Ambigram: Nehru

Nehru is the name of the new Hall of Residence which I have been allotted in IITKgp.

It turned out to be an almost natural ambigram - a few tweaks here and there, and voila! the ambigram is ready!

I resorted to a little bit of cheating (not in the conventional sense though!).

All the letters are in Comic Sans. I did not try making the alphabet myself. Just modified the existing ones.

How is it? Do let me know.

Other Ambigrams I Designed

 Azad, Jazzonomics, Patel, DPS RKP, Mainak

Real Life Applications of Mathematics - Traffic Rules

Mathematics is often viewed as a subject which has no real life application.

I disagree with this view. One has to look at Mathematics in the right light. Only then one can discover the joy of Mathematics.

Consider, for instance - traffic rules. Very practical, you would agree. However, very few people appreciate the disadvantages of zig-zag movement.

Let us consider it in the light of two well known mathematical axioms.

1. Two sides of a triangle are greater than the third side

It is a very well known mathematical axiom that two sides of a triangle are always greater than the third side.

We can use that axiom to show how travelling in a straight line is a better option than travelling zig-zag. Going by the axiom,

CB + BA > CA

A vehicle travelling CB and then BA would travel more and hence consume more fuel than a vehicle going by CA.

Travelling in a zig-zag fashion is not economically viable.

2. Parallel lines never intersect

A vehicle travelling in a zig-zag fashion would have a greater probability of colliding with other vehicles than vehicles travelling in parallel lines.

That is what is lane driving. Vehicles drive in their respective lanes - in parallel paths. That prevents collision.

What would otherwise seem not very practical at once appears to be plain common-sense because of Mathematics.

Know of any other real life applications of Mathematics? Do let me know. You may leave your suggestions as comments to this post.

Related Posts

Scientific Guessing

Mathematical PJs

Digressions: Rainfall Patterns

Pre-monsoons showers have arrived in Thiruvananthapuram. The mercury has plummeted to a nadir providing respite from the summer heat.

Rainfall pattern here is similar to that of Guwahati. It drizzles incessantly for hours bringing the temperature down.

It is quiet unlike Bangalore or Delhi. In Delhi, it rarely rains. In Bangalore, it invariably rains during the night. By dawn, the rain would have halted confirming to the city's busy lifestyle.

Rainfall pattern in Kharagpur is particularly notorious. It almost always rains on Fridays - which spoiled innumerable ED (Engineering Drawing) sheets which I had painstakingly made in the classroom. 

On Saturday mornings, when we had our NCC parade, the rain would have stopped. In fact, it never rained on Saturday mornings! However, as the sun sets, black clouds start hovering overhead and by evening, it would be raining heavily spoiling our plans for the evening.

I have never understood the Rain Gods (i.e. if any such God did exist). Why doesn't it rain when there is a drought? Why does it keep raining when not required? (for instance, when Mumbai was getting flooded)

And more importantly, why did it never rain when we had our NCC parades?  

My Alma Mater: DPS RK Puram

This is a rotational ambigram I created in MS Paint. The prototype was made on paper - but the final image was created on Paint. 

As a result, I had to create only half of the ambigram. The other half was just copy, rotate & paste. The colour is the same we had on our school uniform.

How is it? Do let me know.

Nostalgia: Code word tuti-on

Tuti-on: Pronounce it right

This was way back in 2001. I was in my VIth standard and one of the toppers in my class.

I was good at Science, Social and English. I could manage Hindi but Sanskrit gave me nightmares. I got a B in Sanskrit in Vth (which was P3 - Pathetically Poor Performance going by my standards back then).

I did not want the entire class to know that the topper was attending tuition classes.

So, I always referred to it as tuti-on. That made me feel better.

Ka, Kha, Ga, ... then what?

Matadeen sir stressed the importance of having our fundamentals strong. From the very beginning, we were told to improve our handwriting and revise our shabd/dhatu roops.

However, to his horror, he discovered that we did not know the Devanagari script. We knew a few alphabets in order - the rest was all mayhem.

We were made to go through our very basics. It increased our confidence level tremendously.

'Does she live down there?'

From the day, sir discovered that our English teacher Anita Abraham was living below Siddhesh (we had our classes in his house), he became reluctant to come to the same place to teach.

After some deliberation, it was decided that the venue for the tuitions would shift base to my house. The onus was now on me.

Paan + Chai: Sandhi Banao

Matadeen sir (almost always) had a paan/supari in his mouth. As a result, he had this strange high pitched voice that is typical of Paan eaters.

The three of us would stare with disgust when he would start drinking the tea and say 'Sandhi Banao: ___ + ___'. Most disgusting.

