logo
Bus seat theories

Bus seat theories

Irish Times15-06-2025
Bus seat theories
Sir, – I took a bus recently and noticed that all the double seats upstairs were occupied by a single passenger, each existing happily in their own little orbitals.
It brought me right back to Leaving Cert Chemistry, 1974: Hund's Rule of Maximum Multiplicity, the Bus Seat Rule.
I had never seen it in practice before but knew that information would come in handy some day. With the Leaving Certificate chemistry examination tomorrow, maybe it's a sign. – Yours, etc,
READ MORE
MICHAEL KEEGAN,
Co Dublin.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

ASTI warns of potential strike if concerns about Leaving Cert reforms not addressed
ASTI warns of potential strike if concerns about Leaving Cert reforms not addressed

Irish Times

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Times

ASTI warns of potential strike if concerns about Leaving Cert reforms not addressed

Teachers could engage in industrial action, up to and including strikes, if their concerns about reform of several Leaving Certificate subjects are not addressed, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) has warned. Padraig Curley, the new ASTI president, said many teachers fear students could use artificial intelligence (AI) to produce projects that will be graded as part of their overall results. Leaving Cert reforms will see at least 40 per cent of marks allocated to course work across several subjects including biology, chemistry, physics and business. The new rules will impact incoming fifth years from September, meaning the new grading system for seven current subjects and two new subjects (drama film and theatre studies, and climate action and sustainable development) will be applied in the 2027 exams. READ MORE Mr Curley said teachers are 'extremely annoyed' their concerns about AI have not been addressed. He said many teachers may not wish to sign off on projects they believe were aided by AI, but will be afraid not to in case they face legal action from parents whose children subsequently get a lower grade and do not secure the college course they want. In April, ASTI members passed a motion at the union's annual conference calling for indemnification against any such legal cases. The ASTI represents more than 20,000 teachers nationwide. 'If I say that a project is done by AI, you're not going to be happy. Your parents are certainly not going to be happy – and being unhappy is an understatement,' Mr Curley said. 'You could report me to the Teaching Council and you could actually sue me.' On science subjects, Mr Curley said students' projects could be adversely affected by the wide variation in the quality of labs in different schools. 'Even in the same town, never mind city, you're going to have one school that might be five years old and is a beautiful school with a very, very good lab. It might even have two labs. Then you look in the same town and there'll be a school built in the 1960s with one lab and no proper infrastructure.' If these concerns are not addressed, Mr Curley said, teachers may vote for industrial action up to and including strikes. 'I certainly think they could. No teacher wants to take industrial action . . . but they're not being respected and they're not being listened to.' In June, ASTI members voted by a margin of 68 per cent to 32 per cent to reject as inadequate support measures put in place ahead of the reforms coming into effect. In May, the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) voted by a margin of 73 per cent to 27 per cent to accept the measures but expressed some misgivings. TUI general secretary Michael Gillespie said his union, which represents more than 20,000 teachers and lecturers, has been engaging with the Department of Education over the summer to set up working groups to address their concerns . [ Reformed Leaving Cert would allow too many opportunities to cheat using AI Opens in new window ] Mr Gillespie said that 'in an ideal world' the reforms would have been delayed by a year so schools could better prepare, particularly in relation to science subjects. 'We're still a bit unclear about the level of equipment that might be needed for the additional components of assessment, and does every school have the equipment.' Mr Gillespie said the deal they have struck with the department includes 'rapid reviews' so, if their members 'see that there's something wrong or not working right', the issue will be urgently addressed. Speaking on AI concerns and potential legal cases, Mr Gillespie said 'protections for teachers' will 'absolutely' be 'built in' to plans moving forward. If commitments set out in the agreement are not met by the department, he said, the TUI will ballot its members on industrial action. 'Delaying the implementation of Senior Cycle Redevelopment is not in students' best interests,' the Department of Education said in a statement. It said the redevelopment has been in progress for nine years, following 'extensive consultation', and students entering fifth year in the coming weeks 'deserve access to modern, relevant learning'. The department said 'a dedicated task force is being established to guide the appropriate use of AI in teaching, learning and assessment'. This task force will include stakeholders from unions, management bodies, Oide (a department-funded support service for teachers), the State Examinations Commission and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. 'Clear guidance is already in place for referencing AI-generated material, with further updates to follow,' the department said. A 'robust package' of supports, including grants, is in place to ensure schools and teachers are fully equipped to deliver the reforms of science assessments. 'Since 2020, nearly 300 new or upgraded science labs have been delivered,' the department added.

