The Life & Career Magazine for m School & College …The Mangalyaan (Sanskrit for "Mars Craft") also...

The Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career Magazine Page | 1

Jan. 1, 2015 www.xradianz.com

Contents

About XRadianZ House of Scholars ……………. 3 ….

Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career Magazine ……………. 4 ….

The XRadianZ Connect Platform ……………. 5 ….

XRadianZ Events & Programs ……………. 7 ….

The 3rd XRadianZ Short Story Writing Event ……………. 8 ….

Rules for the 3rd XRadianZ Sci-Fi Story Event ……………. 8 ….

XRadianZ Sci-Fi Short Stories ……………. 10 ….

XRadianZ Art Interpretation Event ……………. 15 ….

Common Core Standards & Curriculum ……………. 17 …. Solved Math & Geometry Problems ……………. 18 ….

Brain Teasers: Test Your Skills ……………. 22 ….

Submit your Ideas, Questions & Creations ……………. 23 ….

XRadianZ Membership & Short-Story Entry Forms ……………. 24 ….

Events & Announcements ……………. 26 ….

The Life & Career Magazine for School & College Students

Vo l . 1 , Jan . 1 , 2015 ; $5 .95

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X R a d i a n Z i s… t h e a l p h a t o z e t a o f t a l e n t

In this issue:

How do you match up to the Common Core Curriculum?

Math & Geometry Teasers… put your mind to the test!

The Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career Magazine XRadianZ House of Scholars ISSN # 2374-4472

XRadianZ House of Scholars

Memberships Open – See Within

for Application Forms!

XRadianZ Connect The House of Scholars

XRadianZ is your gateway to success in school & life. Find all your answers here! F

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The Flash O'RadianZ is a publication of The XRadianZ House of Scholars, a Monthly Life & Career

Magazine for School Children and Young College Going Adults.

XRadianZ House of Scholars | XRadianZ Learning Systems | XRadianZ Productions

US Library of Congress International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) # 2374-4472

Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) # 888209191

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© 2015. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission of the publisher.



Welcome to The Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career Magazine

Dear all, Welcome to Flash

o'RadianZ, a

Magazine of the

XRadianZ House

of Scholars about

news, events and

information of

relevance to children,

teens and young adults around the world.

You may be wondering – “XRadianZ… Interesting

name, but what is it and what do we do?” Great

question! XRadianZ House of Scholars was

founded in 2009 and is an organization that

works with young children and teens to explore,

identify and develop inborn talents. The word

comes from "X", the hidden, innate ability (or

abilities) that each of us is born with and

"Radiance", the brilliance that shines when that

ability is developed to its fullest potential.

XRadianZ is pronounced: x – ray – d – enz.

XRadianZ was founded on the following beliefs –

§ Every individual is born with a basket of one or

more special, but hidden abilities

§ These special abilities manifest in life as

extraordinary talents, given a chance to grow

§ Talents show up in subtle, indiscernible ways

early in life and frequently go unnoticed

§ Talents must be recognized early and

cultivated to develop to their fullest potential

…and provides a customized and extensible

platform for individuals of all ages (school

children from Kindergarten

up, teens and young

college going youth), to

showcase their talents.

XRadianZ has developed

a series of programs that

challenge children to

demonstrate their innate

abilities and bring them to

the forefront through verifiable, visual means. The

objective is to help a child identify strength(s),

support their growth and development around

those strengths, give an early sense of fulfillment

in activities that come naturally and ultimately, a

better foundation and preparation for a fulfilling

life.

Our programs also focus

on improving the

scholastic and academic

abilities of children. For

example, we provide

tutoring in English, Math

and Science with a focus on

enabling children to experience a

sense of achievement and fulfillment with

language, a lasting

impression that Math is

fun and useful, and Biology

– the science of life - is full

of neat little surprises hidden

away in every nook and

cranny, just waiting to be

discovered, all mystifying,

bewildering and enlightening

at the same time.



Our programs are results-oriented with gradual

though tangible improvement in measurable

abilities such as -

§ language and expression

§ problem-solving and quantitative ability

§ confidence and academic performance

§ understanding of Math and Science

Flash O'RadianZ is XRadianZ’s creative medium

for self-expression where everyone can showcase

and share their abilities with others and learn

from one another. You can become part of this

creative platform by becoming a member of the

XRadianZ House of Scholars. Please join us on this

exciting journey into the world of life-long

learning and self-realization!

A major objective of XRadianZ is to create a

collaborative of individuals across the globe so

they can come together and put their minds and

creative energies together for issues that matter

to all of us. In the coming editions, we will gather

your feedback and pick up specific topics of

interest to the audience.

