Indian Numbers

A while ago – 9th August 2002 to be precise – it was announced that Professor Manindra Agarwal of the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, and two of his students, Neeraj Kayal and Nitin Saxena came up with a formula for determining prime numbers.

BBC article – Plastic.com

My numeracy has always been middling to poor, although I’m a good estimator and I understand how money works, and I can do simple mental maths. My maths education was weak and interrupted – I studied hard to get my maths o-level – and the only reason I did that was because I knew I needed it to get onto a degree course.

Having said that, the calculator rescued me, I was able to pass the exam mostly because mine was the first year in which English children were permitted take electronic calculators into the exam room. It was assumed that by then we would all have the calculus skills but mine were pretty weak, I was slow, and I hated being slow so I found it difficult emotionally. I scraped through the exam, to my relief, and my life chances were changed by this combination of perseverance and technology.

28 years later, having used both simple and complex computers since I was at college – when the PC as we know it had yet to be invented – and being these days one of those relatively technologically literate types that uses many different kinds of software and has a working knowledge of multiple platforms – at least, in my area, the creative industries – my interest in numbers is finally re-awakening.

I am becoming more fascinated by number games. I’m in the process of remembering the beautiful game of cribbage and playing that with GGF whose gorgeousness extends to teaching me an obscure Palestinian version of backgammon while we were away. I like strategy games in which both chance and skill play part – they are microcosms of life, relying not just on calculating odds, but also on spotting events, number patters, which also requires intuition, and so playing them, I feel I have a chance and able to win – in fact I do win! Huzzah! It’s good for my everyday number usage, and improves my overall mental confidence.

Intuition has made me pick up these games so that my maths mind is improved. I am so enjoying them… I can’t see me donning the carpet slippers quite yet, playing Sudoku, or hanging out in casinos giving money to criminals, but it does open me up some new leisure options.