Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

lived long before the age of knighthood.

Nevertheless, knights and poets of that

period depicted him as a knight like

themselves.

King Arthur was a mighty warrior.

However, his traitorous nephew, Mordred,

rose in rebellion. Arthur was badly

wounded in battle. His body was carried

to the island of Avalon to be healed. At

some future time, according to legend,

he will return to rule again.

In some stories about Arthur he and his

knights sought theHoly Grail. In

Christian legend, the Grail is the cup

used by Jesus at the Last Supper.

According to legend, only the pure could

see the Grail.

Books about Arthur

Many French and English writers of the

Middle Ages wrote down Arthurian

legends. Sir Thomas Malory, an English

writer of the 1400s, brought together

many tales in his book Le Morte Darthur

(“The Death of Arthur”). Most modern

versions are based on Malory’s book.

#More to explore

Celt • Folktale • Knight

Articles of

Confederation

The Articles of Confederation served as

the first constitution of the United

States. The articles went into effect on

An English

writer named

T.H. White

wrote four

novels about

King Arthur

and his court.

The novels

were published

in one

volume called

The Once and

Future King in

1958.

The Articles of Confederation

were printed for everyone to

read.

194 Articles of Confederation BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

March 1, 1781. Soon afterward,

however, the people realized that there

were problems with the document. On

March 4, 1789, the articles were replaced

by the U.S. Constitution.

The articles were written by the representatives

of the American Colonies who

made up the Second Continental Congress.

When the colonies declared their

independence from Great Britain in

1776, they realized they needed a new

plan of government. The colonies deeply

resented the laws that the British Parliament

had imposed on them, so they set

up a weak central government. The only

branch of government was a Congress

with one house. Congress had power

over military and foreign affairs but not

over the affairs of each state. It could not

enforce its powers or collect taxes.

Because of these problems, state leaders

wrote a new constitution in 1787. The

new constitution strengthened the federal

government. It provided for executive

and judicial branches and a

legislature with two houses.

#More to explore

Continental Congress • United States

Constitution

Artificial

Intelligence

Intelligence is the ability to learn and to

deal with new situations. When a computer

or a robot solves a problem or uses

language, it may seem to be intelligent.

However, this type of intelligence is different

from human intelligence. It is

called artificial intelligence, or AI.

Artificial intelligence comes from sets of

instructions that people write. These

instructions are called programs. Computers

use programs to analyze, or study,

large amounts of information quickly.

Then they pick answers or actions from

among many choices. Computer programs

can be used for playing games,

making medical decisions, and translating

languages.

But analyzing information is not the

same as understanding a problem as

humans do. Computers can only use

logic, or the relationships among facts,

to figure out problems. Humans use

many skills besides logic when making

decisions. They use such things as imagination,

awareness, emotion, and values.

No one knows yet whether these abilities

can be programmed into a computer.

#More to explore

Computer • Robot

Russian chess player Garry Kasparov thinks

about a move during a match against a

computer. The computer, named Deep Junior,

was programmed to play chess.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Artificial Intelligence 195

 

Arts

Before the 1700s the word art was often

used to describe any skill that produced

something. At the time both painting

and farming were thought of as arts.

Today people think of the arts more as

forms of expression. An artist uses skill

and imagination to create a product.

This product often draws a response

from others. These responses can

include admiration of a beautiful sculpture,

feelings of sadness from a moving

poem, or pleasure from a funny play.

Individual arts are often grouped into

categories based on similarities. Theater,

dance, and music are examples of performing

arts. Poetry, short stories, and

novels are literature—words crafted to

express ideas. Painting, drawing, sculpture,

and photography are examples of

visual art, or art that is enjoyed through

sight. Some arts, such as architecture

(the design of buildings) and motion

pictures (movies), are harder to classify.

An art form may include combinations

of several other forms. For instance, an

opera brings together a dramatic plot,

music that is both played and sung,

scenery and costumes, acting, and perhaps

dance.

Art forms that result in “useful” products

are sometimes called decorative arts

or crafts. Furniture design, metalworking,

basketry, and pottery are a few

examples of decorative arts.

#More to explore

Architecture • Dance • Decorative Arts

• Drawing • Literature • Movie • Music

• Opera • Painting • Photography

• Poetry • Pottery • Sculpture • Theater

Arts, Decorative