16th February 2016
The scientists whom Einstein greatly admired
Albert Einstein used to keep portraits of three scientists: Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell in his study.
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16th February 2016
Know the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) by your wristwatch
Say it is 7.10 p.m. (IST) by your watch. IST is India Standard Time, which is 5 hrs 30 min ahead of GMT. So GMT would be 1.40 p.m. You turn your watch by 180° so that the minute hand is at the position of ‘8’ and the hour hand between ‘1’ and ‘2’. You may have to conceive the position of the hour hand very slightly ahead of where it actually stands. So there you are! The time is 1.40. It holds for any time. Make sure that your wristwatch has the hands, it should not be digital.
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16th February 2016
In memory of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, a man of civil eminence
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was a doctor and a freedom fighter who went on to become the second chief minister of West Bengal in 1948 at Gandhiji’s behest. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was a philanthropist and took major interest in the social, cultural and industrial development of West Bengal. He was awarded Bharat Ratna for his exemplary service in 1961. He died when he was exactly 80 years old, on the same day he was born, i.e. 1 July.
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16th February 2016
Dennis Overbye and his atypical view on the laws of thermodynamics
Dennis Overbye is a science correspondent for the New York Times. He presented a humorous summary of the three principal laws of thermodynamics in his book Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos: The Scientific Quest for the Secret of the Universe published in 1991. The crux of the three laws of thermodynamics are simply stated as follows:
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16th February 2016
Which is the most used man-made material in the world?
Concrete is a man-made material and is mostly an aggregate of cement, fly ash, slag cement, limestone, sand, chemical admixtures and water. It is the most used man-made material in the world today.
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16th February 2016
A psychological disorder that urges a physically healthy person to become disabled
BIID means Body Integrity Identity Disorder. Cambridge University Scholar Chloe is such a patient. She has made several attempts to injure herself so that she could climb into a wheelchair.
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