Wikiciv - User contributions [en]

Language

2025-05-14T18:21:48Z

JojoToto:

[[File:Different languages.png|thumb|The word for "hello" written in different languages : (from top to botom) English, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Chinese and Hindi. Those 5 languages use different alphabets.]]
== Introduction ==
Language is a system of communication relying on symbols and sounds for representing various concepts, allowing for the transmission of information between the members of a group. Language is one of the most fundamental and necessary technology that humans have ever invented. It was language that gave us the ability to imagine better, grander and world changing ideas than we otherwise could.
== Types of Language ==
=== Spoken Language===
The most common form, using sounds produced by the vocal tract. It allows for rapid, nuanced exchange in real-time. ''See [[Spoken Language]]''
===Written Language===
A visual representation of spoken language, enabling ideas to be stored, shared across space and time, and passed between generations. ''See [[Written Language]]''
===Sign Language===
A full and rich visual-manual language used primarily by Deaf communities. It uses hand shapes, facial expressions, and body movement instead of sound. ''See [[Sign Language]]''
== Benefits==
=== Expressing Complex Thought ===
Language allows us to express — and even imagine — complex ideas.
''(Try to express “By the time we reached Uncle Marvin’s cabin on the fifth night of Hanukkah—three cousins short, one goat heavier, and somehow in Saskatchewan instead of Vermont—everyone silently agreed never to let Grandma handle the group texts again.” using grunts alone.)''

=== Sharing Ideas ===
Language gives us the ability to store an idea not just in our own minds but in the minds of others. Shared ideas form the basis of community, which is the foundation of culture and civilization.

=== Spreading Information ===
With spoken language, information can spread at the speed of sound. With written or signed language, it can move at the speed of light.

== Challenges ==
# You may encounter people to whom the very idea of spoken language may be new.

Finding a language that is common to other members of your group is one of the first things that may be necessary to progress further.

[[Category:Linguistics]]

== See also ==

* [[Writing and Communication]]

Language

2025-05-09T17:35:04Z

JojoToto:

Language

2025-05-09T17:30:34Z

JojoToto:

File:Different languages.png

2025-05-09T17:29:45Z

JojoToto:

The word for "hello" written in different languages :
(from top to botom) English, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Chinese and Hindi. Those 5 languages use different alphabets.

Language

2025-05-09T17:21:40Z

JojoToto:

Language is a system of communication relying on symbols and sounds for representing various concepts, allowing for the transmission of information between the members of a group.

== See also ==

* [[Writing and Communication]]

Language

2025-05-09T17:20:20Z

JojoToto: Page created

Language is a system of communication relying on symbols and sounds for representing various concepts, allowing for the transmission of information between the members of a group.

Paper

2025-05-09T16:44:33Z

JojoToto: Standardisation of text size.

[[File:Various products made from paper.JPG|thumb|250px|Various paper products: a book, toilet paper, ruled paper, carton, and an egg box.]]

'''Paper''' is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibers derived from [[wood]], rags, [[grasses]] or other vegetable sources in [[water]], draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fiber evenly distributed on the surface, followed by pressing and drying. Although paper was originally made in single sheets by hand, almost all is now made on large machines

== Uses ==
It is a versatile material with many uses, including printing, painting, graphics, signage, design, packaging, decorating, writing, and cleaning. It may also be used as filter paper, wallpaper, book endpaper, conservation paper, laminated worktops, toilet tissue, or currency and security paper, or in a number of industrial and construction processes. Overall paper is a massive invention for mankind.

== Production ==
In the industrial process of creating paper, materials containing cellulose such as wood and plants, are stripped of bark, turned into pulp and washed from any contaminants. Then the pulp is "cooked" in a industrial container to liquify any remaining lignin, leaving a almost white cellulose powder, which is further refined to white, rolled into sheets and cut to size.

== Recycling ==
The industrial process of recycling paper is done by separating different types of paper, pulping the used paper, washing and rolling into sheets.

== Historical production ==
The first production of paper that is most similar to todays process was made in China. A pulp mix of textile and plant material and or bamboo would be made, cleaned and put into a "tub" filled with water, into which two or one wooden frames with a mesh covering one would be sunk into, filled with the pulp and raised above as for the water to fall back into the tub and the pulp would be left on the mesh, then either squeezed from excess water and set to dry, or directly put under the sun.

== Dependencies ==

* [[Grasses]]
* [[Water]]
* [[Wood]]
** '''Paper'''
*** [[Matches]]
*** [[Scrap paper]]
*** [[Twine]]

== See also ==
<div style="column-count:2">
* [[Ceramic]]
* [[Concrete]]
* [[Fiberglass]]
* [[Glass]]
* [[Plastic]]
* [[Sandpaper]]
* [[Sugar]]
* [[Processed materials]]
</div>

== References ==
{{wa|Paper}}

== External links ==
* [[wikipedia:Synthetic paper|Synthetic paper]], Wikipedia

[[Category:Processed materials]]
[[Category:Stubs]]

Aeronautics

2025-05-09T16:41:44Z

JojoToto: Created the page and added a basic description.

