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THE SECRET WORLD of LARGE NUMBERS P a D M a P R I Y a S H I R a L I E Secret World of Large Numbers

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THE SECRET WORLD of LARGE NUMBERS P a D M a P R I Y a S H I R a L I E Secret World of Large Numbers Vol. 6, No.2, August 2017 THE SECRET WORLD OF LARGE NUMBERS P A D M A P R I Y A S H I R A L I e secret world of large numbers. ticket or an auto ride. However many things • Skill of reading and writing large num- are priced in thousands. It is large, yes, but bers, of course. However, merely helping Increasingly, we live in a world where large Now we will get to the question: When it is also fairly common-place. students with procedural skills of reading numbers seem to bombard us from all does a number get viewed as a large Interestingly the Roman numerals go up to and writing large numbers does not aid in directions. anks to globalization and number? at is relative and it is context a thousand (I V X L C D M). building a number sense. ey need to knowledge explosion, encounters with very dependent. Is 10 a large number? It doesn’t appreciate the size of a number and an Is a lakh a large number? Or is a million a large numbers happen on a regular basis. seem so. However we are aware that the understanding of the relative sizes of num- large number? Yes, these are very big num- Yet, one pertinent question is: ‘Does brain can recognize up to 4 or 5 objects bers. bers but they are not beyond human com- increased exposure necessarily lead to an without counting. It would not be able to prehension. We talk about populations in • Understanding the relationships between understanding of the size of these numbers?’ recognize 10 objects at a glance. 10 is too millions, distances in the solar system in dierent places. Our number system is a Or is it possible that we underestimate the big for the brain to do that! millions of kilometers, prices of houses in language describing quantities and relation- size of these due to their constant use! Does However, all of us recognize that 10 is a lakhs and crores. ships between quantities. Students need to excessive familiarity prevent right perspec- very important number for us as our deci- be able to understand and use these Yet at some point as students begin to tive? Also, will not a lack of understanding mal system is relationships exibly and with ease. For explore the secret world of numbers, they of large numbers lead to based on 10. is example: ey need to understand that 10 will meet billions, trillions and even bigger, an ineective interpreta- is obviously due thousands = 100 hundreds = 1000 tens = fearsome, awe inspiring numbers which tion and reasoning in to the fact that 10,000 ones. A million is 1000 thousands. have majestic names and are too dicult to using such numbers? human beings It is a thousand times a thousand. comprehend. ey will meet such numbers Our comprehension and have 10 ngers. in physical sciences (astronomical distances, • To make sense of large numbers in the students’ Is 100 a large atoms), in life sciences (number of cells, context, whether it is in science, social understand- number? For many number of blood cells, RBC or WBC in a science or business. ing of the young students 100 drop of blood). ere is a need for bench- • To meet students' natural fascination for world remain seems quite marks to comprehend the magnitudes of large numbers. incomplete large. And such large numbers. unless we are able to appreciate they are • More importantly to develop their mathe- the size and scope of these proud of So, how do we help students in developing matical and logical power in building an numbers. Yet, visualization and being able to a sense of large numbers? appreciation of such numbers. understanding of even relatively rattle o the While introducing large numbers to small numbers like ten thousand numbers up to 100. A hide and seek students what are our aims? and a lakh (hundred thousand) may be game is often started o by a count of 100. dicult for many people. When does one 100 runs is an achievement if one is a see ten thousand units of some object? Do batsman. 100 certainly is impressive! 100 one’s every day experiences include such does give us a sense of largeness and yet it is numbers? humanly attainable. One can skip 100 Do such numbers arise in the child’s experi- times, run a 100 metre stretch easily. We ence of life? If not, how does the teacher routinely talk about distances in hundreds help the child to mentally visualize such of kilometers. We purchase clothes for numbers? Large numbers are incomprehen- hundreds of rupees. sible to students unless they are able to relate How about a 1000? Nobody would embark these gures to their own experiences, say of on counting up to a 1000. It is too large to crowds, etc. We often hear statements like do that. 1000 is also a huge deal in our ‘there were thousands of people at the rally’ world and is called by dierent names: a when the numbers may well have been a few kilo, and k or G. A 1000 rupee note (in the hundreds. Is that a lack of skill of estima- days before demonetization) was considered tion? Is it a lack of sense of a thousand? too big to be used while paying for a bus Keywords: numbers, magnitude, large, comprehension, lakh, crore, million, billion, trillion, light year, place value ticket or an auto ride. However many things • Skill of reading and writing large num- are priced in thousands. It is large, yes, but bers, of course. However, merely helping Increasingly, we live in a world where large Now we will get to the question: When it is also fairly common-place. students with procedural skills of reading numbers seem to bombard us from all does a number get viewed as a large Interestingly the Roman numerals go up to and writing large numbers does not aid in directions. anks to globalization and number? at is relative and it is context a thousand (I V X L C D M). building a number sense. ey need to knowledge explosion, encounters with very dependent. Is 10 a large number? It doesn’t appreciate the size of a number and an Is a lakh a large number? Or is a million a large numbers happen on a regular basis. seem so. However we are aware that the understanding of the relative sizes of num- large number? Yes, these are very big num- Yet, one pertinent question is: ‘Does brain can recognize up to 4 or 5 objects bers. bers but they are not beyond human com- increased exposure necessarily lead to an without counting. It would not be able to prehension. We talk about populations in • Understanding the relationships between understanding of the size of these numbers?’ recognize 10 objects at a glance. 10 is too millions, distances in the solar system in dierent places. Our number system is a Or is it possible that we underestimate the big for the brain to do that! millions of kilometers, prices of houses in language describing quantities and relation- size of these due to their constant use! Does However, all of us recognize that 10 is a lakhs and crores. ships between quantities. Students need to excessive familiarity prevent right perspec- very important number for us as our deci- be able to understand and use these Yet at some point as students begin to tive? Also, will not a lack of understanding mal system is relationships exibly and with ease. For explore the secret world of numbers, they of large numbers lead to based on 10. is example: ey need to understand that 10 will meet billions, trillions and even bigger, an ineective interpreta- is obviously due thousands = 100 hundreds = 1000 tens = fearsome, awe inspiring numbers which tion and reasoning in to the fact that 10,000 ones. A million is 1000 thousands. have majestic names and are too dicult to using such numbers? human beings It is a thousand times a thousand. comprehend. ey will meet such numbers Our comprehension and have 10 ngers. in physical sciences (astronomical distances, • To make sense of large numbers in the students’ Is 100 a large atoms), in life sciences (number of cells, context, whether it is in science, social understand- number? For many number of blood cells, RBC or WBC in a science or business. ing of the young students 100 drop of blood). ere is a need for bench- • To meet students' natural fascination for world remain seems quite marks to comprehend the magnitudes of large numbers. incomplete large. And such large numbers. unless we are able to appreciate they are • More importantly to develop their mathe- the size and scope of these proud of So, how do we help students in developing matical and logical power in building an numbers. Yet, visualization and being able to a sense of large numbers? appreciation of such numbers. understanding of even relatively rattle o the While introducing large numbers to small numbers like ten thousand numbers up to 100. A hide and seek students what are our aims? and a lakh (hundred thousand) may be game is often started o by a count of 100. dicult for many people. When does one 100 runs is an achievement if one is a see ten thousand units of some object? Do batsman. 100 certainly is impressive! 100 one’s every day experiences include such does give us a sense of largeness and yet it is numbers? humanly attainable.
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