English

Did you know that a number of Singlish words have made their way into the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)? Some examples include: blur (slow in understanding), shiok (cool, great; delicious, superb), sabo (to harm, inconvenience, or make trouble for; to trick, play a prank on) and even kiasu (having a grasping or selfish attitude arising from a fear of missing out on something). Singlish exclamations like Aiyah, Aiyoh, Lah, and Wah are also official words!

The best part about this? You can now use these Singlish words in your compositions without fearing that you will be penalised. However, there is a small catch.

These Singlish words should be used appropriately, in the right context, and in direct speech. For instance, MOE has clarified that a student may write sentences such as “I have decided to ‘sabo’ my friend and play a nasty prank on him” or “She is by nature a ‘kiasu’ person and will wake up extra early to queue for the latest release”. Moreover, standard grammar rules still apply. Remember to take note of your sentence structures! 

Will you be using these Singlish words in your next Creative Writing class?

Adapted from: straitstimes.com

Mathematics

I’m sure many of you are familiar with this symbol. We see it all the time in Geometry and Mensuration. Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The diameter of a circle is the distance from edge to edge measured through the centre, while the circumference is the distance around the circle. After studying circular objects for many, many years, it has been found that a circle is slightly more than 3 times its width. (or 3.14). And because pi is a constant number, it will always be the same for any circle of any size.

However, did you know that there is a day dedicated to the celebration of this mathematical constant? March 14 marks the annual Pi day. 

Why March 14, you may ask? This is because the numerical date 3/14 is the same as the first three significant figures of pi: 3, 1 and 4! On this very special day, people all around the world celebrate Pi Day, and celebrations often include eating pie or holding pi recitation competitions.

Will you celebrate Pi day in March next year? How many decimals of Pi can you remember?

Adapted from: piday.org

Science 

In science class, we learned about the classification of living things. We learnt that a mammal is an animal that breathes air, has a backbone, and grows hair. In addition, all female mammals have glands that can produce milk. However, did you know that bats are the only mammals capable of flight? 

While animals like the flying squirrel can only glide for short distances at best, bats are known to be true fliers. It is interesting to note that the only two vertebrate fliers on the planet, bats and birds, use their wings in quite different ways. Both of these animals fly by flapping their wings, but they use the upstroke of the flap in distinct manners. While bats flick their wings upward and backward to gain lift,  birds flap their wings forward and backward to gain lift.

Bats digest their meal exceedingly quickly in order to be able to fly, excreting within 30 to 60 minutes of eating. This aids them in maintaining a healthy weight for flight. What do their wings look like? Picture the skin between your fingers being bigger, thinner, and stretched. That’s how a bat’s wing looks. Bats are agile fliers that can manoeuvre flight in complex environments thanks to the flexible skin membrane that spans between each long finger bone and several movable joints.

What other interesting facts do you know about mammals?

Adapted from: britannica.com

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