दहीहंडी उत्सव(फोटोफीचर) म.टा. च्या कृपेने...

दहीहंडी उत्सव

 

What came first — maths or written language?

What came first — maths or written language?

For those who hate numbers, maths is an acronym for Mentally Agitated Teachers Harassing Students. But that's of course not the whole story. "I think we grow up thinking that maths is very dry and all about passing exams, when really maths is one of the proudest achievements of our cultural heritage. When you learn the context of mathematical discoveries and can learn its charms without fear of failing an exam, a whole world opens up," says Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland — Dispatches from the Wonderful World of Mathematics. In this interview, he speaks to Vivek Kaul on the world of numbers.
How old are numbers?

Well, it depends on what we mean by numbers. If we mean the ability to realise that two things are different from one thing, this is as old as humans are. If we mean a system of words and symbols for numbers, then this is only about 8,000 years old and originated in Sumer — present day Iraq.

How did numbers emerge?

Numbers emerged as a way to count objects, say sheep. Originally objects would have been counted by tallying — so, if you have 50 sheep, you might need to make 50 marks; or have 50 pebbles, so you know how many sheep you have when you are not with the sheep. But the Sumerians then started to make clay marks, where symbols referred to particular numbers. This was much more convenient. What I find amusing is that these number symbols were the first examples in western culture of a script. So it is perfectly fair to say that written language, and therefore literature, was a consequence of numbers. Books are here because of maths!

In the first chapter of your book, you talk about some Amazonian tribes who can count only till five. Can you elaborate?

In my book I wanted to explain 'where numbers come from' — culturally, psychologically and neurologically. What is this 'number instinct' that we have? Some of the most interesting research comes from studies of Amazon tribes who have only a few numbers in their languages. I looked at one tribe in particular — the Munduruku, who only have words for one, two, three, four and five. In fact, the word for five is the same as the word for 'handful'. The studies try to see how good the Munduruku are at certain tests to do with numbers and amounts. The results show that while the Munduruku are unable to use exact numbers, they have an ability to estimate rough amounts, which is as good as the westerners'. This would appear to show that you can have this 'number sense' even if you don't have numbers.

How did the decimal number system evolve?

When you come up with a number system, one of the first things you need to do is choose a 'base'. This is the term used to describe the groupings of numbers. We have a base of 10, or decimal system, because we group our numbers in (groups of ) 10. While this seems obvious, there are lots of other cultures in history — and some still in existence — who use bases other than 10. There seems to be a very obvious reason why we use base 10 — and that is because we have 10 fingers (including thumbs). So, when we learn to count using our fingers, it is natural to group numbers in 10s. (Or fives, or 20s. And 5, 10 and 20 are the most common bases used by humans). If we had only four fingers per hand, we would undoubtedly have had eight as base. And if we have only three, we would have had six as base!

Why is time counted in base 60 and not 10?

This is a legacy of the Babylonians, who had a base 60 system. No one knows why they had that base, because it seems a bit crazy. But there is one way that having 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour is advantageous than if we had 100 seconds in a minute and 100 minutes in an hour. This is to do with the divisibility of 60. It is possible to divide 60 into 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. And it is very convenient to split the hour into halves, thirds, quarters, fifths and sixths. On the other hand, you can only divide 100 by 2, 4 and 5.

You write that in ancient India "coining words for large numbers was a scientific and a religious preoccupation." What did you mean?

I write about the ancient Indian approach to numbers in comparison to the Greek approach of roughly the same time. The Greeks never went beyond a 'myriad', or 10,000. Sanskrit, however, had the word koti, which means a crore, or 1,00,00,000. In the Lalitavistara Sutra, Buddha lists a word that means 10 followed 421 zeros, which is many, many more atoms than there are in the entire universe.

The ancient Indians used these big numbers to do their astronomical and astrological calculations. With higher numbers, they could do better astronomy and Indian astronomy was indeed ahead of its time. The other aspect of higher and higher numbers is religious. It is a way of getting closer to the gods, or eternity...

How did the concept of zero evolve?

My interest in this is the link between the invention of zero — made in India, probably around 400CE — and the Buddhist/Hindu mystical idea of 'nothingness'. In the West, we didn't invent zero. We thought of nothing as, literally, nothing. But in India the idea that nothing was something was already a religious conviction, which helped bring about the mathematical idea.

