Maths and Science Enthusiast
Mathematics is the door and key to the sciences.(Roger Bacon)
Hi, I am Akshat Garg from 6 Faith in Edgefield Primary. Thank you for taking the time to read more about me. I believe that being in a holistic education framework set-up by MOE, I have developed various intellectual, emotional, physical & social skills. I have a key interest area in Mathematics & Science and I have pursued my fervour for them, especially by doing things outside the school curriculum. Nevertheless, I have developed my interests in other areas. I have accomplishments in English, Leadership, Sports and Character too. Using the skills that I gain, I wish to contribute to the benefit of society in the future.
Activities that I pursue for Maths & Science:
Maths - Activities
Maths Olympiads to learn problem solving & critical thinking skills. It also taught me other skills like time management & perseverance.
Platinum Award in HCI-SMOPS
Gold Award in Annual Mathlympics
Awarded Young Mathematician Badge.
Online Resources
Permutation & Combinations, Ratio, Prime nos from Khan Academy, Vedic Maths from Udemy, Pascal triangle from Veritasium.
Maths Magazine
Learnt Area & Perimeter, Angles, Assumption & Guess and Check from Add Venture Learning
Maths - Projects
1) Project Objective: Show how to use Pascal triangle of 20 rows to find out how many handshakes happen when five people come together and they all shake hands with each other.
Approach: Attached below is the pascal triangle of 20 rows. As highlighted by legends , first row is counted as 0th row , second as 1st row, third as 2nd row, fourth as 3rd row, fifth as 4th row and so on. In any handshake , always 2 hands are involved and these hands can't be from same person. This in-turn means that 2 hands belong to 2 people. So, this in-turn means we need to find out how to select 2 people , out of 5 people to make these handshakes possible. Due to my Maths Olympiad exam preparations, I know 5C2 is the formula to find that. Also, I know using Pascal triangle, we can do the same.
2) Project Objective: How many prime nos. less than 200 are even nos? How many of them end in each of the digits 1,3,5,7,9. Make a table to show that every even number from 4 to 100 equals a prime plus a prime.
Approach: As attached, there are 45 prime numbers less than 200 that either end with 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9. Also attached, decomposition of even numbers, from 4 to 100, in terms of prime numbers.
3) Project Objective: How to calculate slope of a line having coordinates (-2,-3) and (8,9)?
Approach: I used Maths simulation on PHET to draw a line with given coordinates & also learnt that slope is measure of steepness of a line& denoted as (y2-y1)/(x2-x1).I also learnt that the slope of a
❖ Horizontal line is 0
❖ Vertical line is undefined
❖ line at 45 degree is 1
4) Project Objective: Find the square root (√) of any number larger than 1. Is the answer bigger or smaller than the number you started with? Repeat with a few other numbers and write down the pattern that you observe. Also, record your finding with numbers smaller than 1. You can use the calculator.
Approach: We can observe all the numbers which are larger than 1, when square rooted, became smaller. When a number smaller than 1 is square rooted, it became larger than the original number.The numbers which are perfect squares, when square rooted, became a smaller whole number, without any decimals. All the numbers which are not perfect squares, when square rooted, end up to be numbers with more than 6 decimal places.
Science - Activities
Science Olympiads to gain advanced scientific knowledge & acquire research skill.
Gold Award in HKISO heat round
Awarded Young Physicist Badge.
Awarded Young Chemist Badge.
Online Resources
What If - where hypothetical situations are explained using science.
PHET - online interactive simulation of Physics topics
Vox YouTube Channel, where historical and current events are explained.
Science - Projects
1) Electric Circuit- diff in parallel & in series
2) Observing change in density of water
3) Slime Making
4) Non-Newtonian Fluid- Project_Images
Computer Science Activities
Computer Science Olympiads to gain advanced knowledge .
Gold Award in HKICO(Blockly) heat round.
Awarded Young IT Whiz Badge.
Awarded Young Geo-spatial Scientist Badge.
Online Resources
Codecademy-Completed Python3 basics.
Code.org - Computer Science Concepts
Learnt Scratch & Blockly Basics.
Computer Science Projects (Python3)
1) Am I on right track? - Magic Ball 8
2) Data Analysis of Hair Salon
Avg Haircut price
Total Revenue in past couple of weeks
Below $30 Haircut styles
3) Click me to Order - Coffee Chatbot
4) Basic Support Bot for Bill Payment
Computer Science Projects (Code.org)
1)Drawing: Art 1; Art2; Art3; Art4; Art5
2)Games: Minecraft Adventurer
3)Dance: Dancing Robo
Why I like Mathematics?
