Cardinal Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:10:00 +0000

Introduction

Sets or groups of things take on a life of their own. They have an existence which is different than that of their constituent parts but just as real. The four seasons represents both a set or list of individual seasons and something more. Here we are collecting these holistic sets which live beyond their members. We are interested in sets with definite numbers of distinct named members. We shall call them Cardinal Lists.

The guideline is that each cardinal list must be clearly defined. The defining rules can be logical, based in physics, historical or cultural. They have to be widely accepted as unambiguous and not arbitrary. For example, the member nations of the United Nations forms a group. However, the membership fluctuates. Thus to define it clearly a specific date must be given. To meet the arbitrariness criterion that date must be somehow distinguished relative to the life cycle of the United Nations itself. The founding membership present at its creation or the ending membership which will be present at its dissolution or destruction would serve well.

There must be a fixed integer number of distinct members in a cardinal list. Each member or item must exist as a named individual. Consequently the twelve inches which make up a foot are not qualified to form a cardinal list. Equally the forty thieves of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves do not form a cardinal list because they are not individually recognized or named.

The notion of cardinality or count of distinct members of a set brings great pleasure. Simply for this reason cardinality is a central concern in the lists we are compiling. We do not consider other properties or structures, such as ordering, which sets could have. The requirement that each member be named or more generally recognized as as individual means that cardinal lists are not quite sets. A set may have distinct but unnamed proto-individuals without a story of their own. Cardinal lists of distinct, recognized and named entities organized by cardinality are the crown jewels on display here!

You can find on the sidebar links which show cardinal sets grouped by their size. Directly below this paragraph are links leading to introductions of each cardinality with links in turn to cardinal lists of that cardinality. Enjoy looking around!

The Basic Senses

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:10:00 +0000

We make our way in the world based on what we know, and our knowledge ultimately arrives via our senses. Traditionally it is said that there are five "classic" senses. Modern day accounts often add more, such as temperature sensitivity or pressure detection. Some people say there is a mysterious "sixth sense" which acts to delivery information in a supernatural way.

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The Cardinal Directions

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 20:37:00 +0000

The cardinal directions are defined by the rotation of the Planet Earth. The rotational axis defines two poles, points where the axis intersects the globe. Each of these two point does not move but remains stationary as the planet swings around them. North is the direction towards one of these poles, and South is the direction towards the other. East and West are defined as being perpendicular to the lines running North - South. East takes you towards the rising Sun. West takes you towards the direction in which the Sun sets.

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The Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:50:00 +0000

The four seasons mark out the passage of the Sun across the sky. The rotational axis of the Earth is tilted at a 22.5^o angle to the orbital plane. During the Northern hemisphere winter the axis tilts away from the Sun and during the summer towards the Sun. Tilting towards the Sun means the Sun's rays strike directly concentrating in a tight area. When the axis is tilted away, the rays hit obliquely and cover a stretched area, reducing the intensity.

From the point of view of the Earth, the Sun seems to follow a different path across the sky each day as the seasons advance. In the winter the Sun rises late and far to the south, covers a short path across the sky, never reaching the zenith and then sets soon and also far south. In summer the Sun rises early far to the north, rises high in the sky, covers a long path across the heavens and sets late.

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The Additive Primary Hues

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 02:18:00 +0000

Human beings are trichromats. The human color vision system is based on three types of cone cells each sensitive to a different range of wavelengths. This means we have a three dimensional color space. Physical colors are not actually three dimensional. Each of the infinitely many possible wavelength is a different physical color. Humans sense color according to how strongly each of the three cone types responds to incoming light. Different mixtures of light wavelengths that produce the same activation of the three cones will look the same color to a human, although physically the light is different. A spectrometer would reveal that the apparently identical colors were in fact different.

The three primary additive colors are taken to be Red, Green and Blue because the three cone cells have their strongest response in these areas of the wavelength spectrum.

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The Golden Rule

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:59:00 +0000

The Golden Rule states:

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you

It is sometimes called the Rule or Principal of Moral Reciprocity. It can also be expressed as a prohibition as well as a commandment, in the form:

Do not do unto others that which you would not have others do unto you.

