Personalities : Past and Present

Personalities
[Past and Present]

Alberuni—A great historian who visited India in company with Mahmud Ghazni’s forces.

Amartya Sen Prof.—The recipient of Nobel Prize for Economics for the year 1998 Prof. Amartya Sen revolutionized world outlook on welfare economics.

Andrew C.F.—A British missionary who came to India in 1904. He worked for the freedom of India. He was known as Deen Bandhu.

Prof. Anusuya Chinaswamy Turan—Internationally acclaimed South African palaeobiologist of Indian Origin, Prof. Anusuya Chinaswamy Turan was named ‘Woman of the year 2005’ by certain South African agencies.

Arvid Carlsson—He has been awarded Nobel Prize 2000 in Medicine.

Arun Netravali—President of Bell Labs (USA), he is known as India’s Thomas Alva Edison. Like Edison’s 1093 patented inventions, Netravali’s 70 have hastened the evolution of techonology. Among his inventions is the world’s smallest working transistor.

Dr. Abdul Kalam, A.P.J.—He had been a scientist of repute, familiarly known as Missile Man of India. He was elected President of India in July 2002.

Aryabhatta—A great astronomer and mathematician of ancient India. India named her first scientific satellite after his death.

Amir Khusro—A great Muslim saint who lived in the time of Alauddin Khilji. Known for his Pahelis and songs.

Arthen Dunkel—He was the author of the ‘Dunkel Draft’ which ushered in global free-trade treaties and the World Trade Orga-nisation. He passed away in 2005.

Baden Powell (1857-1941)—Founder of the Boy Scouts Movement in 1908 and Girl Guides in 1910.

Bana Bhatt—The most learned Court poet of Harshvardhana, author of ‘Kadambari’ and ‘Harshcharitsar’.

Beethoven—A great German musician and composer of world fame.

Besant Annie (1846-1933)—An Irish woman who staunchly supported India’s freedom movement. Founder of the Theosophical Society in India.

Bjorn Borg—The tennis wonder of Sweden the Wimbledon Tennis King. He won his 5th successive Wimbeldon men’s singles title in London on July 5, 1980.

Bhabha Dr. Homi Jahangir (1909-66)—Was a great Indian scientist, first chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India; made significant researches in the structure of atom and cosmic rays.

Bennerji Womesh Chandra—The first President of Indian National Congress.

Bhaskara I—A noted Indian astronomer of 9th century A.D.

Bhaskara II—One of the distinguished Indian astronomers and mathematicians of 12th century A.D. It may be remembred that India named her 2nd scientific satellite launched into space from a Soviet cosmodrome on June 27, 1979 after the name of Bhaskara.

Bhattacharya, Kanchan Chaudhry—Ms. Kanchan Chaudhry Bhattacharya became the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) in the country when she assumed charge as DGP Uttaranchal on June 17, 2004.

Bose, Nand Lal—Famous Indian artist, died in May 1966.

Bose J. C. (1858-1937)—Eminent Indian botanist; inventor of crescograph.

Bose, Subash Chandra—A great freedom fighter of India; popularly known as Netaji; founded the Indian National Army. Died in a plane crash in 1945.

Chatterjee Bankim’ Chandra—Literary king of Bengal after Madhusudan; author of ‘Anand Math’.

Columbus (1446-1506)—Famous Italian navigator who discovered America in 1492.

Confucius (551-449 B.C.)—Chinese sage and philosopher; founder of the great world religion Confucianism.

Che Guevara—A guerilla revolutionary who tried to foment revolts in several Latin American countries; shot dead in 1967.

Dante (1265-1321)—One of the greatest Italian poets; author of Divine Comedia’.

Darwin Charles (1802-82)—Discoverer of the Theory of Natural Selection, author of ‘The Origin of Species’.

Epicurus (542-270 B.C.)—Greek philosopher; founder of Epicurean philosophy.

Fa-hien—The first Chinese pilgrim who visited India during the reign of Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya.

Florence Nightingale—Also known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ the great English nurse who served the wounded soldiers in the Crimean War.

Galileo (1564-1642)—Italian scientist; inventor of telescope.

Garibaldi (1807-1882)—A great Italian fighter for freedom; played a great role in the unification of Italy.

Gayir Khan Irishanov—He is the world’s oldest living person. He lives in Dagestan, Russia and will celebrate his 135th birthday in 2001.

Girija Devi—A Dalit woman from East Champaran district of Bihar, Ms. Girija Devi addressed the 15th session of United Nations Division of Advancement of Women and Development of Economic and Social Affairs on February 27, 2006 in New York (USA).

Hieun Tsang—The Chinese pilgrim who visited India in seventh century during the reign of King Harshvardhana.

Hume Alan Octavian—An English statesman who founded the Indian National Congress in 1885.

Jayakanthan, D.—Noted Tamil writer D. Jayakanthan was conferred the 38th Jnanpith award in 2005 Jayakanthan who has won National and International aclaim for his thought-provoking essays, short stories, novels and novellas, lent to the half of the 20th century a contemporary blend of cultural and political history of Tamil people.

Kiran Bedi—India’s first woman IPS officer and a Magsaysay Award winner, has been appointed to the prestigious post of United Nations Civilian Police Adviser in the Department of Peace-keeping Operations.

Le Corbusier—The architect who designed Chandigarh.

Dr. Kalpana Chawla (1961–2003)—Born in India in 1961, Kalpana Chawla was the US astronaut who lost her life along with 6 other astronauts aboard US space shuttle Columbia, on Feb. 1, 2003. The space shuttle exploded in the sky only 16 minutes before its scheduled landing time.

Epstein—The great British sculptor.

Jamini Roy—Famous Indian painter.

J. M. Coetzee—South Africa born novelist J. M. Coetzee who bagged Booker Prize in 1983 and again in 1999 has added one more feather to his cap by winning Nobel Prize for Literature 2003. He is the first author to win Booker Prize twice.

M. S. Subbulakshmi—The, ‘Nightangle of Carnatic Music’ as also the celebrated exponent of classical and non-classical music, Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi passed away at Chennai on Dec. 11, 2004 at the age of 88. She had also been honoured with Magsaysay Award. She had the unique honour of reciting devotional songs during the Silver Jubilee celebrations of UN in 1970. He impeccable music charmed one and all.

M.S. Swaminathan—Padma Vibhushan Dr. M. S. Swaminathan is called as ‘Father of Green Revolution’ in India and had been the DG of ICAR and presently he is the Chairman of ‘Rashtrya Kisan Auog’ (Est. in Feb. 2004).

Muttiah Muralitharan—Ace Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan became the first bowler in cricket history in the world to claim over 1000 wickets in (593 in Tests and 411 in ODIs) international cricket. He achieved this unique milestone while playing against Bangladesh in Chittagong (Bangladesh) on March 2, 2006, which was also the 100th Test match of his career.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy—A great social reformer of Bengal helped William Bentick, Governor-General of India (1828-35) in the abolition of Sati and other social evils; founder of Brahmo Samaj.

Ray Satyajit—The famous Indian film producer and director. He has received several awards for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. His famous films are Sonar Kella and Shatranj Ke Khilari (Hindi) etc.

Susruta (14th Century A.D.)—One of the great ancient Indian surgeons.

Tilak, Balgangadhar (1856-1910)—A great nationalist Mahara-shtrian leader of India; wrote a commentary on the Gita while in a jail.

