Ancient Egypt: Art, Architecture, and Culture

Egypt: An Oasis of Culture

Egypt is an immense oasis along the Nile valley, located between two deserts, cultivated only in a strip about 10 miles wide. It is divided into two parts: the Delta (Fayum or Lower Egypt) and the Valley (Upper Egypt). Egypt has created a culture dependent on the river, and ideological predispositions developed specific art forms. The river provides fertile desert land. That constant struggle predisposes men to a way of thinking about life as a perpetual special restart.

Read More

Earth Science Fundamentals: Crust, Plates, and Geologic Time

Earth’s Composition and Processes

Chapter 1 & 2: Earth’s Structure and Time

  1. Continental vs. Oceanic Crust

    How does continental crust differ from oceanic crust? All of the above (thicker, light color, less dense).

  2. The Lithosphere

    The rigid, brittle layer of the Earth that is broken into drifting plates is the: Lithosphere.

  3. Uniformitarianism

    That geologic processes have been consistent over time (“the present is the key to the past”) is the basis for the theory of: Uniformitarianism.

  4. Geologic Eras

    The

Read More

Ceramics: Types, Materials, and Manufacturing Process

Ceramics: An Overview

Ceramics are artificial stone-like materials created through a manufacturing process using natural rock raw materials. The primary raw material is clay.

Raw Materials

  • Plastic: Clay
  • Non-plastic: Materials added to reduce plasticity, lower cooking temperature, and increase porosity.

Manufacturing Steps

  1. Conveying Systems
  2. Preparation of the paste
  3. Molding
  4. Drying
  5. Cooking

Types of Ceramics by Application

Bricks

  • Perforated
  • Hollow (single, double, Rasilla)
  • Solid

Tiles

  • Curve or Arabic (longitudinal and
Read More

Key Concepts in Physics and Biology: Definitions

Key Concepts in Physics

Wave

Wave: A form of energy propagation from one point to another in space, which is not accompanied by a displacement of matter.

Frequency

Frequency: The number of oscillations of a particle per second. Its unit is the Hertz (Hz).

Wavelength

Wavelength: The distance between two peaks. Its unit is the meter (m).

Reflection

Reflection: The change of direction experienced by a ray of light striking the surface of a body.

Refraction

Refraction: The change of direction experienced by a

Read More

Understanding Key Health and Environmental Factors

What is a Risk Factor?

Risk factors are those that provoke, facilitate, or predispose a person to contract a certain disease, by being exposed to certain causal agents. For example, smoking or working in a mine, where smoke and dust minerals can cause respiratory diseases.

Types of Abiotic Contaminants

  • Primary (identifiable): Particles, sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, inorganic carbon compounds, CO2 (hydrocarbons), and radioactive compounds.
  • Secondary: The way the atmosphere and physicochemical-
Read More

Earth’s Relief and Geological Processes: A Comprehensive Study

Biotic and Anthropic Components of Earth

  • Biotic components: Wildlife, vegetation
  • Anthropic elements: Roads, crops

Atmospheric Phenomena

Atmospheric phenomena include wind and humidity.

Understanding Relief

What is Relief?

Relief refers to the difference in elevation of a land surface. Certain landforms recur with frequency.

Descriptive Relief

Relief is classified by its appearance.

Interpreting Relief

Relief is qualified genetically, taking into account the formation process.

Oceanic Relief

  • Abyssal plain
  • Oceanic
Read More