whiff of fresh air

FERMI QUESTIONS

"If you remove three strands of hair from your head, how many strands remain?"

I can hear Moe shouting Minus two minus two, for doesn't he always remind us of his "ek bal" status?   

Sorry . this is no question for Moe, but something that I read in the newspaper and made me curious enough to read a bit on  Fermi questions, which are being asked at interview sessions nowadays to chose the best candidates from the Good ones!

How many hours will Santa Claus take to  travel from North Pole if he plans to visit the Taj Mahal, this year, for Christmas?

How many golf balls will fill in a suitcase?

How many credit cards are there in the world?

How many jelly beans fill a one-liter jar?

How high would the stack reach if you piled on trillion dollar bills in a single stack?

If your life earnings were doled out to you at a certain rate per hour for every hour of your life, how much is your time worth?

How many tennis balls are required to occupy the entire Wankhede stadium in Mumbai?

Confused? Do you think that the above questions are weird or unanswerable?  Then read up something on Fermi questions.

Fermi questions receive the name from Enrico Fermi (1901 -1954) the Italian Physicist, known for his contributions to Nuclear Physics and Quantum theory. It seeks a fast, rough estimate of quantity which is either difficult or impossible to measure directly. Fermi questions need not necessarily have a single solution, but are variable and the answer lies  within certain limits.

As per Philip Morrison it is “… the estimation of rough but quantitative answers to unexpected questions about many aspects of the natural world. The method was the common and frequently amusing practice of Enrico Fermi, perhaps the most widely creative physicist of our times. Fermi delighted to think up and at once to discuss and to answer questions which drew upon deep understanding of the world, upon everyday experience, and upon the ability to make rough approximations, inspired guesses, and statistical estimates from very little data.”

"Fermi questions encourage multiple approaches, emphasize process rather than “the answer”, and promote non-traditional problem solving strategies".

The answer to one such Fermi question is illustrated below.

How many credit cards are there in the world?

Ans: There are approximately 6 billion people in the world. Lets assume that a third live in areas where they cannot get credit cards (eg:rural areas, poverty stricken areas, etc). Of the 4 billion remaining, lets assume 3 quarters are adults. Of the 3 billion adults, a third doesn’t carry credit (say they have bad credit cards or they don’t believe in credit cards, are unemployed, etc). Of the 2 billion left who carry credit cards, each carries an average of 3 cards (Visa, Master card, America express)

Result: There are 6 billion credit cards in the world.

 I am not sure how many do agree with the answer, but I am sure it encourages us to think very differently from what we are used to.

This reminds me of the time I made a logical guess for the question asked in a quiz competition in my school days. " What is the rate of growth of the human nail per day?". The question was asked to the girl just before me and as I saw her fumbling for the answer, my mind calculated thus. I cut my nails approximately every week and they grow almost a millimeter by then, a week = 7days and I  rounded it to ten days for easy calculation. 1mm divided by 10 gave me 0.1mm as the rate of growth of nails.  And yes I scored a point there!

Fermi solutions though, don't seem as simple as this!!

Aestheticism and vulgarity……..

3^rd July 08, Q n A at rediff.com was follows.  Some of the answers have you in splits. The nine comments are reproduced below as it is!

Q. How do you differentiate the thin line between aestheticism and vulgarity?

1. If a person does not have belief in the concept of God he is aesthist. Vulgarity is obviously what is equalent to improper decorum or manifestation of indecency. These two are different things.
For instance MF Hussain paiting hindu gods and godesses in a provocative indecent manner is vulgarity. He claims that he’s got freedom of expression - but even that is biased because he doesnt do the same to muslim or christian gods, people or characters - he is not an aesthist. He has some religious sentiments. Ultimately he is Chauvinistic. Pls see dictionary to see the meainign of the word ‘chauvenistic’ so you can also learn a new word which is also connected.

(Guess  our friend should have first referred to a dictionary the two words aesthetics and atheists before asking us to check up the word ‘chauvinistic’  and learn a new word!!  * keeps wondering how chauvinistic, atheist and Vulgarity are connected *)

2.  If lower belt portion of female sideways—-aesthetisim
if lower belt portion of female moves back and forth—vulgarity

(Aha..  what a 'brief' way of presenting! I wonder how our friend would define aestheticism and vulgarity with reference to a male!! )

3.  It is purely the prerogative of the creator. The oserver might see it with his own perspective, but it’s the perpetrator’s last laugh.