Rest assured, he was a top-notch Sanskrit teacher. Though, I always wondered why

• He never taught in the school (He would come in - give some high-funda lecture and fly off)
• He never recommended those Rs 3 Kunjis in class (the ones he procured from Banaras)

His were the only tuition class I ever attended. I never had any problems in Sanskrit from then on (or was it so? Matadeen sir taught me in Guwahati. In Bangalore, the syllabus of VIIth was repeated for our class VIIIth course. I have always wondered whether I was just lucky).

I did not pursue Sanskrit after VIIIth even though it was supposed to be a 'scoring subject'. I took Hindi instead.

Stick Figures

I hate getting into details. I abhor details.

When a professor gets into the intricacies/details of a subject, the matter starts flying overhead.

On the other hand, give me a brief outline of the topic and I will fall in love with it.

That is why I found stick figures interesting - you get the idea in a few lines (literally!).

While sitting idle, I made a few stick figures - of activities I do during the day. Notice how simplistic they are and how powerfully they convey the idea.

(All figures have been made in MSPaint)

Running

Reading Novels

Piano Classes

Blogging

Gymming/Push Ups

IAF: A Typical AF Station

In Thiruvananthapuram, I live outside the AF campus. And somehow, I feel out of place. It isn't the same as before. But the moment I enter the campus, I feel at home.

Why? How? These are difficult questions. As I sat pondering over such questions, I decided to jot down what constitutes a typical AF station - and this is what I came up with.

Block structure

Unlike in the civil, where most people live in either apartments or bungalows, in the AF, houses are built in blocks.

Generally, 4 families are allotted a block. The families on the ground floor get gardens (to maintain!) while the first floor families get terraces.

On the rear, quarters for the domestic helpers is built. So, a single block will have 4 quarters of one kind and 4 of another.

The Institute/Mess

Every AF Station has a mess/institute which is the nerve centre of all social activities. The mess has a TV room, a library, an ante room, a bar, a dining hall and a very well maintained lawn.

All social gatherings of importance such as farewells, welcome parties and unit anniversaries are held in the mess lawn/ante room.

Sports Facilities

The gymnasium, billiards room and the golf course all come under the tutelage of the mess.

Almost every AF station has an indoor badminton court, table tennis tables and a squash court.

Golf courses are present subject to availability of space. Individuals in the armed forces get a rock solid sporting culture imbibed in them.

Other amenities

Every AF station has a well equipped SMC (Station Medicare Centre). The SMC has very well trained doctors and a dispensary for the medicines. 

A Shopping Complex caters to the daily requirements of the AF station.

Most AF stations have a Children's Park and a school inside the campus. The station is, in short, self sufficient.

Security

Security is a major concern of any defence establishment. An AF station is (supposed to be) well protected with the entrance being manned 24x7. 

This gives a sense of security to those residing within the campus and binds them into a very well knit unit.

The structure of most AF stations are more or less similar. There may, however be differences based on the location and the strategic importance of the station. 

AF stations have always given me a sense of belongingness. I presume even you would be very attached to the locality you are living in. What is it like? In what ways is it different from an AF campus? Do let me know.

A Beginner's Guide to ED Topa

Aim

As I had promised in my post on Jugaad, I am presenting the step by step procedure for light-tracing ED (Engineering Drawing) sheets.

Materials Required

1. Blank ED Sheets
2. Finished ED Sheet (to be copied)
3. Pencil, Eraser, Ruler etc.
4. Glass Sheet (At least the size of the ED sheets)
5. Clips - 3 Nos
6. Thick books
7. Working table

Procedure

1. Make two columns of books on the table to support the glass sheet.
2. Place the glass sheet on the books.
3. Place the lamp under the glass sheet in such a manner that it points upwards.
4. Place the ED sheets on top of one another and clip them together at 3 corners.
5. Place this arrangement on the glass sheet so that the blank ED sheet is on top.
6. Switch off the lights in the room.
7. Start copying!
8. It may not be very apparent which lines are dark and which are light. Use the fourth corner to check for thick/thin lines on the finished ED sheet.

Result

An exact copy of the original ED sheet.

Conclusion

Copying ED sheets does not require Rocket Science. Common sense is more than sufficient.

Precautions/Sources of Errors

1. The two columns of books must be of the same height. Increase/Decrease number of books as per requirement.
2. Check for thick/thin lines.
3. Erase off any traces of pencil marks created by the finished ED sheet on the backside of the new sheet. (Recall that they were in contact!)

Kgp to God's Own Country

The long wait is finally over. My end-sems have come to an end and I am in God's Own Country - Kerala. The journey had been long - and in more ways than not - unique.

The Trains

The trains of Southern Railways are a class apart. From the moment you enter the compartment, the differences are very apparent.

The trains were very punctual arriving at the destinations well before time. That is perhaps ingrained in the South Indian culture - punctuality.

