मला सुचलेले

I am waiting for Inspiration

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will update when inspiration strikes

स्वयंप्रकाशी तू तारा

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सवाल:

दिवसा ढवळ्या मुक्काम करूनी बाहेर पडतो रात्रीला, कोण असा गं फिरे प्रवासी दिवा बांधुनी पाठीला.

काय असेल याच ऊत्तर. कोणता असा प्रवासी असेळ जो दिवा पाठीलाच बांधून फिरतो.

असे बरेच जीव आहेत जे असा दिवा घेऊन येतात जन्माला. त्यापैकी सुपरिचित असलेला एक म्हणजे काजवा. आणि असे मला माहित असलेले जीव म्हणजे प्लवके, मासे, शैवाल, बुरशा. यातल्या काही मोजक्याच प्राजाती चमकतात (सगळे चमकत असते तर रात्री जग काही वेगळंच दिसलं असतं). या जीवांच्या चमकण्यामागचं काय प्रयोजन असेल? या काही प्रजातींनी चमकन का निवडलं असेल? अंधारात चमकल्याने त्यांना शिकारी प्राण्यांपासून धोका नसेल का?

चला आज समजण्याचा प्रयत्न करूया.

song that I found interesting

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चित्रपट: आई (१९८१)

गाणं: विपरीत सारं घडलं गं

मला या गान्याच्या लेखकाचं नाव नाही सापडलं. पण गाण्याच्या या ओळी आवडल्या. कदाचि एखाद्या शास्रज्ञाने लिहिलं असेल.

सवाल:

विज्ञानानं कशी घेतली झेप हि साऱ्या विश्वात, उपग्रहाचा गरुड सोडला वर्षामागून वर्षात. आरे कोसळून तो पडलं म्हणुनी साऱ्यांनी धसका घेतला रं, शास्त्रज्ञांचा खरा पराक्रम उभ्या जागाला पटला रं.

परं एका मागून एक सोडली माळ ग्रहांची आभाळी आपआपल्या वाटेनं फिरती गुमान सारे अंतराळी. भीती नाही कि धसका नाही निवांत दुनिया घरामधी, जगावेगळा शास्त्रज्ञांचा बाप कोण या जगामंधी.

जवाब:

अनादिकालापासून आहे ठाऊक साऱ्या दुनियेला, भगवंताची कृपा म्हणू कि काय म्हणू या किमयेला. नवग्रहांचा सडा फेकला आभाळाच्या अंगणात , शास्त्रज्ञांचा बाप असे तो सूर्यदेव या दुनियेत.

Plastic Mulch, a bad choice?

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I was looking at old Google Earth images of my village and found one from 2018. The white areas in the fields are plastic mulch, which we farmers use to increase crop yields. But another picture shows our problem with getting rid of this plastic. The mulch is a 25-micron plastic film, and each acre needs 5-6 bundles, each weighing about 10 kg. If you search for my village, Rohokadi, and the surrounding area in the historical data, you’ll see the issue farmers might face soon. While plastic mulch has helped us grow better crops for the past 8-10 years, we are starting to notice some problems. Even though the mulch can be used for three crops in a row, most farmers only use it once and then throw it away. Over time, this plastic stops air from getting into the soil, which can harm the microbes that keep the soil healthy. This might make the soil less productive and lead to using more fertilizers.

Since mulch helps reduce water usage and weeds, it’s important for us to keep using it, especially in a developing country like ours. However, I’m concerned about the plastic waste it creates, so I’m looking for solutions. I’ve thought of a few ideas, and I’d love to collaborate if you have any thoughts on how they could be implemented:

1. Natural Foliage Mulch: Although using natural foliage as mulch is effective, collecting and spreading it can be difficult. I’m thinking about collecting this material and turning it into sheets that can be easily laid in the field.

2. Biodegradable Paper Mulch: Another idea is to coat craft paper with vegetable oil and cure it to make it into a water-resistant, degradable polymer. This paper could then be used as mulch.

Are human beings computer?

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How we arrived at this question.

On the first day of teaching at Z. P. Primary School Thorandale, I planned to start with the CM1 module of the Pi jams curriculum. In the 7th class, as the attendance was low, I planned to go slow on introducing new concepts to save me the trouble of repeating them for the absent students.

As I started with my question “What is a computer?”. I expected a different answer or silence. But one girl defined a computer as “computer is an electronic device which takes input and gives output”. This unexpected answer changed the course of what I had planned. Now my task was to make her understand the meaning of the definition she gave and to make other students understand what she said.

According to my plan, I wanted them to understand 1. A computer is an electronic device, 2. It works with information (input and output), 3. It helps to solve problems 4. Debunk the myth that the computer is not only used in offices but it is present everywhere in different forms. Finally, most of them understood what a computer is and were able to use the definition to tell where a computer is being used. To confirm they have understood the concept of a computer I asked them if a digital weighing machine is a computer and after a bit of discussion most of them agreed that it uses a computer to weigh. And we stopped at this point.

During our discussion on what is a computer, I tried to focus on that the computer works with information and input and output are also information, and the computer helps us to solve problems. After returning to their class and having some discussion with others the girl came up with a question “Is a human a computer?” As humans also work with information and have input and output, we do solve our problems. And she was determined to prove it. So I asked to think over it and told the class too to do the same.

On another day After the other half of the students returned to school, the girl forced the session into discussing her question of whether a human is a computer or not. So we discussed it for half an hour and returned to the original topic. All students tried to put their views in favour or against the statement. Some said computers can’t move, so I showed them a video by Boston Dynamics where robots are shown dancing. And similarly, I tried to disprove their statement that humans do not run on electricity. Here I asked them to consider electricity as energy and humans also get energy from other sources.

So one girl said we have the will/desire but computers don’t. Where we stopped and continued with what I had planned.

And now the question is still open to them to express their opinion. Apart from will/desire, they are still looking for the difference between computers and humans. And this question

Can you find the penumbral shadow?

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I captured a video using a mobile phone and an 8-inch telescope of a partial penumbral lunar eclipse.

Don't be discouraged if you can't see the shadow. I might not have captured it perfectly. However, you will notice that the moon appears to rotate in the video. You might wonder, does the moon rotate like that? The short answer is no. In reality, the moon wobbles a little but doesn't rotate as seen in the video. The rotation in the video is due to the type of telescope mount we used—a Dobsonian mount. When the object we're observing passes the zenith (the point directly overhead), we have to adjust our viewing direction. This adjustment causes the frame of our recording device, which is attached to the telescope, to rotate.

Kno your weather

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Here's a presentation I made for my class on atmospheric science, which I studied during my master's program. I chose this topic because I enjoy photographing and observing different types of clouds. Clouds can reveal important clues for predicting the weather. Additionally, I'm interested in folktales related to clouds. If you know of any, please let me know!

Measuring the impossibles

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Here's a presentation I created for my class on the history of astronomical measurements, starting with basic observations and assumptions.