Sunday, December 26, 2010

Times Tables - Top Tips to Support Struggling Learners

Does your student really need to learn all the times tables facts from scratch? How can you support students who are struggling to learn their times tables?

If you have a student who is struggling, or feels that they are struggling with learning their times tables, then one quick way to support them and boost their confidence is to identify which facts they actually need to learn by eliminating those that they already know.

During the Victorian period students had to rote learn 165 tables facts from 0 x 1 to 12 x 12. Schools these days however, concentrate mainly on the 0x to 10x tables ignoring the 11x and 12x facts, so that in effect takes away 44 facts to start with.

When looking at the 0x to the 10x tables inclusively we see that they contain 121 different facts e.g. 6 x 2 = 12. However it is often the case that quite a few of these facts are already familiar. A good place to start therefore is to identify the facts that you do know and those that your student is not sure of or does not know.

Multiplication can be carried out in any order so for each fact you learn you actually learn two facts; a kind of buy one fact get one free! By ensuring that students recognise this essential fact you can eliminate the need to learn 55 facts which will leave 66 facts for students to learn.

If your student knows that the rule for the 0x table is that the answer is always 0 then you have eliminated 11 facts to get the 55 sheets.

The rule for table-1x is that the response does not change, is the number you started with, for example, 6 x 1 = 6 This has a further 10 events so that only 45 disposed to learn.

The table is 10 times easier to learn and retain, move the digits one position to the left and add a zero (0) 70 as a placeholder for example, 7 x 10 = This could be best illustrated by a board of lay or monetary value , allowing students to see the value of positionthe figures. This is taken care of another 9 and made only 36 left.

If you skip count by twos, and you know who have just deleted the numbers in multiples of two, then leave a further 9 27 facts to learn.

What other facts have to know your students? Think of the table 5 times. All answers end in 5 or 0 alternately. Multiplying by 5 the number is an odd product to 5, while multiplying 5 by an even number is a product of the ending zero (0). This is alsoanother 9 facts taken care of and leaves only 18 more to learn.

Now sit and list any other facts not already accounted for and then you will have an idea of exactly which facts are left to be learned.

Trickier facts such as 7 x 8 = 56 can be learned with the use of rhymes such as, '5 6 7 8, 56 is 7 times 8'.

Learning times tables does not have to be problematic or stressful. Simply check what your student knows already before you start. It will give him a real boost in confidence and a great place to start.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

OSPF NSSA For Beginners (ABR As Default Gateway for External and Internal Addresses 3.2)

1. What is NSSA?
Answer: It is a Stub Area that allows ASBR to import external destinations into OSPF.

2. How does NSSA work?
Answer: Let's describe a scenario as follows::
- ASBR learns a new external address, creates a Type 7 LSA, and floods it into NSSA.
- Internal routers receive this LSA and create a new entry for this address in their routing tables.
- ABR receives a Type 7 LSA, converts it into an External LSA, and floods it into other areas. ABR indicates in the External LSA that it is the originating. That is, ABR behaves like an ASBR for routers in other areas.
- Routers in other areas think ABR is the ASBR for this external address specified in Type 5 LSA.

3. How do you compare Stub Area and NSSA?
Answer: Commons: They don't support Type 4, 5 LSA. Internal routes use ABR as defult gateway.
Differences: There are 3 differences:
1) Stub Area cannot import external destinations.
2) Stub Area routers use ABR to access outside world. NSSA routers access external addresses in two ways: a) For addresses announced by NSSA ASBR, use ASBR as next hop. b) For other external addresses, use ABR as the next hop.
3) NSSA uses Type 7 LSA
4) In NSSA, ABR plays dual roles. It is an ABR and ASBR. It creates Type 5 LSA for external addresses announced by ASBR and floods them into other areas.

