Sunday, January 26, 2020

Ilm Al-raml In Islamic And Arabic Culture

Ilm Al-raml In Islamic And Arabic Culture Distant as it may seem, synergizing mathematics with divination systems and religious practices that transcend the realm of rational thought is an almost impossible endeavor. To get a clear understanding of into the nature of amtehatmical knowelegdew Nonetheless, a careful and detailed examination of some Historical Background Ilm Al-raml constitutes an omnipresent divination system in the Arabic and Islamic culture. The literature attributes the Arabic term Ilm Al-raml or ilm Al -khutut to Geomancy. Historically, Geomancy constituted a family of divination systems, including such famous members as Ifa, Fa, Sixteen Cowries (Nigeria and West Africa in general), Sikidy (Madagascar and Comoro Island), Ramalasastra (India), I Ching ( China), Hakata (Southern Africa), ilm al-raml or khutut al-raml (North Africa). According to the most recent historical re-enactments, the Hellenic, Jewish, Persian, African, Indian and Chinese borrowings into the Arabic body of geomancy point to a drafting of the classic, strongly astrological geomantic system in Southern Mesopotamia in an Ismaili context in the tenth century CE. Subsequently, the systems rapid and successful spread over the Islamic and Jewish intellectual world, and hence into Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean region, was largely due to its being preserved in widely circulated treatises. Of these, perhaps the most famous and successful has been the Kitab al-fasl fi usul ilm al-raml) by the Berber sheikh Muhammad al-Zanati (c. 1200 CE) (Van Binsberg , 1996). A careful examination of the binary mathematical structure of both the Southern African four-tablet divination system, and the more directly Arabian-derived forms of geomancy found in the Indian Ocean region led many historians and researchers to hypothesize a series of historical connections. In Arabic Islamic culture, ilm al-raml or sand-science goes back to IdrÄ «s, the Egyptian third Islamic prophet of Allah who came between the prophets Adam and Noah and resided in Egypt during which he undertaken the mission to show people how to write, to sew, to build cities and to use the Science of the Sand(Al-Tokhi,1991). The narrative tells that Idriss was taught this science by an angel sent by Allah and he taught it to his people who were practicing astrology (Tanjjim). Description and interpretations According to the principles of Idrisian facts, all living creatures are made up of four elements: fire, air, water, earth and four results heat, cold, moist, dry, and four directions east, west, south, and north. Also, looking at peoples activities they found that they basically used four major practices: weighing, counting, planting, and farming (Van Binsberg, 1996). Then everything balances on four corners, four figures, four extremities (e.g. the human body), and four elements on which they have built unlimited configurations. Partly rooted in simple chance procedures and random processes (like hitting the earth, throwing tablets, beans, shells etc.), ilm al-raml is a binary system of 16 figures. Each figure is 4 rows high and each row consists of either one dot or two dots. The figures are determined through various methods both ancient and modern. The procedure is called darb al-raml or the forceful hitting of the sand with a stick, in order to produce a random number of dot tra ces or marks which can then be scored as either odd or even. Four figures are created, and a chart is depicted using simple binary multiplication, and is interpreted based on the meanings of each figure. The 4_(number)four binary elements of each figure allow for 24 or 16 different combinations. As there are 4 root figures in each chart, the total number of possible charts equals 16ÃÆ'-16ÃÆ'-16ÃÆ'-16 or 65536. The charts are also interpreted differently. Depending on the nature of the question, ilm al-raml can be considered as one of the most thorough kinds of divination based on only 16 figures which are extremely simple yet with deep connotations. The marks on the ground are interpreted through a process of transformation and elimination, from one horizontal line, with one or two dots (one for odd, two for even), to a four-line symbol, of which there are sixteen 24 configurations (Van Binsberg , 1996, p.5) : With two dots making a line, the above configurations can be written as: More complex procedures may raise this number to any higher power of 2. A written or memorized key (the catalogue) provides the interpretation of each generated symbol and of their combinations. (Van Binsberg , 1996) The origin of this science is the dot and its secret is the odd number. Each of the four basic elements has a dot representation. Knowing that the element fire is lighter than the element air and that air is lighter than water and the water lighter than sand and knowing that the heavy element carries the lighter and not vice versa, so the elements in ilm al-raml follow this order: fire then air then water then sand (Al-Tokhi, 1991). Moreover, they assigned 4 letters from the alphabets to designate each one of the 4 elements. Fire( naar) Air (hawa) Water (maa) Sand (torab) Ù†  (noun) Ù†¡Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â€š ¬ (haa) Ù†¦ (meem) Ø ª (taa) Originally, the patterns were created when the munajjim or the geomancer