A control variable is an element in an experiment or study that is held constant or regulated to prevent it from influencing the outcome or results. By controlling certain variables, researchers can isolate the effects of the independent variable (the variable being manipulated) on the dependent variable (the outcome being measured).
Virtue ethicists are philosophers who focus on the role of character and virtue in ethical decision-making, as opposed to merely considering the consequences of actions (as in consequentialism) or adhering to a set of rules or duties (as in deontology). The tradition of virtue ethics originates from ancient philosophy, particularly with thinkers like Aristotle, who emphasized the importance of developing good character traits, or virtues, to live a fulfilling and morally good life.
A tidal bore is a phenomenon that occurs in certain rivers and estuaries where the incoming tide creates a sudden and strong surge of water that moves upstream against the river's current. This can happen when the tide rises rapidly in a narrow or funnel-shaped body of water, causing a tidal wave to travel up the river. Tidal bores generally occur in areas with large tidal ranges, meaning there is a significant difference between high and low tide.
Albert J. Libchaber is a notable physicist known for his work in the fields of experimental physics, particularly in the areas of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of complex systems and has engaged in research related to fluid dynamics, laser physics, and statistical mechanics. Libchaber is perhaps best known for his experiments that explore the transition to turbulence, as well as for his work on the behavior of systems far from equilibrium.
The Kaufmann vortex, also known as the Kaufmann vortex flow, is a concept in fluid dynamics related to the behavior of fluids around obstacles or in various flow scenarios. Specifically, it describes a type of vortex flow that occurs in situations where a fluid, typically incompressible, interacts with an object, leading to the formation of vortices.
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive shape of a cloud that forms following the detonation of a nuclear weapon or a large conventional explosive. The cloud gets its name due to its resemblance to the cap and stem of a mushroom. The formation of a mushroom cloud occurs in several stages: 1. **Initial Explosion**: A powerful explosion creates a fireball that rises rapidly. This fireball is extremely hot and generates a significant updraft of air.
An upper tropospheric cyclonic vortex is a large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern that occurs in the upper levels of the troposphere, typically between about 5 to 12 kilometers (16,000 to 39,000 feet) above sea level. This region of the atmosphere plays a crucial role in weather systems and is marked by the presence of low-pressure areas, characterized by counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere.
Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is a phenomenon that occurs when vortices are shed from a structure, typically a cylindrical object, in a fluid flow, generating alternating forces on the structure. This interaction can result in oscillations or vibrations of the structure perpendicular to the flow direction. VIV is particularly relevant in engineering fields such as offshore structures, bridges, and marine risers, where cylindrical elements are exposed to fluid currents.
Phase velocity is a concept in wave theory that describes the speed at which a particular phase of a wave propagates through space.
Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Techniques (ESPRIT) is a signal processing method used primarily for estimating the parameters of signals, particularly in the context of direction of arrival (DOA) estimation in array processing. This technique exploits the property of rotational invariance in the signal covariance matrix, allowing for efficient estimation even in scenarios with noise and other distortions.
Longitudinal mode refers to a specific mode of oscillation in which the oscillations occur in the same direction as the propagation of a wave. This term is frequently used in the context of waves in fluids and solids, including sound waves, where particles of the medium vibrate back and forth in the same direction as the wave travels. In more technical applications, particularly in optics and laser physics, longitudinal modes can refer to the standing wave patterns formed within a resonant cavity (like a laser).
Ion acoustic waves are a type of sound wave that propagates in a plasma or ionized gas. These waves are characterized by the oscillation of ions and electrons in the medium, and they combine properties of both acoustic waves (which are typically sound waves in fluids) and plasma dynamics. ### Key Features: 1. **Propagation Mechanism**: In ion acoustic waves, the oscillations are primarily due to the motion of ions, while the electrons respond to these oscillations.
Weather prediction, also known as weather forecasting, is the process of estimating the state of the atmosphere at a specific location and time in the future based on meteorological data and models. It involves the analysis of various atmospheric elements such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure. The process typically includes: 1. **Data Collection**: Meteorologists gather data from a variety of sources, including weather stations, satellites, radar systems, and weather buoys.
Native Girls Code is an initiative aimed at empowering Native American girls and women through education in coding and technology. It focuses on bridging the digital divide and promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills among Indigenous youth. The program often includes workshops, mentorship, and resources designed to inspire and prepare participants for careers in tech and related fields.
Pixelles is a community-driven organization that focuses on supporting and promoting women in the game development industry. Founded in 2014 in Montreal, Canada, Pixelles aims to empower women by providing resources, mentorship, workshops, and networking opportunities. They strive to create an inclusive environment for women to learn, share their experiences, and build their skills in game design and development.
Al-Zarqali, also known as Azarquiel, was a prominent 11th-century astronomer, mathematician, and instrument maker from Al-Andalus, which is present-day Spain. He is best known for his contributions to astronomy, particularly for his work on the astrolabe and for creating astronomical tables that were highly regarded in both the Islamic world and Europe.
Garlandus Compotista, often referred to simply as Compotista, is a historical figure believed to have been a 13th-century scholar or cleric. He is notably associated with the early development of mathematical texts related to astronomy and the calculation of time, particularly calendar systems and the management of timekeeping.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact