Back in the College, we had this torturous thing called the Physics Lab. We were supposed to do physics “experiments” in the lab and learn from it. But these were not so much experiments as they were “fudge the readings till you get the right answer” exercises, and we were pretty good at it.
The expert at this, of course, was Chitradeep Chetty. He was so good at “reverse calculations” that as soon as we get the experiment, he’d start off with his math, working backwards from the expected answer to figure out exactly what the readings should be. And then, he’d change the reading a little, you know, to make sure the answer didn’t come out exactly right and get the teacher suspicious that he fudged the numbers.
So this one day, Chitradeep and I were lab partners in the physics lab. The experiment is to calculate the speed of sound in air using a tuning fork. We’d all gathered around the lab teacher, who was demonstrating the experiment to us.
Teacher: “…And so, you bang the tuning fork and hold it over this water tube, and a resonating sound will come.”
The teacher held up the tuning fork, but there is no sound. He tried again, but still no sound.
Teacher: “…Well, err…you have to adjust the length of the water column properly and the sound will come. Really, when you do it, it will come.”
Now, it was embarrassing enough for the teacher that his own experiment had flopped, but Chitradeep Chetty, not to loose any opportunity, raises his hand to ask a question.
Chitradeep: “But Sir, what does the sound sound like?”
The teacher looks at him suspiciously, presumably evaluating if this is a genuine question. he looks at Chitradeep’s small-puppy face, and decides that he is in earnest.
Teacher: “The sound will come like this: Woooooooooooooooooooooo“
The entire batch is suppressing it’s laughter.
Chitradeep: “Like how bad boys whistle at girls, sir? Like this: Whoooot Whoooooo Or is it like whistling at AutoRickshaws to make them stop? Like this: TWweeooooooooo?”
The teacher decides he’s had enough of this, and sends us all away to our places. As I’m setting up the experiment, Chitradeep has already started the “back-calculation”, and soon figures out that we need to get the water level to “15.5 cms” to get the proper result. And so, we pre-adjust the level of the water, and start banging the tuning fork, but absolutely no sound. We try and try with all kinds of adjustments, but the bloody resonating sound is just not coming.
After a while, we decide we’ve had enough, and anyway, we have the numbers, and that’s what matters in the end. So, we pretend the experiment is successful, make the relevant entries in the lab record, and tell the teacher we’ve finished.
Usually, that’s the end of the lab, but because of Chitradeep’s brilliant demonstration of his whistling skills earlier, the teacher has been watching us, and now says “Show Me your Experiment“, and walks over to our table.
Chitradeep and I look at each other. Now we’re in trouble. Our experiment is certainly not working, but our lab record claims a very good result. Chitradeep has always been the innovative kind, and he’s not the one to back down from a challenge like this. He invites the teacher to sit down, and stands behind him. He signals for me to just pretend to go along. I have no idea what he’s up to, but follow his lead.
Me: “So, here’s the water column at 15.4 cms, and now I’m going to take this tuning fork over the water column, and we will see the resonance.”
I bang the tuning fork on the pad and bring it up near the water tube. Chitradeep removes the cap from his pen and holds it inverted near his mouth.
Just as I bring the tuning fork on top of it, Chitradeep whistles into the cap, producing a shrill, shrieking “Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” sound. The teacher looks rather flambungeled, and looks around to see if we’re fudging something. Chitradeep has put away the cap, and again makes the “innocent small-puppy” face. The teacher doesn’t know what to say. He suspects Chitradeep is up to something, but doesn’t know what to accuse him of.
Me: “…And, taking that reading from the tube, we use the formula for the resonance…”
I shove the lab record into the teachers face, and he looks at all our calculations. He’s trying to find a mistake there so that he can pin us down. But he can’t find any, and so, reluctantly, he lets us go. As we walk out, the teacher gives us the “sooner-or-later-i’m-going-to-get-you” look, but we run away to our freedom!
Chitradeep’s “innocent small-puppy” face has rescued the day once again!
How I wish I could deny this ever happened
Physics lab with VGH… those were the days.
Hi AK, I have been reading this blog of your for quite some time. I used to enjoy reading earlier, becos of the simplicity of your blog.
Now the content is replaced by these more than half the monitor size ads.
Not much charm reading it now! Reminds me of a newspaper with little content but more ads
Let not your talent drown in these ads
Hi Raj,
I’m sorry you feel that way. But you’re right. That ad on top is pretty annoying. Let me get rid of it
Hey, I liked physics lab experiment thingies! We burned a lot of things there
Burning stuff was reserved for our Chemistry labs. I think Chitradeep may have broken a Rs. 10,000 diffraction grating trying to prove that it cannot be broken by biting it.
Oh! All the labs look same to me.
Well then Chitradeep must have been pretty popular with everyone in all the labs you guys went to eh?
Man, I need to confess. Of all the labs I attended, Physics and Electronics were the most torturous. I would never get the output I desired and had to resort to a lot of fixing … err let’s call that “back-calculation”
Back calculation is our biggest ally during practicals !
@riya: Lets just say Chitradeep was very “famous”, if you know what I mean. Har har har!
You know, I think they should just give up all this pretense and teach back-calculation during the first session of physics lab.
Back calculation… it has saved me so many times in my school days. I have used it in almost all the subjects with a very good successful. Long live the back calculation !!!
Har har har indeed! His fame must have benefitted everyone ever associated with him,yourself included.
Oh yeah. Being seen around with Chitradeep got you noticed in College – By the Profs, that is
Physiscs lab.. i just hate it..
)))… .grateful to him..
Once i got a vry difficult experiment in final exam..I knew the expected value nd i wrote dat in answer sheet.. though it was different from the actual reading which was shown in the equipment.. but still i passed.. bcoz the external had som eye sight problem..
Hahahahahahahahahahahaahhahaah
Hilarious man. We used to play billiards with the weights!
In the chemistry lab in a clothed Eureka moment I had discovered if you put HNO2 on a coin it will give out colored smoke and liquid and the coin would be shining bright. I did not tell people what chemical I use, a class mate popularly known as ‘nasedi’ though he had it figured out, took a keychain made of an alloy and put a chemical in it. Instead of shining the guy’s key chain looked as if stolen from a kabadi with all stains and worn out plating. Nasedi had a nice chase and we a nice laugh
Wow guys, you are studs. You actually did the experiment. We actually partied out in the labs and wait for “Chitradeep” kind of guys to do the back-calculation. And once the back calculation is done and recorded, we copy it after adjusting the decimal places. Long live guys like Chitradeep! I bet he wears a 10 inch thick specs and is all looking like Einstein!
LOL! I’m sure Chitradeep will appreciate this comment! 10-inch glasses. Its like wearing one of those bullet-proof-glass-bricks! Haha!
[...] who’s read this blog, I’m risking my life writing about all the things that I do. I mean, Chitradeep Chetty, Drinivas, The Wife and lots of characters in this blog (who may or may not bear resemblance to [...]