The History of Pi

Pi is the sixteenth letter in the Greek Alphabet (π). In math, it is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It has a value of 3.14159265358979323846… and the numbers go on without repeating. Translated to a fraction, it’s approximately 22/7. How did this important mathematical symbol originated?

Pi has been an alive concept as long as 4, 000 years ago by the Babylonians. They made it by calculating the area of the circle by getting 3 times the square of its radius.

But then, during 287-212 BC, it was first calculated by Archimedes from Syracuse. We all know that he is among the most prominent mathematicians in the history of the ancient civilizations. He was able to get the approximate area of a rectangle by using the Pythagorean Theorem which allows him to find the surface areas of the two basic polygons, the one inside the circle and the one circumscribed. He then proved that pi is between the numbers of 3 1/7 and 3 10/71.

It was also mentioned in the Bible:

And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it about. (I Kings 7, 23)

He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it. ( II Chronicles 4:2)

However, their value was 3, not exactly the exact number.

Nobody really knows who had the idea. But all over the world, it was popular even in Ancient China by an early Chinese Mathematician named Zhu Chongzhi who lived between AD 429-500. However, the most accurate one during the computer age was  D. F. Ferguson. However, the word Pi is not only popular with math but also on some other aspects like the movie called the Life of Pi.

The Most Difficult Subjects to Understand

Although, people might have discovered a lot of things throughout the history, there are still a lot of things to be learned. As a student. you might have your own weaknesses when it comes to school subjects and here are interesting difficult subjects in school.

Quantum Physics

During the 17th century, significant people like Christian Huygens attempted to study the bodily occurrences our naked eye can not perceive. He first was curious about the wave nature of light.  Although, a definition was not given until Albert Einstein of the 20th century. It is obviously a advanced topic under the subject of Physics. Although, the quantum theory tries to comprehend the actuality at a microscopic level making it really confusing and perplexing. There is a high involvement of mathematics and physics to be able to completely understand science that can even make scientists of today scratch their heads.

Thermodynamics

The subject that lets us understand the regulation and involvement of heat transfer. Thermodynamics is based on three simple requirements and they can be easily understood by students like you. However, the remaining topics like the elemental properties of substances, sequences and entropy related topics (physics) should be really studied deeply.

Rocket Science

If you want to study this subject you need to have a great knowledge of mathematics and physics. Rocket science will not be rocket science if it does not apply concepts and theories that can be found from other subjects. To be able to understand rocket science, you need to have a full comprehension of aerospace, travelling outer space, fuel chemistry and a lot more without even practicing it first hand. Therefore, many people who tried studying this had greater percentage of failing than passing the subject with flying colors.

Longest Bridges

Many infrastructures were build to make the people’s lives better. Here are top longest bridges all around the world. However, most of these bridges are from China. Learn interesting facts about these snake-like infrastructures.

1. Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge

Location: China

Length: 540, 700 ft

In a province in China, it is officially the world’s longest bridge. It was build between Shanghai and Nanjing and goes to the Yangtze River. After four years, it was done in 2010 and was already open to public the next year. More than 10, 000 people were hired to construct the bridge and it costs $8.5 Billion.

2. Tianjin Grand Bridge

Location: China

Length: 373, 00 ft

Between Langfang and Qingxian lies the second longest bridge which is  part of the railway. They the same construction time with the longest bridge. It was also included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

3. Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge

Location: China

Length: 261, 588 ft

Serving as a connection between Zhengzhou and Xi’an, the bridge goes above Wei River two times, other rivers, highways and railways. It was once the longest bridge before the two longer bridges were constructed.

4. Bang Na Expressway

Location: Thailand

Length: 177, 000

The full name of the bridge is Bang Na- Bang Phli – Bang Pakong Expressway and its official name is Burapha Withi Expressway. The engineer of the bridge’s owner was the Louis Berger Group which is a US company. However, the construction was shared by two ventures from Germany and Thailand. Unlike other bridges, It never crosses any body of water like rivers and lakes.