4. What does ABR do to make routers in other areas think it is an ASBR?
Answer: The short answer is E bit. Let's assume a ABR connects area 0, 1. Area 1 is NSSA.
1) When configuring ABR as an NSSA router in area 1, ABR changes its area 0 Router LSAs by setting its E bit to 1. It means that ABR is an ASBR for area 0. Then ABR re-floods its Router LSA in area 0.
2). When area 1's ASBR learns a new external address, it floods a Type 7 LSA in area 1.
3) When ABR receives this LSA, it converts it to External LSA and floods the LSA into area 0.
4) When area 0 routers receive External LSA from ABR, they see ABR as the ASBR originating the LSA.

5. How does a host in a non-NSSA area send packets to external destinations discovered by NSSA's ASBR?
Answer. It is done in 3 steps:
1) Host uses the non-NSSA router as the default gateway and forwards packet to it.
2) The router in non-NSSA area forwards packets to next hop ABR. This external address is specified in a Type 5 LSA that was originated by ABR. As fasr as these routers (in non-NSSA area) concers, ABR is their ASBR for these external addresses.
3) ABR forwards packets to NSSA's ASBR.
4) ASBR forwards packets to the next hop in the alien AS>

This article is the FAQ of an OSPF simulation: No-So-Stub-Area. To play this interactive simulation, see external links listed below.

Monday, December 20, 2010

How to Shop for Woodworking Jigs

It only takes one drilling mistake to convince a woodworker of the value of a good jig. A jig is an essential piece of equipment for your home workshop. Woodworking jigs are frames or boxes made to stabilize your work while you locate and even up drill holes. Jigs are a terrific way to space your machine work properly.

It is worth the money to invest in a good jig, even though some workers build small ones themselves. The choice is simple. You can either invest in a good jig and save yourself hours of labor and ruined wood when mistakes are made, or not use a jig and waste all that time and energy. Most serious hobbyists opt for a jig.

There are many different kinds of jigs for you to consider in your workshop, depending on what kind of work you want to do. Here are a few of the essential jigs.

1. The dowel jig. This jig is ideal for dowel holes. You can make holes precisely in both width and diameter. These holes will align with the two pieces that need to fit together. What do you need this for? If you are making any kind of furniture, in particular tables, chairs, or drawers, you will need your dowel holes to be exact so everything fits together perfectly.

2. The dovetail jig. This jig creates professional drawers that will last forever. You do not find cheap, modern furniture being given the dovetail treatment. Only classic pieces that are meant to last deserve the dovetail jig.

3. Router jig. This jig is for you if you aim to create beveled edges on your table tops and drawer faces. The router jig stabilizes the wood as you cut, ensuring professional-grade woodworking and allowing you to do ornate work.

If you are not ready to invest in a jig, there are ways around it for small woodworking jobs. For instance, you can wrap a piece of masking tape around your drill bit to mark the desired depth of your hole. If you keep the tape on, you can drill many standard holes. But if you are going to get serious about woodworking, you want a more precise hole, and one that doesn't require you to peel sticky tape residue off your drill bit. It might be time to invest in a jig.

To find a good jig, visit your local hardware store or home improvement store. Places like Lowes and Home Depot often give free woodworking demonstrations for interested customers. You can ask the experienced staff about the equipment and get informed responses. You can also let the staff know your price range and they can recommend how to get the best jig for your money. If you cannot find something this way, go online and visit woodworking blogs. There is always someone online willing to give you good advice when you solicit it. You can also find websites devoted to customer's personal ratings of woodworking equipment. Find a five star jig online and go buy it in person.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Buy Flooring at a Discount

Do you want a hardwood floor but the cost of the materials and labor is just too expensive? If so, you should consider laminate flooring which is less expensive and much easier to install than hardwood flooring. Laminate comes in a variety of styles, faux wood grains, textures and finishes to match any décor. If you don't want the look of wood floors, there is also laminate flooring that resembles marble and ceramic tiles.

Once you've determined the style of laminate you want you'll want to figure out how much you'll need. Take accurate measurements of the area you'll be installing laminate flooring. To allow for mistakes and cutting, add an extra ten percent to your measurements and if you're making a pattern (such as diamond tiles) then give yourself a bit more. Most times laminate flooring is purchased in bundles. You can usually return unused bundles so err on the side of safety and over estimate.