Sudoku, it seems, was originally invented in the US. The Japanese saw it and ran with it. Can you take us through the entire Sudoku story?
Sudoku was originally called Number Place, and was invented by an American puzzle enthusiast called Howard Garns about 30 years ago. It was hardly noticed. Then a Japanese puzzle magazine editor, Maki Kaji, revamped the puzzle, called it Sudoku, placed the given numbers in a symmetrical pattern, and in the early 80s put it in his Japanese magazine.

Some more people noticed but not that many, and only in Japan. Then, about a decade ago a retired Hong Kong judge, Wayne Gould, who was holidaying in Japan, saw it and after spending several years working out a programme to generate Sudokus, told The Times in London about it. Within months, it was an international phenomenon.

Was the success of Sudoku partly due to its exotic sounding name?

Absolutely! Sudoku sounds much more exciting than Number Place. We have this myth in the west of superior Oriental wisdom.


Alex Bellos can be contacted at www.alexbellos.com or www.twitter.com/alexbellos

Why some women collect plastic bags? Every Husband needs to read.

Why some women collect plastic bags

It's all about our status quo bias and loss aversion. An ill-fitting shoe that's of no use will stay in the shoe rack, but will not be thrown away

Why does the housewife collect polythene bags? For the same reason why you may be willing to pay, say, Rs5 lakh for a 2007 Toyota Corolla, but would probably expect a much higher price if you were selling your own used 2007 Toyota Corolla. Which again is why you do not throw away a new pair of shoes that pinch your feet badly; instead you stack it away at the back of your shoe rack, where it rests for a long time; the more expensive the pair, the longer it rests on the rack. And which is also the reason why junk accumulates in our drawers, cabinets, wardrobes, desks, homes and offices, incessantly!
What's common in all these tendencies is the desire to maintain status quo. The polythene bags may clutter the kitchen but will not be thrown out. The used car will sit longer in the garage (maintaining status quo) as you want a better price for it than you are willing to pay for the same car model. The shoe will occupy some real estate but not thrown away. Your share may be a dog but the investor will not sell it off to invest the proceeds in a star.
There is something else in common. We take bad news very badly but we do not accept good news with great enthusiasm. If you find a Rs500 note unexpectedly, you may not be thrilled; but if you lose an equal amount, it bothers you considerably. The happiness and the pain are not symmetric for the same gain or loss. That's why most people do not accept an even gamble — a gamble in which you gain or lose the same amount, say Rs100, at the toss of a coin. This is called loss aversion.
Our housewife may have acquired the bags for nothing in the course of routine shopping without any sense of elation. But that does not mean she will part with them with equal indifference. She may imagine a situation when she may need a bag but may be caught without one, and it may force her to buy one! The scenario assumes a disproportionate dimension. The opportunity cost of throwing away the bag that she sees is disproportionate to its real cost.
It's the same with the pinching shoe. Its true value may be zero to you, given that you have no intention of wearing it again, but the agony of throwing it away looms larger than the relatively low pleasure of keeping it in the shoe rack. In the process, you also trick your mind into believing that the shoe is not a dead loss because it is there! This is also why you want a higher price while selling a car than you are willing to pay for another one of its kind. When you sell a car, you are letting go of an asset, and since losses loom larger than profits, you want a higher price for it while selling than what you are willing to pay for buying the same asset. Loss aversion.
We spoke of junk accumulating on our desks, in our cabinets and homes. We add things to the household clutter every time we shop. But the rate at which we dispose off household stuff follows the same rule as the polythene bag. They come in but don't leave our homes quick enough. A typical study drawer may be a clutter of pins, clips, pencils, ball-pens, refills, scales, post-its, key rings, unused keys, wires, non-working pen-drives, assorted visiting cards, broken scissors, invoices, miscellaneous receipts, and what have you. But every time we clear the drawer, we throw out much less than what we probably should. Our wardrobes keep accumulating unwanted, shrunken, discolored, frayed, or old garments. But every time we think of cleaning up the clutter, our mind discovers reasons why this or that cannot be discarded just yet — that old T-shirt could be worn for the next alumni meet, I could get into this jacket as soon as I lose weight, and so on. That's why when we buy a new iron or a suitcase, the old one is not necessarily discarded immediately. Why blame the housewife alone?
And if you ever wonder why you don't change the brand of your toothpaste or hair cream very often, it's the status quo bias again!

