From Art to Science: : Bridging Science, Folklore, and Discovery

 

“Science is science and art is art and the twain shall never meet” to rephrase a quote by Rudyard Kipling (1889)

Science and art are distinct academic disciplines with distinguishing features, that can help one classify any work as science or art. The use of the phrase ‘state of art’ implies something under consideration being so revolutionary that it cannot be classified as science as of now and is in the state of art. Over a period of time, with repeated implementation of the same, a certain methodology, set of rules, standard operating procedures etc. may be developed and it enters the realm of science. That implies that what is taken as science today was art at some point of time earlier in its development.

In this blog, we look at a work of art that fits in the subject of Linear Programming Problem (LPP) that is taught in Operations Research or Management Science or Decision Science. The poem itself is as follows:

The three princes of Serendip
Went on a little trip.
They could not carry too much weight;
More than 300 pounds made them hesitate.
They planned to the ounce. When they returned to Ceylon
They discovered that their supplies were just about gone
When, what to their joy, Prince William found
A pile of coconuts on the ground.
“Each will bring 60 rupees,” said Prince Richard with a grin
As The boat back to the island was very small
15 cubic feet capacity – that was all.
Each lion skin took up one cubic foot
While eight coconuts the same space took.
While everything was stowed they headed to the sea
And on the way calculated what their new wealth might be.
“Eureka!” cried Prince Robert, “Our wealth is so great
That there’s no other way we could return in this state.
And any other skins or nut which we might have brought
Would now have us poorer. And now I know what –
I’ll write my friend Horace in England, for surely
Only he can appreciate our serendipity.he almost tripped over a lion skin.
“Look out!” cried Prince Robert with glee
As he spied more lion skins under a tree.
“These are worth even more – 300 rupees each
If we can just carry them all down the beach.
Each skin weighed fifteen pounds and each coconut, five,
But they carried them all and made it alive.

The Princes of Serendip was written by Horace Walpole in a 1754 letter, although the story that inspired him, The Three Princes of Serendip, is much older. Walpole coined the word "serendipity" from this tale, which follows three princes from Serendip (an ancient name for Sri Lanka) who make fortunate discoveries by accident, thanks to their sharp observation and wit. The tale itself originated in Persian and was translated into Italian before becoming known in English.

Now, this is a beautiful example of Linear Programming Problem (LPP) in Operations Research and can be formulated as follows:








Various tools can be used for solving the problem (TORA, LINDO, QM for Windows, atozmath.com, Microsoft Exel etc.)

The maximisation is achieved at x1 = 24 coconuts, and  x2 = 12 lion skins, with a corresponding Z value of 5040.

Now, let us have a look at the novelty of the poem and the solution.

“And any other skins or nut which we might have brought, would now have us poorer.”

The solution outlined above is the best or optimal. Any other option meeting the constraints will offer less than the optimal profit of 5040.


Let us look at the optimality vis-à-vis the resources:

 

Capacity Constraint

Plugging the values of x1=24  and x2=12 in the inequality for capacity, the value obtained is 15, i.e. the capacity is being fully utilised, no surplus or slack.

Weight Constraint

Using the values of x1=24 and x2=12 for the weight inequation, the value obtained is 300, i.e. no scope for any improvement, no weight is being left unutilised.

I’ll write my friend Horace in England, for surely
Only he can appreciate our serendipity.

The author has a friend Horace, who he thinks can appreciate the problem and solution. “Only a jeweler knows the true value of a diamond; to others, it's just a stone.” Compliment for both the diamond and the jeweler, which in this case happens to be the same person. Apart from other issues, the solution also has to be integral, one cannot have a part coconut or lion skin to be loaded in the boat.

 

Amazingly, a poet can create a piece like this, which an applied mathematician can appreciate. In this era of specialization and super-specialisation, one can only wonder and appreciate the geniuses of the past century, whether they be artists, scientists, or mathematicians. It takes a genius to appreciate and understand one. Only if one can understand and appreciate ingenuity of the people in the past can one expect to be appreciated by the generations of the future.

Ending this blog with a beautiful quotation:

"Those who cannot remember the past (or people thereof) are condemned to repeat it."  -- George Santayana

 

LPP Formulation in text for readers who would like to use online solvers

Let,

x1 à Number of coconuts they carry, and,

x2 à Number of lion skins that the princes finally carried with them.

 

The problem can be formulated as follows:

Maximise Z = 60x1 + 300 x2 (Objective Function)

Subject To :

                1/8 x1 + x2 <= 15 (Capacity Constraint)

                5 x1 + 15 x2 <= 300 (Weight Constraint)

                X1, x2 >= 0 (Non-negativity Constraint)


Keywords:  Linear Programming Problem, LPP, Graphical Method, Simplex Method, Optimal solution, Operations Research, Management Science, Decision Science, Princes of Serendip, Serendipity, Science and Art, Rudyard Kipling, State of Art, Folklore, Horace Walpole

 

Hashtags: #PrincesOfSerendip #Serendipity #LinearProgramming #OperationsResearch #ManagementScience #DecisionScience #ScienceAndArt #RudyardKipling #StateOfArt #SriLankanHistory #PersianFolklore #HoraceWalpole #AncientTales #AcademicInsights #CreativeDiscoveries #LPPInAction #MathMeetsArt #SerendipiousMoments #EurekaMoments #ScienceBlogging




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cultural Interventions in Modern World - Justified or just a Moral Compulsion

Image
'Culture' is something I've decided to write about in this post. The question of 'culture' has always intrigued me to no end. Especially, when you attend Cultural Fests or other such events which deem to propagate the 'culture'. Is it something static that has remained the same over the years, decades or centuries that you intend to propagate? Or, is it something dynamic that changes in response to the changing times, influence of other cultures, technology, or myriad other factors that affect daily lives? Do we think we can expect people to move about their daily lives in strange looking head-dresses, gowns, painted faces, garish costumes etc.? Do we expect people in such ensembles to work in say, computer labs, banks, schools, universities, companies, etc.? Do we expect our children to dress, behave, speak, dance, and, sing in the same way? If the answer to any of these questions is 'NO' then how can we expect to 'prop...
Read more

GLORIOUS CERTAINITIES - CRICKET !!!

Image
  Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainites, they say, as also the   ‘Gentleman’s Game’ or ‘Gentleperson’s Game’, in this age of being gender neutral. But, for the first time in international cricket, a player has been declared out (timed out) for not being able to take to the crease in time. Ergo, the gentleman, ergo the game. I mean, one did not allow the player to participate in the ‘game’, isn’t it? What the ‘phew’… Another rule that I find very funny in cricket is the requirement that if you hit the wickets and bails are off at the first hit, then to run out the player you have to pull out or dislodge the stumps. I mean with DRS and so many other technologies in place it can easily be determined whether the ball hit the stumps for the player to be declared run out. Where is the need to try and uproot the stumps! When we were young and used to discuss fast bowlers, one would claim that ‘Bro! So and so fast bowler starts his run up almost from the boundary’. I mean, i...
Read more

Want Tasty Food, DIY Buddy? Why we cannot make Food more Tastier?

Image
Food and drinks have been a primordial habit with us? And, after we are weaned of ‘mothers’ milk, it is as ‘Sadguru’ would put it ‘What goes into us come from the mother earth (including the five basic elements – water, fire, air, aakash (ether) and will after a certain period of time return to earth.’ While the basic philosophy and dogmas related to it can be questioned and argued, the, basic question remains as to why some food🍲 is tastier than others. So, here I am going to argue purely from an operational point of view as to what are variables involved and how many different permutations are possible, and, is it possible to make the best (tastiest) food? Let us see (stereotypes) – Food made by mother always tastes best, Grandmas make the best savories, pickles, jams, marmalades; Wines think French, and, whiskeys, brandys from England etc. etc. Today I will take just one of these stereotypes and leave my readers to contribute the rest and maybe peace will prevail. So here we begin…...
Read more