A Ton of Crap
Page 15
LESSON 14A
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Battle of Lexington and Concord It is unknown which side the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” came from, but on April 19, 1775, the British troops and the American colonists fought the first battle of the Revolutionary War. A rumor was circulating that the Massachusetts Militia had been storing weapons in Concord, and 700 British soldiers were sent to quell their mission. The colonists quickly learned of the oncoming British troops, leading to Paul Revere’s famous horseback ride. Though both sides faced casualties, more British soldiers were left dead or wounded.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
What Is a Figure of Speech? Figures of speech are a literary device used to add interest, emphasis, freshness, or special meaning to words. A figure of speech can also be referred to as a rhetorical device or locution. Figures of speech are used in figurative (meaning not literal) language, allowing for imagination and more creative ways to describe something.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
What Is the Fibonacci Sequence? The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers that follows the very simple rule that any number in the sequence is the sum of the previous two numbers. The first ten numbers in the sequence are:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34
The Fibonacci sequence is written as:
xn = xn-1 + xn-2
GALILEO GALILEI
Who Was Galileo Galilei? Galileo was an Italian mathematician, physicist, philosopher, and astronomer who played a key role in the Scientific Revolution that began toward the end of the Renaissance and continued through the Enlightenment period of the eighteenth century. Galileo lived from 1564 to 1642. He is considered to be the “father of modern science” and his contributions to the world of science are still extremely relevant to this day.
FINNISH
The Origins Finnish is a Uralic language. It came from the Proto-Finnic language Sámi. The Proto-Finnic language was not actually spoken in Finland, but rather around present-day St. Petersburg. As the language began to spread north, one of the daughter languages turned into Finnish. Around the first century, the Finnic languages separated, which still has great influence on the Finnish dialects.
LESSON 14B
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Battle of Bunker Hill Following the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the colonists besieged Boston from the surrounding hills. When they heard news of the British planning to attack Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill, the colonists sent 1,600 militiamen to set up fortifications. On June 17, 1775, 2,600 British soldiers attacked. Most of the fighting took place on Breed’s Hill. By the third charge from the British, the colonists had to retreat, and though the British gained control of Breed’s Hill, they suffered a great amount of losses and casualties.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
Simile A simile is one of the most common figures of speech. In similes, one thing is described to be like another thing. The important part about similes is their use of the words like or as. For example, “He eats like a pig” and “It’s as light as a feather” are both examples of similes. Other forms of similes can be found in sentences with as if and than. For example, “I completely forgot how to work the machine, as if it were my very first time” and “larger than life.”
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
The Golden Ratio The Golden Ratio, expressed as φ, is a mathematical constant with a value of 1.6180339887. If the ratio between the sum of two quantities and the larger quantity equals the ratio of the larger quantity and the smaller quantity, it is called the Golden Ratio. In other words:
Any two successive numbers from the Fibonacci sequence will have a ratio close to the Golden Ratio.
GALILEO GALILEI
The Telescope In 1609, Galileo heard news of an invention in the Netherlands that would make faraway objects appear close — the spyglass. Determined to figure out how the invention worked, Galileo tried making his own, and in only 24 hours, without ever having seen the object and going by only the rumors he had heard, he created a 3-power telescope. After making some changes, he brought the now 10-power telescope to the Senate of Venice and demonstrated how it worked.
FINNISH
Finnish During the Middle Ages Before the Middle Ages, Finnish was only an oral language. During the Middle Ages, Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden. The administrative language was Swedish, the language used in religion was Latin, and business was transacted Middle Low German, leaving little room for Finnish to be spoken. However, the first evidence of Finnish writing is found from this time period, dating to around 1450.
LESSON 14C
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Evacuation of Boston The evacuation of the British from Boston was a very important victory for the colonists, and also the first victory for General George Washington. As a result of the battle of Bunker Hill, though the British won, they desperately needed reinforcements. To support Washington, Henry Knox, the chief artillery officer, brought fifty cannons from Fort Ticonderoga and positioned them to aim at the British fleet in Boston Harbor. On March 5, 1776, the British general saw the cannons aimed at them and took his men to Halifax, Canada.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
Metaphor Metaphors are very similar to similes, only they do not include the words like, as, as if, or than. Instead, they simply state that one thing is another thing. In the sentence “Her home is a pigsty,” we understand that this does not mean her home is a literal pigsty, but rather a very messy place. The differences between metaphors and similes is that even though they mean the same thing, they are worded differently. For example, “He is a snake” is a metaphor, but the same idea put as “He is like a snake” is a simile.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
The Fibonacci Sequence in Nature Fibonacci sequences appear in the natural world with astounding frequency. The number of petals on a flower, branching in trees, how leaves are arranged on a stem, the spirals of a pinecone, and even the scales of a pineapple all show Fibonacci sequences. One particular example of the Fibonacci sequence in nature is with the reproduction of the honeybee. The sequence of honeybee parents and ancestors correlates exactly with the Fibonacci sequence.