It's important to get good quality laminate especially for high traffic areas. Low quality can appear the same but wear will quickly show as dents from shoes, especially ladies' heals. It's a good idea to stick to a reputable brand such as Mohawk or Shaw laminate; they tend to be more expensive but you usually get what you pay for.

If high quality laminate is still too expensive then there are bargains to be found. If you're installing laminate floors in a small area you can find discounts on returned lots or partial lots. There are also reduced prices on old issue designs.

If you're still not finding what you want at a price you can afford then look into companies that specialize in discount laminate flooring. Most of the best deals can be found on the internet. Sites will give you a high quality picture of the flooring and information such as brand, color, type of installation, quantity available and lot number. When buying flooring it's important to buy it all from the same lot unless there is a room break where the lots won't justice. It may seem like you fit a lot of it is an obvious difference when the different parts are installed side by side.

When you purchase your floor, make sure there is a right of return, especially if you buy on-line laminate flooring. Once you open it and inspect it for damage. Very small chip on the edges, should not be a problem, especially on lighter models. Although there are some pieces that have large chip can be used for the design of somecorners; cut away the damaged side.

Laminate flooring is installed without nails or adhesive. You won't need a router table or other complicated tools. It uses a tongue and groove system that is very easy to do yourself and a small room can be completed in a day or two.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

All About CNC Information and Its Tools

With scientific knowledge moving ahead at the speed of light and with opponent nipping at your toes, it will pay rich retribution if you stay ahead in your industry with the right CNC information at your finger-tips. If you are a module of the CNC community or a modestly collector that wants to extract the best carrying out of your machine, then the right dose of CNC information will surely upgrade your knowledge and skills.

A couple ways to find CNC information

If you are a part of the CNC Corporation then you may pitch in to various magazines and newsletters that keep you in line of the latest phenomenon in your industry. You can also stopover a book stores and ferret out books that provide appended information about the CNC machines of your choice. But, the most excellent way to get information on a real-time basis would be to hop over to the Internet and look up a website that offers all the latest information under one virtual roof.

If you want to have your own CNC cutter, a CNC wood router, pipe bender or any CNC machine you are certain to locate a website that array the recent information in video format, tutorials and reviews to keep you modernized with the proceeding in the CNC industry.

To save money, effort and money you should study and gain knowledge about their function in regarding CNC information and not only to detect information on the recent CNC machines that are popular in the market. Also you can search for some spares, software and hardware enhancements for your present CNC machines and locate some company's service center in your area that you haven't know that they exist. There are videos regarding CNC products that will help you gain knowledge by doing a demonstration that are more educational rather than simply reading the company's brochure.

The best CNC information can be a big help when using CNC gears for some of your future projects and to achieve that satisfaction of creating a unique creation. You can get an e-book regarding your preferred topic and with this it will boost your skills and understanding about the product. If you are a builder with many CNC machines under you then this information will help you to expand production speeds, amount and lesser your cost and mistakes but on the other hand boosting your profits.

In order for you to have an additional advantageous information's about CNC machines and accessories, you might want to sign up in the list of CNC members and be active in a way of participating in their online forums that can be found on CNC website. In CNC forums you can chat with other CNC machine users and exchange thoughts, share views, ideas and discussing new machines and their features and also to get help in solving CNC machines problems. It is also better to write a blog about you personal experience with CNC machines for this will help you increase your reputation in the world of CNC as an expert in that field. More heads are greatly better than one.

Having an easy access on your vault of information about your field will be wonderful. You can surely get information in CNC in just a click of a button for this will profit your passion in higher heights and also to increase your production and provide shape in your creativeness in a different and enlightening way.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Wonder That is the Linksys Wireless PTZ Internet Camera

Linksys is a popular company that produces top-of-the-line security cameras. They recently released the new the Wireless-G WVC200 PTZ Camera with Audio, more popularly known as the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera, and it's been receiving good reviews.

