DIU Activities > Alumni

Sharpen Your General Knowledge

<< < (34/54) > >>

Shamim Ansary:
Where Did the Term “Better Half” Come From and Why Is It Used to Refer to a Man’s Wife?

Most men call their wives their “better half’ because they believe it, but the expression comes from an ancient Middle Eastern legend.

When a Bedouin man had been sentenced to death, his wife pleaded with the tribal leader that because they were married, she and her husband had become one, and that to punish one-half of the union would also punish the half who was innocent.

The court agreed and the man’s life was saved by his “better half.”

Shamim Ansary:
How Is Temperature Measured In Space and Who Invented the Kelvin Scale for Temperature?

Astronomers can measure temperature in space by studying various electromagnetic radiation waves.

In the United States, the Fahrenheit (F) scale is usually used to measure temperature. Most of the rest of the world uses the Celsius (C) scale.

Scientists, however, use the Kelvin (K) scale, also known as absolute temperature.

In 1848, Lord Kelvin, also known as William Thomson, proposed the need for a scale whereby “infinite cold”, or absolute zero, was the scale’s null point.

On the Kelvin scale, 0°K = —273°C or —460°F. Water freezes at 32°F, 0°C, and 273°K.

A normal live human body temperature is 98.6°F, 37°C, and 310°K. Water boils at 212°F, 100°C, and 373°K. The surface of the sun measures 10,000°F, 6,000°C, and 5,800°K.

To translate °K into °F, multiply the number of °K by 1.8 and subtract 460 from the answer. To translate °F into °C, subtract 32 from the number of °F and divide by 1.8.

Shamim Ansary:
What Is the Difference Between Homology and Analogy?

Scientists can determine whether a trait is homologous or analogous by comparing it in species thought to be of common origin and contrasting it to traits of unrelated species in similar habitats.

Shamim Ansary:
How Many Different Kinds of Clouds Exist and What Are They Called?

There are probably infinite shapes which clouds can form, given all the variables in the atmosphere, but three basic shapes are used to classify clouds.

Cumulus clouds are the flat-bottomed, tall clouds that look like whipped cream or cauliflower.

Thick layers of clouds, like blankets in the sky, are called stratus clouds.

Cirrus clouds tend to be high in the air, small, thin, and wispy.

Clouds can exhibit characteristics of more than one type, and more than one kind of cloud can be in the sky at any time. When clouds have combined traits, their names are generally made up by joining the names of the different clouds.

For instance, cirrostratus clouds have the height of cirrus clouds and something of the shape of stratus clouds.

Clouds likely to precipitate are called nimbus, as in cumulonimbus (cumulus rain-snow clouds) or stratonimbus (stratus rain-snow clouds). Cirrus clouds are frequently too thin to accumulate enough condensation to cause precipitation.

The three main types of clouds are cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. Clouds can be combinations or variations on these three types. Nimbus or Nimbo signals likely precipitation. Alto means high.

Clouds below —100° Fahrenheit (-73° Celsius) are completely ice.

Shamim Ansary:
Why Is English Money Called a Pound?

During the Middle Ages, most people in Europe used silver coins. The English used silver pennies; each weighed 1/240 of a pound, and was called a sterling.

The basic unit of money in England became the pound of silver, which was equal to 240 sterlings. So this unit was and still is called the pound sterling.

The word lira that is used for the basic unit of money in Italy also means “pound.”

The word franc became the name of the money unit in France, because during the 14th century, coins issued there bore the Latin words Francorum Rex, “King of the French.”

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page