GALILEO GALILEI
The Moon During Galileo’s time, the widespread belief was that the Moon was actually completely smooth and polished. As Galileo focused his new invention on the Moon, he began noticing a surface that was anything but smooth. The landscape of the Moon was rough, full of cavities and craters, and uneven. People dismissed Galileo’s findings, and some even argued that the surface of the Moon was covered with an invisible layer of smooth crystal.
FINNISH
The Writing System In the sixteenth century, Finnish bishop Mikael Agricola created the first comprehensive Finnish writing system. The orthography was based on Latin, Swedish, and German, and Agricola created the system to translate the Bible. Agricola’s system was revised to make a more phonemic system at a later time, and certain phonemes were lost.
LESSON 14D
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Battle of Trenton Following a defeat, General George Washington decided to plan a surprise attack on the British and Hessian soldiers on Christmas day of 1776. Washington led 2,500 soldiers across the Delaware River in a great snowstorm under treacherous conditions to reach Trenton, New Jersey. While the British soldiers slept, Washington and his men attacked, taking 1,000 prisoners and killing over 100 men without a single American killed.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
Hyperbole Hyperbole is a form of exaggeration used to elicit a strong response. Hyperboles are not to be taken literally and are often used for humor. For example, “He is older than the dinosaurs” and “I’m a million times smarter than you” are both hyperboles. There is great exaggeration to these sentences. Hyperbole is very common in media and advertising.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
The Fibonacci Sequence in Music The Fibonacci sequence can also be found in music. In any octave, thirteen notes can be played
. A scale is made up of eight notes, and the third and fifth notes in the scale are the foundation of the chords. These are based on a whole tone, which is two tones away from the root tone, which happens to be the first note.
GALILEO GALILEI
Jupiter By January of 1610, Galileo’s telescope was now 30-power. As Galileo fixed his telescope on the stars, he began to focus on Jupiter, noticing three bright stars in a straight line near the planet. When looking the following evening, the three stars had moved to the west of the planet, while still maintaining the straight line. Over time, Galileo came to the conclusion that these were satellites of Jupiter that rotated around the planet. The implications meant that if satellites rotated around another planet, perhaps the Earth was not the center of the universe as many believed.
FINNISH
Modernization of Finnish In the nineteenth century, there was a great need to improve the Finnish language. Since Agricola’s writing system first appeared, written Finnish was almost solely used for things pertaining to religion. As support for a national language grew, efforts were made to modernize and improve the language. By the end of the nineteenth century, Finnish, with Swedish, became the official language of journalism, literature, science, and administration.
LESSON 14E
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Battle of Saratoga The Battle of Saratoga is considered to be one of the major victories in the Revolutionary War and a turning point for the Americans. The British army wished to control the Hudson River and cut New England off from the other colonies. British troops had planned to join with other troops along the way to quell the colonists; however, intervention from the Americans prevented this. On September 19, 1777, the first battle of Saratoga occurred, and on October 7, the second battle occurred, resulting in the surrender of the British troops.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
Oxymoron An oxymoron pairs two opposite or contradicting ideas together to create a new meaning or paradoxical image. For example, in “bittersweet chocolate” bitter and sweet are opposites of each other, and yet when put together, they take on a whole new meaning. Other examples of oxymora include deafening silence, jumbo shrimp, and freezer burn.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
The Man Behind Fibonacci The Fibonacci sequence was named after the Italian Leonardo Pisano Bogollo, who lived from 1170 to 1250. His nickname was Fibonacci, meaning “son of Banacci.” Though the sequence was described earlier by Indian mathematicians, it was Leonardo Pisano Bogollo who helped spread the sequence to Western Europe. He also helped spread the Hindu-Arabic numerals (the current system used today) across Europe, replacing the Roman Numeral system.