Vivekanand—A great propagator of Vedantic Philosophy; disciple of Swami Ram Krishna Paramhans, founded Ram Krishna Mission at Belur (West Bengal).

Joan of Arc (1412-31)—The girl whose heroism inspired the Frenon to drive the English out of Orleans. She was burnt alive on the stakes.

Kabir—One of the greatest exponents of Bhakti movement. He believed in the unity of God and equality of all religions.

Kalhan—11th century poet-historian of Kashmir, author of the famous book ‘Rajtarangini’.

Kautilya—The great politician who helped Chandra Gupta Maurya in securing political power.

Kumarila Bhatt—A well-known preacher of Hinduism during the 8th century.

Krishna Dev Rai—He was the most famous Raja of Vijai Nagar kingdom and the last great Hindu ruler of Southern India (1509-29).

Kamal Ataturk—Builder of modern Turkey. He defended the Dardanelles against the British in 1912 and drove the Greeks out of Turkey in 1922. President of the Turkish Republic and its virtual dictator (1923-28).

Leonardo da Vinci—One of the greatest all-round geniuses the world has ever produced—painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, engineer and musician. Painted ‘Mona Lisa’. The ‘Last Supper’.

Machiavelli—A fifteen-sixteenth century Florentine historian and diplomat; author of the famous treatise ‘The Prince’.

Magellan—Commanded the first expedition in 1519 to sail round the world. Discovered passages to the Pacific from the Atlantic through Straits later on named after him.

Manu—Famous Hindu Law giver; author of Manusmiriti.

Martin Luther (1483–1546)—Great German religious re-former, who headed Reformation in Europe.

Marx, Karl (1818–83)—German philosopher; author of ‘Das Capital’ and communist Manifosts.

Max Muller—A great German scholar of the 19th century who discovered the treasure of Sanskrit literature and folklore to the world.

Mahatma Gandhi (M.K. Gandhi) (1869–1948)—The greatest Indian after Buddha; father of the Indian nation; achieved freedom for India; was assassinated in 1948.

Mark Inglis—Mark Inglis of New Zealand made history on May 15, 2006, when he became the first double amputee to scale Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world. Inglis, who had lost both of his legs in a climbing accident 24 years ago, reached the summit after 40 days of tough climbing.

Nanak, Guru (1469–1538)—Founder of the Sikh faith.

Nero (37–68 A.D.)—A tyrant and notorious sixth Roman emperor responsible for persecution of his countrymen.

Ms. Nivruti Rai—The first overseas citizen of India (OCI) card was presented to Ms. Nivruti Rai, an IT professional working in Intel, by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the inaugural function of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas–2006 in Hyderabad on January 7, 2006.

Panini—A great Sanskrit grammarian of ancient India.

Percy Sonn—Mr. Percy Sonn of South Africa was appointed as the new President of the ICC (International Cricket Council) on July 7, 2006. A lawyer by profession, Mr. Sonn is the first person from Africa to be appointed to the most senior post at cricket’s world governing body.

Picasso Pablo (1881-1973)—A great Spanish painter : founder of Cubism.

Pinter, Harold—British playwright, Mr. Harold Pinter whose spare style and use of silences has given rise to the adjective, ‘Pintersque’, won the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature. Regarded as Britain’s one of best known dramatists, he has written many plays including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker etc.

P. N. Menon—P. N. Menon, a distinguished film maker who heralded a new wave in the Malyalam film industry died at Kochi on Sept. 9, 2008 at the age of 82. Winner of the J. C. Daniel Award for his outstanding contributions to the Malyalam film industry. Mr. Menon started his film career as a poster designer and art director. He had a penchant for visuals that struck a different chord among the viewers.

Pulkesin II (608–642)—The most powerful ruler of Chalukya dynasty in the Deccan.

Raman, C.V.—Professor of Physics and was, for his discovery of Raman Effect, awarded Nobel Prize.

Rousseau (1512–78)—Famous for his two remarkable works. ‘Confessions’ and ‘Social Contract’ which laid down principles of government and conduct; one of the intellectual forces of the French Revolution.

Shakespeare (1564–1616)—England’s greatest poet and dramatist. He was born at stratford on-Avon.

Shashi Tharoor—Mr. Shashi Tharoor has been nominated as a candidate by the Union Government for the post of United Nations Secretary General which falls vacant by the end of 2006. Mr. Tharoor, who is presently the Under Secretary in the UN, has been working for it since 1978.

Sreedharan E.—M. D. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Mr. E. Sreedharan has been named one of the top 25 newsmakers of 2005 by the USA periodical Engineering News Record. Mr. Sreedharan has been named for the timely completion of Delhi’s 66 km. Metro rail project.

Sun-Yat-Sen—The founder of Chinese Republic, in 1912. He played a prominent part in 1911 Revolution.

Tagore, Rabindra Nath—Great Indian poet, novelist, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

Thyagaraja—Was South India’s best known and best-loved musician. He composed his songs in Telugu.

Todar Mal—One of the Nav Ratanas and Revenue Minister in the Court of Akbar.

Tolstoy, Leo—A great Russian writer. Mahatma Gandhi was greatly influenced by his works.

Tulsi Das—A great Hindu religious preacher, author of famous ‘Ram Charit Manas.’

Vatsayan H.S.—He was an eminent Hindi poet and novelist. He was awarded Jnanpith award for 1978 for his collection of poems.

Vivekanand (1865–1932)—A great Hindu saint and religious leader, founder of Ram Krishan Mission.

V.S. Naipaul—A distinguished writer of world fame. He is of Indian origin, now living in England. He has been honoured with Nobel Prize for Literature for 2001.

Wilbeforce, William—A distinguished agitator and orator against slave trade during the reign of George III.

V.V. Giri—The fourth President of India. He died in Madras on June 24, 1980 at the age of 85.

Javier Perez de Cuellar—He was the Secretary General of the United Nations. He took over the stewardship of the United Nations from Dr. Kurt Waldheim on January 1, 1982 and remained in office till 31 Dec., 1991.

Mark Shuttleworth—He is the world’s second and South Africa’s first space tourist. He was hurled into space by Russian Soyuz T.M.-34 rocket in April 2002 to reach the International Space Station.

Yuichiro Miura—He hails from Japan. He is the oldest man yet ever to reach Mt. Everest. He sealed the peak in May 2003 along with his son Gota.

Baumgartner—Austrian adventurer who flew across the English Channel without aircraft with the help of a special parachute.

Chloe Bennion—A six year old girl with an IQ of 138, she has become the youngest current member of Meusa International, a high IQ society. Meusa welcomes people from all walks of life whose IQ is in the top 2 per cent of the population.

L. N. Mittal—The second Indian billionaire (next to Wipro’s Azim Premji) with a net worth of $ 6·2 billion, Mr. L. N. Mittal is one of the 7 Indian billionaires listed by Forbes list of world’s 587 billionaire. He is the founder and Chairman of LNM Group, poised to become world’s largest steel maker. Lately he has been ranked as the third richest man of the world and the richest man of the U.K.

Pope Benedict XVI—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (78) was elected 265th Pope of Roman Catholic Church on April 19, 2005 in Vatican City taking the name of Benedict XVI. He was formally inaugurated on April 24, 2005.

Yasser Arafat—Chairman of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) since 1969 and co-founder of Al-Fatah (1956), President of Palestinian Authority, Mr. Yasser Arafat passed away in Paris on Nov. 11, 2004 at the age of 75, leaving his dream of Palestinian statehood unfulfilled. He symbolised for decades the Palestinian people’s struggle for an independent homeland.