As Parents, Teachers, Principals and

Administrators, we all play a very important role

in shaping the development of children. The Flash

O'RadianZ will feature individuals who have made

a significant impact in their communities through

the Schools and students they work with.

Students themselves are at the very center of this

ecosystem and their deep and direct involvement

is the key to a successful partnership. To know

more about membership levels, activities, events

and benefits, please visit us on the web at

www.xradianz.com or, contact us at 302 476 0518

or [email protected] to schedule a

meeting with one of our ambassadors.

Again, welcome to The XRadianZ House of

Scholars and The Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career

Magazine.

Happy Reading and we look forward to hearing from you!

Dr. Harsh Bal, PhD

Editor, The Flash O'RadianZ



XRadianZ Connect – Networking for Children

A defining feature of XRadianZ House of Scholars

is the XRadianZ Connect platform. As parents, we

know the importance of provide children with a

safe and nurturing environment to learn and

grow and to become well-rounded, productive

individuals.

We have designed the XRadianZ Connect forum

to help you achieve just that. XRadianZ Connect,

provides a one of a kind platform for parents and

children alike to identify and meet other parents

and children who share common personal values

and professional interests and goals so they can

share knowledge and learn and develop together.

As a result, parents can be sure that their child

receives the appropriate upbringing and learning

opportunities they desire both at home and

outside.

XRadianZ Scholars get access to XRadianZ

Connect, XRadianZ events and programs as well

as The Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career Magazine.

XRadianZ Scholar Profiles – Arnav

Hi everybody! My name is Arnav, I am 11 years

young and live in Bangalore, India’s tech town,

the equivalent of Silicon Valley, located in

Southern Indian State of Karnataka.

I am currently in Grade 7 at the Gopalan

International School. I like studying math and

science and recently qualified in the first round of

the Duke University Talent Identification Program

organized by my school.

I am a foodie of sorts and enjoy trying my hand

in experimental cooking where I pick up recipes

from mom’s cook book and give them a new twist

using a variety of spices.

My hobbies are reading, video gaming, and

electronics. Below is a picture from a robotics

event where I created a programmable chariot

which moved at the press of a button along a pre-

determined path.



XRadianZ Scholar Profiles – Ritvika

Hi, I am Ritvika, and I am in 2nd Grade at the

Gopalan International School, Bangalore, India. I

am more into art than science at this point of my

life.

I like drawing and coloring, dance and music and,

as you see from my pic, I have decorated my

hands with a dye called “Mehndi” from the henna

plant.

I have to hold my hands steady till the dye dries

out. Once dry, the paste flakes off and leaves a

rich reddish brown tattoo that washes away

naturally in a few weeks.

If you like, I can tell you how to prepare and the

apply henna on your hands!

We would love to hear from you!

If you would like to network with us, please write

to XRadianZ at [email protected] and

write a little about yourself!



XRadianZ -

Events & Programs

At XRadianZ, you will always hear us say –

XRadianZ is about art, literature, music, theater,

poetry, dance, science, ..., anything that lights up

your smile and brings out the radiance in your

mind!

Let’s learn about the events and activities

XRadianZ has organized for school and college

students over the last several years and find out

how you can participate.

1st XRadianZ Young Writers Short-Story Writing Event

XRadianZ conducted the inaugural XRadianZ

Young Writers Sci – Fi Short Story Writing Event

in 2009, in partnership with Raman Science

Center, Nagpur in India.

The theme of the story was, “Life on the Moon”

and was held to commemorate the success of

mankind’s space explorations that lead to the

discovery of the essential life ingredient - water -

on the Moon.

The purpose of the event was deeply intertwined

with the mission of XRadianZ - to encourage the

identification and/or acquisition of skills such as

explorative reading, curiosity about life and

nature around us, appreciation of the science

behind natural phenomena, inquisitive thinking

and, creative, original writing.

We received an overwhelming response to the

event with participation from 30-odd schools and

more than a 100 entries.

2nd Young Writers Sci – Fi Short Story Writing Event

XRadianZ conducted the 2nd Young Writers Sci –

Fi Short Story Writing Event on the theme, “Space

Tourism – A New Frontier in Human

Adventure” in March 2014.

The 2nd XRadianZ Sci – Fi Short Story Writing

Event was organized to celebrate mankind’s long

and difficult journey into space, but, more

importantly, our insatiable desire for exploration

and advancement.

Today, after several long decades of space

research, we have reached a stage where

everyday citizens can realistically contemplate the

possibility of leaving the mundane

terrestrial vacation behind and take

to travel into space. Companies

such as Virgin Galactic, and

XCOR Aerospace and

others are blazing the

path towards a new

frontier in human

endeavor – space

tourism - and

creating a whole

new channel for

human adventure and

entertainment.

