Search results from ICTS-TIFR
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Some astronomical discoveries of the last hundred years
Rajaram NityanandaICTS:32071The talk will go over some crucial developments in astronomy over the last hundred years, such as the classification of stars, the distance scale of the universe, the abundance and production of the chemical elements, compact objects like neutron stars and black holes, and many more. Women astronomers had a crucial role in all of these examples
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A computational lens on doing physics II
Kripa GowrishankarICTS:32059In the two sessions we will explore what it means to approach physics through the lens of computation. I’ll introduce some of the ways in which computation has shaped physics in terms of modelling, measurement and also how we learn the subject. No prior programming knowledge is expected. We’ll begin from first principles, using just our hands, some paper, and a few simple rules to build up a system.
In the second session, we’ll move to a visual programming environment (Tinkercad and Seelab). You’ll use a laptop (preferable) or smartphone to try out basic computational constructs like loops, conditionals, and sensor-based responses. The goal is to begin thinking computationally in a physics context, and to see how we can even start doing simple experiments by interfacing with real hardware.
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A computational lens on doing physics
Kripa GowrishankarICTS:32058In the two sessions we will explore what it means to approach physics through the lens of computation. I’ll introduce some of the ways in which computation has shaped physics in terms of modelling, measurement and also how we learn the subject. No prior programming knowledge is expected. We’ll begin from first principles, using just our hands, some paper, and a few simple rules to build up a system.
In the second session, we’ll move to a visual programming environment (Tinkercad and Seelab). You’ll use a laptop (preferable) or smartphone to try out basic computational constructs like loops, conditionals, and sensor-based responses. The goal is to begin thinking computationally in a physics context, and to see how we can even start doing simple experiments by interfacing with real hardware.
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From Micro to Macro: A Statistical Journey Through Nature
P K MohantyICTS:32060Why can’t we predict the behavior of a gas molecule the same way we track a planet? In this talk, we’ll explore why classical and quantum mechanics alone are not enough to explain the messy, complex world around us—and why we need statistical mechanics to bridge the gap between microscopic particles and macroscopic behavior. Along the way, we’ll look at stochastic processes as powerful tools for dealing with randomness and uncertainty in nature. We’ll also touch on big ideas like chaos, self-organization, networks, biological complexity, and even how diseases spread—all from a statistical perspective. This talk aims to give you a fresh way of looking at the world: not as a set of exact rules, but as a dynamic system full of patterns, surprises, and probabilities
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Particulate flows and other things
Rama GovindarajanICTS:32056We will talk about large scale flows in the atmosphere, containing droplet or particulate matter, such as snow avalanches and pollutant dispersal. Being a late evening lecture, we'll not go into too much of the mathematics, but we'll try to appreciate why these problems are beautiful, hard and important.
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AI for Good and Evil
Upinder S. BhallaICTS:32046AI is an increasingly integral part of doing research. This hands-on, very practical session will provide a brief overview of the capabilities, pitfalls, and ethical concerns with its use in Science. We will cover four main domains: 1. data gathering and research summaries,
2. scientific writing, 3. graphs and statistics in science, and 4. coding. I will end with a sketch of major AI tools like Alpha Fold and agents, and give a glimpse of where the field may be going. -
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Drawing Infinity: Art at the Intersection of Geometry and the Cosmos
Arvind SundarICTS:32002This lecture journeys through my multidisciplinary art practice grounded in the language of mathematics, mythology and metaphysics. From sacred geometries inspired by temple architecture to recursive drawings based on chess algorithms, my work seeks to bridge the material and the infinite. Influenced by constructs such as the golden ratio, Fibonacci sequences, Penrose tilings, and knight’s tours, my sculptures and drawings embody systems of order that reveal poetic possibilities. This talk will also explore how myth, memory, and cultural frameworks from South India—such as Kolams and cosmological diagrams—become vehicles for visualizing the vast, often hidden structures that underpin reality.
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Counting the divisors of an integer
Kaneenika SinhaICTS:32001Counting the number of divisors of an integer is an interesting question that can be approached in multiple ways. We will explore this question and the multiple streams of thoughts and techniques that originate from it.
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Banking with Artificial Intelligence
Anupama LakshmananICTS:31993In this talk, we will explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern banking. Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI technology has seen a rapid evolution. This rapid development has led to a surge in interest and adoption across various sectors. The presentation will explore the mathematical foundations and AI techniques that drive innovative solutions in the banking sector. We will look at how AI-powered solutions have reduced scams and frauds, the application of generative AI in enhancing customer messaging and accelerated decision making.
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The optimality and geometry of foraging in the wild
Maria ThakerICTS:31989Optimal foraging theory provides a rich set of predictions for where, what, and how animals should forage in the natural world. These predictions are anchored on maximizing calorie intake while minimizing time and energy costs. However, food is more than calories, and animals should, in fact, be seeking specific protein and carbohydrate intakes to meet (darwinian) fitness goals. In this talk, I will go from classic optimal foraging theory to the nutritional geometry approach to illustrate how wild animals meet nutritional targets. Using our work with insectivorous and herbivorous lizards, I will share how foraging in the wild can be an impressive mathematical task.