TCS Ignite Open Lab

The Art of Problem Posing

TCS Ignite Open Lab

[Type the author name] Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. [Type the company name] [Pick the date] - Pablo Picasso Spanish Cubist painter (1881 - 1973)

TCS Ignite Open Lab

Cover Page: Penance of Arjuna At Ignite, we have added a hand-drawn depiction of The Great Penance bas-relief of Mamallapuram. The relief, measuring 29 m long by 13 m high, is a giant open-air relief carved of a monolithic rock in the 5th century port city of the Pallava dynasty, greeting sailors who docked at the Port of Mamallapuram. In the Pallava Kingdom, it was a particularly popular genre in Sanskrit literature to compose poems could convey multiple narratives. Inspired by this, the Mandhatar, the chief sculptor, realized the same multiplicity in the bas-relief. For instance, although the relief may be viewed as the quest of Arjuna and his Great Penance, it is also simultaneously the story of Bhageeratha, bringing the celestial river Ganges to the earth. It is also the story of the Pallava dynasty and quite explicitly the story of the Pallava patron of Mandhatar, the reliefs chief sculptor. This drawing, stands as an inspiration at Ignite, inviting trainees to a pursuit of excellence. Arjunas Penance by J.P. Ignite, TCS

The Artist J Prabhakar, known as J.P., is a Chennai based artist who specializes in pen-and-ink line drawings. With no formal education in art, J.P. is entirely self-schooled. Although his work is focused exclusively on the sacred arts and his themes tend to be temples, monuments and sculptures, he innovates constantly in terms of technique, technology, materials, form and content. His pursuit of excellence is a constant source of inspiration.

TCS Ignite Open Lab

The TCS Ignite Open Lab The Art of Problem Posing Tired of taking tests? Make one instead! Research shows that problem-posing promotes cognitive functions, specifically mathematical thinking. We believe that, creating questions will not just be an enjoyable experience but will also help you learn better. In this challenge, you will create questions. The challenge You will need to phrase your question in multiple forms. In the first form, you can simply state your question and solution. You will then need to transform question into a more abstract form. This form can be thought of as a set of instructions that are required for a computer to be able to solve a problem. You can also transform your question context in a way that the solution remains the same. In another form, you can transform the question formula, by retaining the question context. You can also invert the question so that the formula is inverted. As you immerse yourself in the challenge, you will notice that a number of interesting combinations of changes can result in a variety of interesting questions. In order to create such questions, you need to ask the following questions 1. How can variables be identified? 2. Are there different types of variables? 3. Are there limits to the values that a variable can take? 4. How are the variables related to each other and to the solution? 5. How can the context of the problem be changed? Can the same solution be obtained by changing the context of the problem? 6. How can you play with the solution formula? 7. Can the problem be made more interesting and educational by adding relevant textual content from leading international journals or magazines?

TCS Ignite Open Lab Please read the following steps and the example enclosed by which you will be able to convert a question into an abstract form 1. A portion of a question is said to be generalized when that portion can be replaced by a variable which can take a set of well defined values. Identify such variables in the question statement and replace them with variable names such as variable1, variable2 etc. E.g. Consider the question A train travels at 50 Km/hr. Calculate the time it takes to travel 500 Km. The underlined portion can be replaced by another number(s). Hence that portion of the question is said to be generalized. Note: In this example, we have chosen only one variable which is the speed of the train. You may be able to identify many such variables in a question. 2. A variable can be one of the following types: text or a number. If you can think of other types of variables, do not hesitate to declare and use them. E.g. The original question is transformed into the second form as A train travels at Variable1 Km/hr. Calculate the time it takes to travel 500 Km. In this example, Variable1 is a number. 3. Declare the identified variables, its type and the possible values it can take. E.g. Variable1 is a number and it can take values between 50 and 150. 4. You will then need to represent the solution to the question as a function of the variables identified. E.g. Answer: 500/Variable1 hours Scope and Effort You are expected to pose as many questions as possible, while representing them in the forms described above. The questions are expected to be creative and complex. At minimum, you will need to create 5 questions and transform your question into the abstract form as exemplified above. There is no upper limit to the number of forms in which you represent your question. You can also submit any number of questions. You can cover areas such as, but not limited to, Algebra, Mensuration, Geometry, Trigonometry, Probability and Combinatorics. The total expected effort is about 2 person days.

TCS Ignite Open Lab Prerequisites Any final year science graduate registered for the Open Challenge can attempt this challenge. The challenge only requires knowledge of basic mathematics and a general mathematical thinking ability. Submission Process You will need to submit a document containing the problems you have posed, At minimum, you will need to create 5 questions and transform your question into the abstract form as exemplified above. The submissions can be in txt, .doc or .pdf format Sample questions represented in different forms are also provided in the last section, for your reference. Evaluation We are interested in understanding the range and complexity of questions that you will be able to pose, having read our instructions carefully. S.No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Parameter Complexity of the question Number of questions Originality of concepts Originality of contexts Abstraction Comprehension

Samples Questions Examples of a question in different forms are given below. Example 1

TCS Ignite Open Lab

The question below is represented in an abstract form. Question: A car manufacturer produces only red and blue models, which come out of the final testing area completely at random. What are the odds that 3 consecutive cars of the same colour will come through the test area at any one time(1 in ____) ? Solution: 23 Abstract form: A car manufacturer produces only red and blue models, which come out of the final testing area completely at random. What are the odds that Variable1 consecutive cars of the same colour will come through the test area at any one time(1 in ____) ? Where, variable1 is a number and 2 < variable1 < 10. Solution formula: 2Variable1 Example 2 The question below is represented in an abstract form and with a new context. Question: There are 3 LED lights in a row. Each of the LEDs can be in an ON or OFF state. How many patterns can the four light bulbs show. Solution: 23 Abstract form with a different context: A coke fountain has Variable1 taps with different flow settings to control the flavours, sweetening agent and fizz of the drink. If there are variable2 number of flow settings in each tap, find the total number of possible drinks that can be served by the fountain. Where, variable1 and variable2 are numbers and 0 < variable1 < 10 Solution formula: Variable2Variable1 Example 3

TCS Ignite Open Lab The question below is represented in an abstract form and embedded in a real world business context. Question: If a car can increase its speed from 40 Km/hr to 150 Km/hr in 5 seconds, what is the pickup acceleration the car gives in m/s^2? Solution: {(150-40)*1000/3600}/5 = 6.1 m/s2 Abstract form + business context: Car owners are choosing the Prius over other models of cars for the fuel economy that a hybrid offers rated at 60 miles a gallon in city driving and 51 on the highway. However, customers are looking for something extra faster pickup. If the Prius can increase its speed from Variable1 Km/hr to Variable2 Km/hr in Variable3 seconds, what is the pickup acceleration the car gives in m/s^2? Where, Where, variable1, variable2 and variable3 are numbers and Variable1 can take values between 10 and 40 and variable2 can take values between 10 and 80, Variable2 > Variable1, Variable3 takes values between 2 and 10 seconds. Solution formula: {( Variable2 - Variable1 )*1000/3600}/ Variable3 m/s2