What's cricket got to do with maths?!
Read on to find out....
After our usual cricket match downstairs this evening, Raghav and his friend continued playing upstairs with Lego, while munching on some snacks. Soon, Raghav wanted to have a bath - his first for today, and so asked his friend to come back tomorrow to play.
While I was busy cooking dinner, Raghav was filling water in the tub for his bath. As soon as it was ready, he called out to me and told me that he had a question for me about cricket. While I was expecting a question on some technicalities of cricket related to batting or bowling, or something to do with a batsman or bowler, he flummoxed me with this:
"Amma, do you know what is the minimum number of balls in which one can hit a half century?"
While I got my thinking cap on to calculate this, he very nonchalantly said - "Amma, it is 9!"
"How did you figure that out?! ", I asked.
"The maximum number of runs you can get in one ball is 6....so in 2 balls it is 12, in 3 balls it is 18, in 4 balls it is 24, in 5 balls it is 30, in 6 balls it is 36, in 7 balls it is 42, in 8 balls it is 48, and in 9 balls you can get 2 to make 50!"
"...and do you know what is the minimum number of balls in which one can hit a century?"
"It is 17", he said, not even waiting for me to attempt to calculate.
"....do you want to know how I found out?...in 2 balls you can get a maximum of 12 runs (six and another six), in 4 balls it is ....twelve and six and six...24 runs, in 6 balls it is....twenty four and six and six...36 runs.......in 15 balls it is 90 runs, in 16 balls it is 96 runs and in 17 balls if you hit another six, you will get 102 or if you hit a four you will get 100!"
"....and do you know what amma? Chris Gayle got the fastest half century in this IPL in 17 balls.....but the fastest century can be got in 17 balls."
While my head was spinning with 6s and 4s and balls being calculated, my son had so very easily calculated this. So while my mind was trying to box this learning into multiplication, addition and so on, I realised once again how actually limited my ideas on learning were; how my mind had unconsciously perhaps decided that only certain things could be learned through playing cricket; and how actually the possibilities to learning are limitless, immeasurable and intangible to a mind that is not confined in anyway.
Read on to find out....
After our usual cricket match downstairs this evening, Raghav and his friend continued playing upstairs with Lego, while munching on some snacks. Soon, Raghav wanted to have a bath - his first for today, and so asked his friend to come back tomorrow to play.
While I was busy cooking dinner, Raghav was filling water in the tub for his bath. As soon as it was ready, he called out to me and told me that he had a question for me about cricket. While I was expecting a question on some technicalities of cricket related to batting or bowling, or something to do with a batsman or bowler, he flummoxed me with this:
"Amma, do you know what is the minimum number of balls in which one can hit a half century?"
While I got my thinking cap on to calculate this, he very nonchalantly said - "Amma, it is 9!"
"How did you figure that out?! ", I asked.
"The maximum number of runs you can get in one ball is 6....so in 2 balls it is 12, in 3 balls it is 18, in 4 balls it is 24, in 5 balls it is 30, in 6 balls it is 36, in 7 balls it is 42, in 8 balls it is 48, and in 9 balls you can get 2 to make 50!"
"...and do you know what is the minimum number of balls in which one can hit a century?"
"It is 17", he said, not even waiting for me to attempt to calculate.
"....do you want to know how I found out?...in 2 balls you can get a maximum of 12 runs (six and another six), in 4 balls it is ....twelve and six and six...24 runs, in 6 balls it is....twenty four and six and six...36 runs.......in 15 balls it is 90 runs, in 16 balls it is 96 runs and in 17 balls if you hit another six, you will get 102 or if you hit a four you will get 100!"
"....and do you know what amma? Chris Gayle got the fastest half century in this IPL in 17 balls.....but the fastest century can be got in 17 balls."
While my head was spinning with 6s and 4s and balls being calculated, my son had so very easily calculated this. So while my mind was trying to box this learning into multiplication, addition and so on, I realised once again how actually limited my ideas on learning were; how my mind had unconsciously perhaps decided that only certain things could be learned through playing cricket; and how actually the possibilities to learning are limitless, immeasurable and intangible to a mind that is not confined in anyway.
Oh WOWOWOW!!! Heartiest calcultions to dear Raghav ;)
ReplyDeletesuper !!! clean bowled by his analysis!
ReplyDelete