Women and Science (part 1)

Theano (5th century BC): Married to Pythagorus, Theano is now credited with writing her husband's textbook on the Golden Mean.

Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 370-415): Gifted teacher whose philosophy was 'Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.' Exceptionally talented, Hypatia taught at the school at Alexandria, where she wrote treatises on geometry, algebra and astsronomy. She was brutally murdered by those who felt threatened by her brilliant scholarship and scientific knowledge.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179): Mystic and scholar who developed the idea of universal gravitation 500 years before Newton.

Maria Agnesi (1718-1799): Italian child prodigy who, by the age of nine, was fluent in seven languages. Pope Benedict XIV appointed Agnesi to a prefessorship of mathematics at the University of Bologna. Her greatest contribution to mathematics was her Analytical Institutions, published in 1748, a model of clarity in its interpretation of other mathematicians' work. Her solutions to equations can still be found in modern day maths textbooks.

Sophie Germain (1776-1831): France's greatest female mathematician. The Ecole Polytechnique in Paris did not admit women, so she borrowed lecture notes from students. Taking the identity of a former student, Monsieur LeBlanc, she wrote answers to the problems printed for him, impressing the teacher. She made an important contribution to one of the unsolved conundrums of the era, Fermat's last Theorem. The only entrant for a competition prize set by the Institut de France for a mathematical theory of the elasticity of metal plates; she won with her third attempt in 1819 - her first attempt had been in her own name. Her work on elasticity forms the basis of all modern building construction, and was crucial to the building of the Eiffel Tower - yet her name does not appear among the 72 important scholars who made its building possible listed on plaques at the base of the Tower.

Mary Somerville (1780-1872): Scottish mathematician and the first woman to have a paper published by the Royal Society. Somerville was also a populariser of science - her book 'The Mechanism of the Heavens' explained Newton's 'Principia'. But all correspndence concerning this project had to be addressed to her husband. Passionate about women's education, she founded Somerville College, Oxford.

Mary Anning (1799-1847): English fossil collector who discovered the first pleiosaur and pterodactyl.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852): Daughter of the poet Lord Byron and Annabella Millbanke, her mother insisted on bringing her up as a mathematician and scientist. In 1833 her friend and private tutor, Mary Somerville, introduced her to Charles Babbage, then working on a mechanical calculator. In 1843 Babbage's progress had been summarised in French by Italian scientist Louis Menabrea and Ada undertook its translation. Her additional notes ,three times the length of the translation, were penetrating in their insight. She saw that the analytical engine could be used not only for number crunching but to manipulate symbols, letters, words and music - forseeing the computer age.

Maria Mitchell (1818-1910): The most famous American scientist of the 19th century. Self-taught while she was a librarian, she discovered a comet, named 'Miss Mitchell's Comet' and was the first woman member of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910): Best known as a nurse, she was an accomplished statistician and was the first to use pie charts to present information showing how improvements in hygiene would save lives.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917): The first British woman to qualify as a doctor. She was accepted into the Society of Apothecaries, which promptly changed its rules to prevent other women doing the same thing. She lobbied to change the law and in 1876 women were at last permitted to enter medecine.

Emily Roebling (1843-1903): When her husband, the engineer in charge of the Brooklyn Bridge, was paralysed after an accident, she oversaw the completion of the bridge, one of the largest civil engineering projects in the US. Her name is on the dedication plaque.

Hertha Ayrton (1854-1923): Born in Portsmouth, it is believed that Ayrton was the first woman to read a paper in person to the Royal Society, yet she was refused a fellowship because she was a married woman. She worked on arc lamps and her improvements to searchlight technology were used in aircraft detection in both world wars. She also invented a fan for dispersing poison gas, used in the trenches, saving many lives.

Nettie Stevens (1861-1912): Discovered that X and Y chromosomes determine gender.

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943): An expert on fungi who, when scientists refused to take her ideas seriously, began writing and illustrating animal stories for family and young friends.

End

Taste of Water

People often notice subtle changes in the taste of drinking water - not surprising as the average person has around 10,000 taste buds. The natural taste of water can vary from area to area; soft upland water contains fewer minerals and may be described as flat or insipid, while in chalky areas the water may have a sharpness or pleasant taste due to the presence of calcium carbonate. But changes within the home can also change the taste of your tap water.