In the realm of space exploration, the US National

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

launched the Mars Odyssey in 2001 as part of its

robotic Mars Exploration Program. The Odyssey

was launched in April 2001 and arrived on Mars

in October 2001. The mission mapped the



amount and distribution of many chemical

elements and minerals that make up the Martian

surface. Significantly, maps of hydrogen

distribution led scientists to discover vast

amounts of water ice in the Polar Regions buried

just beneath the surface.

Several nations

have since joined

the space race.

India, for example,

launched its 300-

day mission to

the Red Planet,

Mars, in

December 2013.

The Mangalyaan

(Sanskrit for "Mars Craft") also called the Mars

Orbiter Mission (MOM) is designed to

demonstrate technological capability to reach the

Mars orbit. It cruised for 484 million miles and

after a 298-day transit, it was successfully inserted

into Mars orbit in September 2014.

3rd XRadianZ Sci-Fi Short Story Event

We are now launching the 3rd XRadianZ Sci-Fi

Short Story Event. Despite some recent setbacks,

these are indeed exciting times in space

exploration. While such ground-breaking

discoveries as finding traces of water on the

Moon open exciting possibilities for mankind to

settle in space, big challenges still remain. There

is no air, atmosphere or food in space. Conditions

are extremely unfavorable, with extremes of

temperature, pressures, and unpredictable and

violent natural phenomena of the kind we have

never seen on the earth, making extra-terrestrial

space an extremely unsafe and treacherous place

to inhabit. Given the hostile environment,

seemingly unsurmountable challenges remain –

§ How will we breathe?

§ What will we eat?

§ What will we need to wear?

§ What kind of houses will we live in?

§ How will we travel?

§ What will a typical day be like in space?

Accordingly, the theme of the 3rd XRadianZ Sci-

Fi Short Story Writing Event is, “Adventures in

Space – A Life Beyond Imagination”. The

purpose of the event is to provide a channel to

children and young adults to delve into their

imagination and create an interesting,

entertaining and engaging narration of how

humans can achieve their goal to better

understand and tame this mysterious entity called

space, set up livable habitats and open a new

chapter in human existence.

The event is intended to

lead students of art and

science alike into a

journey of imagination –

not wild enough to be

impossible and not

completely scientific

to be scholarly –

but a balanced

combination of science

and fiction.

Writers can imagine strange and exotic characters,

flying objects, mystifying deities and shadowy

demons that simultaneously please, plague and

torment, and dazzling – albeit, treacherous –

natural phenomena that defy the laws of physics,

and so on. Beyond this, the author is absolute, the

creator in his or her own right, and there are no

limitations or boundaries.

Rules for the Short-Story Writing Event

The rules are as follows –

§ The event is open to Grades 5 – 12 students

§ Stories must be between 4-6 one-sided A4

size paper



§ Stories should be written legibly in English

and must be own, original & unpublished at

time of submission

§ Stories must be written by hand by the

student him/herself

§ Students should attach a cover page on top

of their stories mentioning name, age, Grade,

school name, contact information (phone #

and email id of self or parents)

§ Entries which exceed the page limit or do not

conform to the above guidelines will be

disqualified

§ Winners' names and stories will be published

in The Flash O'RadianZ Magazine

§ Prizes will be given to the best entries from

each of three categories (Group A: Grades 5-

7; Group B: Gr. 8-10; Group C: Gr. 11 -12)

§ Stories will not be returned and XRadianZ

reserves rights to all entries

§ Stories will be evaluated by XRadianZ and all

decisions will be final and binding

Last date for submission of entries is January 31,

2015 at the

XRadianZ

offices. There

is a $5 entry

fee for the

event.

For

further

details,

please

contact us via

phone (302 476 0518) or email to us at

[email protected].

XRadianZ House of Scholars – Science Club Memberships Open!

Together with the 3rd Sci-Fi Short Story Writing

Event, we are formally launching the XRadianZ

Science Club and invite memberships from

students of all ages.

The XRadianZ Science Club will provide a forum

for children who have a special interest in topics

such as biology, chemistry, physics and related

subjects. We

will conduct

events and

programs that

show how

science plays

an important

role in every

aspect of our

lives as well as

practical

activities

which teach us

how the

principles of

science can be

illustrated in fun and interesting ways.

Membership forms are provided at the end of the

magazine and can be submitted to XRadianZ

offices along with the requisite fee.



Story Time! XRadianZ Sci-Fi Short Stories

Here are a few stories that were submitted by

budding writers towards the 2nd XRadianZ Sci-Fi

Short Story Writing Event in Jan-Feb 2014.

