document_title: Electricity meter

question_text: where are the induction type energy meters used

question_tokens: where are the induction type energy meters used

text: Electricity meter

text: History[edit]

text: Direct current[edit]

text: As commercial use of electric energy spread in the 1880s, it became increasingly important that an electric energy meter, similar to the then existing gas meters, was required to properly bill customers, instead of billing for a fixed number of lamps per month.

text: DC meters measured charge in ampere-hours. Since the voltage of the supply should remain substantially constant, the reading of the meter was proportional to actual energy consumed. For example, if a meter recorded that 100 ampere-hours had been consumed on a 200-volt supply, then 20 kilowatt-hours of energy had been supplied.

text: Many experimental types of meter were developed. Thomas Edison at first worked on a direct current (DC) electromechanical meter with a direct reading register, but instead developed an electrochemical metering system, which used an electrolytic cell to totalise current consumption. At periodic intervals the plates were removed and weighed, and the customer billed. The electrochemical meter was labor-intensive to read and not well received by customers.

text: An early type of electrochemical meter used in the United Kingdom was the 'Reason' meter. This consisted of a vertically mounted glass structure with a mercury reservoir at the top of the meter. As current was drawn from the supply, electrochemical action transferred the mercury to the bottom of the column. Like all other DC meters, it recorded ampere-hours. Once the mercury pool was exhausted, the meter became an open circuit. It was therefore necessary for the consumer to pay for a further supply of electricity, whereupon, the supplier's agent would unlock the meter from its mounting and invert it restoring the mercury to the reservoir and the supply.

text: In 1885 Ferranti offered a mercury motor meter with a register similar to gas meters; this had the advantage that the consumer could easily read the meter and verify consumption.[2] The first accurate, recording electricity consumption meter was a DC meter by Dr Hermann Aron, who patented it in 1883. Hugo Hirst of the British General Electric Company introduced it commercially into Great Britain from 1888.[3] Aron's meter recorded the total charge used over time, and showed it on a series of clock dials.

text: Alternating current[edit]

text: The first specimen of the AC kilowatt-hour meter produced on the basis of Hungarian Ottó Bláthy's patent and named after him was presented by the Ganz Works at the Frankfurt Fair in the autumn of 1889, and the first induction kilowatt-hour meter was already marketed by the factory at the end of the same year. These were the first alternating-current watt-hour meters, known by the name of Bláthy-meters.[4] The AC kilowatt hour meters used at present operate on the same principle as Bláthy's original invention.[5][6][6][7][8] Also around 1889, Elihu Thomson of the American General Electric company developed a recording watt meter (watt-hour meter) based on an ironless commutator motor. This meter overcame the disadvantages of the electrochemical type and could operate on either alternating or direct current.[9]

text: In 1894 Oliver Shallenberger of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation applied the induction principle previously used [10] only in AC ampere-hour meters to produce a watt-hour meter of the modern electromechanical form, using an induction disk whose rotational speed was made proportional to the power in the circuit.[11][12] The Bláthy meter was similar to Shallenberger and Thomson meter in that they are two-phase motor meter.[5] Although the induction meter would only work on alternating current, it eliminated the delicate and troublesome commutator of the Thomson design. Shallenberger fell ill and was unable to refine his initial large and heavy design, although he did also develop a polyphase version.

text: Units[edit]

text: The most common unit of measurement on the electricity meter is the kilowatt hour [kWh], which is equal to the amount of energy used by a load of one kilowatt over a period of one hour, or 3,600,000 joules. Some electricity companies use the SI megajoule instead.

text: Demand is normally measured in watts, but averaged over a period, most often a quarter- or half-hour.

text: Reactive power is measured in "thousands of volt-ampere reactive-hours", (kvarh). By convention, a "lagging" or inductive load, such as a motor, will have positive reactive power. A "leading", or capacitive load, will have negative reactive power.[13]

text: Volt-amperes measures all power passed through a distribution network, including reactive and actual. This is equal to the product of root-mean-square volts and amperes.

text: Distortion of the electric current by loads is measured in several ways. Power factor is the ratio of resistive (or real) power to volt-amperes. A capacitive load has a leading power factor, and an inductive load has a lagging power factor. A purely resistive load (such as a filament lamp, heater or kettle) exhibits a power factor of 1. Current harmonics are a measure of distortion of the wave form. For example, electronic loads such as computer power supplies draw their current at the voltage peak to fill their internal storage elements. This can lead to a significant voltage drop near the supply voltage peak which shows as a flattening of the voltage waveform. This flattening causes odd harmonics which are not permissible if they exceed specific limits, as they are not only wasteful, but may interfere with the operation of other equipment. Harmonic emissions are mandated by law in EU and other countries to fall within specified limits.

text: In addition to metering based on the amount of energy used, other types of metering are available. Meters which measured the amount of charge (coulombs) used, known as ampere-hour meters, were used in the early days of electrification. These were dependent upon the supply voltage remaining constant for accurate measurement of energy usage, which was not a likely circumstance with most supplies. The most common application was in relation to special-purpose meters to monitor charge / discharge status of large batteries. Some meters measured only the length of time for which charge flowed, with no measurement of the magnitude of voltage or current being made. These are only suited for constant-load applications and are rarely used today.

text: Operation[edit]

text: Electricity meters operate by continuously measuring the instantaneous voltage (volts) and current (amperes) to give energy used (in joules, kilowatt-hours etc.). Meters for smaller services (such as small residential customers) can be connected directly in-line between source and customer. For larger loads, more than about 200 ampere of load, current transformers are used, so that the meter can be located other than in line with the service conductors. The meters fall into two basic categories, electromechanical and electronic.

text: Electromechanical[edit]

text: The most common type of electricity meter is the electromechanical watt-hour meter.[14][15]

text: On a single-phase AC supply, the electromechanical induction meter operates through electromagnetic induction by counting the revolutions of a non-magnetic, but electrically conductive, metal disc which is made to rotate at a speed proportional to the power passing through the meter. The number of revolutions is thus proportional to the energy usage. The voltage coil consumes a small and relatively constant amount of power, typically around 2 watts which is not registered on the meter. The current coil similarly consumes a small amount of power in proportion to the square of the current flowing through it, typically up to a couple of watts at full load, which is registered on the meter.

text: The disc is acted upon by two sets of induction coils, which form, in effect, a two phase linear induction motor. One coil is connected in such a way that it produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the voltage and the other produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the current. The field of the voltage coil is delayed by 90 degrees, due to the coil's inductive nature, and calibrated using a lag coil.[16] This produces eddy currents in the disc and the effect is such that a force is exerted on the disc in proportion to the product of the instantaneous current, voltage and phase angle (power factor) between them. A permanent magnet acts as an eddy current brake, exerting an opposing force proportional to the speed of rotation of the disc. The equilibrium between these two opposing forces results in the disc rotating at a speed proportional to the power or rate of energy usage. The disc drives a register mechanism which counts revolutions, much like the odometer in a car, in order to render a measurement of the total energy used.

text: Different phase configurations use additional voltage and current coils.

text: The disc is supported by a spindle which has a worm gear which drives the register. The register is a series of dials which record the amount of energy used. The dials may be of the cyclometer type, an odometer-like display that is easy to read where for each dial a single digit is shown through a window in the face of the meter, or of the pointer type where a pointer indicates each digit. With the dial pointer type, adjacent pointers generally rotate in opposite directions due to the gearing mechanism.

text: The amount of energy represented by one revolution of the disc is denoted by the symbol Kh which is given in units of watt-hours per revolution. The value 7.2 is commonly seen. Using the value of Kh one can determine their power consumption at any given time by timing the disc with a stopwatch.

text:
P
=

3600
⋅
K
h

t

{\displaystyle P={{3600\cdot Kh} \over t}}

.

text: Where:

text: For example, if Kh = 7.2 as above, and one revolution took place in 14.4 seconds, the power is 1800 watts. This method can be used to determine the power consumption of household devices by switching them on one by one.

text: Most domestic electricity meters must be read manually, whether by a representative of the power company or by the customer. Where the customer reads the meter, the reading may be supplied to the power company by telephone, post or over the internet. The electricity company will normally require a visit by a company representative at least annually in order to verify customer-supplied readings and to make a basic safety check of the meter.

text: In an induction type meter, creep is a phenomenon that can adversely affect accuracy, that occurs when the meter disc rotates continuously with potential applied and the load terminals open circuited. A test for error due to creep is called a creep test.

text: Two standards govern meter accuracy, ANSI C12.20 for North America and IEC 62053.

