INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place the sharp edge of the blade against the pencil about an inch above the lead. Hold the knife so that the blade is horizontal to the pencil, but tilted back so that the back side of the blade is closer to you. Use the thumb on the hand that is holding the pencil to push the blade through the wood. Reduce the pressure on the blade as it meets the marking core. Do not force the blade with the knife hand at any point. Rotate the pencil slowly and consistently with each stroke of the blade. Maintain the angle of the blade throughout the cut. Use both thumbs to push on the back of the blade if you need to. When using two thumbs, push especially slowly and with particular care. The strips of wood should be thin enough to ribbon or curl as they separate from the pencil. Try to move the pencil forward after you complete a cut, as opposed to moving the blade backward. This may feel more comfortable. In between cuts, reposition the knife and pencil relative to one another however you'd like, but do so in a consistent manner. Place the blade the same distance from the tip as the previous cut. You want a very long point that tapers from the beginning of your cuts to a very sharp point at the very tip of the marking material. The longer the taper is, the stronger the tip. Remember, the shallower the angle of the blade, the longer the taper.

SUMMARY: Position the blade at a shallow angle. Cut small strips of wood from the pencil. Reposition the blade on the pencil. Taper the wood up to the core.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Once you've figured out what these probabilities are, you'll calculate them separately. Say you wanted to know the probability of rolling a 5 twice consecutively on a 6-sided die. You know that the probability of rolling one five is 1/6, and the probability of rolling another five with the same die is also 1/6. The first outcome doesn't interfere with the second. If the occurrence of 1 event alters the probability of a second event occurring, you are measuring the probability of dependent events. For example, if you choose 2 cards out of a deck of 52 cards, when you choose the first card, that affects what cards are available when you choose the second card. To calculate the probability for the second of two dependent events, you'll need to subtract 1 from the possible number of outcomes when calculating the probability of the second event. Example 1: Consider the event: Two cards are drawn randomly from a deck of cards. What is the likelihood that both cards are clubs? The likelihood that the first card is a club is 13/52, or 1/4. (There are 13 clubs in every deck of cards.) Now, the likelihood that the second card is a club is 12/51, since 1 club will have already been removed. This is because what you do the first time affects the second. If you draw a 3 of clubs and don't put it back, there will be one less club and one less card in the deck (51 instead of 52). Example 2: A jar contains 4 blue marbles, 5 red marbles, and 11 white marbles. If 3 marbles are drawn from the jar at random, what is the probability that the first marble is red, the second marble is blue, and the third is white? The probability that the first marble is red is 5/20, or 1/4. The probability of the second marble being blue is 4/19, since we have 1 less marble, but not 1 less blue marble. And the probability that the third marble is white is 11/18, because we've already chosen 2 marbles. Regardless of whether you're dealing with independent or dependent events, and whether you're working with 2, 3, or even 10 total outcomes, you can calculate the total probability by multiplying the events' separate probabilities by one another. This will give you the probability of multiple events occurring one after another. So, for the scenario; What is the probability of rolling two consecutive fives on a six-sided die? the probability of both independent events is 1/6. This gives us 1/6 x 1/6 = 1/36. You could also express this as 0.027 or 2.7%. Example 1: Two cards are drawn randomly from a deck of cards. What is the likelihood that both cards are clubs? The probability of the first event happening is 13/52. The probability of the second event happening is 12/51. The probability is 13/52 x 12/51 = 12/204 = 1/17. You could also express this as 0.058 or 5.8%. Example 2: A jar contains 4 blue marbles, 5 red marbles and 11 white marbles. If three marbles are drawn from the jar at random, what is the probability that the first marble is red, the second marble is blue, and the third is white? The probability of the first event is 5/20. The probability of the second event is 4/19. And the probability of the third event is 11/18. The probability is 5/20 x 4/19 x 11/18 = 44/1368 = 0.032. You could also express this as 3.2%.

SUMMARY: Deal with each probability separately to calculate independent events. Consider the effect of prior events when calculating probability for dependent events. Multiply the probabilities of each separate event by one another.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you have a few items that always need to be ironed, try buying a garment steamer. Steaming takes about a quarter of the time ironing does and is a great option for large or special items that need to be pressed. Garment steamers have different water capacities depending on their size, so check your steamer's instructions before filling it. Don't fill it up beyond the maximum fill level--this can cause a leak that can damage your steamer. Get a hanger and put the item that needs to be ironed on it so that it's hanging upright. Most hangers will be fine, but avoid using hangers made of wood or that have cloth coverings--steam and water can damage them or leave marks on your clothes. If you're trying to steam curtains, leave them on the rod. You can use a garment rack, door sill, curtain rod, or anything that gets your item hanging vertically. Don't try to steam garments that are lying flat--you'll just get them wet! Check your label to be sure the item can be steam-cleaned before starting. Gently run the steamer head across the wrinkled areas until there are none left. Don't press it too hard against the garment--just hold it against the fabric and gently move it downward. You can hang up clothes on the shower bar to steam while you're taking a hot shower. This is less effective than using a steamer or dryer, but you'll be able to get some wrinkles out.

SUMMARY:
Buy a garment steamer. Fill the steamer and turn it on. Put the item on a hanger. Hold the steamer head up to the wrinkles. Hang your clothes in the shower.