National Mathematics Day : Good & Bad things about Mathematics

• “Without mathematics, there’s nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.”
• “Numbers have life; they’re not just symbols on paper.”

                                                                                                    –Shakuntala Devi

India’s past in mathematics was golden. The great Indian mathematicians such as Brahmagupta, Aryabhata, Bhāskara and Srinivasa Ramanujan have played a significant role in developing different formulas, theorems and theories on mathematics in India.

In India, the day ‘December 22′ has been declared as the National Mathematics Day in order to honor the birth anniversary of the world famous mathematician Sir Srinivasa Ramanujan, the compiler of more than 3900 mathematical results and equations.

On the occasion of National Mathematical Day on December 22 this year, I spoke to students of different classes in our school. The phobia installed among the students of mathematics are a matter of concern. I asked a class of 46 students, ‘How many of you love mathematics?‘ and only one hand went up. And that was my own hand ‘the maths teacher’!

Hahaha….😂🤣😆😁  LoL…!

“Students shy away from Maths, but in reality Maths is the best friend of man.”         —–Shakuntala Devi

These words of Human Computer Shakuntala Devi were the questions for me today. However, it is a bitter truth that Mathematics cannot be easy like literature and history. But Very few can feel the beauty and romance of this subject. I think it is the most beautiful and most powerful creation of the human spirit.

I set up a workshop to establish love by throwing fears of mathematics from the minds of children. For this, I asked children to write some open-ended questions on a page. I studied every answer booklet very curiously. O my god, all answers were different from each other and interesting. I am sharing some of answers, views and opinion of the Students about the subject.

Quotes

• “Mathematics is a problem, thinking is the solution.”
• “Life without mathematics is like a school without teachers and students.”
• “Solving maths is like sitting in front of a waterfall and listening the music created by birds.”
• “Mathematics = all subjects combination.”
• “Here is nothing to by heart, we have to only understand the concept.”
• “Sorry to say that I love this subject even I hate this subject very much.”

Good things about Mathematics

• Challenging Subject
• Useful and essential in daily life,
• Improve calculations,
• Interesting subject, which encourage our mind.
• Internal happiness & satisfaction after solving problems and puzzles,
• Cool subject, which feel us proud after solving a tedious problem,
• Sometimes prevents from getting bored,
• Answers of each question remain the same. Like other subject answers does not vary here.
• Some new tricks and technics are magical,
• Exercise of brain, which refresh the soul
• Drawing mathematical diagram (Many students hate)
• Helpful in dealing with other subject, specially science,
• Its makes a person great,
• Helpful in future.

Bad things about Mathematics

• Some questions are very difficult, even unable to understand.
• Lengthy formulas and process,
• Drawing of complicated mathematical diagram,
• Complicated long calculations,
• Confusion in understanding the concept and questions,
• Variety of questions,
• Sometimes irritate and getting bored,
• More reference books
• Boring word problems
• Low marks in examination

 

Conclusion:

At the global level, lack of mathematical interest among children are worrisome. Why do children dread mathematics? Because of the wrong approach. Because it is looked at as a subject. Because lack of fundamental mathematical concepts and operations with accuracy. I have accepted the challenge of changing these negative concepts among children. And I know “Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself”.

 

I am grateful if you join your hands for this initiative and forward your kind suggestions via comment box.

 

© Pawan Belala 2017