Where are the fundas???

Yesterday, i was teaching a very small boy(Cousin of my classmate) some doubts regarding addition. And as i was teaching him how to add 2 and other n digit numbers(Carry over and other stuff)....when i was mentioning WKT(The very famous we know that) 1+1 is two...."Stop' the child interrupted...Why is 1+1 = two.......I managed a grin and said "child! It is because one added to one gives u one" .So what is addition...................Total embarrasement! I am a mathematics student and i couldnt define precisely what was addition....And because of my so many years experience with maths i fooled the guy telling him what all an addition operation would do and NOT what was addition...I am thinking thinking thinking and will keep thinking.....Why is every one so ignorant towards the fundamentals....I see this every where...I asked one of my friends..."What is a man?". And the answers vary from and man is one who has two legs,two arms, two ears......to A man is one who walks,talks thinks.And boy! He looked at me like a fool before answering........The question was What is a man and not what does a man do or what does a man have..........Like there are a crore examples wherein i can point out mechanical, electronic, civil and other engineers who have zero of the subject before joining college and learn the applications of the subject.....Its not that the syllabus doesnt teach us fundas???? Its that we ignore them.I dont demand tat every one knows every funda behind very equipment he uses....Like every house keeper neednt know the techno behind the key making of the house keys.....Like there is hardly a chapter which introduces school students to fundas of mechs and civils...And less than a percent of the students take efforts to know the fundas(I can tell u mastering the fundas is a real tough job)...Because nobody is bothered.All they want is a gud job with gud one. But nobody understands that ur skills are the fundas and ur application gives u a job.But i dont understand how most companies recruit people with zero fundas...I will frankly tell u somethings...
1) I know to differentiate but i donot know what is differentiation(precisely)
2) I know what are the types of dimensions and i donot know what is a dimension.
3) I know the four (or may be 8) directions But i donot know what is a direction.
And millions of other questions.

Again i think i have hardly communicated what i wanted to....But if u didnt get any of what i said tell me one thing....

Where are the fundas???????

1) If you are given 1 apple and if asked how many apples do you have - you would answer 1 - this is counting.
2) If you are given 1 more apple and if asked how many apples do you have - you would answer 2 - this is again counting
"This operation of combining a type of elements with a set of elements of the same type is called addition."
note : the words 'combining', 'elements', 'set' are all english and not mathematical words.

Posted by sriks | 3:16 AM PDT

In the Mathematical world, there is difference between
a) Definition b) Axiom c) Theorm
Definition - These help us to interpret our world, this is mere language.
Axiom - These are facts that we observe.
Theorms - These are there to help us understand the world.
You can challenge only the theorms (and axioms, may be to some extent), but not the Definitions.

I appreciate your attitude to question everything you see around you. But understand what among those are questionable.

Asking WHY for everything is a vicious circle.
But asking WHY for everything, but one at a time, based on priority or significance or importance is divinity.

Posted by sriks | 3:27 AM PDT

hi dubbuku if i c tis type of crap again i will kick u .......

KB

Posted by Karthik Balaji | 5:56 AM PDT

Hi
this is too clever stuff fro me man...
hey it was sad to seee Aus...loosing the test series ...
hope u enjoyed the series...
Prakash

Posted by dfg | 7:42 AM PDT

Very nice post GV.

I liked these lines 'Because nobody is bothered.All they want is a gud job'. Very true indeed...just memorize and write your exams...As long as that is acceptable by our Education systems, these can't be helped.

I would like to see some comments on this from those students who have come to the US for higher studies...what they think about their basic education they got in India.? Let's see..Maybe I'll post on it and see the replies.

This is what I said yesterday, when I welcomed you back.!!

PS - I teach math to my kids here and believe me, I learn a lot from them, but they sheer methods that are used here in schools.!!

Posted by Narayanan Venkitu | 1:52 PM PDT