Steve Fossett—US adventurer Steve Fossett has set records in sailboats, gliders and hot-air balloons. On March 3, 2005, he did it in an aeroplane. When he touched down at Salina airport, he became the first person to circumnavigate the globe on a solo, non-stop, non-refuelled flight. On Feb. 12, 2006 he established the world record of longest yet non-stop flight in his Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer.

V. Kurean—Dr. V. Kurean (born on 26 Nov. 1921) is the founder of NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) Anand (Gujarat) and is also called as ‘Father of White Revolution’ in milk sector in India.

Akbar (1556–1605)—He was the greatest of Mughal Emperors of India, founder of the new religion ‘Din-i-Ilahi’.

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Popular Quotations

Popular Quotations

● Hey Ram. —Mahatma Gandhi

● Jan Gan Man Adhinayak Jai Hey. —Rabindra Nath Tagore

● And all the men and women merely players. —Shakespeare (As You Like It)

● Sweet are the uses of adversity, which like a toad, ugly and Venomous. Wears yet a precious jewel in his head. —Shakespeare (As You Like It)

● Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. —Milton

● Et Tu, Brute ! —Shakespeare (Julius Ceaser)

● Good Government is no substitute for self Government. —Morley

● Death is the end of life, ah why should life all labour be. —Alfred Tennyson

● Full many a gem of purest ray serene, the dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear. —Thomas Gray

● And fools, who came to scoff, Remained to pray. —Oliver Goldsmith

● “…Seditious fakir striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceroy’s palace there to negotiate and parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor.” —Winston Churchill

● “Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this (Mahatma Gandhi) ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.” —Einstein

● “Whom the Gods love die young.” —Byron (Don Juan)

● “Necessity is the mother of invention.” —Unknown Latin Proverb

● “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” —Pope

● “A single step for a man–a giant leap for mankind.” —Neil Armstrong

● “Thank God, I have done my duty.” —Admiral Nelson

● “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and Sweat.” —Winston Churchill

● “Man is by nature a political animal.” —Aristotle

● “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” —Issaac Newton

● Eureke ! Eureka ! —Archimedes

● “Let a hundred flowers bloom and let a thousand schools of thought contend.” —Mao Tsetung

● “Frailty, thy name is woman.” —Shakespeare (Hamlet)

● “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts.” —Shelley (To a Skylark)

● “To maintain a fault known is a double fault.” —John Jewel

● “Beauty is truth, truth beauty”—that is all. Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” —Keats

● “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” —Bacon

● “Knowledge is power.” —Francis Bacon

● “There is no future in any job, the future lies in the man who holds the job.” —G.W. Crane

● “Until the day of his death, no man can be sure of his courage.” —Jean Anovilh

● “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” —George Orwell

● “If it were not for hopes, the hearts would break.” —Thomas Fuller

● “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to wake mistake.” —Mahatma Gandhi

● “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” —Mahatma Gandhi

● “Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.” —Jawaharlal Nehru

● “The only alternative to co-existence is codestruction.” —Jawaharlal Nehru

● “History is moving and it will tend toward hope, or tend toward tragedy.” —George W. Bush

● “All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words : freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy, hope.” —Sir Winston Churchill

● Dilli Chalo. —Subhash Chandra Bose● Truth and non-violence are my God. —Mahatma Gandhi● Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan —Atal Behari Vajpayee● Jai Jawan Jai Kishan. —Lal Bahadur Shastri● “……the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. For that light represented living truth.” —Jawahar Lal Nehru● “We have now to fight for peace with the same courage and deter-mination as we fought against aggression.” —Lal Bahadur Shastri● Aram Haram Hai. —Jawahar Lal Nehru● Swarajya is my birth right. —Bal Gangadhar Tilak

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Everyday Science - Questions and Answers

Everyday Science
Scientific, Geographical and Astronomical Phenomena
(Questions and Answers)

Q. Why does a piece of iron get rusted if left exposed in the open ?
Ans. Iron piece rusts if left exposed in the open because it reacts with the oxygen in the air, forming iron oxide—a compound of Iron and oxygen.

Q. Why can petrol fire not be put out with water ?
Ans. Petrol is a hydro carbon which remains isolated with water and is having less density. So when water is poured petrol floats on it and keeps on burning. The temperature of the burning petrol is so high that the water poured on the petrol fire is evaporated before it extinguishes the fire.

Q. Ice packed is saw dust does not melt quickly. Why ?
Ans. Saw dust is a bad conductor of heat and protects the ice from the external heat and hence from melting away quickly.

Q. White light passing through a glass prism gives rise to a coloured pattern on the wall. Why ?
Ans. White light is made up of seven colours. Rays of different colours refract or bend along different paths and fall on different points on the wall forming a coloured pattern known as spectrum.

Q. A boatman pushes the bank with his pole. Why ?
Ans. Action and reaction being equal and opposite, the bank will push the boat away from it.

Q. A burning candle gets extinguished when covered with a tumbler. Why ?
Ans. A burning candle gets extinguished when covered with a tumbler because the supply of oxygen is cut-off and the flame goes out.

Q. Why do you see rainbow after rain ?
Ans. The water drops suspended in the atmosphere act as prism and disperse light into seven colours.

Q. A metal tea-pot has an ebony handle. Why ?
Ans. Ebony being bad conductor of heat, the handle does not get hot.

Q. Why is one’s breath visible in winter, but not in summer ?
Ans. In winter the water vapour contained in the breath condenses into small droplets of water, which become visible. In summer it is not so.

Q. The weight of a man on the surface of the moon will be only about one-sixth of his weight on the earth. Why ?
Ans. The gravity of the moon is one-sixth that of the earth, hence the weight of a person on the surface of the moon will be onesixth of his weight on the earth.

Q. Why is it easier to roll a barrel than to pull it along the road ?
Ans. Slipping resistance is much more than rolling resistance.

Q. Why is the flash of lightning seen before the sound of thunder is heard ?
Ans. Because light travels faster than sound.

Q. How does a soda water straw work ?
Ans. When we suck through a soda water straw, low pressure is created inside the straw. The liquid outside rushes into balance the difference.

Q. Small space is left between each set of two rails of a railway line.
Ans. Iron expands when it gets hot. A small space is left between the ends of the rails in order to allow the expansion of rails due to heat.

Q. How does bulb emit light ?
Ans. The current passes through a wire of high resistance which becomes red hot, and emits light.

Q. What is an electric fuse ? What purpose does it serve ?
Ans. A thin wire used in maintaining the condition of the energy; it prevents overloading of energy.

Q. How does a thermos flask keep a hot liquid hot and cold liquid cold ?
Ans. It is a double-walled vessel in which the inner surface of the outer vessel and the outer surface of the inner vessel are silvered so as to prevent radiation of heat. The space between the walls of the two vessels is made of vacuum to prevent the escape of heat by conduction or convection.

Q. A parachute enables a person to descend in safety in case of an accident to aircraft ?
Ans. A man falls to the earth because of the gravitational pull of the earth. The parachute offers considerable resistance to that gravity, thereby slowing down the speed of the descending man. The parachute thus enables a person to descend in safety.

Q. A person in a moving vehicle is thrown forward when the vehicle stops suddenly. Why ?
Ans. When a moving vehicle stops suddenly, a passenger will tend to fall forward because the lower part of his body in contact with the seat comes to stop suddenly but the upper part of his body is still in motion sharing the movement of the train. So on account of inertia, the passenger falls forward.