• Earthy or musty taste: can occur if a water pipe is warmed, perhaps because it is next to an uninsulated hot water pipe. Action: Run your tap for a short time to flush out any standing water before using water for drinking and/or cooking.
• Medicinal or TCP type tastes: often traced to unsuitable or degraded tap washers, flexible inlet pipes for washing machines and dishwashers, rubber tap extensions and other fittings, such as sealing rings in electric kettles. Action: if this is proved, install a one-way check valve just before the flexible pipe to prevent backflow. Check valves can be purchased from most plumbing merchants and DIY stores.
• Chlorine: a residual amount of chloring remains in the water after treatment to keep it wholesome as it travels to your taps. the taste can vary at different times of the day or dependingon how far your home is from the water treatment works. Action: Chilling water in the fridge will help as it allows the chlorine to dissipate. To minimise the risk of bacterial contamination, it should be kept covered in the fridge and for no more than 24 hours after being drawn from the tap.
• Plastic tastes: often arise from the use of unsuitable plumbing materials. Action: only use materials approved for use in contact with drinking water. Look out for WRAS endorsed products.
• Salty tastes: can be caused by incorrectly installed water softeners. This may result in a backflow which can allow salt water from the softener to syphon back into the drinking water system. Action: Always follow the requirements of the Water Suppy (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and the British Code of practice on installing water softeners. We recommend you use WaterSafe approved plumbers to carry out plumbing work and do not drink softened water.
• Eggy or sulphuric tastes: Usually the result of the odour from the waste trap of the sink affecting your perception of the water - the water itself will not be affected. Action: Check this by filling a clean glass with water from the tap, and take it away (preferably into another room) before tasting it again. If the water tastes and smells fresher away from the sink, it suggests the waste trap may be the cause. to get rid of this smell, clean and disinfect the drain pipe below the sink.

Feature in Wessex Water Magazine, autumn/winter 2015 issue

Complaints About Purchases

Up till now (2015), if the item you ordered did not work, or the mail order item did not arrive, and the retailer refused to resolve the complaint, your last resort was to start proceedings in the small claims court.

Now an impartial complaints service - Ombudsman Services - has set up a new online system to make it easier to complain and seek compensation from online and high street retailers.

1. Complain directly to the company or retailer first.
2. If they refuse to resolve the complaint, visit ombudsman-services.org and follow the step-by-step process.
3. The Ombudsman's decisions are binding and enforceable by law.

Feature in Good Housekeeping, September 2015

TV Set Facts

Information found March 2016.

Technology

• Digital TV: The way that TV broadcasts are transmitted to your home. Older TVs may need a digital set top box to receive transmissions.
• HDTV: High definition TV is a digital system that produces better picture quality.
• IDTV: Integrated digital television sets have a digital receiver built in.
• Full HT TV: Has just over 2 million pixels comprising the picture.
• 4K Ultra HD TV: Has over 8 million pixels comprising the picture. The brightness of the colours, the sharpness of the images and the overall clarity of the picture are vastly improved.
• Smart TV: This feature allows you to access digital content such as catch up TV and streaming services from the internet via apps. However, if you want to record and store programmes for viewing later you will need a Freeview/Sky/Virgin box. 

Screen Types

• LED (light emitting diodes) screen: Produces high resolution with good contrast, brightness and colour depth. Lightweight and compact, so easily situated in any room. More choice as easier to produce. Usually cheaper in price.
• OLED (organic light emitting diodes): The latest in TV technology produces deeper blacks and a smoother image, along with reduced motion blur, than LED. Lower energy consumption than LED. Screens generally thinner.
• Curved screens: Developed to deliver a more immersive viewing experience for everyone watching, regardless of their angle, as well as offering the latest colour and depth enhancing technology

Screen Size

• Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner and only includes the actual visible screen itself, not the surrounding frame.
• A 50” TV (2016) takes up roughly the same size as a 42” TV did back in 2008.
• Work out how far away from the screen you will be and use the viewing distances to decide on screen size.

Viewing Distances

• Up to 1.5m = 32" screen
• 1.5m to 2m = 32" to 39" screen
• 2m to 2.5m = 40" to 45" screen
• 2.5m to 3m = 46" to 55"
• Over 3m     = over 56" screen

Screen Positioning

• The ideal position for high definition is from a distance equal to three or four times the height of your screen. (E.g. For a 42" screen showing HD signals, you need to sit about nine feet away.)

Sound

• Although TVs come with built in speakers, a sound bar can give better quality sound. Wireless sound bars avoid the need for trailing cables.

Various sources

Educational Tests

Tests are intended to spot strengths and weaknesses, but each person develops abilities differently over time.

Subject tests have test scores (quantitative measure). In school this is usually supplemented with teachers observations (qualitative measure). They indicate areas of strength and weakness.

Ability tests give an average score, usually based on three areas: non-verbal (abstract sets of geometrical and numerical symbols to test logic and reason); verbal (comprehension, relationship between items, vocabulary); quantitative (numerical ability).

National tests do not just test children's abilities - they are intended to provide a form of measurement for government targets.

Rather than focus on learning to the test, encourage creative thinking: choose a cuddly toy or household item or a simple object (e.g. housebrick) and come up with as many ideas as you can about what you can do with it.

Have to take a test? Remove fear of the unknown by finding out what the test involves - do some practice runs if possible. Understand the marking system - which parts get the largest amount of marks. prioritize those areas that need more work and/or sections which carry most marks.

Main source: Make Your Child Brilliant by Bernadette Tynon. Quadrille, 2008 (ISBN 978-184400-579-6)