My Journey to Mars!

by

Sanskriti Kapse

Grade 8, Bhavan’s B. P.

Vidya Mandir, Sri

Krishna Nagar,

Nagpur, India

What a sight! How beautiful the earth looks from

here, from the space. Oh yes, from SPACE! Really,

truly, I am in space! You would think I am going

nutty, but I am really here.

Oops! Sorry, introductions first. My name is Gerry

Berry also commonly known as “The Trickster”.

You would wonder why. It’s because of the pranks

I pull. Well, who would enjoy a dull mouse’s life?!

Yeah, don’t be surprised, I am a mouse. A total

“trick-worthy” mouse.

Well, so how did I get here? Actually, I was… hold

on… umm, I want to tell you that I live in New York.

I have a really huge house at New York Central

Station. Doesn’t a mouse call a garbage can

huge? You get the point!

So where was I? Ahh, yes, I was eating cheese

burger at my friend’s house. Jennie likes to throw

parties. So… well I admit I am a little greedy

because I just took a huge piece out of a cheese

burger and slipped out of the party. I started

searching for a lonely space when suddenly I

bumped into a huge rocket. Well, it was a

spaceship but how was I to know that then? So

naturally I peeped inside (remember I am a

trickster!). And, what did I see? A really REALLY

huge fridge. And I knew what that meant. It meant

‘cheese’, I thought dreamily.

Well, I know all about fridges. Hey, I am

experienced! I crept into the fridge when I saw

something which made my heart melt. I saw tons

and TONS of fabulous, scrumptious, creamy

blocks of cheese, Cheese and CHEESE! By the time

I decided to spend my entire life here I started to

feel giddy. I thought I ate too much. But really, I

was hungry. So I ignored the sensation and

tucked in. Oh, yum! Yum! Tasty!

I ate until

my tummy

was a

meter long.

And

suddenly I

started to

float. First, I

thought it

is my

imagination

but when

someone opened the door

(or did it open by itself?) and I floated outside,

yes… floated outside, I was sure about it.

And then I realized I was in space! Wow! What

wonder! Hey, I am attentive in geography class. If

Jennie would come to know where I was, she

would have a heart attack. She always wanted to

be an astronaut. So I floated outside the ship and

wondered how far Earth was and where I was?



Doesn’t this place look like Mars, I thought.

MARS! Yes, I was on Mars! Hey, calm down, I said

to myself. Don’t jump to conclusions. How can I

be on Mars?

Just then I heard shuffling of feet. I quickly hid

behind a mountain but it was too late. They saw

me. “A RAT! Rats, what’s a rat doing on Mars? That

means life exists on Mars! How amazing!”. So I am

really on Mars. Then suddenly someone shouted,

“Run! There’s some fault in the spaceship and it is

taking off! Run for your lives!” I too rushed but

the door was already closed. I panicked and tried

to find some other exit but all in vain. And now

the spaceship suddenly took off, leaving me

ALONE.

I was tired of shouting for help. I walked tiredly

with heavy steps when suddenly my leg began

sinking. QUICKSAND! I thought. As I looked down

and realized it was… CHEESE SAND? My legs were

sinking in cheese!

I managed to pull out my leg just in time. Well,

this pulling business really tired me down. So I

guess we will talk about this later, ok? Well, so my

little mousy life is settled. I am to live here my

entire life. I realized that the mountain I had hid

behind was made up of cheese.

So that was how Mr. Trickster tucked himself in

and ate until his stomach was ready to blow up.

And he squeaked in his bloated cheesy stupor

while floating in space, ”Ahh, good cheese!

Goody, goody, chee… ee… eeese!”.

<THE END>

The Alien Planet

By

Hrushikesh Dongre

Grade 6, T.B.R.A.N’s

English Medium

School, Nagpur,

India

Once in the year 2050, the space ship of humans

on the way to moon settlement colony

accidentally lost its way and landed on another

planet. On that planet, there were aliens and they

were dying because they were unable to fulfill

their daily needs as the source of meeting their

needs was getting extinct. There was a shortage

of food, water etc., due to this. Human beings had

all that material which would save their lives so

humans gave all the food they had and saved

their lives.

Humans were

amazed and

surprised to see

them. Now, the

aliens wanted to

do something in

return for the

humans so they

gave them

metallic clothes

so they could

easily walk on the planet. The intelligent aliens

had constructed houses of metals so they could

also be on planet. Algae was the basic food for

humans and aliens on that planet.

There was no stress of daily chores such as

washing clothes, cooking food, going to work, etc.

and there was no question of money since

everyone used algae as a source of exchange.



