Braingle

Today's Daily Brain Teaser (May 09, 2008)

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT

One Plus One Equals?

In this teaser you are required to find a word relating to mathematics hiding in consecutive letters within each sentence. Have fun!

Example:

"They knew that they had done the wrong thing."

Answer: ADD located in: "...hAD Done..."

1. He gave his pet serpent a gondola ride.

2. How did the koala cub end up with the kangaroo?

3. Did the kind entomologist pamper centipedes?

4. The scholarship includes tuition but does not cover textbooks.

Check Braingle.com for the answer.

Today's Daily Trivia Quiz (May 09, 2008)

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Song: "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
How well do you know this popular country song?

Take the Quiz at Braingle.com

Creativity : Left vs Right Brain Thinking

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT

As we know, the two hemispheres of the brain think in different ways. The left brain tends to be logical and analytical, while the right brain tends to be more creative and spontaneous. When you are using one side of your brain more than the other, this is called left or right brained thinking. Both types of thinking are valuable, so one should try to develop their skills in both.

Unfortunately, left brained thinking is the type that is most valued by our society and taught in our schools. Almost all of the major subjects taught in school (math, science, history, etc) depend predominately on left brained thinking. Rarely do teachers encourage their students to think creatively and explore alternate solutions, and rarely are right brained studies (art, design, music, etc) encouraged.

This over emphasis becomes even more problematic as students move into the professional world. In order to get support for a new project or idea, it must be clearly defined and understood (left brained thinking) by the people who are going to be paying for it. It's very difficult to get funding for a project if the goals are not clearly understood. As a result, creative ideas don't happen as frequently as they could if right brained thinking was more valued.

It's no coincidence that the really creative ideas that occur from time to time are usually self-funded by the inventor working out of their garage. These are the people who understand the true value of thinking creatively.

Vocabulary : Word of the Day : Sanctimony

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT

sanc-ti-mo-ny

noun :: A show or expression of feelings or beliefs one does not actually hold.

"Nobody listened to the sanctimonious environmentalist who arrived at the conference in an SUV."

Memory : Only 10% of Your Brain

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT

It is a myth that humans only use a fraction of their brains. Even though scientists are still trying to unravel the mysteries of the human mind, every part of the brain is known to have a function. From an evolutionary point of view, larger brains would not have developed if there had not been an advantage to do so.

The origins of this myth are unknown, but it might have originated from a researcher named Karl Spencer Lashley who lived about a hundred years ago. He removed parts of the brains of rats and showed that they could still perform certain tests. The problem with these results are that the rats were only tested on tasks that required the parts of the brain that had not been removed. If the rats had been given other tests, they would have certainly failed.