‘Triskaidekaphobia’ is a word that arises from the greek tris meaning three, and deka meaning ten, i.e. thirteen, and phobia meaning fear. Triskaidekaphobia thus means the fear of the ‘number thirteen’. In western culture, the number thirteen is often associated with ill luck. Many hotels in the western countries have no thirteenth floor, and many streets are avoided being…
There are usually twelve full moons in a year, usually once a month. This is because of the waxing and waning of the moon. It takes about 29 days for the moon to complete its cycle and return to its starting phase. So in months that have less than 29 days, which is only February,…
Dolphins are mammals that are found in the seas and oceans. When the dolphins sleep, they seem to float on the water with one eye open. This is because they sleep with one part of the brain at a time. The other half is awake and that keeps one eye open. If they sleep and…
It is estimated that a 1.8 kg chicken will produce 28 to 100 grams of manure per day or 12 to 36 kg of manure per year. In its lifetime, a chicken can produce enough manure to power a 100-watt lightbulb for 5 hours. The manure produced by chicken can be decomposed to produce methane,…
Garhwal is known as a part of Dev Bhumi, meaning the land of God. It has many holy places and rivers. It has five places for the worship of Vishnu, called Panch Badri. These are Vishal Badri (Badrinath), Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vriddha Badri and Adi Badri. Garhwal also has five places for worshipping Shiva (Panch…
Windmills convert wind energy into mechanical energy that could be used for generating electricity or do mechanical work. The windmills are giant structures that have fans which are designed in a similar fashion as the fans of aircrafts. The blades of the fans are such that they enable rotation in an anticlockwise direction. So most…