Humans needed oxygen to live so aliens had

planted trees especially for humans. Slowly, the

humans learned the language of the aliens and

the aliens learned the human language. Along the

way, they also became very good friends. After

few months aliens could repair their spaceship

and humans left for earth. Before leaving for the

earth humans gave aliens a promise that they will

not disclose the truth about the planet.

It was difficult for them to part from each other

but their secret kept them safe. In this way both

humans and aliens lived happily on their

respective planets ever after.

<THE END>

The Point of No Return

By

Aishwarya Rathore

Grade 12, Dinanatha

Junior College,

Nagpur, India

It was a cold December night of 2021 but nobody

was feeling it at the launching station. The count-

down of Mission Mars was on and Alex was

counting his

heartbeats

before taking off

to a previously

unfathomed

destination. He

looked around.

Fastened to their

seat-belts in a

low-down

position, all the

three fellow

passengers were

passing through

the same phase.

Alex closed his eyes and tried to focus on the

count-down being transmitted by the launching

station to his earphones. Was it going to be

journey amid the flying objects, mystifying Gods

and shadowy demons and specters that

simultaneously please, plague and torment, and

dazzling albeit dangerous natural phenomena

that defy the laws of physics? He was not sure. But

he was sure of one thing… he was travelling with

strange and exotic characters in a cruise of 680

million kilometers.

Jina, his co-astronaut, was a tall and intelligent

woman with long silky hair who never had

developed a good chemistry with him, and nor

did physics. Came from a rural background, she

had fought out her way in a male dominated

world and now was taking off for Mission Mars.

Dominic was yet another piece; a gourmet who

could think of nothing but greasy food when he

was not thinking about the intricate

technology of spacecraft

maneuvering. Alex had

handpicked him for the

mission for his sheer

intelligence when he

was not eating.

As the countdown

reverberating in his

earphones, Alex tried

not to think what had

happened to his predecessors on such missions.

The discovery of water on the Moon spurred

imagination about the possibility for mankind to

settle in space. ISRO, while working on the idea to

explore and find out if life was really out there in

space, took a step further and launched its 300

day mission to the Red Planet, Mars, in December

2013.

The Mangalyaan or the MOM was designed to

demonstrate the technological capability to reach



Mars orbit. Followed by program “Lakshya Mars,”

in June 2017. The space program was to find life

on Mars.

Alex could not resist thinking about the first

astronaut, Kanchan Bhatt, sent on Mission Mars.

She disappeared from radar on route to Mars

shortly after launch of her spacecraft. She

returned to earth, dead, three years later, after her

spacecraft was discovered and towed back to

Earth orbit to be examined.

ISRO sent out

another probe

to the same

coordinates in

space. The

solo astronaut

disappeared

at precisely

the same

point, after

performing

the same

experiment,

and returned dead a year later. This continued,

most often with the astronaut returning dead,

and insane if still alive. Many astronauts were lost

in the same way. Attempts to send through

unmanned spacecraft had also failed. ISRO gave

up the idea of sending solo astronauts and

decided to send research crew of three scientists

- Captain Alex Roback, Scientist Jina, and

Dominic.

A loud blast of cryogenic engines jolted Alex and

his fellow astronauts. The mission was on. Now

they were moving up attaining the escape

velocity.

Alex sighed. They had crossed the point of no

return.

* * *

Nine months later…

Crew was on verge the completion of their nine

month mission when Alex and Jina had found

samples that may point to life on the planet.

Dominic was mostly busy looking after the

spacecraft that was their only hope to take them

all back home. The alien environment of Mars had

improved at least one thing, the relationship

between Alex and Jina.

Dominic was a loner and enjoyed his own

company most of the times. More so, the landing

on Mars had not been smooth as

expected, causing some

damage to the spacecraft.

Dominic was the only one in

Mars who could repair it with

his meager resources.

One day Alex was a returning

to the rover after having

obtained soil with the

biological agent present. He

came across a fissure on the

surface of Mars. Alex planned to explore the

fissure to retrieve some samples but decided to

come back tomorrow along with Jina and

necessary equipment.

Next day, Alex

examined that fissure

where some traces of

life was growing. Jina

was observing the

same from close

quarters. What they

saw startled them. It

was a strange species

down there. Having been

mutated by the Martian

biological agents, they were fast, aggressive, and

zombie-like with green skin, foggy eyes and half

eaten face. And then something unexpected

happened. They attacked them.



“Run,” shouted Alex. “We don’t know how they

would affect our body.”

“And Mars doesn’t have any super-specialty

hospital too,” shouted Jina.

Frightened, Alex and Jina flee

the base on a rover with

Martian zombies in pursuit.

Alex could feel his feet

hover off the ground.

