Random Articles (Page 389)
Have a deep view into what people are curious about.
π Dude,Where's My Donations? Wikimedia gives another $1M to non-Wikimedia projects
Discussed on
- "Dude,Where's My Donations? Wikimedia gives another $1M to non-Wikimedia projects" | 2023-08-18 | 128 Upvotes 117 Comments
π Long-term nuclear waste warning messages
Long-term nuclear waste warning messages are intended to deter human intrusion at nuclear waste repositories in the far future, within or above the order of magnitude of 10,000 years. Nuclear semiotics is an interdisciplinary field of research, first done by the American Human Interference Task Force in 1981.
A 1993 report from Sandia National Laboratories recommended that such messages be constructed at several levels of complexity. They suggested that the sites should include foreboding physical features which would immediately convey to future visitors that the site was both man-made and dangerous, as well as providing pictographic information attempting to convey some details of the danger, and written explanations for those able to read it.
Discussed on
- "Long-term nuclear waste warning messages" | 2024-04-03 | 76 Upvotes 90 Comments
- "Long-Term Nuclear Waste Warning Messages" | 2022-06-17 | 14 Upvotes 9 Comments
π Damm algorithm
In error detection, the Damm algorithm is a check digit algorithm that detects all single-digit errors and all adjacent transposition errors. It was presented by H. Michael Damm in 2004.
Discussed on
- "Damm algorithm" | 2014-11-14 | 75 Upvotes 15 Comments
π Black Arrow
Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971. Its final flight was the first and only successful orbital launch to be conducted by the United Kingdom, and placed the Prospero satellite into low Earth orbit.
Black Arrow originated from studies by the Royal Aircraft Establishment for carrier rockets based on the Black Knight rocket, with the project being authorised in 1964. It was initially developed by Saunders-Roe, and later Westland Aircraft as the result of a merger.
Black Arrow was a three-stage rocket, fuelled by RP-1 paraffin (kerosene) and high test peroxide, a concentrated form of hydrogen peroxide (85% hydrogen peroxide + 15% water). It was retired after only four launches in favour of using American Scout rockets, which the Ministry of Defence calculated to be cheaper than maintaining the Black Arrow programme.
Discussed on
- "Black Arrow" | 2015-04-11 | 54 Upvotes 14 Comments
π Proving something exists nonconstructively using probability.
The probabilistic method is a nonconstructive method, primarily used in combinatorics and pioneered by Paul ErdΕs, for proving the existence of a prescribed kind of mathematical object. It works by showing that if one randomly chooses objects from a specified class, the probability that the result is of the prescribed kind is strictly greater than zero. Although the proof uses probability, the final conclusion is determined for certain, without any possible error.
This method has now been applied to other areas of mathematics such as number theory, linear algebra, and real analysis, as well as in computer science (e.g. randomized rounding), and information theory.
Discussed on
- "Proving something exists nonconstructively using probability." | 2009-05-27 | 26 Upvotes 8 Comments
π Gabriel's Horn
Gabriel's horn (also called Torricelli's trumpet) is a geometric figure which has infinite surface area but finite volume. The name refers to the Abrahamic tradition identifying the archangel Gabriel as the angel who blows the horn to announce Judgment Day, associating the divine, or infinite, with the finite. The properties of this figure were first studied by Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli in the 17th century.
Discussed on
- "Gabriel's Horn" | 2015-06-16 | 98 Upvotes 29 Comments
π Abraham Lempel (LZ77) has died
Abraham Lempel (Hebrew: ΧΧΧ¨ΧΧ ΧΧΧ€Χ, 10 February 1936 β 4 February 2023) was an Israeli computer scientist and one of the fathers of the LZ family of lossless data compression algorithms.
Discussed on
- "RIP Abraham Lempel β one of the fathers of the LZ(ZIP) compression algorithms" | 2023-02-06 | 12 Upvotes 2 Comments
π Ligne Claire
Ligne claire (French for "clear line", pronouncedΒ [liΙ² klΙΚ]; Dutch: klare lijn) is a style of drawing created and pioneered by HergΓ©, the Belgian creator of The Adventures of Tintin. It uses clear strong lines sometimes of varied width and no hatching, while contrast is downplayed as well. Cast shadows are often illuminated, and the style often features strong colours and a combination of cartoonish characters against a realistic background. All these elements together can result in giving comics drawn this way a flat aspect. The name was coined by Joost Swarte in 1977.
Discussed on
- "Ligne Claire" | 2021-10-02 | 222 Upvotes 63 Comments