traced dots with a stylus across a board of sand or dust. The geomancer then examines and construes the dots, deriving further patterns, and eventually gives an answer or forecast for his client. Ascribed to this pattern of dots are different meanings and interpretations, related to the colors, months, planets, the four elements, the signs of the zodiac and parts of the body. Conditions when using Ilm al-raml To hit the sand, the hitter or geomancer or Al-Darib should be facing AL Qubla (a place in Mecca where the Muslims do pilgrimage) and should be clean and wearing clean clothes. He should pray, read certain verses from the Quran and place an intention to hit the sand seeking an answer to a question in mind. In the Islamic culture, hitting the sand is not supposed to be done in the following times: during storms or rain, at sunset or sunrise. However, it is preferable to be done after sunset until dawn, the best time is during the night. Also, the hitter shouldnt speak to others while performing the act. He should be joyful and content and should start with hitting the sand from left to right saying these words: Tash 4 torbash 4 shaqoor 4 tazan 4. (Al-Tokhi, 1992). Procedure: How it is done The procedure is administered inductively through a set of pre-determined and systematic series of steps that are embellished by the diviners skill to intensify and epitomize the importance of the act. The series of steps constitutes a decision making algorithm that, upon execution, results in an outcome which is interpreted by the diviner as either good or bad. The steps are illustrated in the following example: Step 1: A customer comes to Al-Darib (the diviner or the person hitting the sand), seeking answers or advice on certain questions. The questions can be related to any type of day-to-day affairs such as marriage/divorce; life/death; finding a thief; pregnancy; happiness; profit/loss, etc.. Step 2: To find the answer, Al-Darib, after fulfilling the above mentioned conditions, makes 4 horizontal lines and on each line he designates 4 rows of random number of dots in such a way that each row has less number of dots than its precedent. Below is a demonstration: Then Al-Darib eliminates the dots two by two, if the remaining is a single dot he puts a dot otherwise he puts a dash sign. This concept is what is known in arithmetic as counting modulo 2. (Ascher, 2002) The above figure is called Al-takht (the board in Arabic) and the resulting 4 shapes or configurations are called the mothers from which the other twelve shapes (4 daughters; 4 granddaughters; 2 off springs; 1 arbitrator; 1 judge) are generated (Al-Tokhi, 1992). Each of the sixteen possible configurations is identified by a name, and for each a number of standard interpretations are given in a catalogue or some type of a written manual. These configurations are derived by a special form of juxtaposition, based on the following computational rules: even x odd = odd, i.e. x = ; odd x even = odd, i.e. x = even x even = even, i.e. x = ; odd x odd = even, i.e. x = In any given shape, the four parts designate from top to bottom: Head; chest; waist; legs. The above takhit produced the following four mothers configurations: Step 3: From the four shapes that constitute the mothers' configuration, four other shapes are generated by taking one shape from the mothers heads, another from their chests, a third from their waists and a fourth from their legs. These four configurations constitute the daughters. Juxtaposing the first two mothers then the second two mothers and the first two daughters and the second two daughters will generate the four granddaughters. The same procedure is repeated with every two granddaughters to get the 2 configurations which are called off springs. Juxtaposing the two off springs together will give one configuration and is called arbitrator. To generate the sixteenth configuration, Al-Darib multiplies the last shape with the first mother shape to get the judge. The sixteen configurations generated are shown below: x x x x Interpretation: Each of the sixteen configurations designates a house which holds the meanings on which interpretations are made. The houses are different from the configurations itself. While the configuration or shape is the piling up of 4 layers of dots and dashes, the houses are the locations in which these configurations fall (Al-Tokhi, 1992). The first house represents the life of the client, the second house is the house of capital, the third for the brothers, the fourth for the parents, the fifth for the children, the sixth for disease, the seventh for marriage, the eighth for death, the ninth for travel, the tenth for luxury and fame, the eleventh for hope, the twelfth for enemies, the thirteenth for the asker, the fourteenth for the sponsors, the fifteenth for balance and equilibrium and the last shape is for judgment . The shapes in the sand speak to Al_Darib: When he sees distressful or tragic configurations he pronounces bad news irrespective what the object of consultation is. When he sees a mixed configuration he pronounces middle results. When he sees happy configurations he pronounces good news and success. Kinship relations: A number of researches indicate that the mothers here do not primary stand for a kinship reference, but for fundamental cosmological entities such as planets or elements, However, in hitting the sand, the client has to give the name of his mother and not the father. (Al-Tokhi, 1991). This in turn makes the descent series mothers/ daughters/ off springs distinctly matrilateral. (Van Binsberg , 1996) Calendar: The sixteen shapes or configurations are divided among the days, weeks, months, and years. For the days of the week, the shapes are distributed as follows: Sunday Thurs. night Friday Tues. night Wed Sat. night Wed Fri. night Sat. Wed. night Thurs.Mon. night Tues. Sat. night Sat. rest of days Adopted from Al-Tokhi (1992). Al-usul wa al-wosoul fi ilm al-raml.