5. Beijing Grand Bridge

Location: China

Length: 157, 982 ft

6. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

Location: United States

Length: 126, 122 ft

7. Manchac Swamp Bridge

Location: United States

Length: 120, 440 ft

8. Yangcun Bridge

Location: China

Length: 117, 493 ft

9. Hangzhou Bay Bridge

Location: China

Length: 117, 037 ft

10. Runyang Bridge

Location: China

Length: 116,990 ft

Are you scared of heights? If not, can you take these scary bridges?

Top 10 Tallest Bulidings

1. Burj Khalifa

Location: Dubai, UAE

Height: 2, 717 ft

A total of 163 floors, it is the tallest man-made skyscraper in the world. It was finally opened to public last January 4, 2010. The skyscraper was build on the determination of their government to make the economy not only an oiled based nation but also a tourism based.

2. Shanghai Tower

Location: Shanghai, China

Height: 2, 073 ft

Also called as the Shanghai Central Tower, the towers was designed by a great architectural firm in America which is the Gensler. It has nine cylindrical buildings piled on top of another.

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel

Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Height: 1, 971 ft

Owned by the government, the tower as well as the surrounding ones were made to be able to achieve a modern way of supporting for their own pilgrims. Not only it’s the 3rd tallest building but it is also the tallest clock tower and largest clock face in the world.

4. One World Trade Center

Location: New York City, USA

Height: 1, 776 ft

Sharing a similar name with the original World Trade Center or the Northern Twin Tower, it was built a few acres near to the old site. The world trade center had seven buildings and the most popular ones were the twin towers until it was attacked by terrorists long time ago.

5. CTF Finance Centre

Location: Guangzhou, China

Height: 1, 740 ft

Formerly known as The CTF Guangzhou, Chow Tai Fook Centre is a building constructed for Hotel, Residential and Commercial purposes. The owner of the said building is the Chow Tai Fook Enterprises in China.

6. Taipei 101

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Height: 1, 670 ft

7. Shanghai World Finance Center

Location: Shanghai, China

Height: 1, 614 ft

8. International Commerce Centre

Location: Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Height: 1, 588 ft

9. Petronas Tower 1 and 2

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Height: 1, 483 ft

10. Zifeng Tower

Location: Nanjing, China

Height: 1, 476 ft

Youngest of Everything

If you think that you can’t do anything at the moment because you are still a kid and you don’t know anything about the world, not yet, you are probably wrong. There are a lot of young people who already became successful in different kinds of field. Some might be amazing, crazy, impossible but here are examples of the youngest of everything. Learn interesting facts how they became what they are right now.

Youngest University Student

Michael Kearney successfully finished a bachelor’s degree when he was 10 years old and started teaching college when he was just 17. Before he began teaching, he graduated master’s degree in biochemistry at the age of 14. He was diagnosed with ADHD. His sibling was also a prodigy herself. He also became a contestant in a game called Gold Rush where he won a hundred thousand dollars.

Youngest Mother

Lina Medina is officially the youngest mother in the medical history. At the age of 5, she was able to successfully give birth to a child through a cesarean section . Her son is named as Gerardo Medina. She is now living in the capital city in Peru. Her parents brought her to hospital thinking that she was growing a tumor in her abdomen. Surprisingly, when the doctors examined her abdomen, she was already 7 months pregnant. No one really knows who is the biological father.

Youngest Scientist who achieved Nuclear Fusion

During a science fair, he wasn’t able to create a solar powered car. But instead, he was able to create helium from hydrogen. He learned how to do it thanks to the internet. He was just 13 years old when he did this project. It maybe expensive to fund this project but it was well paid off after receiving $3 350 and attracting the eyes of scientists around the world.

How about in the field of music?

F-U-N PLACES!

Aside from local parks and carnivals, you should also visit these place before you totally grow up. They might not have the rides that you like but they’re really amazing and suitable for young kids like you. Here are some interesting facts about them.

1. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

This museum is targeted to baseball enthusiasts of any age. It’s not just about looking the displays but you can start your sightseeing with a Discovery Tour Scavenger Hunt. Through this activity, you will be able to experience being detectives and search for clues that will lead you to the next stations. Not only you will enjoy the exploration but you will also have prizes at the end of the activity. You can also enjoy a movie in their theater.

