A Ton of Crap
Page 27
EDGAR ALLAN POE
The American Romantic Movement Poe’s writing belongs to what is known as the American Romantic movement. Literature of American Romanticism focused on nature, the power of one’s imagination, and individuality. This is considered a great literary genre to come out of America. Poe’s life was dark and extremely emotional, and his writings also reflected this. His work featured mystical, magical, and mysterious elements in ways that set his work apart from more realistic work. Other writers of American Romanticism include Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Washington Irving, and Herman Melville.
PROBABILITY
Probability of an Event In probability problems, the event is the end result. It’s what we want to figure out. To figure out the probability of an event A occurring, the formula is:
For example, every letter from the word pizza is written down on a piece of paper and put in a hat. What is the probability that you will pick a z?
S = {P, I, Z1, Z2, A}
A = event of getting Z = {Z1, Z2}
STRING THEORY
Strings and Membranes When string theory was first developed in the 1970s, it was believed that strings, little filaments of energy, were one-dimensional, and came in two forms: open and closed (think of one rubber band that is broken, and another that is not). These strings, known as Type I strings, could go through five different types of interactions. Physicists believe the closed strings could describe gravity.
Later it was discovered that more than just strings were required. These are known as branes, and they are sheets that the strings attach one or both ends to.
HEBREW
Revival of the Language From the fourth century to the nineteenth century, Hebrew existed solely as a written language. In 1881, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda revived Hebrew as a spoken language based on the liturgical language.
LESSON 25C
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
The Wright Brothers’ Gliders The Wright brothers created a series of gliders over the next three years, and even corresponded with Octave Chanute. After a successful test, they created a full-size glider, choosing Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, as the test site due to its hilly landscape, isolated location, and wind. The 50-pound, 17-foot-wingspan glider was tested at Kitty Hawk in 1900, both piloted and unmanned. A year later, the largest glider ever (weighing almost 100 pounds and with a 22-foot wingspan) was flown at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Their glider faced some problems, and the Wright brothers came to the realization that their calculations were not reliable. They built a wind tunnel to test various wing shapes, and soon planned on making a new glider with a 32-foot wingspan.
EDGAR ALLAN POE
“The Raven” “The Raven,” arguably Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem, was first published on January 29, 1845, in the New York Evening Mirror to rave reviews. The poem tells the story of a man who desires his love who has died. He is visited by a talking bird that only says one word: “Nevermore.” The man, so caught up in his imagination, believes the bird is telling him that he will never be reunited with his love. Poe has said “The Raven” discussed man’s proclivity to torture himself.
PROBABILITY
Complementary Events The complimentary event is the probability that an event will not occur. This is represented as:
1 – P(A)
For example:
The probability of getting a green towel from the hamper is ¼. What is the probability of not getting a green towel?
P (Towel is not green) = 1 – ¼ = ¾
And as you get more complex, it looks like this:
A hamper contains green and blue towels. The probability of getting a blue towel is. What is the probability of getting a green towel?
A = Getting a blue towel
B = Getting a green towel
A and B are complementary events. Another way to say P(B) is to say P(A’)
P(A’)= P (Not getting a blue towel)
= 1 – P(A)
= 1 –
=
STRING THEORY
Quantum Gravity There are two basic laws in modern physics and they represent two very different areas of study: general relativity and quantum physics. General relativity studies nature on a grand scale, focusing on planets, galaxies, and the entire universe. Quantum physics, on the other hand, studies the smallest objects that can be found in nature. String theory is an attempt to unite these two very different theories, and any theory that does so is known as a theory of quantum gravity. It is believed that string theory has the most promise to unite the two.
HEBREW
Modern Israeli Hebrew In the 1880s, three types of Hebrew accents existed: Sephardi (Hispanic and Mediterranean), Ashkenazi (German), and that of Jews that were separate from both, living in Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, and Tunisia. The standard Hebrew that Eliezer Ben-Yehuda created was supposed to be based on Sephardi pronunciation and Mishnaic spelling. However, for many of the earliest speakers, Yiddish was their native tongue, and so idioms and literal translations were brought into the language from Yiddish. Instead of Sephardi phonology, the Ashkenazi style was used.
LESSON 25D
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
The Flyer In 1902, the Wright brothers tested their new 32-foot-wingspan glider. Their research showed that if the glider had a moveable tail, it would actually balance the glider. The Wright brothers connected a tail to the wires responsible for warping the wings. After successful tests were performed in the wind tunnel, the brothers decided they would try to make a powered aircraft. They studied how propellers worked and created a motor and an aircraft that would be sturdy enough for the motor, as well as able to withstand the motor’s vibrations. This new craft was known as the Flyer, and it weighed 700 pounds.