text: Electronic[edit]

text: Electronic meters display the energy used on an LCD or LED display, and some can also transmit readings to remote places. In addition to measuring energy used, electronic meters can also record other parameters of the load and supply such as instantaneous and maximum rate of usage demands, voltages, power factor and reactive power used etc. They can also support time-of-day billing, for example, recording the amount of energy used during on-peak and off-peak hours.

text: As in the block diagram[where?], the meter has a power supply, a metering engine, a processing and communication engine (i.e. a microcontroller), and other add-on modules such as RTC, LCD, communication ports/modules and so on.

text: The metering engine is given the voltage and current inputs and has a voltage reference, samplers and quantisers followed by an ADC section to yield the digitised equivalents of all the inputs. These inputs are then processed using a digital signal processor to calculate the various metering parameters.

text: The largest source of long-term errors in the meter is drift in the preamp, followed by the precision of the voltage reference. Both of these vary with temperature as well, and vary wildly because most meters are outdoors. Characterising and compensating for these is a major part of meter design.

text: The processing and communication section has the responsibility of calculating the various derived quantities from the digital values generated by the metering engine. This also has the responsibility of communication using various protocols and interface with other addon modules connected as slaves to it.

text: RTC and other add-on modules are attached as slaves to the processing and communication section for various input/output functions. On a modern meter most if not all of this will be implemented inside the microprocessor, such as the real-time clock (RTC), LCD controller, temperature sensor, memory and analog to digital converters.

text: Communication methods[edit]

text: Remote meter reading is a practical example of telemetry. It saves the cost of a human meter reader and the resulting mistakes, but it also allows more measurements, and remote provisioning. Many smart meters now include a switch to interrupt or restore service.

text: Historically, rotating meters could report their metered information remotely, using a pair of electrical contacts attached to a KYZ line.

text: A KYZ interface is a Form C contact supplied from the meter. In a KYZ interface, the Y and Z wires are switch contacts, shorted to K for a measured amount of energy. When one contact closes the other contact opens to provide count accuracy security.[17] Each contact change of state is considered one pulse. The frequency of pulses indicates the power demand. The number of pulses indicates energy metered.[18]

text: The KYZ relay creates pulses. The term KYZ refers to the contact designations: K for common, Y for Normally Open, and Z for Normally Closed. When incorporated into an electrical meter, the relay changes state with each rotation (or half rotation) of the meter disc. Each state change is called a "pulse." When connected to external equipment, rate of use (kW) as well as total usage (kWh) can be determined from the rate and quantity of pulses.

text: KYZ outputs were historically attached to "totaliser relays" feeding a "totaliser" so that many meters could be read all at once in one place.

text: KYZ outputs are also the classic way of attaching electricity meters to programmable logic controllers, HVACs or other control systems. Some modern meters also supply a contact closure that warns when the meter detects a demand near a higher electricity tariff, to improve demand side management.

text: Some meters have an open collector or IR LED output that give 32-100 ms pulses for each metered amount of electrical energy, usually 1000-10000 pulses per kWh. Output is limited to max 27 V DC and 27 mA DC. These outputs usually follow the DIN 43864 standard.

text: Often, meters designed for semi-automated reading have a serial port on that communicates by infrared LED through the faceplate of the meter. In some multi-unit buildings, a similar protocol is used, but in a wired bus using a serial current loop to connect all the meters to a single plug. The plug is often near a more easily accessible point.

text: In the European Union, the most common infrared and protocol is "FLAG", a simplified subset of mode C of IEC 61107. In the U.S. and Canada, the favoured infrared protocol is ANSI C12.18. Some industrial meters use a protocol for programmable logic controllers (Modbus or DNP3).

text: One protocol proposed for this purpose is DLMS/COSEM which can operate over any medium, including serial ports. The data can be transmitted by Zigbee, WiFi, telephone lines or over the power lines themselves. Some meters can be read over the internet. Other more modern protocols are also becoming widely used, like OSGP (Open Smart Grid Protocol).

text: Electronic meters now use low-power radio, GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth, IrDA, as well as RS-485 wired link. The meters can now store the entire usage profiles with time stamps and relay them at a click of a button. The demand readings stored with the profiles accurately indicate the load requirements of the customer. This load profile data is processed at the utilities for billing and planning purposes.

text: AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) and RMR (Remote Meter Reading) describe various systems that allow meters to be checked without the need to send a meter reader out. An electronic meter can transmit its readings by telephone line or radio to a central billing office. Automatic meter reading can be done with GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) modems, one is attached to each meter and the other is placed at the central utility office.

text: Monitoring and billing methods[edit]

text: Commercial uses[edit]

text: Large commercial and industrial premises may use electronic meters which record power usage in blocks of half an hour or less. This is because most electricity grids have demand surges throughout the day, and the power company may wish to give price incentives to large customers to reduce demand at these times. These demand surges often correspond to meal times or, famously, to advertisements interrupting popular television programmes.

text: Home energy monitoring[edit]

text: A potentially powerful means to reduce household energy consumption is to provide convenient real-time feedback to users so they can change their energy using behavior. Recently, low-cost energy feedback displays have become available. A study using a consumer-readable meter in 500 Ontario homes by Hydro One showed an average 6.5% drop in total electricity use when compared with a similarly sized control group. Hydro One subsequently offered free power monitors to 30,000 customers based on the success of the pilot.[19] Projects such as Google PowerMeter, take information from a smart meter and make it more readily available to users to help encourage conservation.[20]

text: Plug-in electricity meters (or plug load meters) measure energy used by individual appliances. There are a variety of models available on the market today but they all work on the same basic principle. The meter is plugged into an outlet, and the appliance to be measured is plugged into the meter. Such meters can help in energy conservation by identifying major energy users, or devices that consume excessive standby power. Web resources can also be used, if an estimate of the power consumption is enough for the research purposes. A power meter can often be borrowed from the local power authorities[21] or a local public library.[22][23]

text: Multiple tariff[edit]

text: This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Electricity retailers may wish to charge customers different tariffs at different times of the day to better reflect the costs of generation and transmission. Since it is typically not cost effective to store significant amounts of electricity during a period of low demand for use during a period of high demand, costs will vary significantly depending on the time of day. Low cost generation capacity (baseload) such as nuclear can take many hours to start, meaning a surplus in times of low demand, whereas high cost but flexible generating capacity (such as gas turbines) must be kept available to respond at a moment's notice (spinning reserve) to peak demand, perhaps being used for a few minutes per day, which is very expensive.

text: Some multiple tariff meters use different tariffs for different amounts of demand. These are usually industrial meters.

text: Domestic variable-rate meters generally permit two to three tariffs ("peak", "off-peak" and "shoulder") and in such installations a simple electromechanical time switch may be used. Historically, these have often been used in conjunction with electrical storage heaters or hot water storage systems.

text: Multiple tariffs are made easier by time of use (TOU) meters which incorporate or are connected to a time switch and which have multiple registers.

text: Switching between the tariffs may happen via ripple control, or via a radio-activated switch. In principle, a sealed time switch can also be used, but is considered more vulnerable to tampering to obtain cheaper electricity.[citation needed]

text: Radio-activated switching is common in the UK, with a nightly data signal sent within the longwave carrier of BBC Radio 4, 198 kHz. The time of off-peak charging is usually seven hours between midnight and 7:00am GMT/BST, and this is designed to power storage heaters and immersion heaters. In the UK, such tariffs are typically branded Economy 7, White Meter or Dual-Rate. The popularity of such tariffs has declined in recent years, at least in the domestic market, because of the (perceived or real) deficiencies of storage heaters and the comparatively much lower cost of natural gas per kWh (typically a factor of 3-5 times lower). Nevertheless, a sizeable number of properties do not have the option of gas, with many in rural areas being outside the gas supply network, and others being expensive upfront to upgrade to a radiator system.

text: An Economy 10 meter is also available, which gives 10 hours of cheap off-peak electricity spread out over three timeslots throughout a 24-hour period. This allows multiple top-up boosts to storage heaters, or a good spread of times to run a wet electric heating system on a cheaper electricity rate.[24]

text: Most meters using Economy 7 switch the entire electricity supply to the cheaper rate during the 7 hour night time period,[25] not just the storage heater circuit. The downside of this is that the daytime rate per kWh is significantly higher, and that standing charges are sometimes higher. For example, as of July 2017, normal ("single rate") electricity costs 17.14p per kWh in the London region on the standard default tariff for EDF Energy (the post-privatisation incumbent electricity supplier in London), with a standing charge of 18.90p per day.[26] The equivalent Economy 7 costs are 21.34p per kWh during the peak usage period with 7.83p per kWh during the off-peak usage period, and a standing charge of 18.90p per day.[27] Timer switches installed on washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and immersion heaters may be set so that they only switch on during the off-peak usage period.