GALILEO GALILEI
Galileo and the Church Galileo continued to discover things about the various planets, and his findings started to contradict the beliefs of the Church. Galileo was, in fact, quite religious and believed in the Bible, but he believed they were wrong in this matter and that the Bible should not be taken so literally. This led to charges of heresy from the Church. He was eventually found innocent; however, sixteen years later he was put under house arrest until his death for a book he had written expressing Copernican theory.
FINNISH
Dialects There are two types of dialects found in the Finnish language: Western and Eastern. The two dialects are fairly similar, but do have slight differences in diphthongs, rhythms, and vowels. The most obvious distinguishing factor between the two dialects is how the letter d is pronounced. Otherwise, much of the same grammar, vocabulary, and phonology are the same.
LESSON 14F
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Battle of Yorktown Though the battle of Yorktown did not end the American Revolution, it was the last major battle fought. On September 5, 1781, the French fleet arrived and defeated the British Navy. The British general, Lord Cornwallis, found his men trapped between the American colonists and the French, and on October 19, 1781, he and his 8,000 troops surrendered. The surrender had a huge impact on the British government, as the war was being lost.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
Other Common Figures of Speech Other common examples of figures of speech include alliteration, where there is a repetition of the beginning consonant; anaphora, the repetition of a single word or phrase in a sentence; onomatopoeia, the use of words that imitate the sounds they are referring to; and antithesis, which juxtaposes opposite ideas in a single, balanced sentence.
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE
Leonardo Pisano Bogollo’s Rabbits Leonardo Pisano Bogollo first mentioned the sequence in his book Liber Abaci. In it, he examined the growth of an unrealistic rabbit population. Bogollo wondered how many pairs of rabbits would there be in one year if a male and a female rabbit can mate at one-month old, by the end of the second month the female can produce another pair, the rabbits do not ever die, and a new pair is produced every month from the second month on.
GALILEO GALILEI
Copernicanism and Galileo Galileo was a believer and teacher in Copernicanism, the idea, first posed by Nicolaus Copernicus, that the Earth was not the center of the universe. The ban of Galileo’s book that ended in his house arrest was eventually lifted from the Catholic Church in 1822, and in 1992 the Vatican publicly and formally cleared Galileo of doing anything wrong.
FINNISH
Useful Finnish Phrases Here are some helpful Finnish phrases to use when traveling to Finland:
Hello. Terve.
Good morning. Hyvää huomenta.
Good afternoon. Hyvää päivää.
Good evening. Hyvää iltaa.
Yes. Kyllä.
No. Ei.
Thank you. Kiitos.
Do you speak English? Puhutteko
englantia?
I don’t speak Finnish. Minä en puhu
suomea.
I don’t understand. Minä en ymmärrä.
Where’s the toilet? Missä on WC?
Goodbye. Näkemiin.
LESSON 14 QUIZ
Which of the following describes the Battle of Trenton?
On Christmas of 1776, Washington led 2,500 soldiers across the Delaware River in a great snowstorm under treacherous conditions for a surprise attack on the British and Hessians.
British troops planned to join with other troops along the way to quell the colonists; however, intervention from the French prevented this.
The British evacuated Boston.
The Shot Heard ’Round the World occurred.
Which of the following did the Americans lose?
Battle of Yorktown
Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Trenton
Battle of Saratoga
Which of the following is a
metaphor?
He’s like a pig.
He’s as messy as a pig.
He’s a million times messier than a pig.
He’s a pig.
Which of the following is an example of hyperbole?
He’s like a pig.
He’s as messy as a pig.
He’s a million times messier than a pig.
He’s a pig.
What is the next number in the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5…
9
5
7
8
Which of the following is an example of the Fibonacci sequence in nature?
Leaves arranged on a stem
The spirals of a pinecone
The scales of a pineapple
All of the above
What was one conclusion Galileo came to when he found the satellites orbiting around Jupiter?
If satellites rotated around another planet, perhaps the Earth was not the center of the universe as many believed.
The satellites were new planets.
The satellites were comets.
The Earth was the center of the universe, contrary to what others believed.
With his new telescope, Galileo noticed that the moon:
Was smooth and even
Was ro
ugh and uneven
Had a layer of invisible crystal around it
Was not made of cheese
Before the Middle Ages,
Finnish was:
Only a written language
Only spoken on the western half
of the country
Only an oral language
None of the above
In Finnish, the most obvious
distinguishing factor between
the two dialects is how this letter is pronounced:
B
G
C
D
ANSWER KEY: a, b, d, c, d, d, a, b, c, d
Lesson 15
HISTORY: The Constitution