14th March: International Day of Mathematics 2023

The International Day of Mathematics (IDM), a project led by the International Mathematical Union, is a worldwide celebration. Each year on 14th March (14-3: Pi Day) all countries will be invited to participate through activities for both students and the general public in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces.

The theme for 2023 is Mathematics for Everyone.

As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematics provides its models and tools to help us understand, monitor, and control the spread of the virus. It is also used to create weather forecasts and prepare for natural disasters. It warns us of climate change and helps us to anticipate and mitigate its consequences.

Mathematics is central to the efficient organization of societies for the benefit of all citizens. It optimizes transportation and communication networks and enables smart planning and management of health, economic, and social systems. Science and mathematics have a crucial role in steering decisions to promote peace and social justice.

As a common language to the planet, mathematics is an essential part of humankind’s cultural heritage. It is present in arts, music, and games, for human enjoyment and well-being.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only..

Asperger Day 2023

February 18th, International Asperger's Day. Can you feel it (too)?

Asperger is a show that visualizes the emotions of people with Asperger, a condition of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Krister Palo is a 15-year-old student at the International School of the Hague who just happens to have Asperger's syndrome. In his talk, he shares misconceptions about people with Asperger's syndrome, and breaks down some of these popular stereotypes and assumptions.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

14th March: International Day of Mathematics 2022

The International Day of Mathematics (IDM), a project led by the International Mathematical Union, is a worldwide celebration. Each year on 14th March (14-3: Pi Day) all countries will be invited to participate through activities for both students and the general public in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces.

The theme for 2022 is Mathematics for a Better World.

As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematics provides its models and tools to help us understand, monitor, and control the spread of the virus. It is also used to create weather forecasts and prepare for natural disasters. It warns us of climate change and helps us to anticipate and mitigate its consequences.

Mathematics is central to the efficient organization of societies for the benefit of all citizens. It optimizes transportation and communication networks and enables smart planning and management of health, economic, and social systems. Science and mathematics have a crucial role in steering decisions to promote peace and social justice.

As a common language to the planet, mathematics is an essential part of humankind’s cultural heritage. It is present in arts, music, and games, for human enjoyment and well-being.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only..

Asperger Day 2022

February 18th, International Asperger's Day. Can you feel it (too)?

Asperger is a show that visualizes the emotions of people with Asperger, a condition of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Krister Palo is a 15-year-old student at the International School of the Hague who just happens to have Asperger's syndrome. In his talk, he shares misconceptions about people with Asperger's syndrome, and breaks down some of these popular stereotypes and assumptions.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Don't Choose Extinction

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is bringing Frankie, a ferocious, talking dinosaur, to the United Nations’ headquarters to shine a spotlight on the hundreds of billions of dollars governments spend every year propping up the fossil fuel industry.

"Listen up, people. I know a thing or two about extinction," he says. "Going extinct is a bad thing. And driving yourselves extinct in 70 million years? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

“At least we had an asteroid,” the dinosaur warns, referring to the popular theory explaining dinosaurs’ extinction 70 million years ago. “What’s your excuse?”

“Think of all the other things you could do with that money. Around the world people are living in poverty. Don’t you think that helping them would make more sense than… paying for the demise of your entire species?” the dinosaur says.

The Dunning Kruger Effect

The Dunning Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias that makes people believe they are smarter and more capable than they actually are. The effect is related to people’s general inaptitude to recognize their lack of ability. To learn how this comes about and what you can do to avoid it from happening to you, watch this video (you can read the script down below):

SCRIPT

SCENE 1

On April 19, 1995, McArthur Wheeler, robbed a bank with his face glazed with lemon juice, believing the juice would make his face invisible to the surveillance cameras. He thought so because lemon juice works as invisible ink on a piece of paper.

SCENE 2

Police broadcasted the security camera footage on the local eleven o’clock news and just after midnight, Arthur was arrested. Incredulously, he said “But I wore the juice...”.

14th March: International Day of Mathematics 2021

The International Day of Mathematics (IDM), a project led by the International Mathematical Union, is a worldwide celebration. Each year on 14th March (14-3: Pi Day) all countries will be invited to participate through activities for both students and the general public in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces.

The theme for 2021 is Mathematics for a Better World.

As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematics provides its models and tools to help us understand, monitor, and control the spread of the virus. It is also used to create weather forecasts and prepare for natural disasters. It warns us of climate change and helps us to anticipate and mitigate its consequences.

Mathematics is central to the efficient organization of societies for the benefit of all citizens. It optimizes transportation and communication networks and enables smart planning and management of health, economic, and social systems. Science and mathematics have a crucial role in steering decisions to promote peace and social justice.

