India’s gift to Mathematics: A Session at Transition School

~ Poovizhi

We attended a math session at Transition School with teachers from different places, including some of us from STEM Land. Sanjeev Ranganathan led the session and showed us how to connect old mathematical ideas with real-life applications. He also shared ways to make math more interesting for children.

Making Math Fun and Easy to Understand

Sanjeev talked about how math is usually taught and what we can do to make it easier for students. He explained the difference between fact-based (normal) math, which is based on real-life applications, and faith based (formal) math, which is based on assuming axioms and theorems and perfect is an unreal world. Then, we did activities that made math more engaging.

He distinguished formal mathematics from either abstraction or generalization.

There were many activities which we describe here.

Activity 1: Visual Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem

We used foam sheets to build and test the Pythagorean Theorem. By cutting and arranging pieces, we could see how the areas of two smaller squares creates the diagonal larger square. This activity helped us understand that math is not just about formulas but also about shapes and real-world applications. Looking at the kind of sizes others had selected helped us generalize without the need for formal mathematics.

Activity 2: Old definition of angles that can be measured and understood by children

With geometry we looked at the definition of the angle as a space or area between two lines and saw that it is ambiguous and does not make much sense even to us as teachers. We looked at the real definition of arc length as a ratio of the perimeter (degrees) or arc length as a ratio of radius (radian). We talked about how the geometry box was a toy that did not allow to intereact with the real world and could not measure curved lengths. We used a thread and stick/needle to make a circle and create 72 degrees as well as 1 radian.  without using a protractor, just by using the concept of radians and arc length. This activity helped us learn about angles in a fun way.

angle

India’s Contributions to Math

The session also introduced us to India’s rich history in mathematics. We learned about Baudhayan’s laws (integers), early trigonometry, and the Panchang calendar system. These ideas were used in India long before they were known in the West.

What We Learned

This session showed us that math should be learned through exploration, not just memorization. Simple materials like thread and foam sheets helped make difficult ideas easier to understand. Learning about India’s mathematical past also helped us appreciate how these ideas developed.

As teachers, this session encouraged us to use more hands-on activities in our classes. This way, students can discover math for themselves rather than just remembering formulas. Connecting history with practical learning makes math more exciting and useful.