EDGAR ALLAN POE
His Death It is unknown what caused Edgar Allan Poe’s death. What is known is that Poe died on October 7, 1849, in Baltimore. Days earlier, he was discovered outside of a bar, lying on a wooden plank, and brought to the hospital. Records of his hospitalization indicated that he was delirious, hallucinating, and was having tremors until he ultimately slipped into a coma. When he came out of the coma, he was at first calm, but then became increasingly delirious and combative. Four days later, he would be dead. The cause of death on his death certificate reads “congestion of the brain.” Many believed this to be alcohol related; however, Poe had not had any alcohol six months prior to his death. Researchers today believe the cause of death was from rabies.
PROBABILITY
Probability and Area Problems involving probability can also have to do with finding the area of a particular geometric shape. For example:
If a dart is thrown at this circle, what is the probability it will land on the area that is shaded?
Total area: π × 162 = 804.25
Area of not-shaded part: π × 82 = 201.06
Area of shaded part: 804.25 – 201.06 = 603.19, which rounded equals 603
So:
STRING THEORY
Unification of Forces There are four fundamental forces found in the universe that string theory attempts to unify: gravity, weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force, and electromagnetic force. Currently, these are four completely separate and different phenomena. String theorists believe that string theory is what unifies these forces. They believe that all four of these forces are described by strings that interacted with one another in the early stages of the universe, when energy levels were extremely high.
HEBREW
Hebrew in Judaism The Hebrew language has existed for over 2,000 years and little of the language has changed. Because of this fact, the language is deeply rooted in the Jewish religion, used for prayer and study, and the Torah, the Jewish bible, is written in Hebrew. Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi relate to the different pronunciations of the language, and though Modern Hebrew is established, all of these pronunciations are still used in religious ceremonies and rituals.
LESSON 25E
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
The First Manned Flight In order for the Flyer to gain enough speed to launch, the Wright brothers created a movable downhill track. On December 13, 1903, after only two tries (one of which resulted in the Flyer crashing), Orville Wright flew the Flyer for twelve seconds. This was the first piloted and powered flight in history to ever be a success. On November 9, 1904, the Flyer II, this time flown by Wilbur, flew for over five minutes.
EDGAR ALLAN POE
Griswold’s Obituary Rufus Wilmot Griswold was an anthologist, journalist, editor, and critic who worked with Poe and had a long-standing feud with the writer. When Poe died, Griswold wrote an obituary printed in the New York Daily Tribune, signed with the pseudonym Ludwig. The obituary claimed Poe was a reckless drunk, friendless, and a madman, and that he would be missed by few. In 1850, Griswold claimed to be the literary executor of a posthumous biography of Poe. The book is famous for its terribly inaccurate depiction of Poe as a drug addict and madman, and much of it was fabricated.
PROBABILITY
Coin Probability To solve problems regarding probability with a coin, you have to use tree diagrams. These are very simple, because they are a visual way of showing all of the possible outcomes.
If a coin is tossed 3 times, this is what it looks like:
STRING THEORY
Supersymmetry There are two types of particles in the universe: fermions and bosons. In string theory, it is hypothesized that there is a connection between these two types of particles called supersymmetry, and that for one to exist, the other has to also exist. The idea of supersymmetry was actually discovered separate from string theory, and in the mid-1970s, it was incorporated into the theory, turning it into superstring theory. Supersymmetry is still a theoretical assumption, and scientists have yet to observe the particles. Scientists believe supersymmetry to be the case because of how much energy it takes to make the particles, and that as energy spread as a result of the big bang, the particles would have collapsed into lower energies.
HEBREW
Writing System The Hebrew alphabet, which is written from right to left, is an abjad. It consists of twenty-two letters, all consonants. The script is a “square script,” and it is based on Aramaic script (or Ashurit). There is also a cursive version of the alphabet for writing. If vowels are necessary, diacritic marks are placed above or below the letters and sometimes consonants are used as vowels.
LESSON 25F
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
The Vin Fiz On July 30, 1909, the United States government bought its first airplane. It was a Wright Brothers biplane, and it sold for $25,000 with an additional $5,000 because it had exceeded 40 miles per hour. In 1911, the Wright Brothers’ Vin Fiz became the first airplane to travel coast to coast. Calbraith Perry Rogers purchased the plane from the Wright brothers and had only ninety minutes of training. The flight took a total of eighty-four days, stopped seventy times, and crash-landed so frequently that little of the original plane existed by the end of the journey.