His heart pumped blood

louder and louder and his

blood iced with fear. They

jumped on their rover and

drove as fast they could.

Those zombies were following them and being

the native species of Mars, they were doing well

despite being the fact that they were still in the

process of evolving to some well-developed

creatures.

Still they were no match for the ISRO land rover.

* * *

In the spacecraft, Jina analyzed Alex’s suit under

microscope and found that it was infected with

the same worm-shaped Martian bacteria that had

been found in the blood samples of previous

astronauts. She had read the detailed

postmortem report at the base. That bacteria was

still alive. She concluded, maybe its evolutionary

secret is that it infects and galvanizes human

bodies to propagate itself.

“Anything serious?” Dominic looked concerned.

Not much aware of the intricacies of microbiology,

he was smart enough to sense the tension on

Jina’s face.

“May be. May be not,” Jina came up with an

honest answer.

“Are you all right, Alex,” Dominic asked.

“No,” Alex was perspiring. “Feeling dizzy. Hope

the infection has not already joined my blood-

stream.”

Jina knew better. On the basis of her studies on

this bacteria before the expedition, she had come

prepared with some powerful antibiotics on

board this time. But she wasn’t very sure whether

those antibiotics would really work. And she knew

something more. If they didn’t work, Alex would

not be the only victim.

They all would be dead.

* * *

Two years later…

ISRO towed back much

awaited spacecraft to

Earth orbit to be

examined.

All three

passengers were

found dead in it.

<THE END>

Hope you enjoyed reading the stories submitted by

our readers!

We invite you to submit your entries as well for

publication in The Flash O'RadianZ as part of the

3rd XRadianZ Short Story Writing Event.



XRadianZ Art

Interpretation Event From short stories we move to the world of art.

Here we present vignettes from the 1st XRadianZ

Young Masters Art Interpretation Event organized

in India in 2011.

The objective of the Young Masters event was to

stimulate subconscious creativity and bring out

artistic talent in children at an early age by giving

them a chance to appreciate and interpret in their

own ways, the works of timeless Masters and their

masterpieces. For this event, the masterpieces

created by da Vinci (Mona Lisa) and van Gogh

(The Starry Night) were displayed to participants.

Twenty-three children (12 girls and 11 boys) took

part in the event representing Kindergarten to

Grades 9 from thirteen local area schools –

§ Bhavan’s BP Vidya Mandir

§ Bhartiya Krishna Vidya Vihar School

§ Bishop Cotton High School

§ Blind Relief Asso. Mundle English School

§ Centre Point School

§ DG Khetan School

§ Delhi Public School

§ Little Woods

§ Narayana Vidyalayam

§ Seventh Day Adventist High School

§ Somalwar High School

§ St. Francis De Sales High School and,

§ St. Joseph’s Convent

Select artworks created by children are shown

below.

Artist: Aaditya Kiratkar, Grade 3

Artist: Ayushi Ghodeswar, Grade 3



Artist: Shaan Ali, Grade 5

Artist: Indrani Thool, Grade 7

Artist: Tunisha Bhamgara, Grade 8

Artist: Kritika Iyer, Grade 8



US Common Core Standards & Curriculum

The US Common Core define a set of standards

for kindergarten through 12th grade that are

designed to ensure that students graduating

from high school

have the skills

necessary to enroll

in college programs

or, enter the

workforce, and be

successful in their

careers and life.

The standards cover

English language

arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics since the

ability to read and write, comprehend and

communicate and use logic and reasoning – are

the foundational elements needed to succeed in

any line of study or work. In the area of Science,

States have developed what are called Next

Generation Science Standards and are intended

to provide education that allows students to

compete with their peers internationally.

Let’s dig deeper into the content covered by the

Common Core State Standards. In ELA, the

standards require certain critical content for all

students such as -

§ Classic myths & stories from around the world

§ America's founding documents

§ Foundational American literature

§ Shakespeare

The Standards also require that students acquire

knowledge in literature and other disciplines

through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

In mathematics,

the standards

emphasize a solid

foundation in the

following areas -

§ Whole numbers

§ Addition

§ Subtraction

§ Multiplication

§ Division

§ Fractions

§ Decimals

Significantly, the

Standards call on

students to apply

mathematical ways

of thinking about

real-world situations

they encounter in life

with an emphasis on

acquiring critical-

thinking, problem-

solving, and

quantitative ability.

Sure looks like XRadianZ and the teachers,

Principals and the folks behind the Common Core

and Science Standards have their hearts set on

the same important issues that matter most to

our young generation!

So how do you measure up to the Standards?



A Taste of Math – Test Your Skills!