text: Smart meters[edit]

text: Smart meters go a step further than simple AMR (automatic meter reading). They offer additional functionality including a real-time or near real-time reads, power outage notification, and power quality monitoring. They allow price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season.

text: Another type of smart meter uses nonintrusive load monitoring to automatically determine the number and type of appliances in a residence, how much energy each uses and when. This meter is used by electric utilities to do surveys of energy use. It eliminates the need to put timers on all of the appliances in a house to determine how much energy each uses.

text: Prepayment meters[edit]

text: The standard business model of electricity retailing involves the electricity company billing the customer for the amount of energy used in the previous month or quarter. In some countries, if the retailer believes that the customer may not pay the bill, a prepayment meter may be installed. This requires the customer to make advance payment before electricity can be used.[citation needed] If the available credit is exhausted then the supply of electricity is cut off by a relay.

text: In the UK, mechanical prepayment meters used to be common in rented accommodation. Disadvantages of these included the need for regular visits to remove cash, and risk of theft of the cash in the meter.

text: Modern solid-state electricity meters, in conjunction with smart cards, have removed these disadvantages and such meters are commonly used for customers considered to be a poor credit risk. In the UK, customers can use organisations such as the Post Office Ltd or PayPoint network, where rechargeable tokens (Quantum cards for natural gas, or plastic "keys" for electricity) can be loaded with whatever money the customer has available.

text: In South Africa, Sudan and Northern Ireland prepaid meters are recharged by entering a unique, encoded twenty digit number using a keypad. This makes the tokens, essentially a slip of paper, very cheap to produce.

text: Around the world, experiments are going on, especially in developing countries, to test pre-payment systems. In some cases, prepayment meters have not been accepted by customers. There are various groups, such as the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) association, which promote common standards for prepayment metering systems across manufacturers. Prepaid meters using the STS standard are used in many countries.[28][29][30]

text: Time of day metering[edit]

text: Time of Day metering (TOD), also known as Time of Usage (TOU) or Seasonal Time of Day (SToD), metering involves dividing the day, month and year into tariff slots and with higher rates at peak load periods and low tariff rates at off-peak load periods. While this can be used to automatically control usage on the part of the customer (resulting in automatic load control), it is often simply the customer's responsibility to control his own usage, or pay accordingly (voluntary load control). This also allows the utilities to plan their transmission infrastructure appropriately. See also Demand-side Management (DSM).

text: TOD metering normally splits rates into an arrangement of multiple segments including on-peak, off-peak, mid-peak or shoulder, and critical peak. A typical arrangement is a peak occurring during the day (non-holiday days only), such as from 1 pm to 9 pm Monday through Friday during the summer and from 6:30 am to 12 noon and 5 pm to 9 pm during the winter. More complex arrangements include the use of critical peaks which occur during high demand periods. The times of peak demand/cost will vary in different markets around the world.

text: Large commercial users can purchase power by the hour using either forecast pricing or real time pricing. Some utilities allow residential customers to pay hourly rates, such as in Illinois, which uses day ahead pricing.[31][32]

text: Power export metering[edit]

text: Many electricity customers are installing their own electricity generating equipment, whether for reasons of economy, redundancy or environmental reasons. When a customer is generating more electricity than required for his own use, the surplus may be exported back to the power grid. Customers that generate back into the "grid" usually must have special equipment and safety devices to protect the grid components (as well as the customer's own) in case of faults (electrical short circuits) or maintenance of the grid (say voltage on a downed line coming from an exporting customers facility).

text: This exported energy may be accounted for in the simplest case by the meter running backwards during periods of net export, thus reducing the customer's recorded energy usage by the amount exported. This in effect results in the customer being paid for his/her exports at the full retail price of electricity. Unless equipped with a ratchet or equivalent, a standard meter will accurately record power flow in each direction by simply running backwards when power is exported. Where allowed by law, utilities maintain a profitable margin between the price of energy delivered to the consumer and the rate credited for consumer-generated energy that flows back to the grid.

text: Lately, upload sources typically originate from renewable sources (e.g., wind turbines, photovoltaic cells), or gas or steam turbines, which are often found in cogeneration systems. Another potential upload source that has been proposed is plug-in hybrid car batteries (vehicle-to-grid power systems). This requires a "smart grid," which includes meters that measure electricity via communication networks that require remote control and give customers timing and pricing options. Vehicle-to-grid systems could be installed at workplace parking lots and garages and at park and rides and could help drivers charge their batteries at home at night when off-peak power prices are cheaper, and receive bill crediting for selling excess electricity back to the grid during high-demand hours.

text: Location[edit]

text: The location of an electricity meter varies with each installation. Possible locations include on a utility pole serving the property, in a street-side cabinet (meter box) or inside the premises adjacent to the consumer unit / distribution board. Electricity companies may prefer external locations as the meter can be read without gaining access to the premises but external meters may be more prone to vandalism.

text: Current transformers permit the meter to be located remotely from the current-carrying conductors. This is common in large installations. For example, a substation serving a single large customer may have metering equipment installed in a cabinet, without bringing heavy cables into the cabinet.

text: Customer drop and metering equation[edit]

text: Since electrical standards vary in different regions, "customer drops" from the grid to the customer also vary depending on the standards and the type of installation. There are several common types of connections between a grid and a customer. Each type has a different metering equation. Blondel's theorem states that for any system with N current-carrying conductors, that N-1 measuring elements are sufficient to measure electrical energy. This indicates that different metering is needed, for example, for a three-phase three-wire system than for a three-phase four-wire (with neutral) system.

text: In Europe, Asia, Africa and most other locations, single phase is common for residential and small commercial customers. Single phase distribution is less-expensive, because one set of transformers in a substation normally serve a large area with relatively high voltages (usually 230 V) and no local transformers. These have a simple metering equation: Watts = volts x amps, with volts measured from the neutral to the phase wire. In the United States, Canada, and parts of Central and South America similar customers are normally served by three-wire single phase. Three-wire single-phase requires local transformers, as few as one per ten residences, but provides lower, safer voltages at the socket (usually 120 V), and provides two voltages to customers: neutral to phase (usually 120 V), and phase to phase (usually 240 V). Additionally, three-wire customers normally have neutral wired to the zero side of the generator's windings, which gives earthing that can be easily measured to be safe. These meters have a metering equation of Watts = 0.5 x volts x (amps of phase A − amps of phase B), with volts measured between the phase wires.

text: Industrial power is normally supplied as three phase power. There are two forms: three wire, or four wire with a system neutral. In "three wire" or "three wire delta," , there is no neutral but an earth ground is the safety ground. The three phases have voltage only relative to each other. This distribution method has one fewer wire, is less expensive, and is common in Asia, Africa, and many parts of Europe. In regions that mix residences and light industry, it is common for this to be the only distribution method. A meter for this type normally measures two of the windings relative to the third winding, and adds the watts. One disadvantage of this system is that if the safety earth fails, it is difficult to discover this by direct measurement, because no phase has a voltage relative to earth.

text: In the four-wire three-phase system, sometimes called "four-wire wye", the safety ground is connected to a neutral wire that is physically connected to the zero-voltage side of the three windings of the generator or transformer. Since all power phases are relative to the neutral in this system, if the neutral is disconnected, it can be directly measured. In the U.S., the National Electrical Code requires neutrals to be of this type.[33] In this system, power meters measure and sum all three phases relative to the neutral.

text: In North America, it is common for electricity meters to plug into a standardised socket outdoors, on the side of a building. This allows the meter to be replaced without disturbing the wires to the socket, or the occupant of the building. Some sockets may have a bypass while the meter is removed for service. The amount of electricity used without being recorded during this small time is considered insignificant when compared to the inconvenience which might be caused to the customer by cutting off the electricity supply. Most electronic meters in North America use a serial protocol, ANSI C12.18.

text: In many other countries the supply and load terminals are in the meter housing itself. Cables are connected directly to the meter. In some areas the meter is outside, often on a utility pole. In others, it is inside the building in a niche. If inside, it may share a data connection with other meters. If it exists, the shared connection is often a small plug near the post box. The connection is often EIA-485 or infra-red with a serial protocol such as IEC 62056.

text: In 2014, networking to meters is rapidly changing. The most common schemes seem to combine an existing national standard for data (e.g. ANSI C12.19 or IEC 62056) operating via the internet protocol with a small circuit board for powerline communication, or a digital radio for a mobile phone network, or an ISM band.