This web-controlled wireless camera is an appealing and nicely appointed security cam that comes with a unique design and distinct features. From afar, it looks like a small astronaut with its clear astronaut-helmet bubble that protects the actual camera from dust and damage. On the front panel are the LCD display and Led lights, which display the IP address. The plastic bubble case and the IP address are what sets the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera apart from the thousands of Internet cameras in the market.

The camera also has practical features, such as a removable stand and holes on its flat back for easy set up. With the stand, you can place the camera on top of tables and shelves. Want it to hang on your wall instead? Just remove the stand, and the holes make it easy for you to mount it up. With its built-in server, you won't need to connect the camera to a server of PC and up to 10 users can have access to the camera simultaneously.

Setup and Configuration

Setting up the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera is not so difficult, since it comes with a setup wizard. The first thing you need to do is to plug the camera into the router through the Ethernet. This is only required during the setup phase.

After doing so, you'll find the camera on your network. Then you'll see the camera setup page where you must assign a fixed IP address before you can choose between Infrastructure mode or Ad-Hoc, and Fixed IP or DHCP. After settling on your choice of settings, the final step is to transfer these setting to the camera. If you get more problems, you can easily contact Linksys Technical Support by opening a "live chat".

Cam Quality

The Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera uses Mpeg-4 and MJPEG video compression. The 640x480 video quality is good. The images appear smooth with minimum lag. You can also check the video settings where you'll find that the video's 25 frames per second is perfect, with the sound enabled, for over-the-net viewing.

The only downside to the picture quality is the off colors. Though you get smooth, clear pictures, the colors are inaccurate. But if you're strictly using the camera for surveillance, color fidelity shouldn't matter too much, right?

The cam also comes with a built-in microphone which provides clear audio recording. It also has a plug for an external microphone so you can choose to attach one when you want maximum audio quality.

Cam Features

The Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera comes with good pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities. What's even better about it is that you can create position and which you can cycle at preset intervals or choose such options as "on-image pan tilt" which allows you to click on any point on the video and have the camera focus on that position.

Another cool feature on the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera is its motion-detector, which prompts the camera to record a short video clip every time it detects movement within its range, and send the clip to your email for notification.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Network Routers - How Do They Work?

When you are in a situation where you need to make sure that several computers are networked together and then to still be able to communicate with the outside world, you will find that of course you turn to a router for help. Routers have become such a commonplace part of office and home office life that they are scarcely worth a second thought, but in truth, you will find that learning about the routers on your network can make a huge difference when it comes to understanding how your own office works.

In the first place, you will find that a router is essentially all about data organization. A home network is a system that is very interconnected, and if all the pieces were simply connected to each other, you would soon find that your network would necessarily move at a snail's pace. Each device on the network would evaluate every piece of information that passed through the network to determine whether or not that that information belonged to it, and this would slow things down a great deal. A router, placed between the disparate units, would go a long way towards directing the traffic flow and making sure that everything to where it was going with as few points between as possible.

A router will use a configuration table as its rubric for determining where the information will go. A configuration table will consist of things like the priority with which the message needs to be delivered, the rules for handling the traffic, and the information under which the information is sent through the addresses. In small and simple routers, you may find that a configuration table is as straightforward as a dozen lines, while in more complex ones, the configuration table can grow exponentially. When you are looking at the configuration table for your own router, you will find that it can be changed, but it does take some time and some work. Putting the right configuration tables on your router is something that is called flashing.

The router that you use will be the only device that will see every piece of data that goes through your network. One of the router's most important jobs is going to be separating different networks and making sure that their traffic does not bog each other down, and you will also find that it does an important job when it comes to taking information in. Internet data is transferred in the form of packets of data. Thee packets of data are sent along a balanced road that is navigated on a millisecond by millisecond basis, and the routing occurs, to humans at least, practically instantaneously.

Take some time and think about your router and everything that it does for you. There are plenty of things that you need to do in order to make sure that you are going to be getting the right kind of options taken care of in your office, so don't miss out on understanding your equipment.