(Translated from Arabic) Also, the first twelve of these sixteen configurations are identified with the twelve astrological houses and are interpreted accordingly, taking into account the usual correspondences and conventional meanings of the twelve houses, the planets and the zodiacal signs. The planetary and zodiacal associations of each of the sixteen names are listed in the following table: Adopted from Van Binsberg, The Astrological Origin of Geomancy, 1996, p.43. Closure Ilm al-raml in Islamic, Arabic culture is a complex cosmological tradition that is still practiced and is highly popular in most Arab countries today. Although it is highly contextual and mostly spread out among the more underprivileged, poverty stricken people, it is nonetheless highly sophisticated with a systematic set of procedures that underlies its implementation and interpretation. As a divination practice, Ilm al-raml encompasses a range of mathematical ideas that are embedded in the daily life of indigenous people and play an unprecedented role in impacting the decisions they undertake in their everyday encounters. Concomitantly, such an inductive, semiotic system is based on mathematical and probabilistic principles that are constantly proposed as vital in the mathematics school curricula. Introducing students to such cultural practices can help embed mathematics in meaningful and novel contexts and consequently build a more positive attitude toward mathematics.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Predicting the Products of Double Replacement Reactions Essay

Introduction – A double replacement reaction is a chemical reaction between two compounds where the positive ion of one compound is exchanged with the positive ion of another compound. If you have the reactants of two reaction solution that you can determine the products. All you need to do is pair the positive parts of the compounds with the other compounds negative part. Once you find the products you can determine their phase of matter by using Table H. You can also use Table F to determine the solubility guidelines for aqueous solutions. If the product falls under soluble or exceptions to insoluble it is in the aqueous stare. If the product falls under insoluble or exception to soluble it is a precipitate. Once you have completed those steps you can determine if a equation went to completion or not. In order for a reaction to go to completion it must have one of the following three things. First, a gas is produced. This gas is usually H2, O2, or CO2. Secondly, a covalent compound (such as water) is formed. Finally, a precipitate (solid) is formed. When none of those things happen it is considered to be â€Å"no reaction.† When one of those things does happen the reaction is considered to be â€Å"completed.† It is considered to be completed because all of the reagents in the sample have completely reacted out. Purpose – The purpose of this lab was to be able to predict the phase of matter after a double replacement reaction, what the products were, and if the reaction was completed or not. Materials and Methods – †¢.1 M NaCl †¢.1 M AgNO3 †¢.1 M Na3PO4 †¢.1 M NaOH †¢.1 CuSO4 †¢Five droppers †¢Spot Plate †¢Pen/Pencil †¢Paper †¢Goggles †¢Apron Safety Precautions – †¢Wear goggles and apron at all time while inside the lab. †¢You may use rubber gloves o protect your hands from the chemicals that will be used in the lab. †¢If any chemical gets on your skin tell the teacher right a way and thoroughly rinse it with water. †¢If any chemicals happen to get into your eye use the eye wash bottle or the emergency eye wash station. †¢Make sure you wear closed shoes in the lab. †¢No horse playing or inappropriate behavior in the lab. †¢When the lab is complete dispose of the chemicals correctly and place them correctly on the drying rack. Procedure – First, using a spot plate, place five drops of NaCl solution into wells I and IV, five drops of NaOH into wells II and V, and five drops of Na3PO4 into wells III and VI. Next, using the diagrams listed on the lab sheet, add five drops of CuSO4 to wells I, II, and III and five drops of AgNO3 to wells IV, V, and VI. Finally, note any color changes or precipitates formed and record your observations. Observations and Data – I. Appearance before: Clear liquid state. After: Still liquid state, light blue color. II. Appearance before: Clear liquid state. After: Changed to solid state, dark blue. III. Appearance before: Clear/transparent liquid state. After: Solid state, light blue. IV. Appearance before: Clear liquid state. After: White, cloudy, solid state. V. Appearance before: Clear liquid state. After: Cloudy, bits of pieces, brownish, solid state. VI. Appearance before: Clear and bubbly. After: Yellow, cloudy, precipitate present, solid state. Question – 1.Soluble means a substance is able to be dissolved, esp. in water. 