Англ.мова

The average human brain is 167 mm long.

The average human brain is 93 mm high.

The human brain has about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons.

The octopus brain has about 300 million neurons.

The total surface area of the cerebral cortex is about 2500 sq. cm (~2.5 ft2)

The world record for time without sleep is 264 hours (11 days) by Randy Gardner in 1965. Note: In Biopsychology (by J.P.J. Pinel, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000, p. 322), the record for time awake is attributed to Mrs. Maureen Weston. She apparently spent 449 hours (18 days, 17 hours) awake in a rocking chair. The Guinness Book of World Records [1990] has the record belonging to Robert McDonald who spent 453 hours, 40 min in a rocking chair.

Unconsciousness will occur after 8-10 seconds after loss of blood supply to the brain.

Neurons multiply at a rate 250,000 neurons/minute during early pregnancy.

The weight of an adult human cerebellum is 150 g.

The total volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is 125-150 ml.

A total of 400-500 ml of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced every day.

Cerebrospinal fluid is normally clear and colorless.

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves.

There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves.

There are about 13,500,00 neurons in the human spinal cord.

The human spinal cord is 45 cm long in men and 43 cm long in women.

Humans can hear in the range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

Rats can hear in the range of 1,000 to 50,000 Hz.

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The most sensitive range of human hearing is between 1,000-4,000 Hz.

Pain occurs when sounds are above 130 db.

Hearing damage can occur if people are exposed to sounds above 90 db for an extended period of time.

The total number of human taste buds (tongue, palate, cheeks) is about 10,000.

The total number of human olfactory receptor cells is about 40 million.

The human eyeball is about 24.5 mm long.

The octopus does not have a blind spot.

The total weight of skin in an average adult human is 6 lb.(2.7 kg).

There are 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for a "typical" neuron.

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UNIT II. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. IS IT POSSIBLE?

Exercise 1. Listen to the text and fill in the spaces.

A leading US scientist has predicted that computers 1)___________ intelligent as humans by 2029.

2)___________ Dr Ray Kurzweil told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that 3)___________ future, machine intelligence 4)_______________ power of the human brain. He said that within two decades computers will be able to think quicker than humans. Dr Kurzweil painted a picture 5)___________ tiny robots called nanobots implanted in our brain 6)___________ intelligence and health. He told reporters that these microscopic nanobots would 7)_______________ brains to make us think faster and give us more powerful memories. Kurzweil explained that we are already

“a human machine civilization” and that the upcoming technology “will be a

8)_______________ of that."

Dr Kurzweil 9)___________ 18 top intellectuals asked by the US National Academy of Engineering 10)______________ greatest technological challenges. Other experts included Google founder Larry Page and the 11)___________ pioneer Dr Craig Venter. Kurzweil has a very impressive background in science and innovation. He was an innovator 12)_____________

of computing, including the technology behind CDs. He also pioneered automatic speech recognition by machines. He predicts 13)___________ new inventions will increase greatly from now, saying: "…the next half century will see 32 times more technical progress than 14)___________ century." This means scenes from science fiction movies, like Blade Runner, The Terminator and I Robot, will become 15)______________ a part of our everyday lives.

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Exercise 2. Learn the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of the following words and word combinations. Work in pairs and check up your memorizing.

Exercise 3. Read the text and answer the following questions.

1)What do you know about artificial intelligence?

2)Would you like to have a robot with artificial intelligence? What for?

3)Can artificial intelligence replace the human thinking?

4)What is the origin of the term “artificial intelligence”?

5)Why do some computer specialists claim that it is impossible to develop artificial intelligence in principle?

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6)Does each hemisphere of human brain have the same way of thinking?

7)Can we observe thinking process directly?

8)Do you think artificial intelligence will exceed human brain in power some day?

9)Does a computer possess artificial intelligence?

10) What is the main trend in developing artificial intelligence now?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. IS IT POSSIBLE?

Some computer specialists claim that it is impossible to develop artificial intelligence in principle. The human brain is a very sophisticated system composed of billions of interconnected cells. Each cell is extremely complex in itself. A rather plausible hypothesis says that an individual cell processes the signals penetrating it like a computer. Therefore, even the most sophisticated machine we may imagine cannot

even be compared to the human brain. There is one other problem that prevents an answer in the affirmative, namely (viz.), the decade-old discovery that the two hemispheres of the human brain have different functions. Each hemisphere has its own, absolutely different method of thinking. One hemisphere thinks logically, the other – in images. Our thinking is based on two types of perception of the world around us – the sensual-conscious and the conscious. What a human being is conscious of and can, therefore, express in words, constitutes only a small part of the work done by the brain.

It is impossible to observe thinking processes directly. We can only judge them indirectly, studying how information delivered to the brain is transformed.