Aeronautics is the science or practice of building or flying aircraft, as well as the study of the mechanics of atmospheric flight.

Fuel

2025-05-09T16:31:27Z

JojoToto: /* See also */

[[File:Fuel tank pictogram on 50 ccm scooter.jpeg|thumb|250px|Fuel gauge for gasoline on a 50 ccm scooter]]

A '''fuel''' is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases [[energy]] as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but has since also been applied to other sources of [[heat]] energy, such as nuclear energy.

The heat energy released by reactions of fuels can be converted into mechanical energy via a heat [[engine]]. Other times, the heat itself is valued for warmth, [[cooking]], or industrial processes, as well as the illumination that accompanies combustion. [[Hydrocarbon]]s and related organic molecules are by far the most common source of fuel used by humans, but other substances, including radioactive metals, are also utilized.

Fuels are contrasted with other substances or devices storing potential energy, such as those that directly release electrical energy, such as batteries and capacitors, or mechanical energy, such as flywheels, springs, compressed [[air]], or [[water]] in a reservoir.

== Dependencies ==

* [[Charcoal]]
* [[Coal]]
* [[Electricity]]
* '''[[Fuel]]'''
* [[Wood]]
** [[Energy]]
** [[Fire]]
** [[Heat]]

== See also ==
* [[Biomass]]
* [[Generator]]
* [[Engine]]

==References==
{{wa|Fuel}}

[[Category:Physics]]

Fuel

2025-05-09T16:30:23Z

JojoToto: added a link to the "engine" page from the word "engine".

Engine

2025-05-09T16:18:25Z

JojoToto: Added picture of a steam locomotive pulling a train.

[[File:Steam Train.jpg.jpg|thumb|A steam engine can be used to power the locomotive of a train.]]

=== Engine ===
An '''engine''' is a machine designed to convert pressure into mechanical energy. The term is often used to refer to machines that generate motion or power, which has been crucial in the development of transportation, industrial processes, and energy generation. Engines have evolved dramatically from their earliest forms to modern-day powerhouses.

==== History of Engines ====
The earliest engines were simple '''waterwheels''' and '''windmills''', harnessing natural forces for mechanical work. The true revolution began with the development of the '''steam engine''' in the 18th century. '''James Watt''', a Scottish engineer, improved the steam engine, making it efficient enough to power factories and locomotives, which ignited the Industrial Revolution.

In the 19th century, '''internal combustion engines''' (ICE) emerged, further transforming industries and transportation. These engines, powered by the combustion of fuel within a confined space, became the backbone of modern transportation, especially automobiles.

==== Types of Engines ====

# '''Steam Engines''': The first engines to provide continuous mechanical power, using steam pressure to drive pistons.
# '''Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)''': Engines that burn fuel (like gasoline or diesel) inside cylinders to create motion. These engines are found in most cars, trucks, and airplanes.
# '''Electric Engines''': Powered by electricity, these engines are becoming more prevalent, especially in electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy applications.
# '''Jet Engines''': A type of engine designed to produce thrust by expelling hot gases at high speed. They are used in aircraft and rockets.
# '''Hybrid Engines''': A combination of electric and internal combustion engines, offering the best of both worlds in fuel efficiency and power.

==== How Engines Work ====

# '''Combustion Process''': In an internal combustion engine, fuel is mixed with air and ignited, causing an explosion. The expanding gases push a piston, which is connected to a crankshaft, converting the linear motion into rotational motion.
# '''Power Output''': The power produced by the engine is typically measured in horsepower or kilowatts, which determines how much work the engine can do over time.
# '''Efficiency''': Modern engines are designed to maximize efficiency, minimizing waste energy and emissions. Technologies such as '''turbocharging''', '''supercharging''', and '''hybrid systems''' are used to improve performance.

==== Uses of Engines ====

* '''Transportation''': Cars, airplanes, ships, and trains are all powered by different types of engines.
* '''Industry''': Engines drive machinery in factories, power plants, and construction equipment.
* '''Energy Generation''': Large-scale engines (often turbines) generate electricity in power plants, fueled by coal, natural gas, or renewable sources like wind and hydroelectric power.

==== The Future of Engines ====
With growing concerns about climate change, the future of engines is shifting toward cleaner, more sustainable alternatives. The '''electric engine''' is gaining ground, especially with advancements in battery technology. '''Hydrogen fuel cells''' and '''biofuels''' are also being explored as potential replacements for traditional fossil fuels.

File:Steam Train.jpg.jpg

2025-05-09T16:17:31Z

JojoToto:

A steam engine can be used to power the locomotive of a train.

File:Steam Train.webp

2025-05-09T16:10:48Z

JojoToto:

A steam engine can be used to power the locomotive of a train.