We will dedicate a few sections on Math and

Science in each issue across Grades to give you a

chance to assess your skills as well as learn how

to solve problems that you would commonly

encounter in school and in standard tests.

We will take a functional

problem-solving

approach to

learning math.

Let’s start our

journey by

attempting a

few word and

geometry

problems. We have

carefully selected these

problems because they represent typical

situations you may encounter in life as well as

illustrate the different skills you need to solve

math problems.

Let’s look at the problems one by one.

Suggested levels: Grades 7-8

Problem #1 - Your best friend bought 11 oranges

for $10 and sold 10 oranges for $11. Did she make

a profit or did she make a loss? Help her calculate

the amount (in $) and percent (%) of profit or loss.

Problem #2 – Two vehicles start from the same

point and travel 8 miles in opposite directions

along a straight line and take a left turn and travel

another 6 miles along a straight line before

coming to a stop. How far apart are the two

vehicles from each other?

Next let’s look at the anatomy of each problem in

detail. Remember that to solve any math problem,

you just need to know three simple things –

§ a set of principles

§ a set of rules

§ knowledge of operations

While mathematical rules (for example, the rules

of division and multiplication) and operations

(addition, subtraction, etc.) are common to any

type of problem, principles are specific to the

particular subject area (viz., profit and loss in

Problem #1) being described.

We will examine each of these in further detail

below.

For Problem #1, the applicable principles are –

Principle # 1 - The relation between cost price (or,

simply “cost”), selling price and profit or loss. This

is expressed by the equation -

Profit (or Loss) = Selling Price – Cost Price

or, in simplified terms -

P (or L) = SP – CP

Note: It is easy to see from above equation, that

–

§ If SP is greater than CP, you make a profit -

SP > CP, result = Profit (Gain)

§ If SP is less than CP, you make a loss -



SP < CP, result = Loss

Principle #2 – The percent (%) profit (gain) or %

loss is always calculated with reference to the cost

price –

𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖𝑡

𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒 x 100 = % Profit

𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠

𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒 x 100 = % Loss

Let’s solve Problem #1 with these principles in

mind.

Problem #1 - Your best friend bought 11 oranges

for $10 and sold 10 oranges for $11. Did she make

a profit or did she make a loss? Help her calculate

the amount (in $) and percent (%) of profit or loss.

We will break down the problem into smaller

parts. Let’s first calculate the CP of each orange.

The first part of the problem, “bought 11 oranges

for $10”, provides information on the cost price.

If CP of 11 oranges is $10, what is the CP of one

single orange? We will use the following simple

trick to get the CP of each orange –

Cost of 11 oranges = $10

Therefore,

Cost of 1 orange = 1 × $10

11

This is illustrated by the simple “cross-

multiplication” scheme shown below –

Thus, the cost of one orange is $ 10

11.

The second part of the problem, “sold 10 oranges

for $11”, provides information on the selling price.

If SP of 10 oranges is $11, what is the SP of one

single orange? We will use the same rationale

depicted above to calculate this –

SP of 10 oranges = $11

Therefore,

SP of 1 orange = 1 × $11

10

Thus, the SP of one orange is $11

10.

So now we have both the pieces of information

we need to solve the problem.

According to Principle # 1,

P (or L) = SP – CP

Applying the values to the equation, we get –

P (or L) = 11

10 –

10

11

Using the cross-multiplication rule in fractions, we

know the above expression can be reduced in the

following manner -

P (or L) = 11 × 11−10 ×10

10 ×11

= 121−100

110

= 21

110

Since the result is a positive fraction, your friend

made a profit on the sale of oranges. That’s a

great start!



Note that $ 21

110 is the profit on one orange. Since

10 oranges were sold, total profit is -

10 x 21

110 = $

21

11

That is an odd figure you might say. In decimal

terms, the fraction reduces to $1.90.

Finally, let’s move to the last part of the problem,

namely, what was the % profit?

As per Principle #2, Profit (or Loss) is calculated

on the CP. Accordingly,

As per Principle #2, Profit (or Loss) is calculated

on the CP. Accordingly,

% profit = 21

1101011

x 100

= 21

110 x 11

10 x 100

= 21%

So, in summary, the answers are –

Profit (one orange) = $ 21

110

Total profit = $ 21

11

% Profit = 21%

Analysis – This problem illustrates the application

of knowledge across many different areas of math

that you should be aware of and be able to use

effectively -

§ Concepts of CP, SP, profit, loss and %

§ Properties of fractions

§ Performing operations on fractions

We will deal with #2 and #3 in a subsequent issue.

Before we move to Problem #2, we would like to

stress the importance of knowing your

multiplication tables as they are an important tool

to simplify a variety of math operations.