I am fond of Maths because it is the foundation of our understanding of today's world. It can also fall under a broad spectrum of topics and can be married with other passions. I found Maths so captivating that my curiosity to know and achieve more never ended. I was always interested to learn beyond what was required. For example, I learnt the Primary 2 Math syllabus in Primary 1. I would also try to solve puzzles & block games. Looking at my zeal, my father decided to sign me up for the Singapore Math Kangaroo Contest (SMKC) in Primary 2. The same year, he also subscribed to Add-venture Learning Grade 3 comics and worksheets. I was so glad to expose to new and interesting mathematical concepts. Although I did not obtain an award in SMKC, I remained undeterred and enrolled in American Mathematics Competitions 8 (AMC 8) in Primary 3. In the preparation of AMC 8, I learnt about various topics and techniques such as algebra’s law of distribution, simultaneous equations and permutations & combinations.
In Primary 5, I attempted the Annual Mathlympics and strived to give it my best shot. With my hard work and determination, I achieved the Gold award in the Annual Mathlympics. This motivated me even more and I signed up for the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools (SMOPS) this year. The preparation for SMOPS was relatively easier as compared to the Annual Mathlympics as I had developed a firm foundation of my knowledge already. After three months of toiling, I finally attained the Platinum award in SMOPS.
Other than Olympiads, I have pursued my interest in Math by performing tasks on websites such as I am a Young Scientist and achieved the ‘I am a young Mathematician’ badge. For instance, I carried out a task about the Pascal Triangle and learnt that it could be used to find out the number of possible ways to reach from one point to another. I also developed self-learning skill by online videos. I used Khan Academy to learn & practice new concepts. I used Udemy to learn Vedic Maths. I feel self-learning is necessary skill for effective lifelong learning.
Why I like Science?
I like to think of science as the light bulb in a dark room that illuminates everything and enlightens us. When I was in kindergarten, my school introduced me to National Geographic magazines. These magazines had a range of topics from the skeletal system to pathogens. This sparked my interest in science.
I also used to visit the Science Centre. I often used to purchase certain kits, that are about a particular topic. For instance, I once bought a kit that had all kinds of tools such as sticks, rubber bands and plastic sheets. The kit challenged me to build all kinds of vehicles out of the tools and I successfully created a boat, car and even a helicopter. The kit helped me to improve my critical thinking as I had to plan forward and imagine how the end product would look like.
During upper primary, I have started collecting badges on the website I am a Young Scientist by doing projects. For instance, I did a project where I conducted an experiment using hot & cold water and food colourings to observe change in density. Another time I used an online interactive simulation platform, PHET, to demonstrate the difference between series and parallel circuits. I did some hands-on projects too as they are more enjoyable, enriching and engaging.
In Primary 5, I decided to take up a challenge and prepared for the Singapore Primary Science Olympiad (SPSO). Due to COVID-19, SPSO was postponed. However, instead of being disappointed, I signed up for the Hong Kong International Science Olympiad (HKISO) and obtained the Gold award in the Heat round. I still look forward to participating in SPSO later in Term 3 this year.
In my free time, I have the habit of watching YouTube videos related to science. One of my favourite YouTube channel to watch is What If, where they discuss about hypothetical situations and explain it using science. Another channel I like to watch is Vox, where they discuss about actual problems in the world and current affairs. Recently, I have also watched the National Science Challenge and gained inspiration from all the teams in terms of their knowledge, ability to work in a team and presentation skills.
As my interests in Mathematics and Science jumped by leaps and bounds, my curiosity and ardour for computer science grew too. Once I wondered how digital devices and applications function and researched about it. I learnt that they run on software that is programmed using languages such as Python, HTML,C++ and JavaScript. Soon, my parents enrolled me in some coding classes where I learnt how to use Scratch. Once, I created an animation in which the program would draw a flower and another flower around the previous flower continuously. It would only stop when you would press the 'stop button'. I also learnt similar programming skills on Blockly and code.org. I have also completed the Express Course in code.org, in which I gained the basic knowledge of coding and improved my logical thinking skill.
After using Blockly for quite a while, I decided to participate in the Hong Kong International Computational Olympiad (HKICO). I was awarded the Gold award in HKICO heat round. This boosted my confidence in coding and I decided to level up. I did an HTML course on code.org, in which I learnt the code behind a website and even created my own website. I realised that for every small function in a website, there is a whole bunch of code. After that, I decided to complete a course on Python 3 on codecademy too. I did several projects over there. I am currently doing a course on Building Chatbots with Python.
Other Areas of Interest:
Debating
participated in several inter-school competitions.
recognized as Best Speaker in PSDO-2020.
Creative Writing
participated in 2020 Tales of 'S' eBook competition.
took part in SOTA Primary 6 Creative Writing Competition 2021.
selected to attend Creative Writing Programme conducted by MOE GEP Branch.
Leadership
Sports Leader since Primary 3.
CCA(Debate) Leader.
Class Monitor in Primary 1 & 2.
Swimming
Badminton
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