A Ton of Crap (47 page)

Articles of the Constitution
Currently, the Constitution has a preamble, seven original articles, a list of twenty-seven amendments, and a certification from the Constitutional Convention. The first article establishes the legislative branch, defining Congress as a bicameral body with a House of Representatives and a Senate. Article II establishes the role of the presidency. Article III describes how the court system will work, and includes the Supreme Court.

LITERARY TERMS

Motif
A motif is a recurring image, phrase, element, expression, word, action, or object that has some sort of symbolic significance to the story. Motifs can help produce the theme of the narrative. A motif can also be a situation, character, image, idea, or incident that is found in other literature. For example, a love triangle or the corruption of power are both examples of motifs.

SQUARE ROOTS

Division with Square Roots
Division is very simple. Begin by simplifying the problem from inside the square root. For example:

You can also split the division into radicals and then work from there, simplifying and canceling numbers out. For example:

STEPHEN HAWKING

Unified Field Theory
In the 1980s, Stephen Hawking was able to answer one of Albert Einstein’s most famous theories that had been left unanswered, the unified field theory. This theory provides an explanation for conditions present at the beginning of our universe and the physical laws of nature. The theory consists of four main interactions: a strong nuclear force, electromagnetism, radioactivity’s weak nuclear force, and gravity.

ICELANDIC

Influences on Icelandic
Though at one point in time Danish was the official language of Iceland, little of the language has stuck. In the nineteenth century, the language was purified to get rid of any Danish influence, and only a few Danish words are still used today. Though Latin influences can be seen from its Germanic roots, Icelandic has not been heavily influenced by any other languages with the exception of English, which the younger generation has adapted to the Icelandic morphological and phonetic system.

THE CONSTITUTION

The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments made to the Constitution. These amendments establish the specific rights every American citizen has. The Bill of Rights was created due to the fears of Anti-Federalists who were wary of the Constitution and feared the presidency could turn into a monachy. These rights include the freedom of speech and religion, the right to bear arms, and the right to have a fair trial by a jury.

LITERARY TERMS

Ambiguity
Ambiguity leaves room for different interpretations. It creates an openness in the text. Ambiguity can sometimes be considered a flaw in literature due to a lack of detail or vague characterization; however, it can also be used skillfully and can work to the advantage of the story.

SQUARE ROOTS

Rationalizing Denominators
The denominator can never contain a radical. To fix this problem, you must find the common denominator, the exact same way you were taught to do with fractions growing up.

For example, to simplify

You must first find the common denominator and multiply it by both the top and the bottom.