Wavelength

(λ) the distance between two similar and consecutive points on a wave, which have exactly the same displacement value from the rest position (that is, the same amplitude). An example would be the distance between two crests (maximum displacement) or two troughs (maximum displacement). Wavelength is a measure of distance and hence has units of metres (m).

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave – the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a characteristic of both traveling waves and standing waves, as well as other spatial wave patterns. Wavelength is commonly designated by the Greek letter lambda (λ). The concept can also be applied to periodic waves of non-sinusoidal shape. The term wavelength is also sometimes applied to modulated waves, and to the sinusoidal envelopes of modulated waves or waves formed by interference of several sinusoids.

Assuming a sinusoidal wave moving at a fixed wave speed, wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency: waves with higher frequencies have shorter wavelengths, and lower frequencies have longer wavelengths.

Examples of wave-like phenomena are sound waves, light, and water waves. A sound wave is a periodic variation in air pressure, while in light and other electromagnetic radiation the strength of the electric and the magnetic field vary. Water waves are periodic variations in the height of a body of water. In a crystal lattice vibration, atomic positions vary periodically in both lattice position and time.

Wavelength is a measure of the distance between repetitions of a shape feature such as peaks, valleys, or zero-crossings, not a measure of how far any given particle moves. For example, in waves over deep water a particle in the water moves in a circle of the same diameter as the wave height, unrelated to wavelength.

Taken from Wikipedia

The Joy of Cooking

By Bernie Franco

The drama princess discovers her passion for food and cooking.

Her interest in cooking was born at the same time that she started acting. Early in her showbiz career, she would often hitch a ride with the catering service bound for wherever they were shooting. "Wala akong sasakyan at sumasabay ako sa catering. Nagigising ako sa amoy ng ginigisang gulay at sa tunog ng mga kutsilyo hanggang sa nagkaroon na ako ng urge na tumulong," she shares.

In between takes, she would help the cooks with their work. "Ako yung naglalagay ng rekado at eight years old, ah!" she relates. "Hanggang sa natututo na ako. Nakikihalo na rin ako, tumutulong. Iba ang nararamdaman kong sense of achievement." Slowly--and despite her young age--Judai was seriously developing her interest in cooking that, years later, would turn into a full-blown passion.

It also runs in the blood. Her parents know how to cook. "Si Daddy, marunong magluto kasi Kapampangan siya. Ang mommy, magaling talagang magluto," she reveals.

Her helper and relative, Ate Binay--a good cook herself--has been a very big influence on her too. Judai saw how Ate Binay managed the kitchen. "Sumasama ako sa kanya sa palengke. Kaya hanggang ngayon, nare-relax ako kapag nasa palengke ako," she says. "Kasi bumabalik ako sa pagkabata."

As her showbiz career took shape, so did her love for cooking. It was therapy for her, a relief from the pressures of showbiz work. "Napansin ko sa sarili ko na kapag nagluluto ako, wala akong ibang iniisip. Hindi ako nasi-stress," the actress enthuses. "Pag humawak na ako ng kutsilyo at humarap sa kalan, wala nang puwedeng umistorbo sa akin."

Even when the demands of work have doubled, Judai never lost her zeal for cooking. "I would always find time. Kahit madaling-araw pa 'yan, magluluto ako. Kakailanganin kong magluto talaga," she emphasizes.

It was also in cooking that Judai found comfort in times of trouble. As a result, "Mas lalo akong na-in-love sa pagluluto 'nung time na nagkaka-problema ako."

Judai has friends in the industry who helped fuel this passion. "Kay Mother Biboy Arboleda (StarStudio Philippines Editor-in-Chief) ako tumatakbo pag may problema ako." Judai goes to Biboy's house where he prepares "comfort food" for her. "Ipagluluto lang niya ako ng pasta. Kinabukasan, lulutuin ko na yun."

Mylene Dizon introduced her to herbal ingredients for healthy eating. Maricel Soriano taught her a secret recipe for roast chicken. "Na-introduce ako sa malaking mundo ng pagluluto dahil sa kanila," she exclaims.

Judai's specialty is Japanese fried rice. It served to introduce her passion to her colleagues in ABS-CBN. "Nilako siya. Nagkaroon na ako ng buffet nito para sa ibang tao," she jokes. Among them were Boy Abunda, Kris Aquino and Star Cinema Managing Director Malou N. Santos. "Pagkatapos n'on, nagkaroon na ng request for me to cook Japanese fried rice, kaya tuwang-tuwa ako. It's another part of me which I could share with people." Some friends even request her to cook it for them when they're sick.

Judai's cooking charms work even on her fiance, actor Ryan Agoncillo. In their case, the cliché holds true: the way to a man's heart is his stomach. "Nagkaroon kami ng sukiyaki tapa with fried rice at nag-come up ako ng sarili kong recipe ng salpicao na nagustuhan niya. Puwede na nga akong mag-come up ng sarili kong cookbook dahil sa kakaluto ko."

And like the way she excels in acting, Judai has never settled for mediocrity in her cooking. She is now on her second course at the Center for Culinary Asian Studies. "I'm taking up Asian Cooking. Ito yung Asian introduction to everything: Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese. 'Yung puspusang pag-aaral talaga on how they do it sa country nila."

Her first few attempts at cooking did not always turn out perfectly, but she struggled-- and is still struggling-- to excel. Learning how to cook is a process. "Of course, may mga palpak pa rin. hindi naman porke't nag-culinary ka, perfect na lahat. Ang dami kong moments na hindi ko puwedeng ma-satisfy sa ginagawa ko kasi ako, bini-beat ko pa rin ang sariling time ko, eh," she explains. "Gagawin ko yung best ko na ma-beat yung nauna kong record time."

