The "This is what I've learned today." Thread

[Ohm]

I wanted to start a thread about "This is what I've learned today".
Because if you can write a summary explaining what terms and concept you studied, it will be reinforce. Also Professors on might correct you or better yet, direct you to better sources of information.


Hope this thread is helpful.

[Ohm]

I'll start.

Today I learned about Energy from my science book.
It explained what energy is and the different types of energy in our universe.
There's Thermal,Nuclear,Gravitational,kinetic,electric and Magnetic and more. Also the definition of Energy which is "The ability for mechanics,Living organisms and other systems to do work,Unlike Chi or Life energy which is a form of Vitalism. Last but not least Energy quantities and the measurement of energy. The different units of measuring enery for example electricity (Volt,Amp, and Ohms ) force (newtons).

I'm quite excited about the physics section in this book and I'm going to read about forces and fields.

[livius drusus]

Cool thread idea. I shall enjoy mooching off y'all's new knowledge.

[LadyShea]

Today I learned more about the kinesthetic learning style, and also read from an expert who believes "learning styles" are a complete bullshit waste of time.

I plan to do some experiments with Kiddo to see if engaging his large muscle groups helps him learn to write...yes, he is my own personal lab rat.

[The Lone Ranger]

Great idea!

Just to clarify a bit, the definition of energy only helps if you know the proper definition of "work." "Work" is moving matter. (Matter is anything that occupies space and has mass -- that is, is affected by gravity.)

So, "energy" is the capacity to move matter. Anything that's moving has energy (by definition), and the energy of movement is kinetic energy. (Electricity is a form of kinetic energy, for example, since it's moving electrons.) Energy can be stored (in chemical bonds, for example); stored energy is potential energy.


Cheers,

Michael

[ceptimus]

You (nearly) always use the same unit for measuring energy - the Joule.

Volts, Amps and Ohms aren't units of energy - they're certainly units to do with electricity though. If you use the 'water flowing in a pipe' analogy then Volts are used to measure the pressure, Amps measure the rate of flow, and Ohms measure how much the pipework or valves or whatever resists the flow.

If you multiply the Volts and Amps together (for a DC circuit) you get Watts. A Watt is a measure of power (rate of energy usage) A Watt is one Joule of energy used every second.

So if you connected up a torch battery (say three volts) to a bulb and a current of two amps flowed, then that would be six Watts of power. If you switched it off after a minute, then you would have used 3 x 2 x 60 = 360 Joules of energy.

[Crumb]

Originally Posted by cep

torch battery

[ChuckF]

Today I learned all about Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which discusses summons and service of process. Oh, and also some crap about negligence per se and joint tenancy.

[Ensign Steve]

Hey, I didn't come here to learn Latin!

[The Lone Ranger]

Illegitimi non carborundum!

[Ohm]

Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger

Illegitimi non carborundum!

Translation: "Don't let the bastards grind you down."

Thank you, wiki and TLR.

[Sock Puppet]

Utshay ethay uckfay upay.

I R LATIN EXPERT

[Ensign Steve]

[Demimonde]

I learned about the roots of "despair" as a verb in English. We still use the definition "to be without hope" but in the past despair was intextricably linked with forgiveness. At the time this was only the provenance of God, but the element of being beyond redemption seems more powerful to me than simply a state without hope. Particularly as forgiveness/redemption is an act, where as "hope" is an abstraction.

Oh, and I learned to love Christopher Marlowe even more.

[Nullifidian]

The older sense of despair also appears in Act IV, sc. 1 of The Duchess of Malfi when the Duchess is presented with wax figures of her husband and children, made to appear as if they are dead. She falls into a suicidal depression and Bosola counsels her against despair.

BOSOLA: Look you, here's the piece from which 'twas ta'en.
He doth present you this sad spectacle,
That, now you know directly they are dead,
Hereafter you may wisely cease to grieve
For that which cannot be recovered.

DUCHESS: There is not between heaven and earth one wish
I stay for after this: it wastes me more
Than were't my picture, fashion'd out of wax,
Stuck with a magical needle, and then buried
In some foul dunghill; and yond's an excellent property
For a tyrant, which I would account mercy.

BOSOLA: What's that?

DUCHESS: If they would bind me to that lifeless trunk,
And let me freeze to death.

BOSOLA: Come, you must live.

