Study Point

  Compound interest   is the addition of   interest   to the   principal sum   of a loan or deposit, or in other words, interest on interest. It is the result of reinvesting interest, rather than paying it out, so that interest in the next period is then earned on the principal sum plus previously accumulated interest. Compound interest is standard in   finance   and   economics . Compound interest is contrasted with  simple interest , where previously accumulated interest is not added to the principal amount of the current period, so there is no compounding. The  simple annual interest rate  is the interest amount per period, multiplied by the number of periods per year. The simple annual interest rate is also known as the  nominal interest rate  (not to be confused with  the interest rate not adjusted for inflation , which goes by the same name). A= P ( 1+R/100)n  

  Space farming   refers to the cultivation of crops for food and other materials in   space   or on off-Earth celestial objects – equivalent to   agriculture   on   Earth . Farming on celestial bodies, such as  the Moon  or  Mars , shares many similarities with farming on a  space station  or  space colony . However, farming on celestial bodies may lack the complexity of  microgravity , depending on the size of the body. Each environment would have differences in the availability of  inputs  to the space agriculture process: inorganic material needed for  plant growth , soil media,  insolation , relative availability of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen, and so forth. Introduction The supply of food to  space stations  and other long duration missions is heavy and  staggeringly expensive . One astronaut on the  International Space Station  requires approximately "1.8 kil...

  Meteorology   is a branch of the   atmospheric sciences   (which include   atmospheric chemistry   and   atmospheric physics ), with a major focus on   weather forecasting . The study of meteorology dates back   millennia , though significant progress in meteorology did not begin until the 18th century. The 19th century saw modest progress in the field after   weather observation   networks were formed across broad regions. Prior attempts at   prediction of weather   depended on historical data. It was not until after the elucidation of the   laws of physics   and more particularly, the development of the computer, allowing for the automated solution of a great many equations that model the weather, in the latter half of the 20th century that significant breakthroughs in weather forecasting were achieved. An important branch of weather forecasting is   marine weather forecasting   as it relates to mar...

  The   International Space Station   ( ISS ) is a   modular   space station   (habitable   artificial satellite ) in   low Earth orbit . It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies:   Roscosmos   (Russia),   NASA   (United States),   JAXA   (Japan),   ESA   (Europe), and   CSA   (Canada). [7] [8]   The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. [9]   The station serves as a   microgravity   and   space environment   research laboratory in which   scientific research   is conducted in   astrobiology ,   astronomy ,   meteorology ,   physics , and other fields. [10] [11] [12]   The ISS is suited for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment required for possible future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. [13] The  ISS p...

  The   National Aeronautics and Space Administration   ( NASA   / ˈ n æ s ə / ) is an   independent agency   of the   U.S. federal government   responsible for the civilian   space program , as well as   aeronautics   and   space   research. [note 1] NASA was  established in 1958 , succeeding the  National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics  (NACA). The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in  space science . [7] [8] [9]  Since its establishment, most US  space exploration  efforts have been led by NASA, including the  Apollo   Moon landing  missions, the  Skylab  space station, and later the  Space Shuttle . NASA is supporting the  International Space Station  and is overseeing the development of the  Orion spacecraft , the  Space Launch System ,  Commercial Crew  vehicles,...

  Life   is a characteristic that distinguishes   physical entities   that have   biological processes , such as   signaling   and   self-sustaining   processes, from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased (they have   died ), or because they never had such functions and are classified as inanimate. Various forms of life exist, such as   plants ,   animals ,   fungi ,   protists ,   archaea , and   bacteria .   Biology   is the science that studies life. There is currently no consensus regarding the definition of life. One popular definition is that  organisms  are  open systems  that maintain  homeostasis , are composed of  cells , have a  life cycle , undergo  metabolism , can  grow ,  adapt  to their environment, respond to  stimuli ,  reproduce  and  evolve . Other definitions sometimes include non-...