Wednesday, May 6, 2015

The gentleman who taught infinity

This is my first book, which is now under publication...wait for the book, whose story I have captured below
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The gentle man who taught infinity

            Nearly 30 years after they have parted ways, a student suddenly remembers his math teacher from school days. As he starts writing about him, he is surprised to discover that he remembers a lot of the interesting stuff he was taught. Gradually, as everything comes back, he ends up writing a full narrative. At the heart of this narrative is Channakeshava, the gentle teacher who took his students on a roller coaster ride of the world of mathematics. Though he worked in a regimented school, Channa often broke the boundaries of a restrictive school syllabus, sterile textbooks and mind numbing examinations.

In The gentle man who taught infinity, we journey with Channa and cross the Seven Bridges of Konigsberg, grapple with the intriguing Barber's Paradox, understand what took mathematicians nearly 350 years to solve Fermat's Last Theorem, appreciate why mathematics is beautiful and explore the paradoxes of infinity. Along the way, we are introduced to great mathematicians like Euclid, Bhaskaracharya, Cantor and Euler, among others.

Using storytelling to great effect, this remarkable teacher showed that mathematics is very much a human endeavour. It need not be the drudgery that we make of it, in our mad pursuit of marks and grades. Instead, the learning of math can be fun, meaningful and fulfilling for everyone. As the narrative unfolds, teacher and taught, subject and craft all get intertwined and result in a fascinating story.
 
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