text: Accuracy[edit]

text: Electricity meters are required to register the energy consumed within an acceptable degree of accuracy. Any significant error in the registered energy can represent a loss to the electricity supplier, or the consumer being over billed. The accuracy is generally laid down in statute for the location in which the meter is installed. Statutory provisions should also specify a procedure to be followed should the accuracy be disputed.

text: For the United Kingdom, any installed electricity meter is required to accurately record the consumed energy, but it is permitted to under-read by 3.5%, or over-read by 2.5%.[34] Disputed meters are initially verified with a check meter operating alongside the disputed meter. The final resort is for the disputed meter to be fully tested both in the installed location and at a specialist calibration laboratory.[35] Approximately 93% of disputed meters are found to be operating satisfactorily. A refund of electricity paid for, but not consumed (but not vice versa) will only be made if the laboratory are able to estimate how long the meter has been misregistering. This contrasts with gas meters where if a meter is found to be under reading, it is assumed that it has under read for as long as the consumer has had a gas supply through it.[36]

text: Tampering and security[edit]

text: Meters can be manipulated to make them under-register, effectively allowing power use without paying for it. This theft or fraud can be dangerous as well as dishonest.

text: Power companies often install remote-reporting meters specifically to enable remote detection of tampering, and specifically to discover energy theft. The change to smart power meters is useful to stop energy theft.

text: When tampering is detected, the normal tactic, legal in most areas of the USA, is to switch the subscriber to a "tampering" tariff charged at the meter's maximum designed current. At US$0.095/kWh, a standard residential 50 A meter causes a legally collectible charge of about US$5,000.00 per month. Meter readers are trained to spot signs of tampering, and with crude mechanical meters, the maximum rate may be charged each billing period until the tamper is removed, or the service is disconnected.

text: A common method of tampering on mechanical disk meters is to attach magnets to the outside of the meter. Strong magnets saturate the magnetic fields in the meter so that the motor portion of a mechanical meter does not operate. Lower power magnets can add to the drag resistance of the internal disk resistance magnets. Magnets can also saturate current transformers or power-supply transformers in electronic meters, though countermeasures are common.

text: Some combinations of capacitive and inductive load can interact with the coils and mass of a rotor and cause reduced or reverse motion.

text: All of these effects can be detected by the electric company, and many modern meters can detect or compensate for them.

text: The owner of the meter normally secures the meter against tampering. Revenue meters' mechanisms and connections are sealed. Meters may also measure VAR-hours (the reflected load), neutral and DC currents (elevated by most electrical tampering), ambient magnetic fields, etc. Even simple mechanical meters can have mechanical flags that are dropped by magnetic tampering or large DC currents.

text: Newer computerised meters usually have counter-measures against tampering. AMR (Automated Meter Reading) meters often have sensors that can report opening of the meter cover, magnetic anomalies, extra clock setting, glued buttons, inverted installation, reversed or switched phases etc.

text: Some tampers bypass the meter, wholly or in part. Safe tampers of this type normally increase the neutral current at the meter. Most split-phase residential meters in the United States are unable to detect neutral currents. However, modern tamper-resistant meters can detect and bill it at standard rates.[37]

text: Disconnecting a meter's neutral connector is unsafe because shorts can then pass through people or equipment rather than a metallic ground to the generator or earth.

text: A phantom loop connection via an earth ground is often much higher resistance than the metallic neutral connector. Even if an earth ground is safe, metering at the substation can alert the operator to tampering. Substations, inter-ties, and transformers normally have a high-accuracy meter for the area served. Power companies normally investigate discrepancies between the total billed and the total generated, in order to find and fix power distribution problems. These investigations are an effective method to discover tampering.

text: Power thefts in the U.S. are often connected with indoor marijuana grow operations. Narcotics detectives associate abnormally high power usage with the lighting such operations require.[38] Indoor marijuana growers aware of this are particularly motivated to steal electricity simply to conceal their usage of it.

text: Regulation and legislation[edit]

text: Following the deregulation of electricity supply markets in many countries (e.g., UK), the company responsible for an electricity meter may not be obvious. Depending on the arrangements in place, the meter may be the property of the meter Operator, electricity distributor, the retailer or for some large users of electricity the meter may belong to the customer.

text: The company responsible for reading the meter may not always be the company which owns it. Meter reading is now sometimes subcontracted and in some areas the same person may read gas, water and electricity meters at the same time.

text: The introduction of advanced meters in residential areas has produced additional privacy issues that may affect ordinary customers. These meters are often capable of recording energy usage every 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Some meters have one or two IR LEDs on the front: one used for testing and which acts as the equivalent of the timing mark on the older mechanical meters and the other as part of a two-way IR communications port for reading / programming the meter. These IR LEDs are visible with some night vision viewers and certain video cameras that are capable of sensing IR transmissions. These can be used for surveillance, revealing information about peoples' possessions and behavior.[39] For instance, it can show when the customer is away for extended periods. Nonintrusive load monitoring gives even more detail about what appliances people have and their living and use patterns.

text: A more detailed and recent analysis of this issue was performed by the Illinois Security Lab.[40][further explanation needed]


document_title: Brainstem

question_text: division of the brainstem that connects the medulla with the cerebellum

root

text: Brainstem

text: Structure[edit]

text: Midbrain[edit]

text: The midbrain is divided into three parts. The first is the tectum, (Latin:roof), which forms the ceiling. The tectum comprises the paired structure of the superior and inferior colliculi and is the dorsal covering of the cerebral aqueduct. The inferior colliculus, is the principal midbrain nucleus of the auditory pathway and receives input from several peripheral brainstem nuclei, as well as inputs from the auditory cortex. Its inferior brachium (arm-like process) reaches to the medial geniculate nucleus of the diencephalon. Superior to the inferior colliculus, the superior colliculus marks the rostral midbrain. It is involved in the special sense of vision and sends its superior brachium to the lateral geniculate body of the diencephalon. The second part is the tegmentum which forms the floor of the midbrain, and is ventral to the cerebral aqueduct. Several nuclei, tracts, and the reticular formation are contained here. The third part, the ventral tegmentum is composed of paired cerebral peduncles. These transmit axons of upper motor neurons.

tag: p

text: The midbrain consists of:

text:
Periaqueductal gray: The area of gray matter around the cerebral aqueduct, which contains various neurons involved in the pain desensitization pathway. Neurons synapse here and, when stimulated, cause activation of neurons in the nucleus raphe magnus, which then project down into the posterior grey column of the spinal cord and prevent pain sensation transmission.
Oculomotor nerve nucleus: This is the third cranial nerve nucleus.
Trochlear nerve nucleus: This is the fourth cranial nerve.
Red nucleus: This is a motor nucleus that sends a descending tract to the lower motor neurons.
Substantia nigra pars compacta: This is a concentration of neurons in the ventral portion of the midbrain that uses dopamine as its neurotransmitter and is involved in both motor function and emotion. Its dysfunction is implicated in Parkinson's disease.
Reticular formation: This is a large area in the midbrain that is involved in various important functions of the midbrain. In particular, it contains lower motor neurons, is involved in the pain desensitization pathway, is involved in the arousal and consciousness systems, and contains the locus coeruleus, which is involved in intensive alertness modulation and in autonomic reflexes.
Central tegmental tract: Directly anterior to the floor of the 4th ventricle, this is a pathway by which many tracts project up to the cortex and down to the spinal cord.
Ventral tegmental area: A dopaminergic nucleus located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain.
Rostromedial tegmental nucleus: A GABAergic nucleus located adjacent to the ventral tegmental area.

tag: ul

text: Pons[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2014)

tag: table

text: The pons lies between the medulla oblongata and the midbrain. It contains tracts that carry signals from the cerebrum to the medulla and to the cerebellum and also tracts that carry sensory signals to the thalamus. The pons is connected to the cerebellum by the cerebellar peduncles. The pons houses the respiratory pneumotaxic center and apneustic centers. The pons co-ordinates activities of the cerebellar hemispheres.[citation needed]

text: Medulla oblongata[edit]

text: The medulla oblongata often just referred to as the medulla, is the lower half of the brainstem continuous with the spinal cord. Its upper part is continuous with the pons.[2] The medulla contains the cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centres dealing with heart rate, breathing and blood pressure.

text: Ventral view of medulla and pons[edit]

text: In the medial part of the medulla is the anterior median fissure. Moving laterally on each side are the medullary pyramids. The pyramids contain the fibers of the corticospinal tract (also called the pyramidal tract), or the upper motor neuronal axons as they head inferiorly to synapse on lower motor neuronal cell bodies within the anterior grey column of the spinal cord.

