events were conducted during the week: S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. DATE 16.12.2014 17.12.2014 18.12.2014 19.12.2014 ACTIVITY Lecture on Mathematics Essay Writing Competition Quiz Competition Experience Sharing on Innovation by Teachers and students 20.12.2014 Screening of films produced by Vigyan Prasar 22.12.2014 Origami and poster competition CLASS(ES) 9 5 6 7 and 8 5 and 6 3 and 4 A lecture on Vedic Math was organized for students of class IX. Mr. Ch. Laxminarayan an expert in Vedic Math conducted an interactive session in which students were given tips & shortcuts that can be used to solve lengthy calculations. The students, who find calculations in chapters like surface areas and volumes tiresome, listened attentively and noted down a few tips. The session was enlightening and students benefited from learning innovative numerical skills. Students of class V were given the following topics for writing an essay. The topics were: 1. Significance of math in our daily life. 2. Is math my favourite subject? Why? 3. A bio-sketch of a famous Indian Mathematician. The students of class V actively participated in the competition. For class VI students, a quiz in mathematics was conducted. The children were asked questions ranging from names of mathematicians, symbols to numerical ability. Students were grouped into eight teams selected through a preliminary round in their respective classes. The teams were named after polygons like, Tantalizing Triangles to Dynamic Decagons. Five rounds of questions which included a rapid fire round were asked. Basic arithmetic skills to comprehension of a few relevant concepts were tested. The children displayed a great deal of enthusiasm in making the event a success. The students of each section of class VII took part in PowerPoint presentations on various topics. They were divided into four groups. Each student gathered information relevant to the topic and shared with his /her team members. The group leader prepared the ppt and submitted it to the respective math teachers. The ppts of the class VII students were uploaded for everyone to watch in the smart-rooms. The presentations had excellent formatting. The students displayed the concepts in an aesthetic manner. This activity was an illustration of team work. The students of class VIII were given the topic “Mathematics in daily life”. The students who selected mesuration displayed two models (a) embankment of a well in Hariram’s field explaining the concept of volume, (b) designing floor space in the hall of a gated community which was innovatively done keeping in mind the modern trend. The students who chose statistics collected primary data regarding modes of transport used to commute to school, number of children who use different social networking sites and displayed the same through interesting graphs. The students who chose symmetry displayed charts and explained symmetry in Nature, human body etc, the students who chose applications of trigonometry used a model of a right triangle to calculate height of a pillar in the building. The students who chose commercial math set up a shop and explained the concepts of profit, loss, market price, discount, banking, types of accounts and loans, investing in stocks, shares and mutual funds. The students who chose geometry as their topic displayed chart as to how geometry is used in architecture, building bridges, making household articles. They took a few children for a walk in school compound to show geometric shapes present all around them. The students of classes III and IV participated in poster making and origami. They displayed great enthusiasm and came up with geometric cats and robots. The students of DPS, Hyderabad truly understood the spirit behind the GANIT week. They proved that it is indeed Mathematics that is the abstract key which turns the lock of the physical universe. After all it is only in the world of math that two negatives multiply into a positive. Math Teacher, DPS Hyderabad