Judai intends to go abroad to further her culinary studies so she become a full-fledged chef. "Ito lang ang matatapos kong kurso if ever. Not everybody has a passion for cooking. Pero ako, ito naman talaga ang passion ko, eh. Many people want to cook but not everybody has the talent."

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue

Magma

the fluid rock beneath the Earth's surface, which solidifies to form IGNEOUS ROCKS. During volcanic eruptions, the LAVA extruded at the Earth's surface is not necessarily the same in composition as the magma that arises to form lava, since the magma may have lost some of its gaseous elements and some solids of the magma may have crystallized.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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Magma [from Greek μάγμα, paste] is molten rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles. Magma often collects in a magma chamber inside a volcano. Magma is capable of intrusion into adjacent rocks, extrusion onto the surface as lava, and explosive ejection as tephra to form pyroclastic rock.

Magma is a complex high-temperature fluid substance. Temperatures of most magmas are in the range 700°C to 1300°C (or 1300°F to 2400°F), but very rare carbonatite melts may be as cool as 600°C, and komatiite melts may have been as hot as 1600°C. Most are silicate solutions.

Environments of magma formation and compositions are commonly correlated. Environments include subduction zones, continental rift zones, mid-oceanic ridges, and hotspots, some of which are interpreted as mantle plumes. Despite being found in such widespread locales, the bulk of the Earth's crust and mantle is not molten. Rather, most of the Earth takes the form of a rheid, a form of solid that can move or deform under pressure. Magma, as liquid, preferentially forms in high temperature, low pressure environments within several kilometers of the Earth's surface.

Magma compositions may evolve after formation by fractional crystallization, contamination, and magma mixing. By definition, all igneous rock is formed from magma.

While the study of magma has historically relied on observing magma in the form of lava outflows, magma has been encountered in situ three times during drilling projects—twice in Iceland, and once in Hawaii.

Taken from Wikipedia

Identical Twins

two identical individuals which develop from a single fertilized egg that divides early on into two equal parts. Identical twins have the same genetic make up and are always of the same sex.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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Twins are two offspring resulting from the same pregnancy, usually born in close succession. They can be the same or different sex. Twins can either be monozygotic (MZ, colloquially "identical") or dizygotic (DZ, colloquially "fraternal" or "non-identical").

Taken from Wikipedia

Galactic Halo

a collection of stars, gas and dust, nearly spherical in shape, which has the same center as the galaxy. It contains population II stars and creates a lot of the background radio emissions.

Taken from Dictionary of Science
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The term galactic halo is used to denote an extended, roughly spherical component of a galaxy, which extends beyond the main, visible component. It can refer to any of several distinct components which share these properties:

• the galactic spheroid (stars)

• the galactic corona (hot gas, i.e. a plasma)

• the dark matter halo

The distinction between the halo and the main body of the galaxy is clearest in spiral galaxies, where the spherical shape contrasts with the flat disc. In an elliptical galaxy, there is no sharp transition between the body of the galaxy and the halo.

Taken from Wikipedia

TRIVIA

A palindrome is a word or sentence that reads the same backward or forward. For example: Madam, I'm Adam. Another one: Step on no pets.

The Guinness Book of World Records says that this is the hardest tongue twister: "The sixth sick sheik's sheep's sick."

About 10 million people in the world have the same birthday as you.

The shortest war in history was between England and Zanzibar in 1896. It lasted only 38 minutes. England won.

There are only two words in the English language that contain all the vowels -- a, e, i, o, u -- in the proper order. They are facetious and abstemious.

A flea can jump 200 times the length of its own body.

On the day Mark Twain was born, Halley's Comet was in the sky. He died 75 years later, the next time Halley's Comet appeared over the earth.

Coca-Cola was invented in 1896. How to make it is still a secret that only two men know today. Even when these two men travel to the same place, they fly on different airplanes so that in case one of them should die in an accident, the other would still be alive with the secret.

A "phobia" is a fear, and some people have very strange ones. Here are just a few. Chromophobia is a fear of colors. Sitophobia is a fear of food. Verbophobia is a fear of words. Pedophobia is a fear of children and dolls. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanit butter sticking to the root of the mouth.

To fill a teaspoon full of water would take 120 drops.

Every healthy person who lives for 70 years walks about 70,000 miles in a lifetime. That is about 18,000 steps in one day.

A housefly lives for only two weeks.

Condensed from Macmillan Illustrated Almanac for Kids

TRENDS TO TALK ABOUT

Wine Coolers Aren't Soft Drinks. One 12-ounce (.35 liter) wine cooler contains the same amount of alcohol as a 12-ounce beer, a glass of wine or a shot of hard liquor.

Space Tomatoes. NASA is asking students to plant tomato seeds from space to see how they grow. The seeds were floating around in a satellite for five and half years. They don't think it will be another Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but "Obviously, if a teacher... says they've got a 25-pound [11 kilogram] purple tomato, you bet we'll go look at it," a scientist told USA Today.

Because It's, Well, There. Can't get away to Yosemite to rock climb this afternoon? Why not try an indoor climbing wall? They're sprouting up all over the United States, and a Youth 90 reporter even found one in the highlands of Scotland. These rock climbing gyms often feature fiberglass walls made to feel like the real thing.

Elvis in Your Garden? A Cincinnati, Ohio, toy company makes a mold that you can put on vegetables while they're growing. After a few weeks your favorite veggies will have one of several faces, including Elvis Presley (not licensed yet) or a "pickle puss" for cucumbers that will be pickled. You can even have a mold of your own face--for $2,500.

Taken from Youth 90 magazine