text: The anterolateral sulcus is lateral to the pyramids. Emerging from the anterolateral sulci are the CN XII (hypoglossal nerve) rootlets. Lateral to these rootlets and the anterolateral sulci are the olives. The olives are swellings in the medulla containing underlying inferior nucleary nuclei (containing various nuclei and afferent fibers). Lateral (and dorsal) to the olives are the rootlets for CN IX (glossopharyngeal), CN X (vagus) and CN XI (accessory nerve). The pyramids end at the pontine medulla junction, noted most obviously by the large basal pons. From this junction, CN VI (abducens nerve), CN VII (facial nerve) and CN VIII (vestibulocochlear nerve) emerge. At the level of the midpons, CN V (the trigeminal nerve) emerges. Cranial nerve III (the oculomotor nerve) emerges ventrally from the midbrain, while the CN IV (the trochlear nerve) emerges out from the dorsal aspect of midbrain.

text: Between the two pyramids can be seen a decussation of fibres which marks the transition from the medulla to the spinal cord. The medulla is above the decussation and the spinal cord below.

text: Dorsal view of medulla and pons[edit]

text: The most medial part of the medulla is the posterior median sulcus. Moving laterally on each side is the fasciculus gracilis, and lateral to that is the fasciculus cuneatus. Superior to each of these, and directly inferior to the obex, are the gracile and cuneate tubercles, respectively. Underlying these are their respective nuclei. The obex marks the end of the 4th ventricle and the beginning of the central canal. The posterior intermediate sulci separates the fasciculi gracilis from the fasciculi cuneatus. Lateral to the fasciculi cuneatus is the lateral funiculus.

text: Superior to the obex is the floor of the 4th ventricle. In the floor of the 4th ventricle, various nuclei can be visualized by the small bumps that they make in the overlying tissue. In the midline and directly superior to the obex is the vagal trigone and superior to that it the hypoglossal trigone. Underlying each of these are motor nuclei for the respective cranial nerves. Superior to these trigones are fibers running laterally in both directions. These fibers are known collectively as the striae medullares. Continuing in a rostral direction, the large bumps are called the facial colliculi. Each facial colliculus, contrary to their names, do not contain the facial nerve nuclei. Instead, they have facial nerve axons traversing superficial to underlying abducens (CN VI) nuclei. Lateral to all these bumps previously discussed is an indented line, or sulcus that runs rostrally, and is known as the sulcus limitans. This separates the medial motor neurons from the lateral sensory neurons. Lateral to the sulcus limitans is the area of the vestibular system, which is involved in special sensation. Moving rostrally, the inferior, middle, and superior cerebellar peduncles are found connecting the midbrain to the cerebellum. Directly rostral to the superior cerebellar peduncle, there is the superior medullary velum and then the two trochlear nerves. This marks the end of the pons as the inferior colliculus is directly rostral and marks the caudal midbrain.

text: Development[edit]

text: The adult human brainstem emerges from two of the three primary vesicles formed of the neural tube. The mesencephalon is the second of the three primary vesicles, and does not further differentiate into a secondary vesicle. This will become the midbrain. The third primary vesicle, the rhombencephalon (hindbrain) will further differentiate into two secondary vesicles, the metencephalon and the myelencephalon. The metencephalon will become the cerebellum and the pons. The more caudal myelencephalon will become the medulla.

text: Blood supply[edit]

text: The main supply of blood to the brainstem is provided by the basilar arteries and the vertebral arteries.[3]

text: Cranial nerves[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2016)

text: Ten of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves either target or are sourced from the brainstem.[4] The nuclei of the oculomotor nerve (III) and trochlear nerve (IV) are located in the midbrain. The nuclei of the trigeminal nerve (V), abducens nerve (VI), facial nerve (VII) and vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII) are located in the pons. The nuclei of the glossopharyngeal nerve (IX), vagus nerve (X), accessory nerve (XI) and hypoglossal nerve (XII) are located in the medulla. The fibers of these cranial nerves exit the brainstem from these nuclei.[5]

text: Function[edit]

text: There are three main functions of the brainstem:

text:
The brainstem plays a role in conduction. That is, all information relayed from the body to the cerebrum and cerebellum and vice versa must traverse the brainstem. The ascending pathways coming from the body to the brain are the sensory pathways and include the spinothalamic tract for pain and temperature sensation and the dorsal column, fasciculus gracilis, and cuneatus for touch, proprioception, and pressure sensation (both of the body). (The facial sensations have similar pathways, and will travel in the spinothalamic tract and the medial lemniscus also.) Descending tracts are upper motor neurons destined to synapse on lower motor neurons in the ventral horn and posterior horn. In addition, there are upper motor neurons that originate in the brainstem's vestibular, red, tectal, and reticular nuclei, which also descend and synapse in the spinal cord.
The cranial nerves III-XII emerge from the brainstem.[6] These cranial nerves supply the face, head, and viscera. (The first two pairs of cranial nerves arise from the cerebrum).
The brainstem has integrative functions being involved in cardiovascular system control, respiratory control, pain sensitivity control, alertness, awareness, and consciousness. Thus, brainstem damage is a very serious and often life-threatening problem.

tag: ol

text: Clinical significance[edit]

text: Diseases of the brainstem can result in abnormalities in the function of cranial nerves that may lead to visual disturbances, pupil abnormalities, changes in sensation, muscle weakness, hearing problems, vertigo, swallowing and speech difficulty, voice change, and co-ordination problems. Localizing neurological lesions in the brainstem may be very precise, although it relies on a clear understanding on the functions of brainstem anatomical structures and how to test them.

text: Brainstem stroke syndrome can cause a range of impairments including locked-in syndrome.

text: Duret haemorrhages are areas of bleeding in the midbrain and upper pons due to a downward traumatic displacement of the brainstem.[7]

text: Cysts known as syrinxes can affect the brainstem, in a condition called syringobulbia. These fluid-filed cavities can be congenital, acquired or the result of a tumor.

text: Criteria for claiming brainstem death in the UK have developed in order to make the decision of when to stop ventilation of somebody who could not otherwise sustain life. These determining factors are that the patient is irreversibly unconscious and incapable of breathing unaided. All other possible causes must be ruled out that might otherwise indicate a temporary condition. The state of irreversible brain damage has to be unequivocal. There are brainstem reflexes that are checked for by two senior doctors so that imaging technology is unnecessary. The absence of the cough and gag reflexes, of the corneal reflex and the vestibulo-ocular reflex need to be established; the pupils of the eyes must be fixed and dilated; there must be an absence of motor response to stimulation and an absence of breathing marked by concentrations of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood. All of these tests must be repeated after a certain time before death can be declared.[8]

text: Additional images[edit]

text:
The midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata are labelled on this coronal section of the human brain.

Brainstem. Anterior face.Deep dissection

Brainstem. Posterior face.Deep dissection

Sagittal section of brainstem marking nuclei


document_title: Rest in peace

question_text: may him soul rest in peace meaning in urdu

text: Rest in peace

text: Description[edit]

text: The phrase dormit in pace (English: "he sleeps in peace") was found in the catacombs of the early Christians and indicated that "they died in the peace of the Church, that is, united in Christ."[1][2][3] The acronym R.I.P., meaning "rest in peace", continues to be engraved on the gravestones of Christians,[4] especially in the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican denominations.[5]

text: In the Tridentine Requiem Mass of the Catholic Church the phrase appears several times.[6]

text: To satisfy a vogue for rhyming couplets on tombstones, the phrase has been parsed ungrammatically as:[7]

text:
“
Requiesce
cat in pace
”

text: This verse has been found inscribed in Hebrew on gravestones dating from the 1st century BC, in the graveyard of Bet Shearim. It speaks of the righteous person who died because he could not stand the evil surrounding him. A recapture of these words, read as "come and rest in peace," has been transferred to the ancient Talmudic prayers, in a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic of the 3rd century AD. It is used to this day in traditional Jewish ceremonies.[8]

text: History[edit]

text: The phrase was not found on tombstones before the eighth century.[9][10] It became ubiquitous on the tombs of Christians in the 18th century,[5] and for High Church Anglicans, Methodists,[11] as well as Roman Catholics in particular, it was a prayerful request that their soul should find peace in the afterlife.[4] When the phrase became conventional, the absence of a reference to the soul led people to suppose that it was the physical body that was enjoined to lie peacefully in the grave.[12] This is associated with the Christian doctrine of the particular judgment; that is, that the soul is parted from the body upon death, but that the soul and body will be reunited on Judgment Day.[13]

text: Other variations include "Requiescat in pace et in amore" for "May she rest in peace and love", and “In pace requiescat et in amore”. The word order is variable because Latin syntactical relationships are indicated by the inflexional endings, not by word order. If “Rest in peace” is used in an imperative mood, it would be “Requiesce in pace” (acronym R.I.P.) in the second person singular, or “Requiescite in pace” in the second person plural.[14] In the common phrase "Requiescat in pace" the "-scat" ending is appropriate because this is a "hortatory subjunctive": "May he/she rest in peace."

text: In 2017, members of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland called on Protestants to stop using the phrase "RIP" or "Rest in Peace".[15] Wallace Thompson, the secretary of the Evangelical Protestant Society, said on a BBC Radio Ulster programme that he would encourage Protestants to refrain from using the term "RIP".[16] Thompson said that he regards "RIP" as a prayer for the dead, which he believes contradicts biblical doctrine.[17][18] In the same radio programme, Presbyterian Ken Newell disagreed that people are praying for the dead when they use the phrase.

text: Image gallery[edit]

text:
This Lutheran Christian grave reads "Rest in Peace" in the local Cieszyn Silesian Polish dialect.