Q. A plane approaching at a speed of 1000 m.p.h. is not heard. Why ?
Ans. Sound travels at a speed of 760 m.p.h., hence a plane approaching at a speed of 1000 m.p.h. cannot be heard.

Q. Why does an electric bulb make a bang when it is broken ?
Ans. An electric bulb has a partial vacuum. When it is broken, air rushes into take the place of the vacuum, hence it bangs.

Q. Why does a ship made of steel float though a steel ball sinks ?
Ans. The ship displaces more water then its own weight whereas the weight of the water displaced by a steel ball is much less than the weight of the steel ball.

Q. Why do the stars twinkle ?
Ans. The stars seem to twinkle due to two causes. First the light from the stars passes through several mediums; secondly our vision has a tendency to distract.

Q. Why is it easier to swim in a sea than in a river ?
Ans. The density of the sea water is higher than the density of the river water.

Q. Why is hot soup more tasty than the colder one ?
Ans. As temperature is increased, surface tension decreases and the liquid now occupies more area. Thus the hot soup occupies more area on the tongue and is, therefore, more tasty than the colder one.

Q. Thick glass tumblers often crack when very hot liquids are poured into them. Why ?
Ans. The inner layer tends to expand more rapidly than the outer layer thus producing phenomenon of unequal expansion resulting in cracks due to the resulting pressure.

Q. Why does water get cooled in an earthen pitcher ?
Ans. Pitchers have pores through which water percolates which evaporates. During evaporation heat is taken away and the water gets cooled.

Q. Why does the sky and the water of the ocean look blue ?
Ans. The blue part of the sunlight is scattered by the particles of the atmosphere around, while other parts of light pass through it : that is why the sky looks blue because of the refraction of the blue light only.

Q. Which will reach the ground first : a bullet which is shot horizontally from a gun or similar bullet thrown upward from the ground ?
Ans. Obviously horizontally shot bullet is to come down first. Its direction is perpendicular to that of gravitational force. So both vector will not affect each other but in the case of a bullet shot upward has velocity vector in the opposite direction of gravitation force. So it will take more time.

Q. Why does an iron gain weight on rusting ?
Ans. The rusted iron is nothing but iron-oxide. Iron in the presence of moisture absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere and forms iron oxide. The weight gained is equal to the weight of oxygen absorbed.

Q. Why does hard water not readily form lather with soap ?
Ans. Hard water contains the sulphates and chlorides of magnesium and calcium, which form insoluble compounds with soap. Hence soap does not lather with hard water.

Q. Why are mountains cooler than plains ?
Ans. It is so because, firstly, the air on the mountains is rare than that on the plains and absorbs less heat than the air on the plains, secondly the heat absorbed during the day on the mountains radiates away more quickly due to the rarity of the air, thirdly, major portion of the mountains remains in shade.

Q. Why is sea-water saline ?
Ans. The rivers in the course of their flow and falling into the sea bring with them deposits of salt and this process has been going on for lakhs of years, it makes sea-water saline.

Q. Glass when heated cracks while metal does not.
Ans. Glass being bad conductor of heat only that part is heated which comes into contact with heat while the other parts remain unaffected. This results in unequal expansion and hence the tension which cracks the glass. On the other hand, metal is a good conductor of heat and so all its bulk gets uniformly heated and hence no surface tension.

Q. Why does it not hurt when we cut our nails ?
Ans. Nails are the parts of the body which are not connected either with the blood vessels or cartilage and hence having no relation with the nervous system. Therefore cutting them does not give pain.

Q. A hydrogen balloon rises. Why ?
Ans. Hydrogen is lighter than air, the weight of the hydrogen balloon is less than the weight of the air displaced by it.

Q. Why is a compass used as an indicator of direction ?
Ans. The magnetic needle of the compass due to the influence of the earth’s magnetic field always lies in the north south direction. Hence we can known the direction.

Q. Why is a country like Ladakh, it may be very hot in sunshine, but bitterly cold in shade ?
Ans. The atmosphere on great heights like Ladakh is rarefied, which offers little obstacle to the rays of the sun which are therefore, scorching. But the rarefied air absorbs little heat from the rays of the sun, therefore, the atmosphere remains cold. Hence it is very cold in the shade.

Q. Why does a straight stick look bent when a part of it is immersed in water ?
Ans. The rays of the light passing from a rare medium to a dense medium change their course due to refraction, where the rays coming from stick in water come in air at surface they get displaced away from perpendicular as our eyes see straight way so the stick seems bent.

Q. Why does water boil at a lower temperature on the hills than on the plains ?
Ans. The higher the pressure, the higher boiling point : the lower the pressure the lower the boiling point. The atmospheric pressure on the hills is lower than that on the earth.

Q. Why does a rider feel a tendency to fall when the horse starts running of stops suddenly ?
Ans. This is caused by inertia. When the horse starts running, the rider, being at rest, falls back. When a running horse stops suddenly, the rider being in motion has a tendency to fall ahead.

Q. Why does a person carrying a bucket full of water in his right hand bend towards the left ?
Ans. He bends towards his left so that the centre of gravity falls within the base. This enables him to keep up balance, otherwise he may fall.

Q. Why does tea cool more rapidly in a saucer than in a cup ?
Ans. In a saucer evaporation takes place more rapidly than in a cup. Cooling is caused by evaporation.

Q. Ice packed in sawdust does not melt quickly. Why ?
Ans. Ice packed in sawdust does not melt quickly, because sawdust being bad conductor, it cuts the heat rays.

Q. Why do you heat a metal rim before fitting it to a wheel ?
Ans. By heating, the rim expands and fits easily over a slightly bigger radius than that of the rim. On being cooled it contracts and has a firm grip on the wheel.

Q. Why do wet clothes dry slowly on a rainy day ?
Ans. On a rainy day the atmosphere air contains more water vapour than on a dry day and hence evaporation is slower.

Q. Why does a substance thrown up come to the ground ?
Ans. Because of the gravitational force of the earth.

Q. Why does moisture gather outside of a glass of cold water on a warm day ?
Ans. The temperature of the outer surface of glass of cold water is lower than that of its surroundings. The vapour in the surrounding atmosphere gets condensed on the outer surface of the water and appears in the form of tiny particles of water.

Q. Why are we advised to empty the ink from our fountain pen before going up on aeroplanes ?
Ans. A we go up higher and higher the air becomes rare and atmospheric pressure lower, so that the volume of the air inside the fountain pen will also increase and the ink will be pushed out thus spoiling the clothes and hence the advice.

Q. What happens to iron when it rusts ?
Ans. It reacts with the oxygen of the air and forms iron-oxide which is the rust.

Q. How would you distinguish between welding and soldering ?
Ans. Welding is the joining of metals by raising the temperature of the metals to fuse them together by metling their ends. Soldering is the joining of metals with the help of an alloy called solder.

Q. How does a ball which falls down, bounce up ?
Ans. It is due to the operation of Newton’s Third Law of motion. To every action there is equal and opposite reaction. A ball falling to the ground is slightly deformed. Due to the elastic force of the material of which the ball is made, the ball tries to recover its original shape. In doing so it forces the ground which pushes the ball upward due to reaction and the ball bounces up.

Q. An iron nail floats on mercury but sinks in water. Give reasons.
Ans. The specific density of iron is lower than that of mercury, hence it floats on mercury, while it is higher than that of water, hence it sinks in water.

