Saturday, October 4, 2008

What is the origin of the term horse trading?

The term horse trading, which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses. As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterized by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support of his initiatives for another Bill or Legislation.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

What is the Large Hadron Collider project?

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), built at CERN near Geneva, is the largest scientific instrument on the planet. It will produce roughly 15 petabytes (15 million gigabytes) of data annually, which scientists worldwide will access and analyse. The mission of LHC computing Project (LCG) is to build and maintain a data storage and analysis infrastructure.

Friday, September 19, 2008

What is the anti-greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect occur when the atmosphere lets sunlight in and blocks infrared radiation from escaping. If it is not so, then the temperature on Earth which is 15 degrees Celsius would bi -15 degrees Celsius. Imagine a layer that stops light from getting in and lets infrared out. An anti-greenhouse effect does the same thing to heat-it lets heat out but doesn’t let it in. the conventional greenhouse effect occurs because the atmosphere is largely transparent to solar radiation, but largely opaque to infrared. In an anti-greenhouse effect, this situation is reversed and this will cause cause cooling. This effect is only known to occur on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

What are Cladograms?


Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of species based on evolutionary ancestry. It’s distinct from other taxonomic classification systems because it focuses on evolution rather than similarities between species. This is because it places heavy emphasis on objective and quantitative analysis. Cladistics generates diagrams called cladograms that represent the evolutionary tree of life. The starting point of cladistics analysis is a group of species and molecular, morphological, or other data characterizing those species. The end result is a tree-like relationship diagram which is the cladogram. It graphically represents a hypothetical evolutionary process.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

What’s special about EuroPass football?

The EuroPass is the official football for UEFA Euro 2008. The adidas EuroPass combines tradition with modernity. It has a new surface structure which allows players to have more control over the ball and direct it perfectly in all weather conditions. The PSC-Texture, which consists of fine structure on the outer surface, guarantees optimum grip between the ball and boot. The 12 black dots on the ball contain individual graphic elements which stand for passion, friendship, action, training, fans and winning goal. The name EuroPass symbolizes the connection between Austria and Switzerland, the host countries of the tournament.

Monday, September 15, 2008

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

What does Zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which is the earliest reality show?

The world's first reality show is Allen Funt's Candid Camera, which debuted in American television in 1948. It's considered a reality show for it involved unscripted situations involving unsuspecting people responding to pranks, which are caught on camera. It was based on a 1947-radio show called Candid Microphone.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

What are carbon credits?

Credits can be sold in the international market at the prevailing prices via certain credit exchanges. Formalized in the Kyoto Protocol, carbon credits help developing/ underdeveloped countries as they traditionally have lower per-capita carbon emissions than developed countries and will need to emit CO2 owing to increasing industrial growth. At this point though, these countries can sell their carbon credits to other countries and reap the economic benefits of not polluting the planet.


Saturday, June 21, 2008

Why the number 1 is not considered a prime number though it fits the definition?

The number 1, in fact, does not fit the definition of a prime number. A positive integer is called a prime number only if there are exactly two divisors of that number. Since 1 has exactly one divisor (which is 1 itself), it does not fit this definition. Another equivalent definition of a prime number is this: a prime number’s only positive divisor should be less than 1 and itself. Again, 1 does not fit this definition either – there are no positive divisors of 1 which are less than 1.

What is oenology?

Oenology is the science and study of all kinds of wines in the world. It is the study of all aspects of wine from harvesting of grapes to bottling of wines. The word is derived from the Greek word oenos which means wine and logy which means study. An expert in the field of oenology is known as oenologist. A wine maker can also be known as oenologist. This is not related to the tasting of wine - it’s only the study of wine production

Sunday, January 20, 2008

What is known as the Baudhayan theorem?

Baudhayan Sulv Sutra (1000 BC) is today known as the Pythagoras theorem, which states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. In Baudhayan theorem, this has been expressed as follows: in a Deerghchatursh (triangle), the chetra (square) of rajju (hypotenuse) is equal to the sum of squares of the parshvamani (base) and triyangmani (perpendicular line). It is amazing to note that the Pythagoras theorem was known in our country as far back as 1000 BC.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

What is referred to as the Welcome Collection?

The Welcome Collection traces the development of medicine through history and spanning several cultures. Located in central London, it is a combination of exhibitions, libraries and cafes where people can learn more about the development of medicine. Part of the Welcome Trust, it was founded by Sir Henry Welcome, a pharmacist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and collector, who garnered a unique collection of articles relating to medicine and health. Recently, a British heart transplant patient, Jennifer Sutton, donated her old heart to the Welcome Collection, after receiving a new one.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

What is gnotobiology?

Gnotobiology is the science of study of animals or other organisms rose in environments free of germs or those which contain only specifically known germs. Scientists compare gnotobiotic animals with ordinary animals whose bodies carry many germs, like bacteria, viruses and parasites. In this way, scientists can determine more precisely hoe specific germs affect a body.