Announcement STEAMboat initiative, HBCSE
About the Talk: Measurements are an integral part of everyone’s life. We have become so accustomed to the idea of measuring and quantification that nowadays, our happiness and anxiety also get a number! Practices of measurement come from historical agreements, where we compare an unknown quantity with a known or standard one when we measure. This talk will illustrate the historical development of basic measurements such as length and area in the world and Indian context. Then we will unpack a chapter of history on measuring the volume of a sphere to understand the role of accuracy in measurement. Lastly, we will see how the development of standardised units is represented in school mathematics and examine some students’ practices wherein their after-school jobs required them to constantly make negotiations to achieve accuracy.
The live session will be in Marathi. Versions in other languages will also be made available later on HBCSE YouTube channel in the following weeks. The links will be available on STEAMboat website.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Shweta Naik is a researcher in mathematics education and believes in teaching mathematics with justice. She is a Scientific Officer at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. Her research intends to develop materials for teaching mathematics that take into account the social contexts, history and interdisciplinary connections of math ideas.