March 2021 – Page 10

Ancient Greece

The Greek civilization is considered by historians as the first one in the history of mankind. A study of their archeological remains confirms that the ancient Greeks were a highly developed community. Their lifestyle and inventions indicate a high sense of order and aesthetics.

The ancient Greeks built houses along the shores of the land. They were dependant on the Aegean seas for their food supplies and other trade. Traveling brought them in contact with other cultures. They gained exposure to various agricultural methods and different types of metal work.

Different communities arose from the ancient Greece civilization. Some of them were the Aegean, Achaeans and the Pelasgians. Crete was the center of the Aegean civilization and was the dominant community in 2500 BC. The Achaeans made Mycenae their capital. A volcano caused the destruction of the Aegean community around 1400bc. The Mycenaeans absorbed the culture of the Aegean community.

In course of time, Greek settlements were transformed into city-states or poleis and each city-state was ruled by a king. The government was usually unstable due to the tyranny of the aristocrats. Democracy was hardly ever practiced.

The ancient Greeks were very keen on sports. The great athletic contest called the Olympic games began in 776 BC, which marked the beginning of the rise of the Greek civilization. At that point of time, Greek ideas were greatly influenced by many different foreign cultures. Artists were focusing on recreating human figures of mythology. The civilization saw its zenith around 500 BC. Excellence was seen in the fields of philosophy, art and literature. Wars with other civilizations began in 490 BC and the superior Greek armies overran their opponents to establish their supremacy. The ancient age of Greek civilization saw the birth of great philosophers like Pluto, Socrates, and the great emperor, Alexander.

The ancient Greeks were pagan. They prayed to the various elements of nature. They believed that favorable climate and good crops occurred when the gods were pleased. When things turned bad, they attributed it to the wrath of the gods. They performed sacrifices to appease the enraged gods.

Ancient Greeks were essentially simple-minded folks who left behind a beautiful legacy of art, philosophy and literature.

Ancient Egypt

The Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest in the world and dates back more than 6000 years. Early settlements were around the banks of the Nile river and irrigation formed the basis of this civilization.

In ancient Egypt, the most-powerful person was the ‘pharaoh’, who was both the political and religious leader. The duties of the pharaoh included collecting taxes, making laws and protecting the people from foreign invasions. People in ancient Egypt were involved in activities like farming and making crafts. Craftsmen formed one of the communities in ancient Egypt. These men were skilled and made beautiful and expensive objects for temples and pharaohs.

People built mud-brick homes and grew their own food. Additionally, they traded villages for goods that could not be produced. The ancient Egyptians were pious people and believed that worshipping different Gods and Goddesses would make their lives peaceful and harmonious.

Pyramids were built in Egypt as ‘tombs’ for the pharaohs and their queens. In addition, temples were built as a dedication to Gods and Goddesses, who were worshipped by the priests and the pharaohs. Egyptians practiced the art of ‘mummification’. It was believed that when a person died, his soul would leave him, thus, in order to re-unite the soul and the body, people were buried in pits in the desert. This method was gradually replaced with burying dead people in coffins to protect them from decaying. Mummification ensured that the dead bodies remained ‘life-like’.

One of the vital activities of the Egyptians was communication, in order to preserve information about religion and the government. Scripts were invented, one of which is known as the hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics involved using pictures to describe events and tell stories, and is one of the earliest forms of written communication.

Analog Oscilloscopes

An oscilloscope is an instrument used to measure voltage in an electronic device. It measures voltage against time. Oscilloscopes are used for several applications, especially to test the working condition and voltage of an electronic device; to test the circuitry of new electronic equipment; or to test the electronics of new software.

An analog oscilloscope applies the measured signal voltage directly to the vertical axis which is represented in the electron beam that passes from left to right on the oscilloscope’s display screen. There are many kinds of oscilloscopes: analog oscilloscope, digital oscilloscope, digital storage oscilloscope, digital phosphor oscilloscope and digital sampling oscilloscope.

There are several advantages of analog oscilloscopes as compared to other oscilloscopes. Their focus and intensity controls can be adjusted for a sharper and more legible display. Analog oscilloscopes are preferred for displaying real-time rapidly varying signals. Analog oscilloscopes also have a phosphor-based display screen that brightens the trace whenever the signal features occur. This is known as intensity grading. Intensity grading makes the distinguishing of signal details easier.

When the analog oscilloscope’s probe is connected to a circuit, it allows the voltage signal to travel to the vertical system of the oscilloscope, or to be more specific, the vertical deflection plates of the cathode ray tube near the screen. These deflection plates create a glowing dot that moves across the oscillator’s screen. The dot moves up when there is positive voltage and moves down when there is negative voltage. The dot moves from left to right of the screen because of triggering, a control mechanism for maintaining a steady line or trace on the screen, for stabilizing a repeating signal. The horizontal and vertical deflections cause the dot to be shown in the form of line, which represents voltage.

There are also analog storage oscilloscopes. This indicates an additional feature that makes the trace pattern to stay on the screen for a longer time. This is possible by secondary emission.

Agilent, B+K Precision, EZ Digital, Extech Instruments Corp., Fluke, Instek, International Tools & Technologies, Inc., Iwatsu, Kenwood TMI Corp., LeCroy, Morrow Wave, Tektronix and Yokogawa are some of the popular analog oscilloscope manufacturers. Information about analog oscilloscopes, along with their prices and product facts can be sourced from the internet. There are hundreds of sites that give information about analog oscilloscopes.

Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids belong to a group of powerful and dangerous compounds that are chemically associated to the male sex hormone testosterone. The word anabolic refers to muscle building. Testosterone is produced naturally in the body, but it can also be produced synthetically. Testosterone is responsible for ordinary growth and development of the male sex organs. Additionally, testosterone facilitates to thicken the vocal cord and distribute fat within the body. Synthetic and artificially produced testosterone is able to act like the body’s naturally occurring testosterone, consequently building muscle tissues and body mass. The history of anabolic steroids dates back to 1930 when they were artificially developed to aid men who faced difficulties in producing insufficient amounts of the hormone naturally.

More than 100 different types of anabolic steroids have been developed, the legal use of which needs proper medical prescription. Weight lifters, body builders, and athletes to gain a competitive advantage and/or improve their physical appearance sometimes illegally use anabolic steroids. Minor doses of anabolic steroids are at times prescribed to take care of serious medical conditions such as diabetes.

Anabolic steroids can be taken as pills or injected into the body. It can also be applied or rubbed on the skin in the form of gels and creams. When anabolic steroids are injected into the body, there is an increased level of danger as the users are subject to diseases such as AIDS. Anabolic steroids can be used in combination with other drugs. Anabolic steroids have a wide range of severe side effects. These range from physical unattractiveness such as acne and breast development in men, to others that are life threatening.

Teenagers are not afraid to experiment with anabolic steroids after receiving misinformation from the fitness industry and magazines. Online shopping for anabolic steroids is a trendy phenomenon among bodybuilders, both amateur and professional.