Q. How do you convert Centigrade in to Fahrenheit ?
Ans. With the help of the following formula—
C/100 = F – 32/180

Q. It is advisable to work electric appliances when they are earthed suitably. Why ?
Ans. In case of short-circuiting, the current passess to the earth without harming the user, if an electrical appliance is properly earthed.

Q. How does a refrigerator keep food fresh ?
Ans. Food is kept fresh so long as fermentation does not set in; refrigerator prevents fermentation by providing low temperature.

Q. Ice wrapped in a blanket does not melt away quickly.
Ans. Blanket being bad conductor of heat prevents the outside heat from creeping inside.

Q. Why can a petrol fire not be extinguished by throwing water on it?
Ans. The heat of the petrol fire is so intense that the water thrown on it gets evaporated and decomposed. Hence it is not effective in extinguishing the petrol fire.

Q. A train stops when the chain is pulled. Why ?
Ans. When the chain is pulled, one small valve gets opened and air/atmospheric pressure is admitted to the under side of the piston head of the brake cylinder through pipe connections. Initially there is vacuum on both top and bottom side of the piston head. When the air/atmospheric pressure enters the under side of the piston head, the piston raises up due to difference of pressure and pulls the brake rigging to which it is connected with links and levers. Thus the brakes are applied and the train stops.

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Working Principle of Some Scientific Instruments

Working Principle of Some Scientific Instruments

Diesel Engine
It is a low cost internal combustion engine with high efficiency. It consists of a cylinder with air-tight piston and provided with two valves. As the piston compresses the mixture of air and diesel, the temperature increases to 600°C leading to its ignition. The gases formed by ignition expand and push the piston out with a great force. It is connected with the gear which in turn is connected with the wheels which are set in motion. Finally the piston forces the inner gases out through another valve. This cycle is repeated again and again.

Davy’s Safety Lamp
It was invented by Sir Humphrey Davy to save the lives of the miners working in the mines. It consists of an ordinary lamp surrounded by a cylinder of wire gauze instead of glass chimney. The inflammable gases from the mine enter the gauze and burn inside the lamp with a blue flame. The gauze conducts the heat so well that the temperature outside and near the gauze never reaches the ignition point.

Dynamo
It is a device which transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy. The mechanical energy needed is obtained generally from a water turbine. It consists of a rectangular coil of wire called armature which rotates in a strong magnetic field created by electro magnet. As the coil rotates a current is induced in the coil.

Heart Lung Machine
This is a newly invented machine which promises a revolutionary advance in heart surgery. The patient’s circulation is temporarily exteriorised through the machinery by passing the heart which is left empty and idle, enabling the surgeon to work deliberately by direct vision without risk of severe haemorrhage. The heart lung machine, besides artificially circulating and oxygenating the patients’ blood can also cool it if hypothermia is necessary.

Lightning Conductor
When heavily charged cloud comes over the building, it induces an opposite charge on the upper end of the pointed rod of the lightning conductor and similar kind of charge is repelled into the earth. If the cloud is positively charged, the pointed end becomes negatively charged. From the pointed ends charge begins to leak setting up an electric wind which neutralises some of the charge of the cloud, thus decreasing the potential difference. Thus lightning will not strike the building.

Periscope
It is a device used by crew in submarines to see the surface of the water. The head of the instrument is visible over the surface of water. Light from an object is twice or thrice reflected through a rectangular pipe in which mirrors are fixed and reaches the eye-piece in which the image is seen.

Radar
It is an abbreviated form of Radio, Angle, Direction and Range. It is an instrument used to detect the direction and distance of distant invisible objects. A narrow beam of high frequency radio-waves is sent in all directions from the instrument. The invisible object in the space reflects these waves back. Radar receives these waves and by the time taken by them determines the distance and direction of the invisible object.

Refrigerator
It is a machine used for keeping temperature sufficiently low so as to prevent foodstuffs from getting bad by preventing the growth of bacteria or moulds in them. In the modern refrigerations amonia is liquefied under high pressure at the bottom. The liquid rises in the upper portion, where foodstuffs are kept. There it evaporates and since evaporation produces cooling effect the temperature of the place goes down. This process goes on and foodstuffs are prevented from becoming bad.

Rocket
The underlying principle of the flight of a rocket is Newton’s Third law of Motion viz., to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is a self-propelled vehicle which depends upon the force provided by a fuel carried along with it. As the fuel burns, products of combustion are forced out at terrific speed at the rear of the vehicle and reaction imparts motion to it in the forward direction. It has its own oxygen supply for burning the fuel and therefore, there is no dependence on air for combustion or propulsion.

Steam Engine
The motive power in a steam engine is provided by superheated steam. This steam under high pressure enters the cylinders at one end. It pushes the piston out and pushes in when escaping out from the other end of the cylinders. This process drives the piston back and forth. This piston is connected with the driving rods to the wheels of the engine and they are made to work.

Television
With the help of this Instrument we transmit images from one place to another. The object to be televised is illuminated strongly and then the light waves are by a curious mechanism converted into electrical impulses. The electrical impulses are converted back into light rays giving visual image.

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Scientific Terms Explained

Scientific Terms Explained

Absolute Zero—On the temperature scale is the lowest temperature theoretically possible. The theoretical point is equivalent to— 459•6ºF or—273•16º at which all molecular motion stops.

Acupuncture—It is an ancient technique, very much in vogue in China, of deadening pain. It is claimed that by the use of acupuncture major surgical operations can be performed without anaesthesia. The underlying principle is that there are several points in the body at which if needles are struck, a numbing effect is produced.

Allometry—It denotes the relationship between the growth rates of an individual plant part/or an organ/or organism.

Allotropy—Existence of a chemical element in two or more forms differing in physical properties but giving rise to identical chemical compounds.

Allelopathy—Also known as antibiosis of allelochemical interaction, which has direct or indirect inhibitory influence of one plant species or others and V/s.

Anabolism—Building up of complex substances from simple ones in living tissues. It is a part of the process of metabolism.

Anaesthetics—Drugs causing unconsciousness such as chloroform.

Antibiotics—These are the drugs which are produced by bacteria and which act against other strains of bacteria e.g. Penicillin, Streptomycin, Teramycin, Chloromycetin etc.

Astigmatism—It is an aberration of an optical system that causes lines in some directions to be focussed less sharply than lines in other directions. To the eye it causes defective vision.

Atomic Energy—It is produced due to the splitting up of atoms of certain radio-active elements. The energy produced in this manner can be used for constructive or destructive purposes.

Atomic number—The number of electrons, or what is equivalent, the positive charge on the nucleus, of an atom.

Black box—It is an apparatus which records the flight data of an aeroplane and is also a voice recorder.

Bacteria—Are minute organisms appearing under a microscopic observation as a group of rods or spheres. Some are harmful bacteria for they help in the spread of disease, some are useful for making soil fertile.

Bioeco compass—A unique device developed by Timiryazev Agricultural Academy in Moscow, which can give reliable forewarning of natural calamities like floods and droughts.

Blood group—Dr. Costello and later Dr. Moss classified blood into various groups viz. AB, A and O according to the viscosity of blood. Patients are administered blood of their own group.

Blood Transfusion—This is process of transfusing blood of one person into the blood stream of another person.

Calorie—The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1ºC.

Centripetal Force—The force which tends to pull whirling objects towards the centre of rotation.

Centrifugal Force—The force with which a body revolving round the centre tends to fly off.