As a common language to the planet, mathematics is an essential part of humankind’s cultural heritage. It is present in arts, music, and games, for human enjoyment and well-being.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only..

Asperger 2021

February 18th, International Asperger's Day. Can you feel it (too)?

Asperger is a show that visualizes the emotions of people with Asperger, a condition of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Krister Palo is a 15-year-old student at the International School of the Hague who just happens to have Asperger's syndrome. In his talk, he shares misconceptions about people with Asperger's syndrome, and breaks down some of these popular stereotypes and assumptions.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Encounter of Giants

During these days at the end of the year, a unique astronomical event is taking place with the great conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn that will reach a relative distance of just over 6 arc minutes on the night of December 21. This very close planetary conjunction has not occurred with this closeness since 1623 and the next comparable conjunction will be in 2080. Even with a modest telescope it will be possible to see both planets, the rings of Saturn and the main satellites of both planets in the same visual field. As you know, both planets are low in our night skies at a maximum height of less than 30º and visible at the beginning of the night towards the West.

How can I find Jupiter and Saturn? Jupiter is the brightest “star” in the low western sky in the evening of December, so it is quite easy to find Jupiter. Saturn is fainter than Jupiter, but it is as bright as 1st magnitude star, and shines above Jupiter in early December. Because Jupiter and Saturn fall in a short time in the evening, you can enjoy watching these planets only for a limited time. We recommend that you find Jupiter and Saturn in November or early December.

What's Up in the Night Sky for April?

What's Up: April 2020 Skywatching Tips from NASA.

What are some astronomy highlights in the sky in April 2020? This month, Venus visits the Pleiades; Mars, Jupiter and Saturn begin their breakup; and we ask, "What is the Moon illusion?"

Read the video transcription here:

What's Up for April? The Seven Sisters meet the evening star, Mars continues its getaway, and unpacking the Moon illusion.

At the beginning of April, look to the west each evening in the couple of hours after sunset as Venus visits the Pleiades.

Watch each night from the 1st through the 5th, as Venus climbs higher in the sky each evening, crossing through the Pleiades star cluster. The real highlight is on April 3rd, when Venus will appear inside the Pleiades — meaning it'll be in the same field of view through binoculars or a telescope with a wide field of view. This should be spectacular if the weather's clear where you are, so here's wishing you clear skies.

The planetary quartet of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and the Moon once again make a showing in mid-April. Since giving Jupiter and Saturn the slip last month, the Red Planet continues its getaway from the gas giants in this month's morning skies. Mars begins the month just beneath Saturn, but by the middle of April, it's moved a decent distance away. The Moon swings by on the 14th, 15th and 16th. The three planets won't appear close together in the sky again for a couple of years, so catch them now if you can!

How to See Germs Spread

Please share this with anyone who doubts the science behind social distancing.Wash your hands people and stay at home, even if you're not in the at risk categories. Stay home for those people who are at risk.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

COVID-19 Quiz

ESO 2, 3 & 4 Students,

1 extra point up for grabs in the next unit test (whenever that text takes place...) to the student who sends to our e-mail the first full, complete, exact and correct answer (in English!) to the following question:

What does COVID-19 exactly stand for and why?

NB: This quiz is for our children, our students... not for their parents! 😠😠

Take care and stay safe! All the best!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

How to Protect Yourself Against the Coronavirus

Here are some tips for staying healthy and preventing the virus from spreading: 

• Don't Panic. 
• Frequently wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
• Don't touch your eyes, mouth or nose.
• Clean and sanitize surfaces in your home regularly. The virus will live on surfaces for over 2 hours.
• Practice social distancing. Don't get too close to people, especially if they seem sick. If someone is coughing on the bus near you, move away.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow and dispose of used tissues.
• If you are sick, stay home, wear a mask around family members, and clean things you have touched.
• If you have a fever, cough, and/or difficulty breathing, call your doctor before going in so they can tell you how to proceed.

Most people get better on their own. There is currently no vaccine or cure to the virus but symptoms can be managed.

The WHO has great information about COVID-19; check out this link:

WHO - COVID-19 Advice for Public

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

How soap kills the coronavirus

Plain old soap and water absolutely annihilate coronavirus.

You've been told a thousand times: wash your hands to stop the spread of COVID-19. But why does this work so well? It has to do with the way the soap molecules are able to absolutely demolish viruses, like the coronavirus.