2.Insoluble means a substance is incapable of being dissolved. 3.When the symbol (aq) is placed next to an ionic compound it means any solution in which water (H2O) is the solvent. 4.A precipitate is to form an insoluble compound either by reacting two salts or by changing the temperature to affect the solubility of the compound. Also it is the name given to the solid that is formed as a result of a precipitation reaction. 5.You can identify a precipitate when it is written in a reaction if there is a (s) next to one of the reactants or products. If that (s) symbolizing a solid is not present you will have to look at Table F. Table F shows ions that form soluble/insoluble compounds. If the product/reactant falls under insoluble or the soluble exception column it is a precipitate. You can identify a precipitate in a reaction if the reactant or product is in solid form. 6. Balanced equation and state: a.No Reaction b.NaOH + CuSO4 –> Na2SO4 + Cu(OH)2 (s) c.2Na3PO4 + 3CuSO4 –> 3Na2SO4 + Cu3(PO4)2 (s) d.NaCl + AgNO3 –> NaNO3 + AgCl (s) e.NaOH + AgNO3 –> NaNO3 + AgOH (s) f.Na3PO4 + AgNO3 –> NaNO3 + Ag3PO4 (s) Conclusion – The main idea of this experiment is that if you have the reactants of a double replacement reaction that you should be able to find out several things. First, you can figure out the products from switching the positive ion with the other positive ion. Once you have found the products you can determine the phase of matter they are in from Table F and H. Finally, you can also determine whether the reaction went to completion or not. The observations and data above leads me to believe that our experiment is valid. We were very careful and observant of the directions that needed to be taken. Once source of error could have been that certain substances were placed in the wrong wells, causing your data to stray from the correct information. One way this experiment could be applied to a real life situation is he residue in the bottom of a glass in your bathroom. There is stuff dissolved in water, and any trace of water left in a glass will eventually evaporate and leave the residue. Another example can be found if you have ever been to a salt marsh along the ocean, you will see lots of salt deposits, which are just precipitated salt from the ocean water. One improvement that can be done to the lab so that students obtain more valid information is having bigger wells. This way students can see which solutions they are mixing and observe the reaction better. From learning it in class on the smart board to actually seeing the reaction using chemicals, this lab has really helped me further understand how double replacement reactions work, and what can be learned when all you have are the products.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Colonialism - 740 Words

Political legacy of colonialism in India A lot of countries were experienced of political legacy of colonialism. This essay will focus on concept colonialism and its reasons. This notion could be defined in different ways. Colonialism is a situation of some territory which ruled by another country. Colonialism is a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. Colonialism developed from imperialism, which can be reffered to as the highest stage of capitalism. In nineteenth century colonialism was motivated by a number of factors including a nations desire for political and cultural domination and economic exploitation. One example of this period†¦show more content†¦East India Company is English company formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia and India, which was created in the year 1600. With time the Company increased its powers and started to administer the country. Under British rule a first railway line was built from Howrah in Calcutta to Raniganj in Bihar. Britain wanted to be profit Indias vast supply of tea and cotton. Great Britain relied heavily on India as a source of materials. There also was introduced the telegraph and postal services simplified communication all over the country. The British passed many acts that were met with dissatisfaction by the Indians. As a result the Indians formed large groups and revolted against the British, but the British forces crushed each movement. Though Indian leader like Mahatma Gandhi arose and openly condemned the British. He was people’s leader who insspired the masses not to be afraid of the intensity. Finally after 200 years of British rule, India gained independence from on 15th August 1947. Many innocent lives were sacrificed for this achievement and India was also separated from Pakistan. The partition of India and Pakistan spread incidents of horror in the both countries. But due to the effort of the leaders masses, India was able to gain freedom from the British and progress till the present times. On the other hand, the situation of colonizing India under Britain had the mostShow MoreRelatedColonialism : Colonialism And Colonialism1821 Words   |  8 PagesJà ¡fia Petersen ENL 110B Professor Evan Watkins November 18th, 2014 Post-Colonial Colonialism Although Edward Said is one of the intellectuals who helped start the field of post-colonialism, the topic of colonialism in Orientalism raise the following question: is there such thing as â€Å"post-colonialism†? Is colonialism not happening every day in various forms? 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