Internet resources to help kids with homework

[2020hindsight]

PS you're at the north pole , and you want to catch a polar bear .
well you cut a hole in the ice, and you wait till he comes up and peers into the hole, then .. you kick him in the icehole.
PPS why dont polar bears eat penguins - ? - poles apart

 

[2020hindsight]

So you're at sea with your eye about 3m (10 feet) above sea level
and you see an island peak (that you know is 300m (1000 feet) high, and you want to know how far it is.
(Firstly I'll give the boring maths, then a shortcut.)

http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzdiameter.htm
What is the diameter of the earth?
The diameter of the earth at the equator is 7,926.41 miles (12,756.32 kilometers).
But, if you measure the earth through the poles the diameter is a bit shorter - 7,901 miles (12,715.43 km). This the earth is a tad wider (25 miles / 41 km) than it is tall, giving it a slight bulge at the equator. This shape is known as an ellipsoid or more properly, geoid (earth-like).

Here's the boring maths

Lets say mean diameter of 12740km, and radius = approx 6370km
So based on this sketch, the height of the observer above sea level is Ze, = 3m = 10 feet, and the height of the mountain is Zm = 300m = 1000feet.

then first distance from you to horizon = AH is given by
(R+Ze)^2 = R^2 + AH^2
or AH^2 = R^2 + Ze^2 + 2.R.Ze -R^2 (where Ze^2 can be ignored)
= 2. R Ze. (approx)
AH = sqrt (2.R.Ze)
= sqrt (2 x 6370,000 x 3) = 6.2km ( or 3.8 miles or 3.3 nautical miles, where one of them is about 6080 feet compared to normal mile of 5280 feet)

Likewise the second part of the distance, i.e. from the horizon to the island peak = HP is given by
(R+Zm)^2 = R^2 + PQ^2
PQ^2 = 2. R Zm. (approx)
PQ = sqrt (2.R.Zm)
= sqrt (2 x 6370,000 x 300) = 62km ( or 38 miles or 33 nautical miles).

Total distance from you to island is (3.3 + 33 ) = 36 nautical miles.

Shortcut is as follows.
distance in nautical miles = sqrt (eye height in feet) + sqrt (peak height in feet)
i.e. sqrt (10 feet) + sqrt (1000 feet) = 3.3 + 33 = 36 nautical miles .

PS now you can calculate how long it'll take you to paddle there assuming there's no wind
Gotta feeling I twigged to this one whilst becalmed somewhere in the tropics - Actually I saw an active volcano once - near Solomons - pretty close to the epicentre of last night's 8.1 richter EQ now I think about it .

PPS Concerning the desert island one (#20) - you don't average the slope of the shadow from the stick for 6 months - should read "the average of the slope today , and the slope in 6 months time"

 

[2020hindsight]

Since I'm sure there are more people out there interested in astrology than in astronomy... .. Here's a website wil all the zodiac constellations.
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/celsph.html#zodiac
just click on the table "THE CLASSICAL ASTRONOMICAL ZODIAC"
(and you get the option of the stars with or without labels - without might help to identify them at night ).

Aries (Ram)April 19
Taurus (Bull) May 15
Gemini (Twins) June 21
Cancer (Crab) July 21
Leo (Lion) August 11
Virgo (Maiden) September 17
Libra (Scales) November 1
Scorpius (Scorpion) November 24
Sagittarius (Archer) December 18
Capricornus (Water Goat) January 20
Aquarius (Water Bearer) February 17
Pisces (Fishes) March 12

PS Here's Gemini, (Just for you Prospector
a) see if you can see twins in that set of squiggles
b) bludy good imagination in the old days, yes?
c) looks about as convincing as some of the trading graphs around here
d) ask Freeball if that is also voyeuristic in his eyes, lol - he'll probably say - "hell yes , !! but you're the one drawing all the sexy pictures!!" lol.

http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/celsph.html#zodiac
Gemini (the Twins), the most northerly constellation of the zodiac, appears here lying on its side. Gemini contains the Summer Solstice, passed by the Sun on the first day of northern summer. The eclipic passes just north of Wasat. Mekbuda, Zeta Gem, is one of the sky's four bright Cepheid variable stars. Sigma Gem is almost hidden by the line connecting Castor and Pollux.

