By Anya Shenoy, Grade 11
Patterns are fundamental in our world, shaping nature, art, and behavior. They offer predictability and beauty, from the symmetry of snowflakes to the rhythm of music. Understanding patterns enriches our comprehension of systems and helps us find order in the randomness of life. Patterns may vary from simple to complex, and they take on many different forms. One of the many beauties of numbers is their ability to form patterns, an element seen clearly in Priya Narayanan’s Srinivasa Ramanujan: Friend of Numbers.
The book follows the titular character, Ramanujan, through his childhood. He was, as we know, an incredibly smart mathematician who made significant contributions to the world of mathematics. Despite having no formal education, he made breakthroughs in mathematics that are still being used as the foundation of research today. While his story is certainly interesting, it was not the main focus of Priya’s masterclass.
The masterclass “Spotting Patterns” was all about piquing the interest of children. Aimed at 9–12 year olds, it was simple in execution. There were many patterns made from shapes and letters, which we were tasked with identifying. It was a slow-moving process from basic shapes to more complex ones like mandalas, and finally up to words and numbers. This made the process feel easy, to the point where she was able to introduce algebraic and geometric sequences to 9–12 year olds, a topic that we had not learned until the ninth grade!
The most entertaining part was most definitely limerick writing. Although it was a little new to us, the kids caught on in an instant and were soon producing hilarious poems. The room was filled with giggles at every pun, joke and reference. Although I was certainly not the target audience, the activities were so fun, I knew I had to join.
While the masterclass was only tangentially related to her book, Priya made it an experience worth remembering. In the long run, it was less about what the students learned in the workshop and more about the interest they grew in the subject, the likelihood of them diving further into this topic later in life. Patterns are everywhere, and hopefully the next time they take a walk in the park or sit in a math class, they will be able to identify the ones hiding in plain sight.
