Monthly Archives: December 2020

Rang Gaeilge, 22ú lá Mí na Nollag 2020

Duinnín agus an Bhean nár tugadh Nimh di

There is a slightly different version of the story at Feasta.

Neimh, ­e, f., poison venom, virulence, pus. . . neimh na ndúl i ngrúg na gaoithe, all the venom of Nature in the fury of the wind (Kea.). . . Tá neimh na meanadh ar an snáthaid, the poison of the awl is on the needle (of inherited qualities); domlas dragúin agus neimh thríd suaidhte go mbadh é deoch do shuain é ar uair do bháis.. . .

dúl = dúilelement (of creation)
grúgAnger, displeasuref
domlasgall, bile
dragúndragoon; dragonm
suaidhte
badh
suanSleep, slumberm

  • Bhí an bhean bheag liath roimhe[?] ina pharlús nuair a d’fhill an tAthair Pádraig Ó Duinnín ón leabharlann Náisiúnta go dtí an bungaló i bPort Mhearnóg mar a mbíodh cónaí air. Ní raibh tine ar lasadh ann agus bhí taise an fhómhair agus taise an tsáile sa pharlús. Bhí an beanín, cuachta ina cóta liath, suite ar imeall cathaoireach. Ainneoin an fhuachta, bhí péacáin allais ar a héadan. D’éirigh sí go scáfar nuair tháinig sé isteach.

    The little gray woman was in his parlor before Father Patrick Dineen returneed from the National Library to the bungalow in Portmarnock where he lived. There was no fire lit and the dampness of the autumn and the moisture of the sea were in the parlor. The little woman, wrapped in a gray coat, was seated on the edge of a chair. In spite of the cold, there were drops of sweat on her face/forehead. She rose up timidly when he came in.

    taiseDampness, moistness, humidity; softness, smoothness, tenderness; mildness, gentleness; kindness, compassion; Fetch, wraithf
    sáileSea-water, sea; Ease, comfortf
    cuachtabundled, wrapped
    imeallBorder, edge, rim, marginm
    Ainneoinnotwithstanding, in spite of
    péacánSprout, shoot, plumulem
    éadanfacem
    scáfarFearful; Frightful, dreadful; Timid, apprehensive

  • Léigh tuilleadh

Significant Figures

I found this post on Facebook: Why is it important to know so many digits of pi?.

My comment:

As someone who started computing with log tables and slide rules, the first question I ask is how many significant digits do the other variables in your calculation have? The smallest such number tells you how many digits of pi you need. With electronic devices there is no harm in using more in your calculation, as many as your device has, but do not let that give you a false idea of the precision of your result.

I learned about significant figures in my high school chemistry in 1967-68. (Thank you, Mr. Wheeler!). Use of appropriate significant figures, also from a chemistry class, clearly explains the concept and its use in practice.

I only first saw Star Trek (TOS) after high school, in reruns. Thanks to that chemistry class I gag every time I hear Mr. Spock reporting some calculation to an absurd number of decimal places. His input data could not possibly be that precise!