Math can be fun to learn

FRESH TAKE

If all business problems can be solved with Math, maybe it is time we took a real interest in the subject, says Bindu Gopal Rao

As a subject, Mathematics or Math (as it is known today) always evokes sharp reactions from students. However whether you enjoy it or hate it, the truth is, there is no escaping it! Maths can  be fun (yes, you read that right)! The prime minister has announced 2012 as the year of Mathematics. From being a country that has produced great mathematicians like Aryabhatta and Ramanjujan, today there is a definite dearth of competent mathematicians as students lack the aptitude to pursue this discipline at advanced levels. To make a small start towards this huge mandate, Mu Sigma recently rolled out a ‘Pi-Day’ campaign on March 14, 2012.

Why Maths?

Mu Sigma is a leading decision sciences and analytics services company committed to help businesses make data-driven decision-making.  “We at Mu Sigma, integrate the disciplines of Math + business + technology to solve high-impact business problems. We use Applied Math to make sense of data. Math is our key differentiator and hence, we believe in celebrating the year of Math and evangelising the use of Applied Mathematics in today’s business environments,” says Dhiraj C Rajaram, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Mu Sigma.

In today’s world, where data doubles every 18 months, there is a dire need to understand, interpret and generate insights that can help companies make informed data-driven decisions. The process will involve the usage of Mathematics to a very large extent. A McKinsey 2011 report states that there will be a shortage of talented, analytic professionals and by 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 1, 40,000 to 1, 90,000 people with deep analytical skills, making Math all the more important.

“Yesterday, business + technology allowed us to simply automate. Today, Math + business allows us to present more coherent arguments in the boardroom, Math + technology allow us to anticipate and operate proactively, Math + business + technology allows us to execute better and tomorrow, Math + business + technology + behavioural economics will help  develop nudges (cognitive repairs) against human biases,” opines Rajaram.

Mu Sigma’s higher purpose is not just to build a company, but to build this industry as a whole. “To achieve this purpose, we are building an ecosystem that focuses on creating new talent through our in-house training arm, Mu Sigma University. We work with leading companies across multiple industry verticals, solving very interesting business problems,” says Rajaram.

Providing answers

In Mu Sigma, an interdisciplinary approach (integration of Math + business + technology) is used to solve business problems. Applied Math is today the biggest differentiator in this equation. For example, consider a large technology company launching a new tablet device. Here, there is a need for sophisticated Math techniques to forecast demand. Inputs to structure the model and interpretation of the model will make sense only if there is sufficient business expertise in the team.
Finally, the results need to be integrated into the client database and supply chain, which will require the use of technology.

“We are in the business of creating a better art form for problem-solving. This requires us to think of creative ways of solving problems –  such as application of the right Math to the right problem.  Typically, people tend to think about Art as a creative. But Math and Art have a long historical relationship. There are many examples of artists who have been inspired by Math,” says Rajaram.

As Rabindranath Tagore rightly said, “It is the magic of Mathematics, this rhythm which is in the heart of all creation, which moves in the atom and in its different measures fashions gold and lead, the rose and the thorn, the sun and the planets, the variety and vicissitudes of history. These are the dance steps of numbers in the arena of time and space, which weave the maya of appearance, the incessant flow of changes that ever is and is not”.