 

World's Largest Cargo Plane (Antonov 225)

World's Largest Cargo Plane (Antonov 225)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MICHAEL JACKSON'S FUNERAL

MICHAEL JACKSON'S FUNERAL

Oops! Those IPL Funny Moments Video

 

Oops! Those Funny Moments

http://hubpages.com/hub/IPL-T20-CRICKET-LIVE-STREAMING-SCORE-MATCH-CRICINFO-ASHES-WORLD-CUP

 

 

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Knowledge is Pleasure

Knowledge is Pleasure   The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma   -----$$$$$----- No piece of paper can be folded in half Check it out   -----$$$$$-----   Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks  -----$$$$$----- You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television. -----$$$$$-----   **************************************************************************� Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older. -----$$$$$----- The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.   -----$$$$$-----   The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE (Check it out)   -----$$$$$-----   American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class. -----$$$$$----- Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.   -----$$$$$----- Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. -----$$$$$-----   Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN! -----$$$$$----- The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.   -----$$$$$----- Walt Disney was afraid   OF MICE!   -----$$$$$----- PEARLS MELT   IN VINEGAR! -----$$$$$-----   The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. -----$$$$$-----   It is possible to lead a cow upstairs... but, not downstairs. -----$$$$$----- A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.   -----$$$$$----- Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.     -----$$$$$----- And the best for last.... Turtles can b

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

 

Coconut water is one of the best natural drinks Mother Nature has packed for us within the kernel of coconut, this natural water is not only tasteful refreshing drink but can be considered as one of the best natural health drinks from herbal world. Here are some health benefits of coconut water:-   Health Benefits of Coconut Water   Ø      Drinking coconut water keeps the body cool and at the proper temperature.   Ø      Coconut Water is an Antibacterial. Coconut water contains monolaurin, an antiviral, antibacterial and antiprozoal monoglyceride that is used to kill lipid-coated viruses such as HIV, Herpes, cytomegalovirus, flu and various pathogenic bacteria.   Ø      Coconut water is great at reducing vomiting. People who have typhoid, malaria, fevers or other ailments that are known to induce vomiting drink coconut water to settle the stomach. As such, coconut water is also a good thing to drink during a hangover.     Ø      Coconut helps in keeping check over urinary infections. It is very effective in treating kidney and urethral stones.   Ø      Coconut water is very effective in treating intestinal disturbances in infants. It kills intestinal worms.   Ø      Making coconut a part of the daily diet is recommended for those who have been troubled by kidney stones. When taken along with mediation, it helps break up the stones, making it easier for the body to push them out.   Ø      For all those people who are trying to lose weight, drinking coconut water would prove quite useful. This is because the drink increases the rate of metabolism, thus aiding weight loss

Government jobs available

Job Highlights (28 August 10 - 03 September 10)

1. Union Public Service Commission invites application for various posts.
2. Union Public Service Commission notifies Special Class Railway Apprentices Examination, 2010.
3. Sashastra Seema Bal invites applications for the posts of Constable (GD).
4. Sashastra Seema Bal invites applications for filling up the Group 'C' Posts.
5. Canara Bank requires Special Officers.
6. Hadoti Kshetriya Gramin Bank requires Officers Scale-I and Office Assistant.
7. Staff Selection Commission notifies Junior Translators (CSOLs)/Junior Hindi Tanslators (in Subordinate Officer) Examination, 2010.
8. NMDC Limited requires Assistant General Managers, Senior Managers and Managers, Dy. Managers.
9. Indian Ordnance Factories , Chanda invites applications for various posts.
10. Nuclear Power Corporations of India Limited, Kalpakkam requires Stipendiary Trainees.
11. Employees' State Insurance Corporations Chandigarh requires Stenographers, Lower Division Clerks and Peons.
12. Southern Railway requires applications for recruitment against sports Quota.

Click here to Download forms for following vacancies.

»National Aluminium Company Ltd.

»Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited

»Department of Expenditure

»ESIC Model Hospital, Bari Brahmana, Jammu

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»HEADQUARTERS GOA NAVAL AREA VASCO-DA-GAMA GOA

»ITI Limited,229010, Walk-In-Interview For Para-Medical Staff For Rae Bareli Unit