Catalyst—A substance which aids or speeds up a chemical process, without itself undergoing any change.

Chemotherapy—Treatment of diseases by means of a chemical compound having a specific bactericidal effect.

Chlorophyll—The green pigment contained in the leaves of plants. It enables the plants to manufacture food with the help of sun light. It was first discovered by P.J. Pelletier (1778-1892) and J.B. Caventon (1715-1887) in 1818.

Colour Blindness—It is an inborn condition in some people of not being able to distinguish between certain colours.

Deficiency diseases—These are the diseases which are caused due to the deficiency in the body of certain vitamins.

Dialysis—It is a machine used for blood purification when the kidneys malfunction. The process is also known as dialysis.

Dry Ice—It is solid carbon dioxide.

Efflorescence—The property possessed by certain crystalline substances of losing their water of crystallization when exposed to the air and becoming amorphous. Example—washing soda.

Electric Motor—It is a device to transform electrical energy into mechanical energy.

Electrolysis—It is the passage of an electric current through an electrolyte with subsequent migration of ions to the electrodes.

Ecology—It is the study of the balance of nature, how different living beings and inanimate objects function together as a harmonious whole.

Endemic—A disease which becomes prevalent in a particular area on account of its sorrounding conditions.

Enzymes—These are organic catalysts which actually accelerate the chemical reactions occurring in the living organism. For example lipase accelerates the hydrolysis of fats; diastase helps the conversion of starch to glucose; zymase quickens fermentation of sugar to alcohol.

Epidemic—A disease which attacks many people in a particular area at one time.

Escape Velocity—It is the minimum speed which a space craft must have to escape the earth’s “Gravitational Pull”. It is 11•2 km/sec. from the earth.

Exbiology—The new science which deals with life or possibilities of life existing beyond the earth i.e. on other planets.

Fossils—The remains or forms of a plant or animal which are found deposited at a particular place over a long period of time in the form of rocks.

Flyash—A waste product from thermal power stations using coal. The strategic metal., germanium can be extracted from flyash.

Fungi—A class of plants which have no chlorophyll.

Gene—An elementary unit of heredity. It occurs along the length of the chromosomes which surround the nuclei.

Genetic Code—The code of life by which inherited characteristics are handed down from one generation to another. The code bearing material is…D.N.A. (deoxyribonucleic acid) a biological matter which makes transmission of characteristics possible.

Green House (Glass House)—Heating influence by solar radiation reaching ground surface, allowed by CO₂, ozone, dust, water, vapours, atmosphere etc.

Haemoglobin—The red pigment present in the blood functioning as an oxygen carrier.

Hibernation—Condition of sleep during certain parts of the year.

Hormones—These are chemical substances produced by ductless or endocrine glands.

Heavy water—The usual chemical formula for water is H₂O.

This signifies that two atoms of hydrogen are linked with one atom of oxygen to form one molecule of water. The formula for heavy water is D₂O.

Hydrophobia—It is usually caused by the bite of a mad dog. It is an incurable disease. Once it develops, the patient dies of it. It can be prevented by injections discovered by Pasteur. Injections are known as ARV (Anti-rabic venom).

Hydroponics—It is the process of growing plants by feeding them on nutrients without using soil.

Implosion—It is a technique for detonating underground nuclear devices.

Ionisation—It is the process of splitting up of a molecule into ions.

Iron Lung—A mechanical device consisting of a chamber in which alternate pulsations of high and low pressure of the thorax of a patient produce normal lung movements. It is used in cases in which respiration muscles are paralysed, e.g. in poliomylitis.

Isotopes—Atoms of the same element with the same atomic number but with different atomic mass number are known as Isotopes of that element. They contain different number of neutrons.

Kinetic energy—It is the energy possessed by the body by virtue of its motion.

Laser Beam—‘Laser’ is the abbreviated form of ‘Light, Amplification, by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’. It is a device for producing concentrated, powerful monochromatic and coherent beam of light. It is used in medicine, warfare etc.

Light Year—An astronomical measure of distance; the distance travelled by light in vacuum in one year. The velocity of light is, 3 x 10⁸ m/s (1 light year = 9•46 x 1015 m)

Meson—A new particle which holds the protons and neutrons of the atomic nucleus discovered by a Japanese scientistYukawa.

Metabolism—It is a chemical process concerned with the burning and regeneration of tissues occurring in living organisms.

Myopia—Short-sightedness. A myopic man cannot see distant objects clearly while he can see near objects quite clearly.

Nitrogen Fixation—Nitrogen has the property of reacting under special conditions to form a number of useful products. Owing to this property the free atmospheric nitrogen is converted into so many nitrogenous compounds.

Neutralization—Addition of acid to alkali or vice-versa, so that the solution is neutralized, the properties of the compounds disappear.

Neutron Bomb—Developed by the United States, the bomb causes negligible damage to buildings and other installations, but kills people instantly through radiation.

Nuclear Fission—It is the process of breaking apart of the nucleus of an atom.

Nuclear Fuel—It is a substance which undergoes nuclear fission in a nuclear reactor.

Osmosis—In the process of a solution being separated from its pure solvent by a semi-porous membrane, the molecules of the solvent begin to travel across the membrane and reach the solution to dilute it. The process goes on till concentration is equal on both sides of the membrane. This phenomenon is known as Osmosis.

Outer space—The part of the universe which lies beyond the earth’s atmosphere where the density of matter is very low.

Oxidation—It is a process of addition of oxygen.

Photosynthesis—It is the process by which green plants manufacture food in the form of carbohydrates in the presence of sunlight.

Polymerization—Chemical union of two or more molecules of the same compound to form larger molecules. The process results in the formation of a new compound of the same empirical formula but greater molecular weight.

Potential energy—It is the energy possessed by the body by virtue of its position or shape.

Protoplasm—It is the living matter present in the cells of animal and vegetable life.

Psychedelic drugs—These are the drugs which produce a mental state of great calm.

Radiation—The process of transmission of heat in straight lines without heating the intervening medium.

Radio activity—It is a characteristic of substances like uranium, thorium, radium and actinium to emit radiation which can penetrate opaque substances, affect a photographic plate in the dark and ionize gases etc.

Refraction—When a ray of light enters from a rare medium to a denser medium, it is bent or refracted towards the normal. Mirage is formed by refraction.

Relativity theory—Theory associated with Albert Einstein based on the principle that all motions are relative and that time and space are mutually inseparable.

Rocket—A type of vehicle driven by the engine which does not depend upon air as medium. It is therefore capable of working in outer space.

‘RRR’ Bomb—The U.S. Government has begun secret exploratory research on a new nuclear ‘fast bomb’ known as RRR bomb (Reduced Residual Radiation bomb) for the military, that would produce increased heat and blast but reduced radio-active fall out.

Specific gravity—Relative weight of any kind of matter expressed by the ratio of given volume to the same volume of water (for liquid or solid matter) and of air (for gas).

Spectrum—When a narrow beam of light passes through a prism, it disperses into seven colours. The coloured image is known as spectrum.

Sterilisation—(a) Removing the power of procreation by means of operation, (b) disinfecting instruments and other materials before performing a surgical operation.

Telex—Means Teleprinter Exchange. It enables subscribers to have their own teleprinter communication direct with any other subscriber having the same facility.

T.N.T.—Tri-nitro-toluene, highly explosive substance. It is manufactured by the action of concentrated nitric acid on toluene.

