The class began with a fascinating hands-on activity: the construction of a pin-hole camera, using a candle as the object of observation. The children watched as the real image of the candle's flame was projected onto an oiled tracing paper, which served as the screen of the camera. This simple yet effective demonstration allowed them to witness firsthand how a pin-hole camera captures and inverts light to form an image, reinforcing the principles of optics through direct, tangible observation.
In the following class, the children returned to the outdoors to collect additional leaves from the neighbourhood, continuing their exploration of nature through a mathematical lens. During this session, they stumbled upon an intriguing phenomenon: certain leaves had midribs that, when extended, intersected to form an obtuse angle. Curious about this observation, the children proceeded to measure this angle, denoting it as theta.
What followed was a remarkable mathematical discovery. When the children calculated the expression (360 − theta)/theta using their measured value of theta, the result came out to be 1.618 — the value of the golden ratio. This elegant connection between a naturally occurring angle in leaf structures and one of mathematics' most celebrated constants left the children amazed, offering a beautiful, real-world illustration of how deeply mathematics is embedded in nature. This discovery served as a powerful reminder that patterns as fundamental as the golden ratio are not confined to textbooks but can be found by careful, curious observation of the natural world around us.
Publishing original scientific research in a peer-reviewed journal is an achievement many scholars work toward for years. Achieving this feat early in one's academic journey requires exceptional intellectual rigor, creativity, and persistence. Aaditya Punatar and Muskan Sadana have reached this remarkable milestone, successfully publishing their collaborative research paper in the prestigious Journal of Emerging Investigators […]
Her project on quantum-accelerated Steiner trees for 15-minute cities earned a place among the finalists at the world's largest pre-college STEM competition. Prishaa Shrimali of Marymount School of New York, was selected as a Grand Finalist at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona. Her project was Optimizing Urban Accessibility: […]
In 2026, the following Cheenta students have been successful for Indian Statistical Institute's M.Stat Entrance. They ranked within the first 50 in the entire country in these entrances. I.S.I. M.Stat Entrance
In 2026, the following Cheenta students have been successful for Indian Statistical Institute's B.Stat Entrance and Chennai Mathematical Institute's B.Sc. Math Entrance. They ranked within the first 200 in the entire country in these entrances. Most of these students attended the problem solving workshops regularly, which happen 5 days every week. CMI B.Sc. Math Entrance […]