Unlike the trains in North India, everything here is a chocolate hue. The cubicles have no curtains giving the illusion of enhanced space. Everything seems neat till you are served the dinner.

The dinner fell short of all expectations. The food was all messy and the liquid stuff was all filled to the brim. It kept spilling out. I wasn't at all impressed by the food.

The IIT T-Shirts

This was the first time I had been wearing T-shirts that proudly proclaimed - IIT Kharagpur. I generally avoid wearing such T-shirts because (as one of my seniors travelling in the train described) - it is too 'elitist'.

I am not sure what that exactly means. But, what the expression roughly conveys is - IIT T-shirts are a show off.

Since some of us were wearing the T-shirts, we had to defend our decisions. Our defence being - these aren't show offs. These are just our college T-shirts. Plus, the T-shirts are plain. No quotes, nothing. Just IIT Kharagpur. It looks all very official. Gives you that MIT/Stanford feel.

Whatever it be, I was wearing one of these T-shirts and that was how it was.

The Rikshaw-wala

Since I was wearing the T-shirt, the onus of protecting IITKgp's image in the public was on me.

So when the Rikshaw-wala charged Rs 55 instead of Rs 40, I couldn't keep haggling with the Rikshaw-wala for 5 - 10 rupees. It was a question of my college's image!

Sarvana

I had a break journey. Kgp to Chennai and Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram. I had 3 hours to spare at the Chennai Station. I had my dinner with a fellow Kgpian at the Sarvana resturaunt.

I ordered North Indian Thali. That was my first taste of food outside Kgp after 5 long months. Mmmm...it tasted delicious.

In God's Own Country

Kerala never ceases to amaze you. From the moment I entered Kerala, the grandeur of the greenery and the backwaters/lakes all around left me spellbound.

Now, I could understand why Arundhati Roy indulges in elaborate details while describing things in her book 'God of Small Things'. Because, it is all so beautiful. 

I have 2 and a half months to explore Kerala, the coconut groves, the beaches and the backwaters. 

It is going to be an exciting vacation.

Suggestions: Reforms in the CGPA System

In my previous post, I listed down some of the demerits of the CGPA system. While most agree to it that the CGPA system has its drawbacks, they feel that this is the best system available.

Here are some of their arguments

• You cannot distinguish between someone who has secured 91 and someone who has secured 93. So you give them the same grade
• Suppose you miss a grade in a 4 credit course, your CGPA drops by (1x4)/200 = 0.02 only.
• The likelihood of missing a grade in a subject is 5/100 ( You are among the 5 unfortunate people who missed the higher grade in a class size size of 100), i.e. 1 in 20.
• Rash commented: The Indian Education System is so fake that it is best to ignore it. The marks awarded are so shallow that you don't feel pushing for changes is really worth all the trouble. 

My reactions?

• If you cannot distinguish between 91 and 93, why segregate 89 and 91?
• You get 0.02 when you average the grade-loss over 8 semesters. Suppose, someone misses a grade in the first semester, the grade loss would be 0.02x8=0.16 in the first semester which is more than sufficient for someone to miss his department change.
• Your probability holds only when the event is unbiased.
• @Rash: All I can say is - If it isn't worth all the trouble, why do we have examinations at all? Couldn't we just have projects/actual work? 

However, as Rash suggested, I am presenting my suggestions. You are free to brainstorm/critically analyze the suggestions.

Centralise

Centralise the grading system. Give two people getting the same marks the same grade. This way, students in 'high performing sections' will not lose out. The grade will be purely based on merit.

Uniformity

There has to be a parameter which should decide the cutoff marks for the subject. Do not leave it to the Professor. Further, apply the criterion uniformly to all subjects.

Feedback

The students should be given a proper feedback on their performance. And the students should know why/where they lost their marks. I am sure IITs can provide feedback sheets having critical data such as class average, class highest and the weak areas of the students - say analytical abilities, calculation errors or weak concepts.

Time Bonus

A student who completes his exam well before time definitely has clearer concepts than someone who takes the complete 3 hours to complete the exam.

One could award 10% of the marks secured by the student as bonus per hour. So, if I get 90 and I finish half an hour early, my final marks should be 90 + (10% of 90)/2, i.e. 94.5

This way, plagiarism would reduce. A student finishing half an hour early would realise that returning the answer scripts is a better option than trading answers in the surplus time.

Cluster Grading

It doesn't make sense in having multiples of 5 and 10 as cut-offs. 

Give grades in clusters. Say, there are 9 to 10 students in and around 90. Give the same grade to all of them (the cluster). Further, the cluster size may not be greater than 3 to 4 marks. If there are 10 clusters, give 10 grades on a scale of 5 to 10 - 5.0, 5.5 and so on till 10.