Hallucii (A Penrose staircase)

Animation of Escher's Relativity

Who was M. C.Escher?

The Fibonacci numbers

Power of a power

Dividing powers

Multiplying powers...

To the power of.....

How do you manage with powers when the exponents are negative integers?

Powers

What is a power?

TIPS TO MAKE A GOOD PRESENTATION AT SCHOOL

STEP ONE: PREPARATION

1-. Plan your presentation, organizing your ideas.

2-. Think about the slides that you are going to prepare.

3-. Look for the photographs on the Internet.

4-. Copy and paste them on your slides and add a maximum of three short sentences in every slide.

5-. Look for some new words in the dictionary (Word reference is a good online dictionary)

6-. Don´t write too much text on the slides. The sentences are just a guide to help you.

7-. Use some colour and images, but not too much!

STEP TWO: REHEARSAL

1-. Try to rehearse your presentation, calculating the time you spend.

2-. Pay attention to pronunciation

3-. Be careful with grammar

STEP THREE: GIVE THE PRESENTATION

1-. Make eye contact with the students in your class.

2-. Try to keep your body still.

3-. Speak properly. Don´t talk too fast or too slow!

4-. Project your voice. Speak up so that everybody can hear you easily.

5-. Make your voice sound interesting.

6-. Stress the key words in the speech.

7-. Pause between ideas.

8-. And last, but most important: Don´t feel nervous.

More of Cristóbal Vila...

If you have enjoyed the previous video don't miss this one. You´ll find how the golden number and the Fibonacci sequence give shape to nature. Enjoy!

 

Cristobal Vila and M.C. Escher

Have you ever heard about M.C. Escher? No? Then it's about time! Please, have a look a this video. It´s inspired in his work. Every little detail is just a "little piece of beauty". Maths are intertwined with art in every image. So you will find allusions to the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem or to Fermat´s theorem alongside paintings by: Francisco de Goya, Alberto Durero, Jan van Eyck, Johanes Vermeer, Leonardo Da Vinci....and more. Enjoy!

Lowest Common Denominator

Do you want to add fractions easily? Then, you should look for their lowest common denominator.

Factoring

Do you need a help with factoring? This video may help you

JOHN CARLIN SAVE THE PLANET(MONOLOGUE)

GENERATION STRESSED

YOUR NEW HOUSE CAN BE SUSTAINABLE TOO!

People might falsely believe that when they are building a house incorporating any sustainable solutions require additional costs and effort. It is actually the opposite. Some of the sustainable solutions require very little in any financing with comparison to the costs that need to be incurred anyways in a newly constructed building.



It is possible to save around 30% on the use of energy and water in a sustainable house. That is a case with any other sustainable solution, when it pays off to invest in environment friendly solution in every case.
Below there is list of sustainable solutions that can be applied in every house.

- Heat recovery system for the ventilation, heating and cooling.
- The use of geothermal heat pump for heating the house, allows for great savings on heating costs.
- It is common to use only floor heating as a heating option in energy efficient houses (no radiators).
- Use of low energy doors and windows (recommended triple glazed windows).
- Good insulation of the house (both walls, slabs and the roof!), exceed standard requirements, gives great savings in the long run on heating and cooling costs.

- Installation of kitchen hood with carcoal filter which does not keep the heat inside but retains it and reuses it in the house.
- Big openings – big windows but with shutters, allow for maximum light to get into the house but shutters are necessary protection against direct sunlight, and protect the interior from excessive heat. Glass roof or big roof windows that allow for a lot of light to come inside.
- The right positioning of the house, entertaining areas and rooms that are going to be used most – in the south.
- Use of natural and recycled materials for building the house – wood strongly recommended, especially from local areas where the need for long transportation is avoided. If concrete is to be used – find out about recycled concrete, possibly lower prices!

  
- Light roof and façade colors that allow not to overheat the exterior surfaces in summer, thus less energy is required to coll the house.
- Light control devices that are switching the lights off automatically in unoccupied spaces.
- LED lighting fixtures, that use very little energy and last forever.
- Electrical appliances (washing machine,dishwasher, fridge and so on) energy efficient.
- Use plants that do not require much watering and adapt easily.
- Limit areas with asphalt driveways and concrete pavements to a minimum, allowing for as much greenery as possible.

It is easy and cost effective to construct a sustainable house. While the natural resources are being save from an excessive exploitation, many dollars for utility bills are saved from our pockets . So do not hesitate. Be a part of the change.

THANKSGIVING DINNER´S CARBON FOOTPRINT

Thanksgiving Dinner's Carbon Footprint: A State-by-State Comparison

The environmental impact of your Thanksgiving dinner depends on where the meal is prepared.

Carnegie Mellon University researchers calculated the carbon footprint of a typical Thanksgiving feast – roasted turkey stuffed with sausage and apples, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie – for each state. The team based their calculations on the way the meal is cooked (gas versus electric range), the specific state’s predominant power source and how the food is produced in each area.

They found that dinners cooked in Maine and Vermont, states that rely mostly on renewable energy, emit the lowest amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is tied to climate change. States that use coal power, such as Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky, have the highest carbon dioxide emissions.

"Food production – how the food is grown or raised – and meal preparation – how the food is cooked – both contribute to the carbon footprint. We broke our dinner down into its separate dishes, and then broke those down into the individual ingredients. For each ingredient, we tracked its carbon emissions from 'farm-to-fork.' Production and preparation both contribute about 50 pounds of carbon dioxide, but it varies from state to state and house to house," said Paul Fischbeck, professor of social and decisions sciences in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Further examination showed high variability among similar stove types in different states. For example, cooking a 16-pound turkey in an electric oven in coal-dependent Wyoming emits 32 pounds of carbon dioxide. In Maine, cooking the same turkey in the same oven but with electricity generated primarily from renewable energy releases less than three pounds of carbon dioxide.

Generally, using gas ranges to cook leaves a smaller footprint than electric ranges, but the team found that does not hold true for 11 states whose primary sources for electricity are renewables and nuclear power.

Traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving only worsens the problem.