The Eye was opened in 2000. It is 135 metres high(442ft). At the time it was built, in 1999, it was the tallest giant wheel in the world, and at present it is Europe's tallest Ferris wheel. It offered the highest public viewing point in London. The observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard is now the highest public view of London.
It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom: there are over 2.2 million visitors annually, and the Eye has made many appearances in popular culture.
The London Eye was overtaken in height by the Star of Nanchang, which is 160 meters high. On the 11th February 2008, the Singapore Flyer overtook the Star of Nanchang with 165 meters. It is known as the Coke Cola London Eye.
Finlandia (Symphonic Poem)
Finlandia is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. He wrote it in 1899 and made some changes to it the next year. "Finlandia" is the Latin name for Finland. At the time Sibelius wrote it, Finland was called the "Grand Duchy of Finland". This was because it was being ruled by Russia. The Finnish people wanted to rule Finland for themselves. The music was composed for a pageant to encourage the Finnish people to work for freedom.
The music of "Finlandia" is exciting and dramatic. It sounds like the Finnish people struggling to be free. Towards the end the music becomes calm and a lovely tune is played. It is a hymn tune which became known as "Finlandia". Many years later Sibelius set some words to this hymn and it is often sung as a separate piece by a choir. The words were written by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi. It has become Finland's best known song and almost feels like a second Finnish national anthem. It is often sung as a hymn in Christian churches to the words "Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side". The tune was also used as the national anthem of the short-lived African country Biafra.
Transpiration
Transpiration is the evaporation of water from plants, especially leaves. It is a type of translocation and part of the water cycle. The amount of water lost by a plant depends on its size, the light intensity, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and soil water supply. The process of Transpiration helps in regulating temperature in the plant.
Transpiration was first worked out by Stephen Hales (17 September 1677 – 4 January 1761), an English clergyman. He proved what is still believed, that the evaporation of water molecules from leaves is the main force pulling the water column up from its origin in the roots.
Leaf surfaces are dotted with openings called stomata, which act rather like pores. In most plants there are more on the undersides of the leaves than on the top. The stomata are bordered by guard cells that open and close the pore. Transpiration happens when the guard cells open the stomata. This lets oxygen and water vapour flow out, and carbon dioxide flow in. The carbon dioxide is used in photosynthesis, and the oxygen is produced by photosynthesis.
Transpiration also pulls water through the plant. This brings with it the mineral nutrients from roots to shoots. Water moves out of the leaves into the atmosphere. This exerts a pull on the water column, which brings the water up against gravity. Water gets into the plant at the roots by osmosis, and it transports dissolved mineral nutrients to the upper parts of the plant through the xylem. A fully grown tree may lose hundreds of gallons (thousands of liters) of water through its leaves on a hot, dry day. About 90% of the water that enters a plant's roots is used for this process; most of the rest is used in photosynthesis.
Desert plants and conifers have adaptations which reduce water loss. Examples are: thick cuticles, reduced leaf areas, sunken stomata and hairs. All these reduce transpiration and conserve water. Many cacti do photosynthesis in succulent stems, rather than leaves. The surface area of even a fat stem is far less that the total surface of leaves in a tree. Also, stomata of desert plants are usually closed during the day and open at night, when transpiration is lower.
Stomata
In botany, a stoma (plural = "stomata") is a tiny opening or pore. It is found on plant leaves and stems, and any other green parts of the plant. It is used for gas exchange. Stomata are mostly found on the under-surface of plant leaves. Almost all land plants have stomata.
Stomata have two main functions. First is gaseous exchange i.e. intake of carbon dioxide and release of oxygen. The second is the process of transpiration in plants.
Air enters the plant through these openings. The carbon dioxide is used in photosynthesis. Some of the oxygen produced is used in respiration. Surplus oxygen exits through these same openings. Also, water vapor goes into the atmosphere through these pores in transpiration.
The pore is formed by a pair of cells known as guard cells. These adjust the size of the opening by opening or closing. To open a guard cell, protons (hydrogen ions, H) are pumped into the guard cells. Water enters into them, the cells gets filled, and they open.
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787; pronounced MOHT-sart) was a composer, music teacher and violinist. He was the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Famine
Famine is a situation where most people do not have enough food to eat. Without food, the human body grows weaker and weaker until the person becomes very sick or dies (see malnutrition). In poor countries with much subsistence farming such as in parts of Africa and Latin America, famine can be common.
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation transmits information over a carrier wave by varying the frequency. This technique is different from amplitude modulation which varies the amplitude, but keeps the frequency constant. This kind of modulation is used in broadcasting and other radio work.
In the context of broadcasting, Frequency modulation is often shortened to FM. When transmitting analogue sound, the sound quality of FM signals is better than that of amplitude modulation (AM) signals. However, FM signals do not travel as far as AM beause they use higher frequencies that do not bounce off the Kennelly–Heaviside layer.
Many radio stations send out both kinds of signals. AM may be used for talk shows, and FM for music. FM broadcasting usually includes a difference signal, which can cause two different speakers at home to create different sounds. This creates stereo sound.
Monty Hall problem
The Monty Hall problem is a famous problem in probability (chance). The problem is based on a television game show from the United States, "Let's Make a Deal". It is named for this show's host, Monty Hall.
In the problem, there are three doors. A car (prize of high value) is behind one door and goats (booby prizes of low value) are behind the other two doors. First, the player chooses a door but does not open it. Then the host opens a different door. The host knows what is behind every door, and always chooses a door with a goat behind it. (If there are goats behind both other doors, one is chosen at random.) Last, the player choose whether to keep what is behind the first door or to change to the third door (the one the host did not open).
The rules of the problem are that the host has to open a door with a goat behind it and the player has the opportunity to switch. The question is whether changing choices increases the chances of getting the car.
Most people feel that the car is equally likely to behind either of the two doors that are still closed, so that changing doors does not affect the chance of getting the car. The true answer is that changing choices increases the chances of getting the car from 1/3 (one out of three) to 2/3 (two out of three).