In pictures: The winning photographs of Ireland's night skies
In pictures: The winning photographs of Ireland's night skies

Irish Times

time2 days ago

  • Irish Times

In pictures: The winning photographs of Ireland's night skies

To infinity and beyond ... This year's winners of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) photography competition, Reach for the Stars, show us images of space that take us all across the galaxy. There were five categories open to the public for submissions and entrants could submit images taken in Ireland between April 26th last year and June 2nd this year. For the first time, under-18s were eligible to enter the competition as they could submit photos to the Night Sky in Your Hand category, in which the judges asked for images taken using a smartphone. This year the competition saw more than 170 entries from photographers across Ireland. Mark McCormack won the Out of this World – Deep Sky category for the second year in a row. READ MORE The judging panel included: Pro Peter Gallagher, head of astrophysics at DIAS; Michael McCreary, president of the Irish Astronomical Society; Dr Lisa McNamee co-founder Space Medicine Ireland; and Alan Betson, Irish Times photographer and multiple winner of the Press Photographer of the Year award. Winter Nebula in Full Bloom, photographed by Martin McCormack, Dublin, the winning image in the Out of the World – Deep Sky category. An active star-forming region of ionised hydrogen about 130 light-years in diameter, the Rosette Nebula is located in the constellation Monoceros, about 5,200 light-years from Earth The competition is run in partnership with The Irish Times and is sponsored by MKC Communications and the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland, with The Irish Astronomical Observatories Society serving as 'initiative supporters'. There will be a prize ceremony for the winners at DIAS on Wednesday, August 20th and an exhibition of winning and shortlisted photographs will be open to the public from Thursday, August 21st. The Lone Tree, by Enda O'Loughlin, shortlisted in Out of this World – Planetary. 'It was a full moon in September and I wanted to capture a photo of the moon over this iconic lone tree in the Burren limestone pavement,' says Enda. 'The image is really two images taken within a couple of seconds of each other; one is exposed and focused for the Moon and one is is focused on the lone tree; both images are edited on Lightroom Classic and merged into Photoshop to show the focus on both the Lone Tree and Moon' Crescent Nebula and Soap Bubble Nebula by John Walsh, shortlisted in Out of the World – Deep Sky. 'The floating space brain, aka the Crescent Nebula ... 17.5 hours captured over five nights. I have always been intrigued by this weird object and have dreamed of imaging it since I started the hobby last year,' says John. It is the result of a stellar explosion that occurred more than 250,000 years ago Skellig Michael Under the Harvest Full Moon, by Goran Loncar, shortlisted in Out of this World – Planetary. 'This is a result of multiple exposures blended together in Photoshop. Most of the blend was done on a sky around the Moon from same location. I didn't touch the size and position of the Moon' Winning image in the Public Vote category: Symmetry, by Anthony Lynch, Dublin. 'The train tracks are a new feature in this sculpture park in Boora,' says Anthony. 'I used an astro modified Canon 6D with a 20mm lens at f/2 and ISO 800 to capture this sweeping panorama of the milky way across the top with the tracks. It's about a 20-shot pano with each shot being 15 seconds exposure' Aurora above the Golden Fields, by Raluca Lica, Kildare, the winning image in the Back on Earth – Landscape category. 'The image was captured during the impressive geomagnetic storm on the night between May 10th and 11th, 2024. I was a little sceptic about the forecast and I was quite late getting on the move,' says Raluca. 'However, as I was loading my gear into the car, the sky suddenly brightened up and the beams started dancing. It was an unbelievable experience. The photo was taken with my Sony A7iii camera and my Sony 20mm lens, at ISO 1250, at f/1.8, three seconds exposure' Comet Tsuchinshan, ATLAS In All Its Glory, photographed by Brian O'Halloran, Waterford, the winning image in Out of the World – Planetary. The comet passed into our evening skies in mid-October 2024. 'It was an easy naked eye sight, and displayed not only a lovely tail but also an anti-tail, an apparent spike projecting from a comet's coma which seems to go towards the Sun and consists of larger dust particles left behind by the comet. This is rarely seen, and it was a privilege to capture' The Voyager, by Liam Reddall, Dublin, the winning image in Back on Earth – Landmark. 'I had seen the Voyager Statue by Linda Brunker while scouting locations online and knew it would make a captivating foreground subject. This bronze stature looks out over the coast to the sea, allowing for an uninterrupted view of the night sky. Lit by the surrounding streetlamps, it takes on a golden glow under long-exposure photography' Winning image, Night Sky in Your Hand: Comet Catcher, by Anthony Lynch, Dublin. 'Myself standing under a tree in Phoenix Park, reaching out to comet 12P Ponns Brooks when it was low on the horizon in twilight' Sunflower Galaxy by Mark Gribbin, shortlisted in Out of this World – Deep Sky. 'The image was taken from the heart of Carlow town. This is my second real attempt at focusing on a galaxy for multiple nights,' says Mark. 'I was confident when beginning this session that I would be able to do this galaxy justice and I feel I've done that here' Waterford's Crowning Glory, by Adrian Hendroff, shortlisted in Back on Earth – Landscape. 'Coumshingaun is a colossal glacial wonder; there is nothing in Ireland quite like it,' says Adrian. 'At over 2,500 feet, it boasts a stupendous view from its cliff-top, with a large pear-shaped lake sitting at the bottom of a rocky coum. Ever since taking up astrophotography, it's been a yearning ambition of mine to shoot the Milky Way from up here. Having waited for five years, a weather window finally presented itself in early April. The temperature was just below freezing but it was just amazing to see the millions of stars twinkling in the night sky'