Torricellian Vacuum—The vacant space above the level of mercury in the barometer is known as Torricellian Vacuum. It is so called because of its being discovered by Torricelli.

Ultra Violet Rays—The sunlight is composed of several colour such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. In the spectrum below this colour there exist other rays known as ultra violet rays. These rays possess a short wave length but high frequency.

Ultra sonic—It means frequency in excess of about 20‚000 cycles per second.

Virus—Small microscopic agents containing nucleic acid capable of multiplying in an organism and causing many types of diseases such as plague, small-pox, mumps, measles, typhus, Poliomytatin etc.

Vitamins—These are minute organic compounds present in food products and are important for maintenance of health. Deficiency of these in food causes deficiency diseases. The most important vitamins are five in number; A, B, C, D and E.

Xerography—It is a new process of graphic reproduction and photography recently developed in India by National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi.

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Scientific Instruments

Some Scientific Instruments

Altimeter—An instrument used for measuring altitudes in aircraft.

Ammeter—An instrument for measuring electrical currents in amperes.

Anemometer—An instrument for measuring the force and velocity of wind.

Audiometer—An instrument for measuring the intensity of sound.

Audiophone—An instrument for improving imperfect sense of hearing.

Barometer—An apparatus used for measuring the atmospheric pres-sure. It is of 2 types—Aneroid and Fortin’s Barometer.

Calorimeter—An instrument used for measuring quantities of heat.

Carburettor—An apparatus used in an internal combustion engine for charging air with petrol vapour.

Cardiograph—A medical instrument for tracing heart movements.

Chronometer—An instrument kept on board ships for measuring accurate time.

Cinematography—It contains a series of lenses arranged to throw on screen an enlarged image of photographs.

Crescograph—It was invented by J.C. Bose. It is used for measuring growth in plants.

Dip Circle—An instrument for determining the angle between the direction of the resultant intensity of earth’s field and the horizontal component at a plane. This particular angle is known as the dip of that place.

Drinker’s Apparatus—An instrument used to help breathing in infantile paralysis.

Dynamo—The origin of electricity in a dynamo is the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Electrometer—It is an instrument for measuring electricity.

Eudiometer—A glass tube for measuring volume changes in chemical reactions between gases.
Evaporimeter—Cumulative Pan Evaporimeter used to measure water evaporation through sunlights.

Galvanometer—An instrument for measuring electric currents of small magnitude.

Hygroscope—An instrument used to illustrate dynamics of rotating bodies; a type of spinning wheel fixed to the axle.

Hydrometer—An instrument used for measuring the specific gravity of liquids.

Hydrophone—An instrument for recording sound under water.

Hygrometer—An instrument for measuring humidity in air.

Lactometer—It is used for testing the purity of milk.

Manometer—An instrument for determining the pressure of a gas.

Mariner’s compass—An apparatus used by sailors to tell them the direction. The needle always points north south.

Microphone—An instrument for converting sound waves into electrical vibrations and thus to magnify the sound.

Microscope—An instrument used for mangifying minute objects by a lens system.

Odometer—An instrument by which the distance covered by wheeled vehicles is measured.

Phonograph—An instrument for reproducing sound.

Photometer—It is an instrument for measuring the intensity of light; a device for comparing the luminous intensity of sources of light.

Polarimeter—An instrument used for measuring optical activity.

Potentiometer—It is used for comapring electromotive force (e.m.f.) of cells measurement of the thermal e.m.f. large potential differences and currents.

Pyrometer—An instrument for recording high temperatures from a great distance.

Radar—It is an abbreviated form of Radio, Angle, Direction and Range. It is used for detecting the direction and range of an approaching plane by means of radio microwaves.

Rain Gauge—An apparatus for recording rainfall at a particular place.

Radiometer—An instrument for measuring the emission of radiant energy.

Refractometer—An instrument to measure refractive indexes.

Saccharimeter—An instrument for determining the amount of sugar in a solution. It is used in breweries.

Seismometer or Seismograph—An instrument for recording earth-quake shocks.

Sextant—An instrument invented by John Hadley used for measuring the altitude of the sun and other heavenly bodies.

Spectrometer—An instrument for measuring the energy distribution of a particular type of radiation.

Speedometer—An instrument which indicates the speed at which a vehicle is moving.

Spherometer—An instrument for measuring curvature of surfaces.

Stethoscope—An instrument used by physicians to hear and analyse movements of heart and lungs.

Stroboscope—An instrument for viewing objects moving rapidly with a periodic motion and to see them as if they were at rest.

Sunshine Recorder—It is used to record sunshine duration (hrs/day) for growth of crops/plants.

Tachometer—An instrument for determining speeds of aeroplanes and motor-boats.

Teleprinter—An instrument which prints automatically messages sent from one place to another on telegraph lines.

Telstar—It is a space communication satellite developed by Bell for overseas communications. It was launched on July 10, 1962 from Cape Canaveral (U.S.A.). Besides telephone calls, Telstar enables television microwave transmission to be made from and to any country with a transmitting and receiving station.

Telescope—It is an apparatus used for observing distant objects.

Theodollite–An instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.

Thermocouple—An instrument based on thermoelectricity used for measuring temperatures.

Thermometer—An apparatus used for measuring temperature (maxi. and mini.)

Thermometer (Dry and Wet Bulb)—It is used to measure atmospheric humidity.

Thermostat—An instrument used to regulate temperature to a particular degree.

Viscometer—An instrument to measure viscosity.

Wind Vane—An instrument for measuring wind direction, indicated with N,S E,W directions.

