In Singapore, the durian is officially the only tropical fruit that is banned inside a public train or bus—to critics, it smells worse than urine combined with a pair of used socks.

Presently, transport officials are likely to confiscate the notorious fruit should someone be found conspicuously with it, until recurring public complaints force politicians to implement a fine for those caught carrying one in forbidden places.

If anyone in Singapore can be fined for failing to flush a public toilet, it’s not far-fetched to expect a penalty in a-not-too-distant future for those who inconsiderately propagate the pungent aroma of durians among Singaporeans.

Dubbed the “King of fruits” by locals, enjoying the durian is arguably an acquired taste; however, it may cause premature death when eaten together with some types of food or drinks—check this out with your doctor to avoid going to the other side of eternity sooner than later.

For math educators who can’t stand the pungent smell of durian, much less taste it, how can they creatively make use of this much-loved or much-disliked fruit in their mathematics teaching?

Below is a definition of Durian Math I submitted to Urban Dictionary half a year ago.

Christmaths Guesstimation

In the aftermath of a church in Sarawak, Malaysia erecting a Christmas durian tree, the following estimation questions crossed my mind:

1. Guesstimate the number of durians that were used to make the Christmas tree depicted below.

2. Estimate how much the durian business in Malaysia meant for the China market is worth every year.

3. Estimate how many durians a ten-hectare durian plantation could produce every year.

4. What percentage of the Asian population love to eat the pungent-smelly durian?

Singapore Math and Durian

Below are two irreverent tweets I posted to poke fun at the notoriety of the durian among fruit lovers, who are often tickled by durianians who wouldn’t think twice about forking out more than fifty bucks for one über-smelly durian.

Modeling with Durian

1. Math Trail à la Durian

Make a short trip to Malaysia or Thailand during the peak durian season. Try to get hold of a dozen-odd types of durian from the local market or some durian plantations owners. Compare their prices, weights, textures, pH levels, smells, or tastes; and make some conjectures based on nasal, oral, and tactile factors. Does the number of spikes of some durian type exhibit Fibonacci-like behaviors?

2. Death by Durian

Model how many “durian bombs” pseudo-jihadists planning a terrorist hoax in some public places like a college campus or shopping mall would need to simulate some panic or irrational fear among the undergraduates or shoppers.

What are the odds that one of Singapore’s neighboring frenemies could one day use the durian as a low-tech weaponry to neutralize her, just as man-made haze pollution from unfriendly neighbors could potentially be weaponized to suffocate an entire nation?

3. A “Fine” Durian

Imagine that you have been assigned to draft a set of rules that would penalize those caught with durians in forbidden public areas in Singapore. Model a “fines guideline” that wouldn’t unfairly punish those who selfishly insist on polluting their milieux with the nose-unfriendly smell of durians.

New Year, New Entries

On a more positive or non-apocalyptic note, for this new year, some of you might wish to redefine Durian Math or add a new twist to it, as you discover new ways to infuse the term in your math lessons.

A blessed New Year 2019 to all math educators around the world.

Bibliography & References

Church in Malaysia creates durian Christmas tree http://bit.ly/2CyThI0

Chinese funds fuelling boom in Malaysia’s durian plantations http://bit.ly/2Lz9pMj

Rotten durian causes Melbourne university evacuation http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-43940122

Singapore scientists reveal origins of durian’s pungent aroma http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41563300

© Yan Kow Cheong, January 2019.