General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

Written by admin on May 20th, 2011

 

What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl’s original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott’s Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:’Web’ and ‘episode’. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn’t joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government’s chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual ‘pardoning the turkey’ during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita’presidential pardon’.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets ‘schlimazzeled’. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes’ talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes’ techniques are generally of the form, ‘If p, then q, where ‘p’ is observed evidence and ‘q’ is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word ‘syntax’?

The word ‘syntax’ is derivedfrom the Greek word ‘syntaxis’, meaning ‘together’ and ‘sequence’. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn’t until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term ‘zero-watt’, though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map

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