Sounds like a lot of Pollux to me.

 

[2020hindsight]

I thoroughly recommend that every kid be made to watch each and every one of these experiments
http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/whyisitso/

 

[2020hindsight]

http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors.html
Top site this one - includes some books complete ( eg Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe")

I can imagine Defoe ringing up his publisher asking for an extension of time for the final draft of his book
"But we can't make exceptional arrangements for everyone!!"
"ahh c'mon , just a day or two !!! "
"trouble with you is you think you're Robinson Crusoe"

These are seriously old jokes, but maybe the kids havent heard them
"The only bloke who used to get everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe" etcetc

Also the entire novel Animal Farm ( Orwell) also 1984 etc etc (heaps of others) On our Selection etc
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/O/OrwellGeorge/prose/AnimalFarm/chapter_1.html
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/O/OrwellGeorge/prose/NineteenEightyFour/index.html
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/w...eele/prose/onourselection/ourselection01.html

huck finn etc
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/T/TwainMark/prose/huckfinn/index.html

Shakespeare already typed for you - pretty handy for searching out quotes - just use Cntrl+F...
then a quick copy and paste, and vwala - homework finished .
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/S/ShakespeareWilliam/index.html e.g. :-
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/S/ShakespeareWilliam/play/hamlet/hamletact5s1.html

HAMLET How long will a man lie i’ the earth ere he rot?

FIRST CLOWN I’ faith, if he be not rotten before he die—as we have many pocky corses now-a-days, that will scarce hold the laying in—he will last you some eight year or nine year: a tanner will last you nine year.

HAMLET Why he more than another?

FIRST CLOWN Why, sir, his hide is so tanned with his trade, that he will keep out water a great while; and your water is a sore decayer of your whoreson dead body. Here’s a skull now; this skull has lain in the earth three and twenty years.

HAMLET Whose was it?

FIRST CLOWN A whoreson mad fellow’s it was: whose do you think it was?

HAMLET Nay, I know not.

FIRST CLOWN A pestilence on him for a mad rogue! a’ poured a flagon of Rhenish on my head once. This same skull, sir, was Yorick’s skull, the king’s jester.

HAMLET This?

FIRST CLOWN E’en that.

HAMLET Let me see. [Takes the skull]
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen? Now get you to my lady’s chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that. etc etc

 

[2020hindsight]

Assuming kids ( of all ages) occasionally need to translate Latin quotes, here's a repost of a previous one... includes some humourous takes as well

For instance try getting your kids to understand the finer points of "Carpe Diem" , much easier would be .."Da mihi sis bubulæ frustrum assæ, solana tuberosa in modo gallico fricta, ac quassum lactatum coagulatum crassum."

Carpe diem , Translation: "Pluck the day." By Horace, Odes I,11,8, to Leuconoe: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero ("take hold of the day, believing as little as possible in the next"). A common mistranslation is "seize the day," however the verb in the imperative form for "seize" would be "cape."

Da mihi sis bubulæ frustrum assæ, solana tuberosa in modo gallico fricta, ac quassum lactatum coagulatum crassum. ...Translation: Give me a hamburger, french fries, and a thick shake

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Latin_proverbs

There are also some "mock quotes":-

Carpe jugulum ..Translation: "Go for the throat."
The title of a Terry Pratchett novel and the motto of the Von Magpyr family of vampires in that novel.

Carpe noctem. ...Translation: "Seize the night."
Dean Koontz, Seize the Night (1998) Also a title of a song in the Jim Steinman musical Tanz der Vampire

Carpe pugam. ...Translation: "Grab ass."
Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules. ..If I were you, I wouldn't walk in front of any catapults.

