It all adds up

December 06, 2013 12:00 am | Updated 02:17 am IST

Event Maths and stories made a interesting combination at the mathematics exhibition held recently

Astorytelling bug hit mathematics lovers and professors alike at Reminiscing Raconteurs, a story telling session conducted by Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in association with Bangalore Storytellers’ Society held at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum. The session saw an array of mathematical concepts being laid threadbare and made easily understandable through stories.

The sessions covered concepts such as calculus, optimization and many other complex topics. A story involving a huge jacket, which is used as a suit, jacket, pant, tie and a hanky was narrated to make concepts of optimization of available resources. The event was held as part of the Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 Exhibition organized by the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences and Center for Applicable Mathematics (CAM) of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

Mathematicians also discussed calculus and narrated the tale of the birth of calculus, which was contested by Newton and Gottfried Leibniz. One of the mathematicians said: “We use concepts of the calculus from both their theories. The functions such as d(y),d(x) were Leibniz’s contribution, since they could not understand Newton’s scribbles.”

The session was interactive with children and adults asking questions, learning more about mathematical concepts and trading anecdotes about eccentric maths professors singing and presenting their favourite theorems.

N.V.

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