That is why so little is known about what is going on in the “imaginative” hemisphere. Without that it is impossible to develop an intelligence even vaguely resembling the brain. The world of feelings, distress or emotions, which are of such importance to human thinking and behaviour, is as yet

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inaccessible to us. A machine, in general, cannot think either logically or figuratively.

Still, there are people including some well-known scientists, who believe that artificial intelligence will not only be

developed but will exceed human intelligence in power. They even set the time limit for this – the early decade of the 21st century. Others try to assure that artificial intelligence has already been created. “It is the reality nowadays,” they claim.

The modeling of creative processes gave birth to the term “artificial intelligence”. But that does not mean that the computers possess it. The “intelligence” has been “packed” in it by an expert who developed the program for solving some practical creative problem. Man differs from the machine in that he does not simply fulfil the programs stored in his memory but also develops them himself, depending on the goals facing him. One of the trends in

“artificial intelligence” now being intensively developed is to design “thinking robots” capable of a certain amount of independent activities. Enthusiasts expect such machines to appear any moment now. But we should hope this to happen in the near future. Robots will continue to work for a long time as yet in conditions where man has to step in and take control of certain stages.

Exercise 4. Match the word with its meaning. Translate it into Ukrainian.

Exercise 5. You have read the text. Fill in the gaps. Try not to look into the text.

1)Some computer specialists … that it‟s impossible to develop artificial intelligence in principle.

2)The human brain is very … system.

3)One hemisphere thinks …, the other – in images.

4)It is impossible to observe thinking processes … .

5)The modeling of creative processes gave birth to the term … .

Exercise 6. Agree or disagree with the following statements. If you disagree

with some of them, explain why.

1.Some computer specialists claim that it is impossible to develop artificial intelligence because the brain is a very simple system.

2.The two hemispheres of the human brain have the same functions.

3.One hemisphere thinks logically, the other – in images.

4.A machine, in general, can think logically and figuratively.

5.The modeling of creative processes gave birth to the term “artificial intelligence”.

6.Man differs from the machine in that he does not fulfil the programs stored in his memory.

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Exercise 7. Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word „robot‟. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them.

Exercise 8. Express your opinion on the problem of artificial intelligence.

Exercise 9. QUICK ROLE PLAY: Students A strongly believe that robots will one day take over and control the world; Students B strongly believe this idea is just science fiction. Change partners again and talk about your roles and conversations.

Exercise 10. Write a short note about the development of artificial intelligence in Ukraine (130-180 words).

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UNIT III. NEWTONIAN MECHANICS

Exercise 1. You are going to listen to the text about Newton. Be ready to list some facts from Newton‟s life you remembered.

Exercise 2. Learn the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of the following words. Work in pairs and check up your memorizing.

argument ['ɑːgjəmənt] довід, доказ, дискусія, спір, короткий виклад,

аргумент;

unequalled [ʌn'iːkw(ə)ld] незрівняний, неперевершений; to compare [kəm'pɛə] порівнювати;

insight ['ɪnˌsaɪt] розуміння, проникнення до суті;

immediately [ɪ'miːdɪətlɪ] одразу ж, безпосередньо, без затримок;

Bible ['baɪbl] Біблія,

to convert [kən'vɜːt] трансформувати; quantitatively [ˏkwɔntɪ'tətɪvlɪ] кількісно; confirmable [kən'fə:mbl] підтверджувальний;

infinitesimal calculus [ˌɪnfɪnɪ'tesɪm(ə)l 'kælkjuləs] обчислення нескінченно малих величин;

velocity [vɪ'lɔsətɪ] швидкість;

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accurate ['ækjərət] точний, вірний, ретельний; consequence ['kɔnsɪkwəns] наслідок, результат; celestial [sə'lestɪəl] небесний.

Exercise 3. You are going to read the text. Be ready to answer the following questions.

1) When was the book of Newton Philosophie Naturalis Principia Mathematica published?

2)What other books can this book be compared to?

3)What was Newton‟s contribution to science?

4)What was the main instrument of Newton?

5)In what branches of science can calculus, as developed by Newton, be used?

6)What physical problems did Newton‟s book touch?

7)What way was all the work in Newton‟s book done in?

8)What new ways for astronomy did this book open?

9)What did Newton destroy?

10)What is meant by Newtonian mechanics?

NEWTONIAN MECHANICS

In 1987 the world science societies marked the 300th anniversary of the publication of Newton‟s book Philosophie Naturalis Principia Mathematica. In powerful development of physical argument his book is unequalled in the whole history of science. Mathematically it could only be compared to Euclids ['ju:klɪdz] Elements. In its physical insight and its effect on scientific ideas it could be compared only to Darwin‟s Origin of Species ['spiːʃiːz]. It immediately became the bible of new sciences.

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