The Western Arabic numerals are mostly used in a. Arabic b. Indian languages c. European languages
The Italian mathematician Fibonacci learned the Western Arabic number system in a. Bugia b. India c. Spain
The numbers that most Arabic-speaking countries use today are closer to a. Roman numerals b. Indian numerals c. Chinese numerals
Discussion/essay questions
Does your first language use Western Arabic numerals, or does it use a different system?
Do you prefer numbers and math or words and languages? Why?
Transcript
Numerals are the set of symbols a language uses to represent numbers. European languages like English count with a set of numerals called Western Arabic numerals. These are different from the numerals actually used in Arabic. Europe became familiar with the Western Arabic number system in the 12th century. The Italian mathematician Fibonacci learned the system from merchants in Bugia, or modern-day Algeria. These numbers spread because they made complex calculations easier. Before, Europeans were using Roman numerals, which were tedious. The Arabic system was useful because it used place value to show large numbers. That meant it only needed ten symbols. The mathematicians in North Africa who developed the symbols learned the system from Indian mathematicians and astronomers, who first invented a digit to represent the number zero. The numerals that most Arabic-speaking countries use today are much more similar to the Indian numerals.
Michelangelo became an apprentice when he was a. 13 years old b. 14 years old c. 17 years old
Of all the art forms, Michelangelo was most interested in a. mural painting b. portraits c. sculptures
Michelangelo found the experience of painting the Sistine Chapel a. easy b. enjoyable c. frustrating
Discussion/essay questions
Michelangelo’s depictions of human bodies are celebrated now. However, the nudity in his paintings and sculptures was controversial in his time. Some people thought it was disrespectful to paint nude figures in religious buildings. Why do you think it often takes time for people to appreciate art? Which types of art are controversial today?
Transcript
Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance artist. He is known for some of the most famous artworks of all time. Michelangelo was born in Florence in 1475. When he was 13, he trained as an apprentice under the muralist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Although Michelangelo was very skilled in drawing and painting, he became more interested in sculpture, and he left his apprenticeship two years early. In 1504, Michelangelo completed his most famous statue, the 17-foot tall David. He was commissioned by the Pope to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508. Michelangelo found the Chapel frustrating. He was more familiar with stone than paint, and the job was very physically demanding. He even wrote a poem about his dislike for the project. However, the Chapel ceiling is still one of Michelangelo’s most recognizable pieces. Michelangelo lived a long life, and continued to create art as he got older. He died in 1564, at age 88.
Argotec is a. a brand of coffee b. an engineering company c. a space station
The ISSpresso pours coffee into a. sealed bags b. zero-gravity coffee cups c. plastic capsules
Samantha Cristoforetti was a. the lead engineer of the ISSpresso b. the first astronaut to use the ISSpresso c. the designer of the zero-gravity coffee cup
Discussion/essay questions
Would you ever want to go to space? Why or why not? What do you think would be the hardest part of being an astronaut?
Transcript
In 2015, the Italian Space Agency launched the first espresso machine into space. It was a joint project between Lavazza, an Italian coffee company, and Argotec, an engineering company that makes food for the European Space Agency. The machine is called the ISSpresso, a portmanteau of espresso and the ISS, or International Space Station. The ISSpresso brews the coffee using small capsules of coffee grounds and pours it into sealed bags. It also comes with zero-gravity coffee cups that manipulate surface tension to stop the liquid from floating away. The first person to use the ISSpresso was Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who was also the first Italian woman to go to space.
Galileo a. invented the telescope b. improved the technology of telescopes c. mostly observed space without a telescope
Galileo believed that a. the Earth was the centre of the universe b. the Earth and other planets orbited the Sun c. Neptune was a planet and not a star
Galileo was convicted of a. heresy b. fraud c. theft
Discussion/essay questions
Throughout history, many scientists have been shunned for sharing their observations. Why do you think people struggle to accept new ideas?
Transcript
Galileo Galilei, often simply called “Galileo”, was an Italian scientist. He made historic contributions in the fields of astronomy, physics, and mathematics. He was also an inventor and an artist. Galileo was born in 1564. He began studying math and science when he was in university. One of his major accomplishments was improving the technology of telescopes. He was one of the first people to use a telescope to observe space. Galileo’s studies of the night sky led him to several discoveries, including the moons of Jupiter and the planet Neptune, which he originally believed was a star. Galileo was also an early proponent of heliocentrism, which is the idea that the Earth and other planets orbit the Sun. In fact, he was convicted of heresy by the Catholic church for arguing that the Earth was not the centre of the universe. Galileo died in 1642, but he later became known as the father of modern science.
Have you ever been to a famous historical site? What did you see?
People around the world are fascinated by the ancient city. Why do you think humans are so interested in the past?
Transcript
Pompeii was an ancient city in Italy. In 79 A.D., it was buried under ash after the eruption of a volcano called Mount Vesuvius. The eruption was documented by a writer known as Pliny the Younger, who escaped from the city when he was 17 years old. For nearly 2000 years after the eruption, the city was completely abandoned. However, in 1748, a group of explorers discovered that the ash had preserved many of Pompeii’s buildings, skeletons, and artifacts. This helped archaeologists learn more about what life was like in ancient Rome. But to this day, archaeologists have only uncovered about two thirds of Pompeii’s ruins. The rest of the city is still buried under ash and debris.
The Mona Lisa’s fame came from the 1911 theft. If Vincenzo Peruggia had stolen a different painting, do you think that painting would have the same popularity that the Mona Lisa has today?
Transcript
The Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world. The piece was painted by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is currently displayed in the Louvre, a famous art museum in Paris, France. The painting gained international attention when it was stolen from the museum in 1911. It was missing for two years before a former Louvre employee named Vincenzo Peruggia was caught trying to sell the painting. Peruggia had stolen the painting because he believed that it should belong in an Italian museum, rather than a French one. After Peruggia’s arrest, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre. However, the Mona Lisa’s fame attracted many vandals. In 1956, a vandal threw acid at the painting, causing damage. It is now kept behind bulletproof glass to protect it from any acts of vandalism. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most commonly replicated paintings. Since 1911, many artists have tried to recreate the Mona Lisa, and a few older copies exist that may have been painted by da Vinci’s students.
