Author: Ibrahim El Merehbi

Installing Promethean ActivInspire Software On Ubuntu 12.04 or 13.04

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To install the Promethean Activboard Driver and ActivInspire Software On Ubuntu 12.04 or 13.04 follow the steps below:
Note: Please note that Promethean supports only 32 bit Ubuntu systems. I have not tested it for 64 bit systems.

sudo apt-get install libjpeg62

From the Ubuntu Software Center add the following repository in “Other Sources”:

deb http://activsoftware.co.uk/linux/repos/ubuntu precise oss non-oss

Back in a terminal run:

wget http://www.activsoftware.co.uk/linux/repos/Promethean.asc && sudo apt-key add Promethean.asc

then

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install activinspire activtools activdriver

Now logout and login again and try running Activinspire.

Classroom physics: free body diagram of Ariane 5

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I’ve been recently teaching Physics to 8th graders. We have finished the chapters on motion, forces, and friction, and just covered gravity. As part of this chapter, though not included in the curriculum or book, I introduced the concept of the free body diagram [1]. In the first session introducing this concept, most students didn’t really grab what it is or why it is important.

For the last session before the vacation, I started the class by playing a video of the Ariane 5 [2] launch that occurred on 29 August 2013 of the French Guiana:

Note: if can’t see the video click here.

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[Image] Archimedes’ screw

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[Image] Archimedes' screw

In the Netherlands, some of the windmills used to drain the polders at Kinderdijk have been replaced by modern Archimedes screws.

Image by: M.A. Wijngaarden
License: CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

[Video] Cardiovascular system

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[Video] Greg Asner: Ecology from the air

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