Eye on Nature:  ‘We saw these translucent blobs on the beach in Rosslare. What are they?'
Eye on Nature:  ‘We saw these translucent blobs on the beach in Rosslare. What are they?'

Irish Times

time2 days ago

  • Irish Times

Eye on Nature: ‘We saw these translucent blobs on the beach in Rosslare. What are they?'

We saw these translucent blobs on the beach in Rosslare in early July. Can you identify them? Eithne Cavanagh These are sea gooseberries ( Pleurobrachia pileus ), comb jellies, which are in a different classification to jellyfish. They float in the sea, often in large shoals, trailing two long tentacles behind them. Unlike jellyfish, these do not contain stinging cells but rather release a sticky mucus-like substance to entrap plankton. The lines on their bodies are comb rows which contain hairs called cilia. These beat in unison and propel them through the water. We spotted this wee insect nosing round our nasturtiums. Is it a bee, a wasp, or maybe a fly? Enda Scanlon, Co Clare Female marmalade hoverfly, which has no sting. Photograph: Enda Scanlon It is a female hoverfly – the marmalade fly – Syrphus balteatus . This adult is feeding on the nectar produced by your nasturtiums. She will lay eggs among the aphids feeding on the leaves. On emerging, the larva will attack and eat these aphids – each one can eat up to 50 per day. Hoverflies are flies and so they have no stings, but birds – which fear bees and wasps – are fooled by their livery and leave them alone. READ MORE A newt, a native species of amphibian. Photograph: Conor Toland My 10-year-old daughter and her friend found this lizard-like creature on a walk around Ballynafagh lake near Prosperous last weekend. Have you any idea what it is? Conor Toland I know exactly what it is, as will frequent readers of this column. It is a newt, a native species of amphibian. While it may superficially resemble a lizard, it is much more slow-moving, which was why they were able to catch it. Newts have four toes on their front legs while lizards – which are reptiles – have five. Newts have round heads as opposed to those of lizards, which are pointy. They are closely associated with water and are often found around lakes and ponds. These Norwegian wasps are most likely queens. Photograph: Pat Cogan I spotted these hanging around outside the wasp's nest in a bush in my garden one afternoon in July. Are they drones or queens? They are noticeably larger than the worker wasps. I haven't seen them since. Pat Cogan, Cork John Breen, the hymenoptera expert, has identified these as Norwegian wasps – Dolichovespula norwegica – most likely queens because of their larger size and the time of year seen. By July, growth of the colony in the nest has peaked and the queen produces eggs that develop into new queens. These leave the nest to mate and then find a suitable place to overwinter. Norwegian wasps have small colonies (100 to 200 workers) in small nests hanging in hedges/bushes and die out naturally around the end of August. They are unlikely to be a problem and need to be protected as they are not that common. In fact, no wasp species should be a problem if you can stay out of its flight path. Newly fledged baby blackbirds. Photograph: Elayne Devlin We spotted these baby birds earlier in the summer. They were trying to fly over the wall of our garden but couldn't make it. The mother was around but she was very difficult to see. The two babies chirped all evening; eventually one of them made it over the wall, but the other didn't until the following morning. What type of birds were they? Should we have fed them or was it better to have left them alone? Elayne Devlin, Dublin These were just-fledged baby blackbirds that had left the nest and were out in the big bad world learning to fly. You were right to leave them alone. Mammy had things under control and was encouraging them to fly. She was still around the following morning when offspring No 2 finally made it. Please submit your nature query or observation, ideally with a photo and location, via or by email to weekend@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store