As we saw in Problem #1, we encountered the

table of 11. If you didn’t know 11 x 11 = 121 you

would have to spend additional time trying to

figure it out – this may mean loss of precious time

if you are taking a test. You should know your

times tables upto 12 by the time you are in 2nd

or 3rd Grade although it never hurts to start early.

The best way to practice tables is to recite them

regularly, say, while on way to school or back, or

before you begin your homework every evening.

You can keep one of these cheat sheets handy to

review in case you get lost in the maze of

numbers!

Now let’s look at Problem #2 – Two vehicles start

from the same point and travel 8 miles in

opposite directions along a straight line; they

then take a left turn and travel another 6 miles

along a straight line before coming to a stop. How

far apart are the two vehicles from each other at

the end of their journey?

To solve this problem, you need to draw the

trajectory of the two vehicles as shown in the

figure below -



The diagonal blue line indicates the distance

between the two vehicles after they have come to

a stop. A quick review of the diagram shows that

the path taken by the vehicles form two exactly

equal right triangles with sides 8 and 6 (miles) in

length. The two triangles are right triangles

because the vehicles travel along a straight line,

take a left turn and continue traveling along a

straight line.

It is apparent that the easiest way to calculate the

distance is to apply the Pythagoras theorem to

each of the triangles and compute the third side

– the hypotenuse – of the triangle. Since the two

triangles are congruent, they have equal

hypotenuses.

Let’s solve for the hypotenuse. Remember the

formula –

Where, a (altitude) and b (base) are the two sides

enclosing the right angle and h is the hypotenuse

of the right triangle.

Applying this formula to the known values, we

can derive the length of the hypotenuse –

h2 = 62 + 82 = 36 + 64 = 100

Therefore,

h = 10

Combining the lengths of the two equal

hypotenuses, we arrive at the answer that the two

vehicles are 20 miles apart.

Analysis – In this case, the important principles

you needed to know were –

§ properties of right triangles

§ the Pythagoras theorem

§ Math operations (squares and square roots)

As stated earlier, mathematical tables are

important for quick calculations (for example, the

products: 6 x 6 and 8 x 8)

We will leave you with a few problems for practice.

We would love to hear from you how you solved

them. We will include your names and solutions

in the next issue of The Flash O'RadianZ.

So fire up those neurons and get cracking…!



Suggested level – Grades 7-8

Problem #3 – You want to plan a magic show in

your local community and expect 20 adults, 8

seniors and 40 kids to attend. You have spent

$280.00 organizing the event. You want to charge

seniors $5.00 less than the adult price and kids

$6.00 less than the seniors. How much would you

charge the adults to make a 20% profit on the

show? How much profit would you make if you

increase ticket prices for everybody by $1.00?

Hint: Assign “a”,

“s” and “k” as the

price of tickets

for adults,

seniors and kids

respectively. It is

always easier to

remember what

the three

variables stand

for instead of “x”,

“y” and “z”. Next

find out how

much you should make from sale of tickets after

including the 20% profit. The left side of the

equation will be the sum of the products of the

number of adults, seniors and kids multiplied by

their respective ticket prices. The right side of the

equation will be the total amount you wish to

collect (what you spent + profit margin).

Substituting prices of senior’s and kid’s tickets will

help solve for the price of the adult ticket.

Problem #4: Find the sum of angle x ( DEC) and

angle y ( ECB) in the figure shown below -

where -

ABCD is a rectangle

DEG is an isosceles triangle (side ED = side EG)

ADE = 20o

BFG = 106o

Lines EGC and DGF are straight lines.

--

Answers can be sent to us via email to

[email protected].

We will publish your answers in the next edition

of Flash O'RadianZ.

mailto:[email protected]



XRadianZ Creative Forum – Send Us Your Creations!

The Flash O'RadianZ Life & Career Magazine is

about information, education and entertainment,

so we would love to hear your thoughts –

§ What would you like to see in our future

editions?

§ What issues matter to you at school or your

community?

§ What kinds of events would you like to

participate in?

§ What special topics would you like to learn

more about?

§ Would you like to make friends around the

world?

§ Would you like to share a few things about

yourself to include in our next edition?

Maybe you would like to share pics from your

recent vacation, or from your birthday. Or you

have a pet and you want to tell its story?

Or, how about just sending us a few things about

yourself and publish it here?!

In addition, The Flash O'RadianZ is your open

medium to express your creativities in any form

you please - drawings, sketches,

collages, poetry, stories,

cartoons,

caricatures,

anything

that

comes

to your

mind that

showcases

your talents and

creations.

Please write to us and let us know your thoughts.

Send your ideas and creations via email at

[email protected]. We look forward to

hearing from you!




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