Da mihi sis bubulæ frustrum assæ, solana tuberosa in modo gallico fricta, ac quassum lactatum coagulatum crassum. ...Translation: Give me a hamburger, french fries, and a thick shake.

Nil illegitimi carborundum. ..Don't let the bastards grind you down.
Carborundum is the brand name of a commercial abrasive. See wikipedia Illegitimi non carborundum.

Nil significat, nil oscillat. ..It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.
Romanes eunt domus ..Translation: A sentence scrawled on a wall by an Israelite in Monty Python's Life of Brian, intended to mean "Romans go home." A Roman soldier catches him at it, ridicules the bad grammar ("Some people called Romanes, they go, the house?!") and forces him, not to remove it, but to correct it to Romani ite domum.

Veni vidi velcro. .. I came, I saw, I got stuck.
Veni vidi visa. ..I came, I saw, I bought.
Veni, vidi, vegi. ..I came, I saw, I had a salad.
(Veni vidi concreti .. I came, I saw, I concreted?)

Roccaturi te salutant! ...Those about to rock salute you!
Semper ubi sub ubi, ...Always wear underwear.
The Latin is literally "always where under where", the joke is to read "wear" for "where".

Other sites to check meanings etc :- http://proverbs.bestlatin.net/
http://www.findia.net/ - finally had success looking for meaning of
"dum vivimus, vivamus" = "while we live let us live" . (you seem to have to type in (almost) the entire quote when you enquire - not just the first couple of words)

 

[2020hindsight]

Here's a repost of excerpt from #85 on poetry thread .

TRANSLATIONS
http://translation2.paralink.com/ this website very kindly translates things into other languages for you.

Incidentally I translated "Here's a repost of excerpt " from Englidh to French ,
got
"voici un rapport d'un extrait"

then I translated back ,and got "Here is a report of an extract"
pretty close I guess

Likewise :-
start with:-
common mistranslation is "seize the day," however the verb in the imperative form for "seize" would be "cape."

to French becomes :-
la mauvaise traduction commune est "saisissent le jour," pourtant le verbe dans la forme urgente pour "saisit" serait "le cap".

back again :-
poor common translation is " grab the day, " however the verb in urgent form for "grabs" " the cape " would be.

PS "Carpe Diem" really means "Pluck the day" -
Whereas " I've had one long Carpe of a Diem" means "I've had one long Plucking Day!!"

 

[2020hindsight]

Wikiquotes :- http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page
millions there
e.g. a couple of quotes that kids might find useful
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mother
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool mom. ..Anonymous

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Children
"If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"The thing that impresses me the most about America is the way parents obey their children." --King Edward VIII
"Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." --Roger Lewin
etc

Maybe this will get kids motivated to check out some of these websites, like really cool stuff :-

Note they also have quotes from the movie as well as from the book
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings JRR Tolkien

Foreword to the Second Edition (October 1966)
The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them.

Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.

The most critical reader of all, myself, now finds many defects, minor and major, but being fortunately under no obligation either to review the book or to write it again, he will pass over these in silence, except one that has been noted by others: the book is too short.

I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.

 

[2020hindsight]

http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors.html
Top site this one - includes some books complete ( eg Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe")

http://www.bartleby.com/ is another good website for poems quotes etc

for quotes (only)
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/

also for
http://quotations.about.com/
eg...
http://quotations.about.com/od/poemlyric1/Poem_Lyrics_Some_of_the_Best_Poems_sorted_by_poet.htm

 

[2020hindsight]

This site is to teach kids how to think laterally - get your heads down and study , brats !!http://www.dribbleglass.com/Jokes/homer-simpson.htm

Apparently submitted by "fans". - more like some religious cult members you'd think

I'd love to go to church, honey, but I've got a lot of work to do around the bed. Submitted by Craig M.

I bet Einstein turned himself all sorts of colors before he invented the light bulb. Submitted by Chris C.

Donuts. Is there anything they can't do? Submitted by Matt T.

Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.

Porkchops and bacon, my two favorite animals. Submitted by Andrew K.

But Dad, you're a very old man, and old people are useless. Submitted by Brad M.

He's trying to hypnotize me, and it's not in that good Las Vegas kind of way. Submitted by Joe M.

What's the point of having children if you can't buy their love? Submitted by Ian R.

It's like the story of David and Goliath, except this time David won. Submitted by Mike T.

If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing!

If it doesn't have Siamese twins in a jar, it is not a fair.

If something goes wrong at the plant, blame the guy who can't speak English.

English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England. Submitted by Aaron Z.

Welcome to Dumpsville. Population, you. Submitted by William L.

My wife's not some doobie to be passed around! I took a vow on our wedding day to bogart her for life. Submitted by Billy R.

Volunteering is for suckers. Did you know that volunteers don't even get paid for the stuff they do? Submitted by Russell C.

Roads are just a suggestion Marge, just like pants. Submitted by Tim C.
etc

Also kids, take heart!! - and think laterally when you apply for a job.
And remember If Homer can do it , anyone can do it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Homer_Simpson's_jobs

Default Job
Nuclear Safety Inspector
His day job and main source of income.
Unnamed job in nuclear power plant, sector 7-G
His job in the first season, before promotion to safety inspector. It was unclear to everyone (including his employer and Homer himself). In "Lisa's First Word" it's mentioned that he is a "nuclear technician", and in "Homer's Odyssey" he calls himself a "technical supervisor". He was hired as part of "Project Bootstrap," a (fictional) government program to bring in unskilled workers implemented by the Ford administration.

A
Activist - Marijuana legalization ("Weekend at Burnsie's") and for the preservation of the Springfield Isotopes Baseball Club ("Hungry, Hungry Homer")
Actor (5 times)
In the play Rent II: Condo Fever ("Behind the Laughter") Non-canon
In a commercial for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant ("D'oh-in in the Wind")
In a commercial for Viagro-gain The topical rub for bald, impotent men ("Barting Over")
In a commercial for Mr. Plow, his own one-man snow-plow business ("Mr. Plow")
In a commercial for Springshield ("Papa's Got a Brand New Badge")
Agent (3 times)
Lurleen Lumpkin ("Colonel Homer")
Suds McDuff ("Old Yeller Belly")
Lisa and Cameron Aka Johnny Rainbow ("A Star is Torn")
Ambulance driver ("Diatribe of a Mad Housewife")
Amateur-Division Professional Arm Wrestler ("Marge's Son Poisoning")
Astronaut for NASA ("Deep Space Homer")
Attack-dog trainer for the Pitiless Pup Attack Dog School ("I Married Marge")

B
Baby Proofer for his own baby proofing company "Wee Care" ("Bye Bye Nerdie")
Bartender for Moe's Tavern and Homer's Hunting Club ("Homer the Moe")
Bear Hunter after he is attacked by a bear and labeled a coward ("The Fat and the Furriest")
Blackjack dealer of Monty's Casino ("$pringfield")
Bodyguard of Mayor Joe Quimby ("Mayored to the Mob") etc etc

 

[2020hindsight]

Introduction to politics.
http://animatedtv.about.com/od/homersimpson/a/homerpres.htm
Homer for President.

Homer Simpson's Campaign Platform

A friend to one, a friend to all. (Except Flanders.)

There is nothing to fear except fear itself. Oh... and fear of the voices... the constant voices telling me to do things...

I promise there will be fewer nuclear disasters with me as your President than with me as your nuclear safety inspector.

I will fill the pot holes, help the pot heads and eat the pot pies.

I will put a man on Mars within the decade. That man will be Flanders. And he will not return.

No big government, just big waist sizes.

Children are the future. That's why they must be stopped today.

I will make the trains run on time. On second thought, coal might be better. I will make the trains run on coal.

I will legalize the hunting of sisters-in-law.

Repeal all taxes... make Sweden pay for everything.