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The Biological Sexes

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:42:00 +0000

The two biological sexes. Defined at the chromosomal or genetic level by the presence or absence of a Y chromosome. A Y results in a male, absence of a Y in a female. Thus males have XY sex chromosomes while females have XX sex chromosomes.

Note that biological sex is distinct from cultural gender.

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Hearing

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 14 Nov 2001 00:31:00 +0000

Hearing is provided by the ears. It is based on the detection of sound waves.

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Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 14 Nov 2001 00:29:00 +0000

Receptors in the skin give us the sensation of touch. Some areas of the skin have a denser packing of receptors, making them especially sensitive. The fingers and hands are among these sensitive areas.

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Taste

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 14 Nov 2001 00:27:00 +0000

Our taste receptors are located on the tongue. These receptors are capable of detecting the presence and concentration of certain chemicals. It is said that there are four types of taste receptor: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Some people claim there are more.

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Smell

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 14 Nov 2001 00:25:00 +0000

Smell is provided by sensors located in the nose. These biological sensors are capable of detecting chemicals in the air. Smells correspond to measurements of the concentrations of specific chemicals.

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Sight

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 14 Nov 2001 00:18:00 +0000

Sight is provided by the eyes and is based on the detection of light.

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West

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 20:47:00 +0000

The direction of the setting Sun, West has been linked to old age, death and the ending of things.

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East

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 20:46:00 +0000

The direction of the rising sun, East has long been associated with rebirth and new beginnings.

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South

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 20:44:00 +0000

South is a direction defined by a point: the South Pole. South is always the direction pointing directly to that spot.

South is associated with warmth, vacation and comfort.

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North

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 20:38:00 +0000

North is a direction defined by a point ... the North Pole. The North Pole is one of the two spots where the rotational axis of the planet Earth intersects the surface.

North is associated with winter and cold. It is also often linked with wild barbarian lands, possibly because the Roman Empire had the (to them) barbarian lands of Germany to their North.

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Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 00:12:00 +0000

Autumn sees the Sun returning to haunt the regions below the Ecliptic. Less light reaches the Earth and each day is shorter than the last. Cold starts to creep into the nights and all creatures prepare for the harsh winter ahead. Autumn represents the failing years at the end of a life. The death of winter has not yet struck and the warm memories of the golden summer just past still burn strong.

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Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 00:08:00 +0000

Summer is when the Sun is high overhead, drenching the ground below in heat and light. This abundance of energy leads to a high level of living activity, but it is relaxed in the knowledge that there is energy enough for every need. Summer is the time of thunderstorms and long, lazy days at the beach. It is a combination of repressed energy and satiated torpor.

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Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 00:06:00 +0000

Spring is when the Sun is climbing across the halfway point, coming up from the winter when it inhabits the sky below the Ecliptic to enter into the summer, when it stays above the Ecliptic. Spring represents rebirth, as the frozen grip of winter is gradually released and livegiving warmth and water see a new generation of creatures into the world.

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Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 00:02:00 +0000

Winter is when the Sun is lowest in the sky and covers the shortest path each day. The brief appearances of the Sun do not allow much light and heat to be deposited. What does arrive is at a low oblique angle.

Winter represents hibernation, the cold, chill bleak times of life. But it can also represent community and hearth, harking back to the days when families would huddle together in a cosy warm house away from the bitter cold.

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Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Fri, 02 Nov 2001 02:38:00 +0000

The color of sadness, social elevation, cold and conservatives. Physically occupies the spectrum from about 440 to 490 nanometers.

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Green

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Fri, 02 Nov 2001 02:35:00 +0000

Green is the color of money, life, purity and jealousy. Physically inhabits the wavelength spectrum in the range of 520 to 570 nanometers.

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Red

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Fri, 02 Nov 2001 02:32:00 +0000

Red is the color of passion, love and blood. Physically found in the 630-740 nanometer wavelength range.

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Male

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 26 Sep 2001 03:23:00 +0000

The bearer of XY chromosomes.

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Female

noreply@blogger.com (Calico Walister) — Wed, 26 Sep 2001 03:15:00 +0000

Bearer of XX chromosomes.

Back to The Biological Sexes