Math Topic Topic for discussion
1.Honest numbers An honest number is one that can be described in
words using exactly the same number of letters (e.g. 4:
four; 8: two cubed, 11:two plus nine). Ask children to
investigate other honest numbers (all numbers >=13 are
supposed to be honest)
Discuss what it means by “honest” – i.e. these numbers
names reflect what the numbers truly are. Talk about
the importance of honesty in people. Should we be
honest if somebody is going to be hurt by what we say?
Should we be dishonest and tell a white lie to make
somebody feel good or save them from being hurt?
(The answer to this is that we should not be dishonest
in these circumstances. It is better that we find
something we can say truthfully or say nothing.)
2.Minus Start the lesson with the following silent sitting. „Close
your eyes and take some slow, deep breaths to relax. ….
Now imagine that you are looking at yourself in a
mirror, so you can see yourself as other people see you.
Imagine that you can see a big “minus” sign above your
head in the mirror. Minus means taking away from
something, or making something smaller. Look closely
at yourself in the mirror and look at your own minus
qualities. These are the things that take away from you
being the best that you can be, the things that make
you a smaller person. As you look at your own minus
qualities, one by one tell them to go away and imagine
that they are leaving you. See yourself growing bigger
and bigger each time one of your minus qualities goes
away…
3.Four Four is connected with stability (eg a square, which is a
stable figure, has four sides). Ask children to brainstorm
about other real-life examples of the number 4
representing stability. In what other ways does 4 appear
(4 directions, 4 seasons etc.) Discuss what is meant by
“stability”. What do we need to be stable, and how can
we meet these needs?
The four kinds of lapses the tongue is prone to:
Uttering lies
Carrying tales against others
Criticizing or scandalizing others
Excessive talking
(From B. Shyamala Rao, The Significance of Numbers in
Hindu Mythology, New Delhi: Printoindia, 2001
4.1-100 From Swami Rama (1999). Living with the Himalayan
Masters, Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Himalayan
Institute Press, p.317
Every digit from 1-100 is explained with verses from
Upanishad
1: All other digits are multiples of the same 1. Similarly
there is only one absolute Reality and all the names and
forms of the universe are multiple manifestations of
that One.
All numbers are the outcomes of a point which cannot
be measured, similarly the whole universe has come
out of an unmeasurable void.
5.Equal/Equality What does equality mean in relation to being a person
of good character? It means that we can look at
everyone impartially and see them all as the same –
friends, enemies, strangers, foreigners, relatives, even
cows, elephants and dogs etc. and not judge anyone as
being better or worse than anyone else.
6.Division by zero When we divide any number by zero the answer is
infinite.
Happiness = Number of desires fulfilled
Number of desires entertained
Sathya Sai Baba
Ask students to discuss what happens when the number
of desires entertained is zero – i.e. that is when we
achieve infinite happiness (PEACE/contentment, self-
discipline)
7.Perfect numbers A number is perfect if the sum of its products equals the
number itself,
e.g. 6= 1+2+3
28=1+2+4+7+14
496=1+2+4+8+16+31+62+124+248
How about people? What does it mean to be a
„perfect‟ person? What kindA number is perfect if the
sum of its products equals the number itself
e.g. 6= 1+2+3
28=1+2+4+7+14
496=1+2+4+8+16+31+62+124+248
How about people? What does it mean to be a
„perfect‟ person? What kindsof qualities should we try
to develop in ourselves?
8.Zero If two numbers are the same their difference is zero (eg
4-4=0, 3-3=0 etc.) If we can find the ways in which
people are the same, we can prove that the difference
between people is also zero.
From Sanathana Sarathi, March, 2006, p.72:
Think of the number 1 as the purity within yourself.
If you put a zero after the numeral 1, it becomes 10;
add one more zero and it will become 100. In this
manner, if you go on adding zeros, the value will
increase to 1000, 10 000, 1000 000.
But if you take away the 1 and leave the zeros by
themselves they have no value. They only have value
when they are positioned beside the numeral 1.
The zeros are like the things we get in life – our house,
our job, our husband or wife, our children etc. All of
these will have no value unless they are put alongside
the goodness/purity/“divinity” within yourself. As long
as you are immersed/caught up in acquiring all of these
zeros they will not have meaning unless you first put
into place your own inner goodness.
9.Decimals Putting O at the end makes no change, putting 0 in front
makes the number smaller. Question: What happens to
us when we make ourselves like 0 and put our own
needs ahead of others? (ie we become smaller)
10.Square The square is balanced. What can we do to be like the
square and make ourselves balanced (i.e. balance
between work and play,happiness and sadness, etc.)?
11.Solving equation An equation is like a weighing scale.The right-hand side
and the left-hand side are balanced because they
represent the same quantity.Why is it important to
keep balance between studying and relaxation?
Value: Sometimes we have to be exact in calculating answers but sometimes it is more appropriate to
use out thinking skills to get an approximate answer. Also, estimation can be used to check whether our
calculations (especially if we use a calculator) are reasonable answers. (RIGHT ACTION)
