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Hans India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Impact of cloud computing in higher education
In today's fast-paced and digital world, technology is no longer a support tool, it's at the core of modern education. Among the most transformative innovations is cloud computing, a technology that enables access to data and applications over the internet instead of relying on local servers or personal computers. From virtual classrooms to collaborative research, cloud computing is revolutionizing higher education, especially for students. What is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services like storage, databases, software, and networking over the internet — or 'the cloud.' This eliminates the need for physical infrastructure and gives users access to scalable and flexible resources from anywhere in the world. Why Cloud Computing Matters in Higher Education According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global cloud computing in education market is projected to grow from USD 8.13 billion in 2016 to USD 25.36 billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 25.6% . This growth reflects the increasing need for scalable, cost-effective, and remote learning solutions. Benefits for Students 1. Anywhere, Anytime Learning Students can access learning materials and submit assignments from any internet-connected device, enabling continuous learning outside of campus. l 71% of students prefer cloud-based tools due to the convenience and accessibility they offer. 2. Collaborative Learning Cloud computing enables group work and team projects with tools like Google Docs, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. A study by McKinsey & Co. emphasized that digital collaboration tools significantly improve learning outcomes in higher education 3. Access to Advanced Tools Students gain access to: l Virtual labs for science and engineering courses l Cloud-based coding environments like Google Colab and Jupyter Notebooks l Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle and Canvas 4. Reduced Costs Cloud computing reduces the need for physical textbooks, on-campus lab infrastructure, and high-end devices. Institutions using cloud solutions can save up to 30% annually on IT costs, according to IBM Cloud Education Benefits for Universities (That Indirectly Help Students) l Scalability: Institutions can scale operations to support thousands of students. l Data Security: Cloud platforms offer automatic backup, encryption, and compliance with data privacy standards. l Sustainability: Reducing paper usage and energy consumption helps institutions move toward greener campuses. Challenges & Considerations Despite the advantages, cloud computing presents certain risks: 1. Privacy Concerns Without proper security protocols, student data can be compromised. l 60% of educational institutions reported experiencing at least one cloud-related data breach 2. Internet Dependence Students in rural areas or regions with poor connectivity may face limited access to online resources. 3. Learning Curve Not all students and faculty are adept at using cloud tools, which can hinder adoption. What Students Should Do l Learn to use platforms like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Zoom. l Explore cloud-based labs and tools relevant to your academic stream. l Practice virtual collaboration, a key skill for future workplaces. Cloud computing is not just an IT upgrade — it's an educational revolution. It enhances access, enables collaboration, and makes learning more efficient and cost-effective. As cloud adoption increases in higher education, students who embrace it will gain a competitive edge not only academically but also professionally. The future of education is in the cloud — and it's already here. (The author is Director Admissions & Outreach, Noida International University)
WIRED
14-03-2025
- General
- WIRED
Can't Wrap Your Head Around Pi? Here's a Cool Visual to Help
Mar 14, 2025 7:00 AM Pi is an irrational number, and like some irrational people it just goes on and on. What is it with this crazy, crucial number? Photograph:Happy Pi Day! We celebrate pi on March 14 because 3-14 gives the first three digits of this famous number. But what's the big deal about pi anyway? Why does it get a day? Well, for starters, it defines the simplest, most perfect shape, the circle. So it's everywhere around you. Pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle: π = C/d. No matter how big or small a circle is, that ratio is always the same. In decimal notation, it's 3.141592653 … aaand you can run that out as far as you want, because it's an irrational number, and it never, ever, ever ends. What people do—in fact what calculators do if you press the π button—is choose a certain number of decimal places, depending on the precision required, and round off to that number. It's not really pi, but you could say … it's a piece of pi. (Sorry, but every Pi Day story needs a pi-pun.) Irrational Is as Irrational Does Being infinitely long doesn't in itself make a number irrational. For example, say you have a rectangle that measures 4 by 11 meters. The ratio of the sides, 4/11, equals 0.36363636 … This number is also endless, but it follows a pattern. With irrational numbers, there's no repetition . The real distinction is that rational numbers can be written as a ratio of two integers. (Get it? ratio-nal.) And ratios are the same thing as fractions. So: It's also the case that any finite decimal number, no matter how long, can be expressed as the ratio of two integers. (Which is pretty mind-boggling all by itself.) Irrational numbers, on the other hand, can't be expressed in fractional form . Oh, you can try . For example, 22/7 is a pretty good approximation. But it's not pi. (We could have celebrated Pi Day on July 22, since most of the world uses the day-month-year format for dates, and that would be 22-7.) But maybe you're not inclined to take my word for it. So here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to use a brute-force algorithm I made in Python to generate all possible integer fractions and see if one of them equals pi. No Pi in Python What's a brute-force method? It's a way of solving a problem that doesn't require cleverness, just a ton of work. My program starts with the fraction 1/1 and methodically ratchets it up by adding 1 to the numerator or the denominator. Here's the recipe: - Take the fraction (u/v) and compare to pi - If u/v is less than pi, add one to the numerator (u+1) - If u/v is greater than pi, add one to the denominator (v+1) - If u/v is equal to pi, you win. You just proved that pi is rational. So the series starts like this: 1/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, 4/2, 5/2, 6/2, 7/2, 7/3, 8/3 … I mean, you could do this on paper, but you'd soon go mad. I ran my program to iterate 1,000 times. (If you want to see the code, here it is on Google Colab.) Then I plotted the decimal value for all 1,000 fractions (Since the horizontal axis goes from 1 to 1,000, I'm using a log scale to compress it.) After 1,000 runs, I have a fraction of 760/242. This is a fine value for pi. It's accurate to two decimal places—the standard 3.14, which is what a lot of people use anyway. But it's not pi. Oh, well, how about 500,000 iterations? This gives me a final fraction of: This integer ratio is close—it matches pi up to the sixth decimal place—but it's still not pi. OK, how about 10 million iterations? This gives an integer fraction of 7,585,471 over 2,414,531, which is off by only 0.00003 percent. But it's still NOT PI. So, what have we done here? Not much really. We didn't prove that pi is irrational, but I think any rational person would be inclined to accept it at this point. Picturing Irrationality How about a visual demo? We can actually show that pi is irrational by swinging balls around in a circle. Here's how it works: First we start with a single ball moving at a constant speed. Now let's add another ball on the end of that ball. It's moving in a circle with the same radius, but at a speed that is 3.5 times faster. Not only does this create a cool pattern, but at some point the pattern will repeat. If you keep your eye on the starting point on the right side, you can see when the ball begins to retrace its path: You could try any ratio of speeds that evaluates to a finite decimal number, like the 3.5 above. In other words, rational numbers! 3.5 can be expressed as an integer fraction: 7/2. Each one will give you a different pattern, but for all rational numbers the pattern will eventually repeat. So what happens when you use an irrational number for the speed? In the one below, I have the second ball moving at π times the speed of the first one: See? The pattern never repeats . It's just like the never-ending series of digits in pi. It gets close, but it's still off by a little bit—you can see the lines begin to thicken. In fact, I let it run for a long time and this is what I got: Because you can't write pi as a fraction of integers, the two circles will never sync back up. It's a cool way to show that pi is irrational, but it's also just fun to watch.
