1. Introduction and discussion about few sample Enrico Fermi problems.
2. Thought process that would be followed during the workshop.
3. Working on a specific Fermi problem.
   1. Decompose the big picture question into smaller parts.
   2. Making wild guess.
   3. Framework to make educated estimate.
   4. Overview of Mathematical Habits of Mind  and Mathematical Thinking.
   5. Develop Open Ended Questions – Know how to pose right purposeful questions that help progress towards finding answers for solving the smaller part questions.
   6. Modelling – The process of choosing and using appropriate math concepts and needed information to analyse the situation, understand better and make informed decisions. Identifying variables and applying formulas to find educated estimates.
   7. Data Gathering – Finding best estimate and possible largest & smallest estimate.

“Fermi problems,” are named after Enrico Fermi, the famous Italian physicist who has won Nobel prize for his discovery of nuclear reactions. Fermi was famous for being able to make good estimates in situations where little information was known and often ask his friends questions like “How many teenagers are there in the city of Chicago?”.

Fermi problems ask for a quick estimate of a quantity that are impossible to measure directly, but can be roughly estimated by gathering data and doing some calculations. It encourages to work on big picture situations by applying common sense and known math concepts. It empowers children to cultivate the ability to think big and come up with approaches to break down big problems into smaller parts and arrive at an estimate. Certainly, that would make kids THINK OUT OF BOX!

Here are a few examples of practical Fermi Questions. (The session will have some other Fermi questions similar to this)
• In business: “How many teens live within a 30 mile radius of our proposed radio station?”
• In environmental policy: “By how much would the amount of trash in landfills be reduced if it became illegal to throw away plastic grocery bags?”
• In educational policy: “If the school district reduces the maximum class size to 20 students, how much would it cost to hire the extra teachers?”
• In public health: “A virulent strain of influenza is spreading and everyone in our county needs to be vaccinated by a qualified health care professional. How quickly can this be done?”

The workshop provides opportunity for kids to think out of box while working on Fermi’s crazy questions and at the same time develop skills like,

1. How to apply math concept like ratio, proportion, rates etc to a real world question!
2. To decide and gather what information would be needed to solve a real-world problem or a crazy situation!
3. To communicate their ideas effectively
4. Critical thinking, Estimation and Modelling.

Workshop is intended for kids studying in Class 6  to 10 (Kids aged 11 to 16 years)

Workshop dates: May 7th, 8th and 9th (3 days)

Workshop time: 3 PM – 4.30 PM IST

Fee: Rs. 600