The 'creator' created in all aestheticism, the 'created' changed his perspective after he bit the apple, and the 'perpetrator' (devil) had the last laugh . as vulgarity was born!

4.  The difference is not a thin line but a very thick one surely human beings have a sense of discrimination which they can use to know the difference.

How thick? Can the line be measured by a screwed mind oops . Screw gauge or a Vernier Call hippers(calipers)?

5.  Objects and all their collective and/or complex manifestations, whether living or not, have no purpose behind their existence. Human beings talk about temporal and long run objectives to satisfy their intellect, otherwise they too are complex adaptive systems, biologically and socially, having no predetermined objectives behind their existence. Superiority of human beings is contained in their plans by which they try to device methods for their own well-being.
Some objects and events have significant impact up on the intellect of human beings. These things go in favor or against their plans for progress. If a thing inspires something undesirable from the perspective of that plan, it is vulgar. If it is good as such, it is aesthetic.
So, the point is in what results from the impression of a thing. The result cannot be definitely predicted because we cannot understand the complexity of human beings - either as biological individual or as social collective. Thus, a line cannot be drawnThus, a line cannot be drawn in between aestheticism and vulgarity although there is a line.
Preferences of an individual are designed by his/her past and gene. When a person identifies something as aesthetic or vulgar, it is judged by that upbringing and gene. Every person acts in a sphere of bounded rationality. In that space, he/she rarely feels any obligation to the social collective he/she belongs to. Besides he/she cannot pursue the complexity in which he/she lives. As a result, individual preference may or may not resemble to what is socially desirable.
CONCLUSION: Individuals draw lines in their own ways, which are naturally different. The socially desirable line can be drawn only after the impact can be perfectly predicted. But such an exercise is impossible due to the complexity of the social whole. So, such line cannot be drawn socially although some definite social line exists. The social line is built up on the basis of the plan for progress devised by the human beings. The plan is an invention of the human beings up on which they judge what is good and what is bad. The plan is based on objectives which the human beings prepare. As such, human beings are not born to serve any objective. And so, if human beings stop inventing objectives and plans, there will not be anything aesthetic or vulgar. close

YAWNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!! I am drawing the shortest line to my bed

6. Aestheticism It is a doctorine that beauty is the basic principle frm which all other principles, especially oral ones are derived. where as Vulgarity is sexual display in bad taste in general. Hence we can safely say, that models who display fashions or even other things that are used on body maybe aestheticst where as people who do vulgar display are purily for sexual satisfaction.

Doctrine, Oral huh  am safely skipping reading this comment!

7.  Aesthetically vulgar. Vulgarly aesthetic. Add the letters, “l” and “y”

Yes when the eye(s) see and the why(s) answer, you know the difference, not by adding I and Y!!

8.  Eat healthy and stay healthy.

Now whats eating and healthy got to do with aesthetic and vulgar?

9.  Since the opinion whether a piece of art or culture is aesthetic or vulgar depends upon the opinion holder, which in this democratic country everyone has a right to the opinions vary. And the variance is much more pronounced as the dividing line in some cases is very thin and hence a lot of people may not be able to see or differentiate it and cross it either way. Just hope for the best that you are not a victim of it !

A democratic country and opinions galore on aestheticism and vulgarity.  I am only a victim of reading these hilarious comments at rediff at my own peril ..God help!!

Jab they met

Two old pictures from my collection.

Secret Word 

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people

to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,

and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal

station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a

decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should

declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

Printed above is the first paragraph of the US declaration of Independence. Select any of the first 20 words.  Count the letters and call that number n. Move ahead n words., beginning with the word after your selected word. When you reach the nth word, count its letters and move ahead as many words as the new letter count.  Continue in this manner, counting letters and moving ahead words, until you stop ona  word thats beyond the fourth line.

On what word did you stop?

It will always be the same word. WHY?

Created by Martin Gardner (Courtesy Internet)

AND NOW ANOTHER ONE……..

Here are the first three verses of Genesis:

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Pick any word in the first verse, count its letters, and move ahead by the corresponding number of words. For example, if you start at beginning, you’d count 9 letters and move ahead 9 words, landing on the in the second verse. Count that word’s letters and continue in this manner until you’ve entered the third verse.

You’ll always arrive at God.

(Discovered by Martin Gardner) (Courtesy Internet)

LEFT OR RIGHT ..??

Picture courtesy : Internet