EDGAR ALLAN POE
The Poe Toaster Beginning in 1949, 100 years after the death of Edgar Allan Poe, a mysterious man dressed in black with a white scarf started bringing three roses, a bottle of French cognac, and sometimes a note to the tombstone of Edgar Allan Poe on Poe’s birthday. He did this every year until 1998, when it is believed he died and his son took over. Though there were attempts to discover the identity of the Poe Toaster, they never succeeded, and 2010 was the first year the Poe Toaster did not show up. He didn’t appear the following year either, and it is believed that he too has passed away, perhaps ending a sixty-year tradition.
PROBABILITY
Mutually Exclusive Events If events cannot occur at the same time, that means they are mutually exclusive. For example, if you toss a coin and get heads, you cannot also have tails at the same time. If events are mutually exclusive, then the probability of having A or B is represented as P(A) + P(B).
For example:
What is the probability of rolling a die and getting a 3 or a 4?
So, the probability of getting a 3 or 4 when the die is rolled is.
STRING THEORY
Extra Dimensions Our universe currently has three dimensions of space, up/down, front/back, and left/right. String theory, however, can only make sense if there are more than three dimensions. And scientists have possible explanations for where these extra dimensions are. One explanation is that it is believed that there are six dimensions, and that they are curled up into sizes so small that we will never identify them. Another explanation states that the other dimensions are inaccessible because we are fixed on a three-dimensional brane, and those other dimensions extend from off of our brane.
HEBREW
Useful Hebrew Phrases Here are some helpful Hebrew phrases to use when traveling to Israel (or maybe attending a service). Note that these are written phonetically.
Hello. Shalom.
Good morning. Boker tov.
Good afternoon. Achar tzahara’im tovim.
Good evening. Erev tov.
Pleased to meet you. Na’im me’od.
I don’t understand. Ani lo mevin (when said by a man).
Ani lo mevinah (when said by a woman).
How much is this? Kama ze ole?
Thank you. Rav todot.
Where’s the toilet? Eifo ha’sheirutim?
Goodbye. Lehitraot.
LESSON 25 QUIZ
On December 13, 1903, Orville Wright flew the first piloted and powered flight for how long?
45 seconds
12 minutes
12 seconds
45 minutes
In order to successfully fly, the Wright brothers realized that they needed to base their models on:
Kites
Small birds that rely on flapping their wings
Large soaring birds
Balloons
Which of the following did literature of American Romanticism NOT focus on?
Nature
Imagination
Individuality
Industrialism
When Poe died, Rufus Wilmot Griswold wrote an obituary printed in the New York Daily Tribune, signed with what pseudonym?
Ludwig
The Raven
The Poe Toaster
Baltimore
Every letter from the word cello is written down on a piece of paper and put in a hat. What is the probability that you will pick an l?
A drawer contains green and red socks. The probability of getting a red sock is . What is the probability of getting a green sock?
Which of the following is one of the fundamental forces found in the universe that string theory attempts to unify?
Gravity
Electromagnetic force
Strong and weak nuclear forces
All of the above
The two types of particles in the universe are:
Fermions and strings
Bosons and strings
Fermions and bosons
Strings and branes
Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and
Mizrahi are examples of:
Different writing systems
Different pronunciations
Different dialects of Israel
Different forms of Aramaic script
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda is responsible for:
Making Hebrew the official language of Judaism
Making Yiddish the official language of Israel
Creating Sephardi
Reviving the Hebrew spoken language
ANSWER KEY: c, c, d, a, b, a, d, c, b, d
Lesson 26
HISTORY: The
Panama Canal
About Panama, The Earliest Proposal for a Canal, The French Attempt to Build a Canal, Americans Take Over the Isthmus, Construction of the Panama Canal, The Panama Canal Today
LANGUAGE ARTS: Fantasy
The Epic of Gilgamesh, The
Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Inheritance
Cycle
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MATH: Statistics
Mean, Median, Mode, Basic Counting Principle, Standard Deviation, Combinations
SCIENCE: Early Medicine
William Harvey, Giovanni Morgagni, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Alexander Fleming and Penicillin, Christiaan Barnard
FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Yiddish
The Origins, The Writing System, The Worms Mahzor, World War II, Yiddish Today, Useful Yiddish Phrases