Thursday, October 7, 2010

AlphaMax Students and Staff get a Glimpse of the Power of Vedic Mathematics


  On October 6th 2010 Mr. Rajendra Prakash Jain, an Indian Gandhian scholar gave a brief introduction and demonstration of Vedic Mathematics  for AlphaMax High School students and staff. Mr. Jain was in Suriname as part of the program of activities by the Indian Embassy and Indian Cultural Centre to celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
Vedic Mathematics is based on the Vedas, the most ancient of Indian scriptures. Mr. Jain explained that with the use of Vedic Mathematics one can make calculations very fast, often faster than with a calculator. He suggests that contemporary over-reliance on the use calculators is not a good thing and one of the benefits of Vedic mathematics is the removal of this dependence on calculators
Two examples of Vedic Mathematics that Mr. Jain gave are:
1. Multiplying two numbers each consisting of two digits, of which the first two digits are equal to each other and the sum of the other digits equals 10, e.g. 37x33, 45x45, 92x98:
37 x 33 -> the first digit x (first digit + 1), this is 3 x (3 + 1) = 12 -> second digit x second digit, this is 7 x 3 = 21.

Write the results in succession: 1221. 
2. Multiplying two numbers, which are equal to each other and are somewhat less than positive integer powers of 10 (10, 100, 1000, 10,000, etc.), e.g.  996 x 996 -> 996 is somewhat less  than 1000 -> 1000 - 996 = 4 -> 996-4 = 992 -> take the three zeros of the thousand and replace the latter by the 4 -> 004 x 004 = 016. 
Write the results consecutively: 992016.
A third example that I have added is
 Subtract fractions), e.g.
6 _   
2
7      3
Multiply crosswise and subtract: 6 x 3 = 18, 2 x 7 = 14 -> 18 - 14 = 4 (that is the numerator of the fraction),
7 x 3 = 21 (that the denominator of the fraction).
Mr. Jain also said that many universities and schools in India now have Vedic Mathematics in their curriculum. Some have integrated it into the Western Mathematics program. He mentioned that there are now educational institutions that specifically teach Vedic Mathematics in some countries.

Students, teachers, and directors were very enthusiastic about Mr. Jain’s presentation. Mr. Krak, Deputy Director and Head of the Math and Science program announced that AlphaMax Academy would like to include Vedic Mathematics in the curriculum. If you would like to know more about Vedic Maths a good website to visit is www.FastMaths.com.
Mr. Atma Jagbandhan,
Science and Math Instructor 

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Gandhi Seminar

On October 13th 2010 the Embassy of India in Suriname and the Indian Cultural Centre organized a “Seminar on Mahatma Gandhi” as part of their program of activities to mark the late Mahatma’s Birthday. 

The AlphaMax Academy participated by contributing a PowerPoint presentation and a reading. The subject for the presentation was Gandhi’s Concept of Satyagraha which was based on students’ essays written last years. Out of these essays Shafeek Nazir made a beautiful PowerPoint presentation titled “Where have all the Gandhi’s gone? Part 2”. Part 1 was a speech presented last year by Mr. Sean Taylor, the director of the AlphaMax Academy.


Mr.  Atma Jagbandhan