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Books and Authors

● A Bunch of Old Letters : Jawaharlal Nehru
● Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : Arthur Conan Doyle
● Adhe Adhure : Mohan Rakesh
● A Week with Gandhi : Louis Fischer
● A China Passage : J.K. Galbraith
● Aesop’s Fables : Aesop
● A Farewell to Arms : Ernest Hemingway
● A Midsummer Night’s Dream : William Shakespeare
● A Million Mutinies, Now : V.S. Naipal
● An iron Will : Swett Marden
● A Pair of Blue Eyes : Thomas Hardy
● A Passage to India : E.M. Forster
● A Prisoner’s Scrapbook : L.K. Advani
● A Season of Ghosts : Ruskin Bond
● A Suitable Boy : Vikram Seth
● A Tale of Two Cities : Charles Dickens
● A Village by the Sea : Anita Desai
● A Voice for Freedom : Nayantara Sehgal
● Aenied : Virgil
● Against the Tide : Minoo Masani
● Age of Reason : Jean Paul Sartre
● A Dangerous Place : Daniel Patrik Moyihan
● A Haunted House : Virginia Woolf
● Agni Veena : Kazi Nazrul Islam
● Amar Kosha : Amar Singh
● Anand Math : Bankim Chandra Chatterje
● A Story of History : Arnold Toynbee
● Avanti Sundari : Dandi
● Autobiography : Jawaharlal Nehru
● As You Like It : W. Shakespeare
● Between the Lines : Kuldeep Nayyar
● Bhagwad Gita : Maharshi Ved Vyas
● Black Wednesday : Promila Kalhan
● Bubble : Mulk Raj Anand
● Buddha Charitam : Ashvaghosh
● Bal Gitayan : D.P. Maheshwari
● Bitter Sweet : Noel Coward
● Blind Beauty : Boris Pasternak
● Broken Wings : Sarojini Naidu
● Canterbury Tales : Chaucer
● Chidambara : Sumitra Nandan Pant
● Chitralekha : Bhagwati Charan Verma
● City of Joy : Dominique Lapierre
● Confessions of a Lover : Mulk Raj Anand
● Comedy of Errors : Shakespeare
● Communist Manifesto : Karl Marx
● Comus : John Milton
● Confidential Clerk : T.S. Eliot
● Coolie : Mulk Raj Anand
● Count of Monte Cristo : Alexander Dumas
● Childe Harold : Lord Byron
● Chittirappavai : P.V. Akhilandam
● Degeneration of India : T.N. Seshan
● Devdas : Sharat Chandra
● Divine Comedy : Dante
● Discovery of India : Jawaharlal Nehru
● Don Ouixote : Cervantes
● Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde : R.L. Stevenson
● Dash Kumar Charitam : Dandi
● Dark Room, The : R.K. Narayan
● Debacle : Emile Zola
● Diana, The True Story : A. Morton
● Deserted Village : Goldsmith
● Distant Drums : Manohar Malgaonkar
● Emma : Jane Austen
● Ends and Means : Aldous Huxley
● Essays of Elia : Charles Lamb
● Emperor Jones, The : Eugene O’ Neill
● Essays on Gita : Sri Aurbindo Ghosh
● Every Man a King : Swett Marden
● Father and Sons : Ivan Turganev
● Faust : Goethe
● For Whom the Bell Tolls : Ernest Hemingway
● Flames from the Ashes : P.D. Tandon
● Friends, Not Masters : Ayub Khan
● Gathering Storm : Winston Churchill
● Geet Govind : Jaya Dev
● Ghasiram Kotwal : Vijay Tendulkar
● Gitanjali : R.N. Tagore
● Gita Rahasya : Bal Gangadhar Tilak
● Glimpses of World History : J.L. Nehru :
● Godan : Premchand
● God Father, The : Mario Puzo
● Grapes of Wrath : John Steinbeck
● Great Tragedy : Z.A. Bhutto
● Guide, The : R.K. Narayan
● Hamlet : William Shakespeare
● Harsha Charit : Bana Bhatt
● Heat and Dust : Ruth Prawar Jhabwala
● Himalayan Blunders : Brig. J.P. Dalvi
● House Divided : Pearl S. Buck
● Idle Hours : R.K. Laxman
● Idols : Sunil Gavaskar
● Idylls of the King : Lord, Alfred Tennyson
● If I am Assassinated : Z.A. Bhutto
● Isabela : Keats
● Illiad : Homer
● Inside the C.B.I. : Joginder Singh
● India Divided : Rajendra Prasad
● India Wins Freedom : Maulana Azad
● Indian War of Independence : V.D. Savarkar
● Jean Christopher : Romian Rolland
● Judgement, The : Kuldip Nayyar
● Julius Caesar : William Shakespeare
● Jurassic Park : Michael Chrichton
● Kadambari : Bana Bhatt
● Kagaz Te Kanwas : Amrita Pritam
● Kamayani : Jay Shankar Prasad
● Kamasutra : S.H. Vatsayayan
● Kaya Kulp : Premchand
● King Lear : W. Shakespeare
● Lajja : Tasleem Nasreen
● Lady Chhatterley’s Lover : D.H. Lawrence
● Leaves of Grass : Walt Whitman
● Life Divine : Sri Aurbindo
● Living History : Hillary Rodham Clinton
● Living with Honour : Shiv Khera
● Lolita : Vladimir Nobokov
● Long Walk to Freedom : Nelson Mandela
● Less Miserable : Victor Hugo
● Macbeth : Shakespeare
● Madhushala : Harivansh Rai ‘Bachchan’
● Mahabharata : Maharshi Ved Vyas
● Major Barbara : G.B. Shaw
● Malti Madhav : Bhavbhuti
● Malvikagnimitra : Kalidas
● Man and Superman : G.B. Shaw
● Meghdoot : Kalidas
● Men Who Killed Gandhi : Manohar Magaonkar
● Merchant of Venice : Shakespeare
● Middle March : George Eliot
● Midnight Children : Salman Rushdie
● Mother : Maxim Gorky
● Mudra Rakshasa : Vishakha Datt
● Murder in the Cathedral : T.S. Eliot
● My Experiments with Truth : Gandhi
● Nana : Emile Zola
● Natya Shastra : Bharat Muni
● Netaji Dead or Alive : Samar Guha
● Nine Days’ Wonder : John Mansfield
● Ninteen Eighty Four : George Orwell
● O’ Jeruselam : L. Collins & D. Lapierre
● Odyssey : Homer
● Old Man and the Sea : Ernest Hemingway
● Of Human Bondage : Somerset Maugham
● Our India : Minoo Masani
● Out of Dust : F.D. Karaka
● On Contradiction : Mao-Tse-Tung
● Pakistan, The Gathering Storm : Behazir Bhutto
● Panchatantra : Vishnu Sharma
● Pather Panchali : Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyaya
● Peace has no Alternative : Mikhail Gorbachev
● Pickwick Papers : Charles Dickens
● Pilgrim’s Progress : John Bunyan
● Prathma Pratishruti : Ashapoorna Devi
● Price and Prejudice : Jane Austin
● Prince : Machiaveli
● Peter Pan : J.M. Barrie
● Principia : Isaac Newton
● Raghuvansha : Kalidasa
● Rajtaringini : Kalhan
● Ram Charit Manas : Tulsidas
● Ramayana : Valmiki
● Rangbhoomi : Premchand
● Ratnavali : Harshavardhan
● Robaiyat : Omar Khayyam
● Robinson Crusoe : Daniel Defoe
● Rugby Chapel : Mathew Arnold
● Saket : Maithili Sharan Gupta
● Satanic Verses : Salman Rushdie
● Satyarth Prakash : Swami Dayanand
● Shakuntalam : Kalidas
● Shahnama : Firdausi
● Social Contract : Rousseau :
● Sursagar : Surdas
● Sakharam Binder : Vijay Tendulkar
● Testament of Beauty : Robert Bridges
● The Blind Assassin : Margaret Atwood
● The Emperor’s New Suit : Hans Chrishtian Anderson
● Three Musketeers : Alexander Dumas
● The Otherness of Self : Feroz Varun Gandhi
● The Elephant Paradigm : Gurcharan Das
● The Affluent Society : J.K. Galbraith
● The God of Small Things : Arundhati Roy :
● The Inheritance of Loss : Anita Desai
● The Legacy of Nehru : K. Natwar Singh
● Tom Jones : Henry Fielding
● Treasure Island : R.L. Stevenson
● Trail of Jesus : John Masefield
● Uncle Tom’s Cabin : Mrs. Haraiet Stowe
● Unhappy India : Lajpat Rai
● Utopia : Tomas Moor
● Unto The Last : John Ruskin
● Untold Story : B.M. Kaul
● Urvashi : Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar
● Uttara Ram Charita : Bhav Bhuti
● Universe Around Us : James Jeans
● Vanity Fair : Thackeray
● Victim, The : Saul Bellow
● Village, The : Mulk Raj Anand
● Vinay Patrika : Tulsidas
● Voskresenia : Leo Tolstoy
● War and Peace : Tolstoy
● Wealth of Nations : Adam Smith
● We Indians : Khushwant Singh
● Waiting for God : Thomas Becket
● Wings of Fire : Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
● Yama : Mahadevi Verma
● Yashodhara : Maithili Sharan Gupta
● Zulfi, My Friend : Piloo Mody
● Zhivago, Dr. : Boris Pasternak

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