Tag: science & technology

A buffer is a temporary storage area used to hold data during I/O operations. When data is transferred between the CPU and slower I/O devices, the buffer smooths out timing differences and allows the CPU to continue working without waiting for each I/O operation to complete.

Uranium-238 is the most abundant isotope of uranium but is NOT suitable for nuclear fission reactors because it is not fissile - it does not readily undergo fission when struck by thermal neutrons. Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 are the preferred fissile materials used in nuclear reactors and weapons.

MAN stands for Metropolitan Area Network. It is a computer network that covers a larger geographic area than a LAN (Local Area Network) but smaller than a WAN (Wide Area Network) - typically spanning a city or metropolitan area.

Blaise Pascal invented the mechanical calculator called the Pascaline in 1642 at age 19. It was designed to help his father with tax calculations. Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine much later, while Newton and Peano made contributions to mathematics but not mechanical calculators for addition.

PC stands for Personal Computer. This term became popular in the 1980s with the IBM PC to describe computers designed for individual use. 'Private Computer', 'Professional Computer', and 'Personal Calculator' are incorrect expansions of the acronym.

The United States produces the most nuclear energy in the world, operating around 93 nuclear reactors. While France has the highest percentage of electricity from nuclear, the US generates the largest total amount. The USSR no longer exists and England produces less nuclear energy than the US.

The IAEA headquarters is located in Vienna, Austria, at the Vienna International Centre. It was established in 1957 as the world's 'Atoms for Peace' organization.

In Excel and most spreadsheet software, CTRL + ; (semicolon) inserts the current date in the selected cell. CTRL + SHIFT + : inserts the current time.