The epitaph R.I.P. on a headstone in a churchyard of Donostia-San Sebastián

Excerpt from gravestone in Święciechowa, showing R.I.P

This cross from 1720 bears the complete Latin phrase in its plural form ("Requiescant in pace")

This funerary tablet from 525 AD begins with the phrase

Requiescat, oil on canvas painting by Briton Rivière, 1888, Art Gallery of New South Wales.

text: Linguistic analogues[edit]

text: Phrases in other languages:

text:
Afrikaans: Rus in vrede
Albanian: U prehtë në paqe (P.N.P.)
Arabic: ارقد في سلام (Orqod fi salaam)
Arabic: الله يرحمه (Allah yarHamhu) for males, and Arabic: الله يرحمها (Allah yarHamhaa) for females (More common, less literary than the above).
Azerbaijani: Allah Rəhmət eləsin
Basque: Goian Bego (G.B.)
Belarusian: Спачывай у спакоі (Spačyvaj u spakoi)
Bengali: তোমার আত্মার শান্তি কামনা করি (Tomar Aantmar Shanti Kamona Kori)
Bosnian: Počivaj u miru
Bulgarian: Почивай в мир (Pochivaj v mir)
Catalan: Descansi en pau (DEP)
Cebuano: Pahulay sa Kalinaw (PSK)
Chinese: 安息 (Mandarin: Ān xī, Cantonese: ngon1 sik1, Hakka: sit ôn)
Old Church Slavonic: Црⷭ҇ствїе Нбⷭ҇ное () ([ˈt͡sarsvije nʲɛˈbʲɛsnoje], “Kingdom of Heaven [for him/her]”)
Czech: Odpočívej v pokoji
Croatian: Počivao/počivala u miru.
Danish: Hvil i fred
Dutch: Rust in vrede
Esperanto: Ripozu pace (R.P.)
Estonian: Puhka rahus
Faroese: Hvíl í friði
Finnish: Lepää rauhassa
French: Repose en paix (R.E.P.)
Georgian: ცხონდეს, ღმერთმა აცხონოს (“May God grant him/her eternal life”)
German: Ruhe in Frieden
Greek: Αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη ([anaˈpafsu en iˈrini])
Hebrew: תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים (Tehe nishmato tsrura bitsror hahayim) (תנצב"ה)
Hindi: दिवंगत आत्मा को शांति (Hindi, India) {divangat Atma ko shanti}
Hungarian: Nyugodjék békében
Icelandic: Hvíli í friði (H.Í.F.)
Indonesian: Beristirahat dengan Tenang (B.d.T.)
Malay: Berehat dengan Tenang (B.d.T.), Bersemadilah dengan aman
Irish: Ar dheis Dé go raibh a (h)anam (Lit. On God's right may his/her soul be)
Italian: Riposi in pace (R.I.P.)
Japanese: 安らかに眠れ (Yasuraka ni nemure)
Kannada: Atmakke shanti sigali (kannada, Karnataka)
Konkani: ಸಾಸ್ಣಚೊ ವಿಶೇವ್ (Konkani, India) {Sasnacho Vishev}
Korean: 삼가 고인의 명복을 빕니다 (Samga goinui myeongbogeul bimnida)
Kurdish: به ئارامی بمریت
Kyrgyz: Жаткан жери жайлуу болсун (Jatkan jeri jayluu bolsun)
Latvian: Dusi mierā
Lithuanian: Ilsėkis ramybėje
Macedonian: Почивај во мир (Pochivaj vo mir)
Maltese: Strieħ fis-sliem
Maltese: Strieħ fil-paċi
Marathi: मृतात्म्यास शांती लाभो {mrutatmyas shanti labho}
Mongolian: Гүн эмэгнэл илэрхийлье (Gün emegnel ilerkhiiliye)
Nepali: दिवंगत आत्माको चिरशान्तिको कामाना
Norwegian: Hvil i fred
Persian: روحش شاد (Roohash shaad)
Polish: Spoczywaj w pokoju,
Portuguese: Descanse em Paz
Romanian: Odihnească-se în pace
Russian: Покойся с миром ([pɐˈkojsʲə sˈmʲirəm])

Pre-reform: Покойся съ миромъ

Scottish Gaelic: Gus am bris an là (lit. Until the day breaks)
Serbian: Почивај у миру.(Počivaj u miru)
Slovak: Odpočívaj v pokoji
Sinhalese: සමාදානයේ සැතපේවා
Slovene: Počivaj v miru
Spanish: Descanse en paz/Que en paz descanse (D.E.P./Q.E.P.D.)
Swedish: Vila i frid
Tagalog: Sumalángit Nawâ (S.L.N., “In heaven may [he/she/they] be”)
Tajik: ҷояш ҷаннад шавад (dʒojaʂ dʒanat ʂavad)
Tamil: பிரிந்த ஆத்துமா சாந்தி அடையட்டும் (Tamil, India) {Pirinta āttumā cānti adayattum}
Telugu: వెళ్ళిపోయాడు ఆత్మ శాంతి (Telugu, India) {Veḷḷipōyāḍu ātma śānti}
Thai: ขอให้ไปสู่สุคติ
Turkish: Huzur içinde yatsın
Ukrainian: Спочивай з миром
Urdu: امن سے آرام
Uzbek: Joying jannatdan bolsin
Vietnamese: Hãy An Nghỉ
Welsh: Gorffwys mewn hedd


document_title: The Queen of Spades (story)

question_text: what happens to hermann at the end of the story

text: The Queen of Spades (story)

text: Plot summary[edit]

text: Hermann, an ethnic German, is an officer of the engineers in the Imperial Russian Army. He constantly watches the other officers gamble, but never plays himself. One night, Tomsky tells a story about his grandmother, an elderly countess. Many years ago, in France, she lost a fortune at cards, and then won it back with the secret of the three winning cards, which she learned from the notorious Count of St. Germain. Hermann becomes obsessed with obtaining the secret.

text: The countess (who is now 87 years old) has a young ward, Lizavyeta Ivanovna. Hermann sends love letters to Lizavyeta, and persuades her to let him into the house. There Hermann accosts the countess, demanding the secret. She first tells him that story was a joke, but Hermann refuses to believe her. He repeats his demands, but she does not speak. He draws a pistol and threatens her, and the old lady dies of fright. Hermann then flees to the apartment of Lizavyeta in the same building. There he confesses to have killed the countess by fright with his pistol. He defends himself by saying that the pistol was not loaded. He escapes from the house with the aid of Lizavyeta, who is disgusted to learn that his professions of love were a mask for greed.

text: Hermann attends the funeral of the countess, and is terrified to see the countess open her eyes in the coffin and look at him. Later that night, the ghost of the countess appears. The ghost names the secret three cards (three, seven, ace), tells him he must play just once each night and then orders him to marry Lizavyeta. Hermann takes his entire savings to Chekalinsky's salon, where wealthy men gamble for high stakes. On the first night, he bets it all on the three and wins. On the second night, he wins on the seven. On the third night, he bets on the ace — but when cards are shown, he finds he has bet on the Queen of Spades, rather than the ace, and loses everything. When the Queen appears to wink at him, he is astonished by her remarkable resemblance to the old countess, and flees in terror. In a short conclusion, Pushkin writes that Lizavyeta marries the son of the Countess' former steward, a state official who makes a good salary. Hermann, however, goes mad and is committed to an asylum. He is installed in Room 17 at the Obuhov hospital; he answers no questions, but merely mutters with unusual rapidity: "Three, seven, ace! Three, seven, queen!"

