ASK!

ASK! about Everything and Anything

Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division can generally be referred to as operations. The following books
contain relevant information on “operations”. To find out where you can borrow these books, please use our online catalogue.

[1] Title : Encyclopedia of mathematics / by James Tanton.
Call No.: YR English q510.3 TAN
*Defines “operation” as “any mechanistic procedure on the elements of a set that produces a unique result for those elements is called an operation on that set. For example, addition is an operation on the set of integers… In arithmetic, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and the extraction of square roots are called elementary operations. A symbol used to denote an operation is sometimes called an operator. For instance, +, -,… are operators.”

[2] Title: The Facts on File dictionary of mathematics/ edited by John Daintith & John Clark.
Call No.: YR English 510.3 FAC
*Defines “operation” as “any process that combines together members of a set. Combining two members to produce a third is a binary operation. The main operations in arithmetic are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.”

[3] Title: Mathematics illustrated dictionary : facts, figures, and people / by Jeanne Bendick.
Call No.: R English 510.3 BEN
*Defines “arithmetic operation” as “In common use, the four fundamental operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division…”

Answered by Ng Kiak Peng, Librarian, Public Library Services

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ASK! about Performing Arts

In today’s context, music publishing is no longer limited to just publishing of music in print. The business of music publishing has now expanded and branched out to other aspects such as the protection of copyrights of the original music by the artiste(s), record companies, online music business, compiling the sheet music, transcribers (perfect for those who have a good ear for music), and also record royalties.

Within the print business of the music publishing industry, there are 3 main areas:
1. standard music publishing in classical and serious contemporary music;
2. educational music publishing in music instructional books; &
3. popular music publishing.

Some examples of music publishers are Schirmer (classical and new music), Hal Leonard ( a compendium of music styles, including instructional), and Music Sales (songbooks and educational titles).
You can refer to their websites as cited below:

http://www.schirmer.com

http://halleonard.com

http://www. musicsales.com

Owing to the rampant spread of music being easily downloadable online and the threat of piracy, music publishers now strive to protect the copyright of the original music they own to prevent infringement, and the detrimental cause-and-effects consequences caused by music being freely distributed, be they in print, online, or sound recordings.

In Singapore, the MPS (Music Publishers) is formed to do just that. For more information, please go to http://www.mps.org.sg/

Answered by Ms Eleaner Ang, Librarian (Adult and Young People’s Services)

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Kids ASK! about Science & Technology

“On Earth, the sky is bright during the day because air molecules reflect and scatter sunlight. Stars cannot be seen because the daytime sky is brighter than the stars. The Moon is seen during the day since it is brighter than the daytime sky. On the Moon, however, there is no atmosphere, so the sky is dark and the stars are out, even during the day. Even near the blazing Sun, space stays black because space itself is very empty.”

Source : Why do we see the moon during the day?

If you want to find out more information on the “moon”, you may refer to the following books :

The Best Book of the Moon by Ian Graham
Publisher : Boston, Mass. : Kingfisher, 2005, c1999
Call No. : J 523.3 GRA
Click here for item availability.

The Moon by Ralph Winrich
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2005
Call No. : J 523.3 WIN
Click here for item availability.

Why Does the Moon Change its Shape? by Patricia J. Murphy
Publisher : New York : Rosen Pub. Group’s PowerKids Press, 2004
Call No. : J 523.3 MUR
Click here for item availability.

All websites are last accessed on 22 June 2007.

Answered by Ms Azizah Osman, Librarian, Children’s Services

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If you have a different question, please email to mailto:ask@nlb.gov.sg?subject=ASK_blog- instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Anything & Everything

It is not true that only girls keep their hair long. Some men also prefer to grow their hair long while others do so for religious purposes.

You can find an article on men having long hair at Hairfinder: International Hair Directory.

“Keeping their hair uncut is one of the religious obligations of Sikh males. In the Sikh religion, hair is considered a gift from God. Covering the hair with a turban is a tradition that dates from the 16th century, when Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion.”

Source : Young Sikhs in Traditional Turbans

Read more »

ASK! about Singapore

According to the study done by Singapore Department of Statistics, there are more than 20 Chinese dialect groups here (1). Some of these dialect groups are: Hokkien (Fukien), Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, Hainanese and Northern Min, Mandarin and Wu and Peranakans (2).

Four major categories of Malay dialects include Malay, Javanese, Madura, and Peranakan Baba.

Read more »

ASK! about History

“The history of the barber pole is intertwined with the history of barbers and their bloodletting practices. Patients would grasp a rod or staff tightly so that their veins would show, and the barbers would cut open their arms and bleed them until they fainted (nasty but true)…

Read more »

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Most fish spend part of every day asleep. Being asleep can mean different things to different fish. Some fish (like herring and tuna) are motionless in the water during the night. Other fish, like rockfish and grouper, don’t appear to sleep at all. They rest against rocks, bracing themselves with their fins. Because of the nature of their eye (lacking an eyelid), they do not ‘close’ their eyes when they are sleeping.

Source:
http://www.discoverymagazine.com/
digger/d92dd/d9208ddb.html
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/
askasci/bio99/bio99047.htm

Materials available at the library for further information:

Fish by Sarah Wilkes
Publisher : London : Hodder Wayland, 2006.
Call No. : J 597 WIL
Click here for item availability.

Freshwater Fish by Tristan Boyer Binns
Publisher : Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2006.
Call No. : J 639.34 BIN
Click here for item availability.

