It’s a cow! It’s a tortoise! Can you guess which animals inspired these famous yoga poses?
There’s so much we can learn from nature. No wonder then that the ancient discipline of Yoga has so many asanas (postures) that are named after animals. Here are some such asanas. Can you use the clues to decipher which animals inspired them?
Part #26: Nala and Hanuman learn about the centre of gravity from Nila
Hanuman has still not recovered from the “magic” of the floating stone when he sees Nala’s brother, Nila. His jaw drops! Nila is standing atop a flag pole using the tip of his big toe.
Hanuman: How is this even possible?
Nila jumps from the flag pole and lands stylishly like a ninja warrior.
Nila (grinning): Hello, Hanuman, the boy who stunned the Solar System.
Hanuman: I am, in turn, stunned by your stunt. How did you do it?
Nila: Using Science.
Hanuman: Really? I thought you would say it required some monk-like practice!
Nila: Of course, it needs practice but only after you understand the physics behind it. It’s all about how the centre of gravity works.
Hanuman: I know that gravity is the invisible force that pulls objects toward each other. But what is a centre of gravity?
Nila: Let me show you…
Nila jumps on top of a stretched rope and tries to walk along it by balancing himself with his hands and torso.
Nila: To make my body stable, I need to balance my body’s centre of gravity so that it is close to my body’s geometric centre.
Hanuman: What is that?
Nila: Centre of gravity is an imaginary point in an object where its weight is evenly dispersed and all sides are balanced. It’s a point where gravity acts on the object. In a ball, the centre of gravity is obviously at the centre. In the human body, it is slightly higher than the waist, as the top half of the body has more weight than the bottom.
Illustration: Sahil Upalekar
Hanuman: What is a geometric centre?
Nila: That is the average position of all the points included in the figure; sort of like a visible centre. It has nothing to do with the object’s mass.
Nila takes various things with different shapes and tries to balance each one with his fingers.
Nila: This point at which I am able to balance an object on my fingertip is its centre of gravity.
Hanuman looks puzzled.
Nala: Hanuman, you will understand the concept better when we do an experiment.
Nila: You’re right. Let us build a Centre of Gravity toy (see activity below).
Once they are done, Hanuman plays with the toy and ponders how this concept could be used when he is flying.
The writer is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.
A crossword that’s all about clothes. How many can you get right?
How much do you know about your day-to-day clothing? Try your hand at this crossword to find out.
These not-so-common words have equally uncommon opposites. Can you find them?
You will be familiar with these opposites: near – far; bright – dull; tight – loose; brave – cowardly…and so on.
These are common and familiar words that we use in our everyday conversations. But do you know the opposites of these not-so-frequently used words?
Play this memory game – match the opposites – and find out!
Folk theatre in India is an infusion of local myths, costumes and masks resulting in diverse regional styles.
Folk theatre is a fusion of music, dance, drama, and stylised speech. It has its roots in the local identity and culture. This form of theatre reflects the socio-political realities of its time.
India has a long, rich history of folk theatre. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, actors and dancers were given special places of distinction in the courts of several Indian kings.
The tamasha folk theatre was patronised by the powerful Peshwas of the Maratha kingdom. While in Kerala the Koodiyattam flourished. The popular all-night Yakshagana started four centuries ago. Most of these forms, like Swang and Bhand Paather are centred around music. Some of them, like the therukoothu and Jatra, convey a social theme.
Can you find the names of these folk theatre forms in this grid?
There are six types of climate across the globe. What is each one like? Find out with this activity.
We’ve all heard of climate change, one of the most crucial issues of our times. But what exactly is climate? The word refers to the average measurement of temperature, wind, humidity, rainfall, snow etc over a period of time; usually over 30 years. When these changes are recorded on a daily basis, it is called weather.
There are six kinds of climates. This memory game tells you about each of them. Match the card with the type of climate to its description.
The lessons one learns are not always in the classroom. Here are four well-known names who have something to teach us all.
A tropical smoothie is just the way to start the celebrations this year. Watch this video.
Be it the action on track or the bustle behind the scenes, Formula 1 is an exciting affair. Find out how well you these F1 terms…
If the vrooming and zooming of Formula 1 cars give you an adrenaline rush, these interactive tasks are bound to delight you. Scroll through these slides for a quiz on commonly used terms in F1 racing.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
How well do you know the world around you? Take this quiz to find out…
It’s question hour, folks! Can you answer these six questions correctly?
