Event Description: Tales of pyramids and spheres: speaking volumes of Cavalieri
Abstract: We will explore the computation of volume of interesting solids using simple geometrical ideas and dimensional arguments. We will start with the unassuming pyramid and we will explore how dimensional arguments and extreme case reasoning allows us to approach the volume of a truncated pyramid. If you have ever wondered about the formula for the cone volume, we will see this in action by building a paper model and solving a puzzle. Following this, we will extend this idea to the volume of a sphere using the ideas of Cavalieri and discover how it has connections with another peculiar solid, which goes by many names, but one is called the Steinmetz solid! Depending on audience interest, we can draw connections to Mamikon’s sweeping tangent theorem and its connection to Cavalieri congruence
About the Speaker:
Kaushik Basu is an instructor in Mathematics and Physics at the Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley. He designs and teaches enrichment and accelerated summer courses for San Francisco Bay Area students and visiting students from South Korea and Singapore. Additionally, he mentors undergraduate teaching interns pursuing careers in STEM education and supports fellow instructors in curriculum development. Kaushik also teaches physics and art at Proof School in San Francisco, develops workshops for the Pacific Pinball Museum, and is a speaker at the Marin Math Circle.
Eligibility: 8th to 12th Standard Students.
Team Maths Circle India expresses gratitude to Prof. Joseph Samuel, Prof. Supurna Sinha, Disha Kuzhively, and ICTS students Sangeetha S. and Naveen Kumar D. for their efforts in facilitating the sessions. Program coordinator - Roshini George.