text: Inspiration[edit]

text: The character of the old countess was inspired by Princess Natalya Petrovna Galitzine (Princesse Moustache) who served as the lady-in-waiting for 5 Russian emperors and was 92 at the time Pushkin wrote "The Queen of Spades". According to legend, Galitzine had been a successful gambler. When her grandson lost a considerable amount of money playing cards and came to her to beg her for money, Galitzine instead revealed to him the secret three cards that Count Saint-Germain showed to her in Paris.[4]

text: Critics have argued that the Count Saint-Germain holds historical importance in the story. Saint-Germain serves as the namesake for the story's protagonist, Hermann. Beyond this, the historical Saint-Germain may represent a father figure for Hermann, the antithesis to Hermann's character, or a former love interest of the countess who seeks revenge for her death by causing Hermann to pick the wrong cards.[5]

text: The card game of Faro also plays an important role in Pushkin's story. The game is played by having a player bet on a winning card. The dealer then begins turning over cards, burning the first (known as 'soda') to his left. The second card is placed face up to his right; this is the first winning card. The third card is placed face up in the left pile, as a losing card. The dealer continues turning over cards, alternating piles until the bet has been won or lost.[6]

text: Themes[edit]

text: Reality vs. the supernatural[edit]

text: According to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Pushkin’s tale represents “the pinnacle of the art of the fantastic.”[7] While readers may think that the vision of the Countess that appears to Hermann was merely an apparition, at the end of the story, Pushkin has still given no definitive answer. Readers must decide whether the countess appeared only to Hermann in his mind, a realistic solution, or whether Hermann has entered the world of the supernatural. Critics have attempted to answer this question using a variety of cryptographic clues within the text. These critics focus on three elements: the origin of the three, seven and ace; whether Hermann could have identified the cards without the ghost’s intervention, and possible explanations for Hermann’s mistake with the last card.[4]

text: Different critics have presented contradicting supernatural or rational views of Hermann’s final mistake. The critic Gary Rosenshield claims that, by making the wrong choice of cards, Hermann actually did the right thing: as a man obsessed with gambling, having won the money would have meant that he could never gamble again, and therefore would have never again lived.[8]

text: Other critics with rational explanations, such as Nathan Rosen and Viktor Vonogradov, claim that Hermann may have simply seen a likeness between the Countess who gave him the secret and the Queen card, leading him to make a mistake.[9][10] This explanation focuses on Pushkin’s quote in the story that “Two fixed ideas can no more exist together in the moral world than two bodies can occupy one and the same place in the physical world.” Here, Hermann cannot separate the actual cards from the Countess who reveals them to him, leading him to accidentally choose the queen instead of an ace.

text: In contrast to these rational explanations, other critics claim that Hermann entered the world of the supernatural and that the card actually changed after Hermann had picked it. These explanations argue that the Countess sought revenge on Hermann for her death. Critic Sergei Davydov argues that, since the Countess doubted that Hermann would indeed marry Lizavyeta—a concession he had made to acquire the secret—her ghost caused a magical transformation of the cards that led to Hermann’s downfall.[4]

text: Storytelling[edit]

text: Pushkin’s tale is considered to be a work about “telling stories.” Hermann, who is an author within the context of the story, in a way attempts to author his own fate by setting up a gambling situation in which he is guaranteed to win. Hermann’s motivations to set up the scenario also come primarily from gossip, or word of mouth from his acquaintances. It is as if he is set within a story told by others, and feels inspired to write his own.[11]

text: Avarice[edit]

text: Rosenshield describes Pushkin’s Queen of Spades as an “eternal tale of gambling and avarice.”[12] In the story, Hermann becomes obsessed by gambling, even before the Countess grants him her secret to the cards. According to critic Nathan Rosen, Hermann’s fatal mistake at the end of the story constitutes an act of self-punishment: Hermann punishes himself for the avarice of his corrupted soul.[13] Beyond this greed in the form of his gambling obsession, Hermann’s avarice manifests itself in his dealings with Lizavyeta and the Countess. From the moment when he first sets eye on her, Hermann manipulates Lizaveta and her “injured innocence” to gain access to the Countess and the gambling secrets she holds; however, Hermann’s “depravity becomes fully manifest in the climactic bedroom scene” when he trespasses into the Countess’ room and causes her death.[14]

text: Style[edit]

text: Pushkin uses metapoetic moments throughout the story to question the reliability of the narrator and to discern the genre of the work. These metapoetic moments refer to the story dealing with stories internally. One of the clearest example of this takes place after Hermann’s encounter with the countess’ ghostly form. After her departure, Hermann immediately writes down his vision, recording it on paper and writing a small story within the larger story of The Queen of Spades.[11] A second example is when Tomsky and his grandmother talk about traditional plot lines within a Russian novel, of which his grandmother denies the existence.[11]

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: Pushkin's story has been adapted numerous times into multiple mediums. These include:

text:
An 1864 German operetta by Franz von Suppe
An 1890 opera by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A 1910 Russian silent short directed by Pyotr Chardynin
A 1916 Russian silent film directed by Yakov Protazanov
A 1927 German silent film
A 1947 episode of the American radio program Mystery in the Air, starring Peter Lorre.[15]
A 1949 British film directed by Thorold Dickinson, which received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for the BAFTA award for Best British Film
A 1960 Soviet film directed by Roman Tikhomirov
A 1982 Soviet film by Igor Maslennikov

text: The story has also been adapted for radio, including:

text:
the November 9, 1947 episode of Mystery in the Air, starring Peter Lorre as Hermann
a 1997 BBC Radio 4 adaptation for the Afternoon Drama series, with Greg Wise and Amanda Root


document_title: Britain's Got Talent (series 8)

question_text: what's the meaning of the golden buzzer

question_tokens: what 's the meaning of the golden buzzer

text: Britain's Got Talent (series 8)

text: Series overview[edit]

text: Following open auditions held the previous year between 19 October to 1 December 2013 in various cities,[5] which included auditions held at a series of "Talent Spot tents" provided by the show's sponsor that year,[6] and at The Savoy Hotel in Blackpool and The Old Ship Hotel in Brighton, the Judges' auditions took place between January and February 2014, within Belfast,[7] London,[8][9][10] Manchester, Birmingham,[11][12][13] and Cardiff.[14][15] For the first time since the second series, auditions didn't take place in Scotland, as the show's producers wished to try new locations for talent, which led to them opting to hold auditions within Northern Ireland for the first time as a result.[16][17] Due to illness, Simon Cowell was forced to be absent from a day of auditions in Manchester to recover, leading to hosts Ant & Dec each standing in for him,[1] while on the final day of auditions in London, Cowell was forced to be absent for them to attend to his girlfriend Lauren Silverman, who had gone into labour that day; the show's production team chose not to bring in a stand-in because of this.[18]

text: The eighth series is most notable in the show's history for the introduction of a new format that was slowly becoming a part of auditions within other shows of the Got Talent franchise, since it was first used on Germany's Got Talent - the "Golden Buzzer". During Judges' auditions, the judges' desk now featured a golden buzzer along with their respective standard buzzers, which both the judges and the show's host could each use only once if a participant's audition was outstanding to them, regardless of the opinions of the others - the participant would automatically move into the semi-finals, as a direct result of being given the golden buzzer.[2][3]

text: Of the participants that took part, forty-five made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals-[19] of these acts, salsa dancing duo Paddy & Nico,[20] hip hop duo Bars & Melody,[21] singer Christian Spridon,[22] girl group REAformed,[23] and stand-up comedian/impressionist Toju,[24] each received a golden buzzer during their auditions - with nine appearing in each one, and eleven of these acts making it into the live final; the wildcard act chosen by the judges was impressionist Jon Clegg, after he lost out in the tied Judges' vote in the first semi-final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:

text:
Judges' wildcard (previously eliminated act reinstated into the final by the judges)

Golden buzzer

text:
Participant
Age(s)
Genre
Act
Semi-final
Result

Allan Turner-Ward
37
Music
DJ
4
Eliminated

Andrew Derbyshire
31
Singing
Singer
5
Eliminated

Bailey McConnell
15
Singing
Singer
5
Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)

Bars & Melody
13 & 15
Singing
Rapper And Singer
4
Third place

Bolddog FMX Team
24–48
Stunt
Motorcycle Stunt Team
2
Eliminated

Brian Chan
25
Variety
Painter
3
Eliminated

Cartel
16–27
Dance
Dance Group
3
Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)

Christian Spridon
36
Singing
Entertainer
1
Eliminated

Collabro
20–24
Singing
Operatic Group
1
Winner

Country Vive
16–35
Dance
Country Dancing Troupe
1
Eliminated

Crazy Rouge
21–26
Dance
Burlesque Dance Troupe
3
Eliminated

Darcy Oake
26
Magic
Illusionist
1
Finalist (Won Judges' vote)