2. Kennedy Space Center

If you are a fan of science and outer space, visit this space center located in Cape Canaveral, Florida. You can actually be an astronaut yourself test their Shuttle Launch Experience flight simulator. Most of the displays are real shuttles. You can join mission controls and have a nice lunch time with an astronaut.

3. Buckingham Palace

Experience royalty and see real Queens, Kings, Princesses and Princes. You will be able to see those guards with fuzzy black hats and redcoats and hear royal marching music. You are lucky if the royalties are in the palace at the moment of your stay.

4. Wisconsin Dells 

Visit the water park capital of the world if you feel really hot during summer. They have 18 options and more than 200 slides offered for visitors. It is also open for all ages. Take over your phobia by taking one of their longest slides. It is currently located in South-Central Wisconsin.

Speaking of making kids happy, these are some of the reactions of kids to the song “All About the Bass”

Humanoid Robots

If we are to define what is a humanoid robot, It is a machine designed to be shaped like a human being. There were many robots invented to be able to help human beings. Here are the most significant humanoid robotics in the world both fiction and non-fiction.

1. Wall-E 

Of course, who wouldn’t forget Wall-E? Wall-E became famous in the Disney movie entitle by the same name. As said by the last article, Wall-E came from Walter Disney who was created by the humans to clean up the mess on the abandoned dirty earth. Another robot came into action and her name was Eve who is a new kind of innovative cleaner that was invented.

2. ASIMO

Unlike Wall-E, ASIMO or also known as Advanced Step in Innovative MObility is a real robotics made by Honda. It can recognize any moving thing, hand and body movements of a person, sounds and can detect faces. It has been already demonstrated all around the world for science and mathematics purposes. Like a human being, it moves around with a slower pace of 2.7 kilometers per hour. However, after an hour of usage, you need to recharge the robot again.

3. R2D2

Did you watch those videos about birds sounding like this robot from Star Wars? In 1977, to be able to operate this machine, there has to be a man inside and that was Kenny Baker. It has been one of the main characters in the six Star Wars Films with  Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

4. Titan

It is classified as the largest and strongest robot which is obviously why they named in Titan. It also made a record in the Guinness Book of World Records after it was made in the year 2007. It can carry engine blocks, ship and aircraft parts.

Can you do this robot dance?

Kids’ Internet World of Fun

They say that the internet is a very dangerous place for kids like you. This is why your parents limit children to computers because it is indeed a world wide web where you can almost grab onto everything. However, this top 5 websites did not stop millions of unique viewers and members for their website. Check them out yourself and it finds you interesting, register now! (source: eBizMBA Rank)

1. The first in our list is http://www.nick.com who is related to the Nickelodeon channel. In this site, you can play games, watch episodes and videos and listen to their own radio. Sponge bob and Dora are one of the most popular animated characters in this channel. They have an estimated 7 million unique visitors MONTHLY!

2. Do you love mathematics? http://www.coolmath-games.com is all about math games! Their categories vary from strategy, skill, numbers, memory, logic, board. You can even play some of their games in your mobile phones.

3. pbskids.org proclaimed that they offer educational games and videos from Curious George and other PBS kids show. It is a site made by the Public Broadcasting Service. They started as early as 1994.

4. Another website of the Nickelodeon is the http://www.nickjr.com. Even though http://www.nick.com and http://www.nickjr.com are owned by the same channel, http://www.nickjr.com targets 2-6 year old children. Their shows are all cartoons. If you want to have a Nickelodeon theme for your birthday, you can ask your parents to visit this website. They will teach them how to plan for your special day!

5. Obviously, http://www.girlsgogames.com is a website for girls. They have appropriate girl games that you will love like dress up and cooking games. Their most popular game is the Dolphin Show 4 which only requires you to move the mouse easier than the keyboard. You can also socialize with your fellow members. However, be careful talking to strangers. I tried the game myself and I did not even need to sign up for an account, I can play as a guest.

Want to help Dora? Watch this video.