Fish by Ted O’Hare.
Publisher : Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Pub., c2006.
Call No. : J 597 OHA
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Lynn Wang Leng Chua, Librarian, Children’s Services

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If you have a different question, please email to mailto:ask@nlb.gov.sg?subject=ASK_blog- instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Health & Fitness

According to “Cleveland Clinic Health Information Centre” website, the symptoms for soy allergy may include any or several of the following:

1. Itching
2. Hives
3. Eczema
4. Tingling or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
5. Chest tightness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
6. Wheezing
7. Abdominal pain
8. Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
9. Dizziness
10. Fainting
11. Anaphylaxis: sudden, severe, potentially fatal, systemic allergic reaction that can involve several areas of the body
(Source: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/3300/3322.asp?index=11320, last accessed 28 May 2007)

Some related titles in the NLB libraries which might be of interest and which their availability can be checked at http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg:

1. Hidden food allergies : the essential guide to uncovering hidden food allergies- and achieving permanent relief / James Braly & Patrick Holford.
Call No.: English 616.975 BRA -[HEA]

2. How to live with a nut allergy : everything you need to know if you are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts / Chad Oh and Carol Kennedy.
Call No.: English 616.975 OH -[HEA]

3. Life without nuts / Caroline Jackson.
Call No.: English 616.975 JAC -[HEA]

Relevant information can be found at this internet resource as well:
1. MedlinePlus: Food Allergy: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodallergy.html, last accessed 28 May 2007

Answered by Ms Lim Li Sa, Librarian (Adult and Young People’s Services)

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Recreation

According to these related website sources: (last accessed: 26 May07)
“In tennis, a zero is called love, which is a corruption of the French word l’oeuf (an egg, which has a round shape like a zero).”
(Extracted from Source: Spanish Lesson 21
http://www.wvup.edu/Academics/humanities/
Oldaker/spanish_lesson_21.htm)

“Court tennis, an ancestor of most of today’s racket games, originated in 14th century France. Pronounced correctly “l’oeuf”—meaning “egg”—sounds similar to “love.” And the egg, which unquestionably looks like a zero, could have been used to describe a zero written on a scoreboard.”
(Extracted from Source: “The Meaning of Love.” Ask the Editors. Infoplease.
© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.
25 May. 2007 )

0, or nothing, is called ‘love’. It is believed to come from the pronunciation of the French word ‘l’ oeuf’, which sounds like ‘love. The use of ‘l’ouef’, meaning ‘egg’, to denote nothing, is derived from the shape of an egg.
(Extracted from Source: http://atdp.berkeley.edu/2030/dnambiar/tennis.html)

Some related titles in the NLB libraries which might be of interest and which their availability can be checked at http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg:

The tennis handbook : a complete guide to the modern game
By Sue Rich.
Call No: 796.342 RIC -[REC]

101 tips for winning more tennis matches
By Michael Kosta.
Call No: 796.342071 KOS -[REC]

Technical tennis : racquets, strings, balls, courts, spin, and bounce
By Rod Cross, Crawford Lindsey.
Call No: 796.3420153 CRO -[REC]

Answered by Ms Sharon Ong, Librarian (Adult and Young People’s Services)

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ASK! about Anything & Everything

Apparently, Vesak day differs from country to country based on which calender (lunar or traditional) the buddhists chose for their celebrations. Below are some extracts from website sources which seeks to explain further:

(Extract from The Buddhist Channel http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,4043,0,0,1,0 ,last accessed 29 May 2007)

“The exact date of Vesak is defined according to the astrological calendar, as the time of the full moon of Taurus, which corresponds to the birth, enlightenment (Nirvana) and the passing away (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha. According to the Chinese Lunar calendar, Vesak is usually celebrated on the full moon day of the fourth month.

For this year 2007 however, there are two full moon days in the month of May. Some countries have opted to celebrate on the first full moon (May 1) based on the resolution passed at Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in 1950, whereas others have chosen to do so on the second full moon day (May 31), based on the traditional chinese calendar.”

(Extract from the Buddha Dharma Education Association http://www.buddhanet.net/festival.htm,last accessed 29 May 2007)

“Some holy days are specific to a particular Buddhist tradition or ethnic group (as above). There are two aspects to take into consideration regarding Buddhist festivals: Most Buddhists, with the exception of the Japanese, use the Lunar Calendar and the dates of Buddhist festivals vary from country to country and between Buddhist traditions.”

According to the The Buddhist Channel with the link above, the calender that countries have chosen to follow is as follows:

“May 1: Sri Lanka (Vesak), Malaysia (Wesak), Cambodia (Visaka Bochea – Buddha Day), Myanmar (Kason Full Moon – Buddha Day)

May 2: Nepal – (Buddha Jayanti – Buddha Day), Laos – (Vesak), India (Buddha Purnima – Buddha Day), Bangladesh (Buddha Purnima – Buddha Day)

May 24: Hong Kong (Buddha’s Birthday), South Korea (Seokka Tanshin-il – Buddha’s Birthday), Macau (Buddha’s Birthday), Taiwan (Buddha’s Birthday)

May 31: Singapore (Vesak), Thailand (Visakha Bucha Day)

June 1: Bhutan (Buddha Day), Indonesia (Waisak – Buddha Day)”

Answered by Mr Justin Tan, Librarian (Adult and Young People’s Services)

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