Read more about the coronavirus pandemic at http://vox.com/coronavirus

How does hand sanitizer compare to soap: http://bit.ly/2WqzEfo

Songs to wash your hands by: http://bit.ly/2Uj3T5g

How social distancing and “flattening the curve” works: http://bit.ly/3aOlHM8

How does the coronavirus outbreak end? Your biggest questions answered: http://bit.ly/39YzlfG

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

What's up in the night sky for February 2020?

February 2020: Skywatching tips from NASA

Looking for astronomy highlights for February 2020? This month is the best time of the year to try to view Mercury, soon after sunset; Mars disappears behind the Moon on Feb. 18; and the bright red star on Orion’s shoulder, Betelgeuse, has been acting weird. (Or has it?) 

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What's Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/whats-up-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

What's Up: July 2019 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech (Presenter: Preston Dyches)

Published: July 1, 2019

Historical Date: July 1, 2019

As NASA marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, here are five things to know about the Moon that you can share with others:

1. How far away is the Moon?
2. How big is the Moon?
3. What color is the Moon?
4. Why do we always see the same side of the Moon?
5. And what are the dark areas on the Moon?

What's Up for July? NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission making the first human landing on the Moon, while looking forward to the future of lunar exploration. So this month, a special edition of What's Up: Here are five things about the Moon that you can share with others when you're gazing up at our natural satellite.

What's up in the night sky for june 2019?

Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest this month, rising at dusk and remaining visible all night. The solar system's largest planet is a brilliant jewel to the naked eye, but looks fantastic through binoculars or a small telescope, which will allow you to spot the four largest moons, and maybe even glimpse a hint of the banded clouds that encircle the planet. And if this leaves you yearning for a closer look, these gorgeous views from NASA's Juno spacecraft, which is currently orbiting Jupiter, make the planet feel almost close enough to touch.

In mid-June, Mars and Mercury appear ultra-close together immediately after sunset for two days, on June 17th and 18th. You'll need a pretty clear view of the western horizon to catch them, as the pair will be only a few degrees above it (and the farther north you are, the lower they'll be). But it should be spectacular if you can manage it.

In the middle of the month, from about June 14th to the 19th, look for the Moon to form a beautiful lineup in the sky with Jupiter and Saturn that changes each night as the Moon moves in its orbit around Earth. While you're out marvelling at this trio, there's a really neat astronomy observation you can attempt yourself, just by paying attention to the Moon's movement from night to night. Okay, imagine a line passing through Jupiter and Saturn, like so. This more or less represents the plane in which Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun. Think of it as a big disk, and you're looking out to the edge of the disk from within it. Look closely and you can see that the Moon doesn't move along the same line. From night to night it moves along its own path, crossing the Jupiter-Saturn line as it moves between the two giant planets on the 18th. This separate path shows that the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted with respect to Earth's orbit around the Sun. This tilt in the Moon's orbit is why an eclipse is kind of a special event. Eclipses occur when the Moon passes into Earth's shadow, or when Earth passes into the Moon's shadow. With the Moon orbiting Earth every month, you might think there would be a lunar and solar eclipse every month as well - with the Sun, Moon and Earth forming a nice, straight line. But instead, its tilted orbit means the Moon misses this lineup most months, crossing Earth's orbital plane at the right time for a lineup with the Sun only a couple of times a year.

There's a lot still to learn about the Moon, and science is one of the reasons NASA has plans for both robots and humans to continue exploring it into the future. Here are the phases of the Moon for June.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

World Water Day 2019

22 March 2019: Leaving no one behind

Under the motto Leaving no one Behind, Sustainable Development Goal 6 is crystal clear: water for all by 2030. In spite of this optimistic goal, billions of people are still living without safe water: their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive.

Marginalized groups such as women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.

This World Water Day, 22nd March, is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind.

However, is there anything we can do to help them?

We can all play our part by saving water everyday. We can also support and join events and initiatives aimed at improving these people's lives and making them grow.

Water is a precious, yet finite resource essential for life, with no adequate substitute: DO NOT take it for granted!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

World Sleep Day 2019

 On Friday 15th we are reminded about the importance of having a good night's sleep everyday.

Poor quality of sleep can lead to memory loss, difficulty in concentration & lack of motivation. This #WorldSleepDay, start following these tips to get the best rest possible.

And remember: everyday is a perfect day to take care of yourself!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

International Asperger Day 2019

February 18th, International Asperger's Day. Can you feel it (too)?

Asperger is a show that visualizes the emotions of people with Asperger, a condition of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Krister Palo is a 15-year-old student at the International School of the Hague who just happens to have Asperger's syndrome. In his talk, he shares misconceptions about people with Asperger's syndrome, and breaks down some of these popular stereotypes and assumptions.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.