Рубрика:
46
Task 1. Read the article about distance learning and be ready to discuss the
following questions.
1) Who was the first get the idea of teaching by correspondence?
2) Who took the idea of correspondence courses to the United States?
3) What three methods were originally used for course work by the Open University?
4) What entry qualifications are required to do a course at the Open University?
5) What type of programmers are shown in the Discovery Channel?
6) What programme attracted the most viewers for a TV documentary?
Task 2. Name the main idea of each paragraph.
Task 3. Find some more information about distance learning and prepare a
report.
Text 6
OPTICAL FIBER FABRIC DISPLAYS
Imagine donning a jacket that can play a video or display various images that
have been downloaded from the Internet. A group of French researchers have
developed optical fiber fabric displays that could make such"communicative clothing"
possible.
Flexible displays can be created on textiles by producing a screen matrix using
the texture of the fabric during the weaving process. A small electronic device that is
integrated into the system controls the Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that illuminate
groups of fibers. Each group provides light to one pixel on the matrix.
These displays are very thin and ultra lightweight - two characteristics that could
enable many innovative applications. Although initially developed for clothing, the
displays could be used to exhibit information or designs in cars, portable electronic
devices and even houses and buildings. Indeed, research on the design and
development of flexible displays based on processed optical fibers has opened up new
frontiers in fashion, public safety, automotive equipment and home decoration.
Weaving optical fibers
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) optical fibers possess a rigidity and
fragility that make them different from most traditional textile fiber threads and
filaments. With regard to section diameter, a good compromise must be reached: A
diameter that is too large can cause inflexibility, while a too-small diameter induces a
low shear resistance and loss of light intensity.
Weaving takes place on a traditional two-dimensional loom. The optical fibers can be
woven or placed in a chain, in addition to other kinds of yarns. Therefore, it is
theoretically possible to obtain an optical fiber X-Y network. However, this would
present several disadvantages:
• The grid (and, hence, the resolution) would not be very dense and the fabric
would be extremely rigid because of the relatively high radius of curvature of
optical fibers.
• Constituting an optical fiber chain is very long and very expensive.
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