DUCHESS: That's the greatest torture souls feel in hell;
In hell that they must live, and cannot die.
Portia, I'll new kindle thy coals again,
And revive the rare and almost dead example
Of a loving wife.

BOSOLA: O fie! despair? remember
You are a Christian.

DUCHESS: The church enjoins fasting:
I'll starve myself to death.

[curses]

Today I learned that I'm better at algebra than I thought I was

Oh and we discussed the rule of thirds and how to do basic photo composition.

[Deadlokd]

Yesterday I learnt that there are a fuckload of viruses in the ocean, especially around deep sea hydrothermal vents. They serve to keep bacterial numbers down and return amino acids, nucleic acids, carbs and lipids back into the chain.

Today I learnt nothing because I'm finished for the semester.

[Ohm]

Originally Posted by Deadlokd

Yesterday I learnt that there are a fuckload of viruses in the ocean, especially around deep sea hydrothermal vents. They serve to keep bacterial numbers down and return amino acids, nucleic acids, carbs and lipids back into the chain.

Today I learnt nothing because I'm finished for the semester.

Pretty interesting.

[Dingfod]

Since I got rid of the DVR service and cut the cable TV back to Expanded Basic, we've been watching different programs on TV, a lot more home remodeling stuff, but also educational programs and lectures. This evening I learned about the geology of Oklahoma from Professor Bryan Tapp of the University of Tulsa Geosciences Dept. I found out that my parents once lived right on top of the middle of an ancient 9.9 mile wide, 9,000 feet deep meteor impact crater, the Ames Crater, source of millions of barrels of oil and billions of cubic feet of natural gas. Since they moved away from Ames, Oklahoma in 2002, an informational walkthough display about the Ames Crater has been erected right on Main Street in that tiny burg.

[D. Scarlatti]

Chesley Sullenberger went to Congress to testify about pilot compensation and they drowned him out with patriotic music.

(I learned that last night actually.)

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by curses

Today I learned that I'm better at algebra than I thought I was

Oh and we discussed the rule of thirds and how to do basic photo composition.

Yesterday I learned curses is photogenic (read: cute as hell).

[Ohm]

Today I learned about the Origin of the moon in my science book.

I knew about it, but I really got into the details this time.

One of the details was the "Mare tranquillitatis" one of the "Lunar Mare" on the moon.Form by lava flows in the impact crates. Also How, a sort of a different, theory on how the moon was formed. I'm still investigating, but it's still the basic premise. A celestial body impact the earth about 4 billion years old and launch a rubble into space which them agglomerated into what we call the moon.

I'm checking out "Drop-moon" theory, It's pretty exciting.

Anyone was additional information about this with a great source? Thanks.

[yguy]

Originally Posted by Ohm

Today I learned about the Origin of the moon

No, you learned about a theory which attempts to explain the origin of the moon. Nobody knows how the moon got there, and no one ever will without asking somebody who saw it happen.

[Ohm]

Originally Posted by yguy

No, you learned about a theory which attempts to explain the origin of the moon. Nobody knows how the moon got there, and no one ever will without asking somebody who saw it happen.

It's quite obvious yguy, from the statements you so shamelessly omitted.

Originally Posted by Ohm

Today I learned about the Origin of the moon in my science book.

I knew about it, but I really got into the details this time.

One of the details was the "Mare tranquillitatis" one of the "Lunar Mare" on the moon.Form by lava flows in the impact crates. Also How, a sort of a different, theory on how the moon was formed. I'm still investigating, but it's still the basic premise. A celestial body impact the earth about 4 billion years old and launch a rubble into space which them agglomerated into what we call the moon.

I'm checking out "Drop-moon" theory, It's pretty exciting.

Anyone was additional information about this with a great source? Thanks.

[Shake]

Originally Posted by curses

Today I learned that I'm better at algebra than I thought I was

Oh and we discussed the rule of thirds and how to do basic photo composition.

I've been learning recently that some people think algebra is hard. Then again, my classes pretty much assume a working knowledge of basic calculus, and the profs toss about phrases such as, "... and then the rest is just algebra," or, "I won't bore you with the algebra here ...".

Anyway, today I learned about how to map the s-plane into the z-plane. Where s is a complex number of the form <sigma> + jOmega, where <sigma> is the real part, and Omega is the imaginary part. Yes, Fourier and z-transforms, for filter design.