Ed Drewett
26
Singing
Singer
2
Eliminated

Ellis Chick
12
Singing
Singer
3
Eliminated

Eva Iglesias
40
Singing
Singer
4
Eliminated

Henrietta Adewole
18
Singing
Singer
1
Eliminated

Innova Irish Dance Company
14–23
Dance
Irish Dance Troupe
4
Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)

Jack Pack
24–33
Singing
Singing Group
5
Finalist (Won Public vote)

James Smith
15
Singing
Singer And Guitarist
2
Finalist (Won Public vote)

Jenson Zhu
37
Comedy
Impressionist
5
Eliminated

Jodi Bird
16
Singing
Musical Theatre Singer
2
Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)

Jon Clegg
43
Comedy
Impressionist
1
Finalist (Won Judges' Wildcard)

Kieran & Sarah
26 & 28
Singing
Singing Duo
4
Eliminated

Kieran Lai
17
Dance
Bodypopper
5
Eliminated

Kings & Queens
18–29
Dance
Latin Dance Troupe
5
Eliminated

Kitty & Rosie
25 & 48
Singing
Singing Duo
3
Eliminated

Kony Puppets
32
Comedy
Puppet Act
2
Eliminated

La Voix & The London Gay Big Band
26–52
Music
Drag Act And Orchestral Band
5
Eliminated

Lauren & Terrell
12
Dance
Dance Duo
1
Eliminated

Lettice Rowbotham
24
Music
Violinist
4
Finalist (Won Judges' vote)

Light Balance
19–33
Dance
Electronic Dance Troupe
4
Eliminated

Lucy Kay
24
Singing
Opera Singer
3
Runner-up

Micky Dumoulin
25
Singing
Singer
1
Eliminated

Mini Moves
11–12
Dance
Dance Troupe
2
Eliminated

Paddy & Nico
79 & 39
Dance
Salsa Dance Duo
5
Finalist (Won Judges' vote)

Patsy May 1
N/A 1
Comedy
Puppet Act
1
Eliminated

Peat Loaf & Elaine
52 & 36
Singing
Singing Duo
5
Eliminated

Pyroterra
19–26
Variety
Fire Performers
4
Eliminated

REAformed
16–21
Singing
Girl Group
3
Eliminated

Ricky K
33
Comedy
Comic Mime Act
2
Eliminated

Sam Jones
21
Comedy
Ventriloquist
3
Eliminated

SweetChix
14–15
Singing
Girl Group
2
Eliminated

The Addict Initiative
17–31
Dance
Dance Troupe
2
Finalist (Won Judges' vote)

Toju
40
Comedy
Stand-up Comedian
4
Eliminated

Yanis Marshall, Arnaud and Mehdi
24–26
Dance
Dance Trio
3
Finalist (Won Judges' vote)

text: ^1 No information on the puppeteer for this act was disclosed by the show.

text: Semi-finals summary[edit]

text: Semi-final 1 (26 May)[edit]

text: Guest performer: Ella Henderson – "Ghost"[25]

text:
Semi-Finalist
Order
Act
Buzzes and judges' votes
Result[26]

0  ! Cowell
0  ! Holden
0  ! Dixon
0  ! Walliams

Country Vive
1
Country Dance Troupe

4th - Eliminated

Micky Dumoulin
2
Singer

5th - Eliminated

Lauren and Terrell
3
Dance Duo

6th - Eliminated

Patsy May
4
Puppet Act

7th - Eliminated

Henrietta Adewole
5
Singer

9th - Eliminated

Jon Clegg 2
6
Impressionist

3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote)

Darcy Oake
7
Illusionist

2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote)

Christian Spridon
8
Entertainer

8th - Eliminated

Collabro
9
Operatic Group

1st (Won Public vote)

text: ^2 Jon Clegg was later sent through to the final as the judges wildcard.

text: Semi-final 2 (27 May)[edit]

text: Guest performer: Ed Sheeran – "Sing"[27]

text:
Semi-Finalist[28]
Order
Act
Buzzes and judges' votes
Result[26]

0  ! Cowell
0  ! Holden
0  ! Dixon
0  ! Walliams

Mini Moves
1
Dance Group

4th - Eliminated

Ed Drewett
2
Singer

5th - Eliminated

Bolddog FMX Team 3
3
Motorcycle Stunt Team

6th - Eliminated

Jodi Bird
4
Musical Theatre Singer

3rd (Lost Judges' vote)

SweetChix
5
Girl Group

7th - Eliminated

Ricky K
6
Comic Mime Act

8th - Eliminated

The Addict Initiative
7
Dance Troupe

2nd (Won Judges' vote)

Kony Puppets
8
Puppet Act

9th - Eliminated

James Smith
9
Singer And Guitarist

1st (Won Public vote)

text: ^3 Bolddog FMX Team's performance was pre-recorded outside the studio, in advance.

text: Semi-final 3 (28 May)[edit]

text: Guest performers: The Vamps – "Last Night"[29]

text:
Semi-Finalist
Order
Act
Buzzes and judges' votes
Result[26]

0  ! Cowell
0  ! Holden
0  ! Dixon
0  ! Walliams

Crazy Rouge
1
Burlesque Dance Troupe

7th - Eliminated

Ellis Chick
2
Singer

4th - Eliminated

Sam Jones
3
Ventriloquist

6th - Eliminated

REAformed
4
Girl Group

5th - Eliminated

Brian Chan
5
Painter

9th - Eliminated

Cartel
6
Dance Group

3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote)

Kitty and Rosie
7
Singing Duo

8th - Eliminated

Lucy Kay
8
Opera Singer

1st (Won Public vote)

Yanis Marshall, Arnaud and Mehdi
9
Dance Trio

2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote)

text: Semi-final 4 (29 May)[edit]

text: Guest performers: will.i.am featuring Cody Wise – "It's My Birthday"[30]

text:
Semi-Finalist
Order
Act
Buzzes and judges' votes
Result[26]

0  ! Cowell
0  ! Holden
0  ! Dixon
0  ! Walliams

Innova Irish Dance Company
1
Irish Dance Troupe

3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote)

Kieran & Sarah
2
Opera Singing Duo

7th - Eliminated

Pyroterra
3
Fire Performers

8th - Eliminated

Toju
4
Stand-up Comedian

6th - Eliminated

Eva Iglesias
5
Singer

5th - Eliminated

Allan Turner-Ward
6
DJ

9th - Eliminated

Light Balance
7
Electronic Dance Troupe

4th - Eliminated

Bars & Melody
8
Rapper And Singer

1st (Won Public vote)

Lettice Rowbotham
9
Violinist

2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote)

text: Semi-final 5 (31 May)[edit]

text: Guest performers: Attraction and Richard & Adam – "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"[31]

text:
Semi-Finalist
Order
Act
Buzzes and judges' votes
Result[26]

0  ! Cowell
0  ! Holden
0  ! Dixon
0  ! Walliams

La Voix & The London Gay Big Band
1
Drag Act And Orchestral Band

6th - Eliminated

Bailey McConnell
2
Singer And Guitarist

3rd (Lost Judges' vote)

Kings & Queens
3
Latin Dance Troupe

5th - Eliminated

Peat Loaf & Elaine
4
Singing Duo

9th - Eliminated

Andrew Derbyshire
5
Singer

7th - Eliminated

Jenson Zhu
6
Impressionist

4th - Eliminated

Kieran Lai
7
Bodypopper

8th - Eliminated

Paddy & Nico 5
8
Salsa Dance Duo

2nd (Won Judges' vote)

Jack Pack
9
Singing Group

1st (Won Public vote)

text: ^4 Paddy & Nico's performance had to be slightly modified before the semi-final, after the former was injured before its broadcast.[32]

text: Final (7 June)[edit]

text: Guest performers: Diversity & Little Mix – "Salute";[33] Cheryl Cole featuring Tinie Tempah – "Crazy Stupid Love"[34]

text:
Finalist
Order
Act
Finished[26]

The Addict Initiative
1
Dance Troupe
10th

Jon Clegg
2
Impressionist
7th

Lettice Rowbotham
3
Violinist
8th

Yanis Marshall, Arnaud and Mehdi 6
4
Dance Trio
11th

Bars and Melody
5
Rapper And Singer Duo
3rd

James Smith
6
Singer And Guitarist
6th

Jack Pack
7
Singing Group
4th

Darcy Oake
8
Illusionist
5th

Paddy & Nico
9
Salsa Dance Duo
9th

Collabro
10
Operatic Group
1st

Lucy Kay
11
Opera Singer
2nd

text: ^5 Cowell pressed his buzzer during Yanis Marshall, Arnaud and Mehdi's performance.

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
Episode
Date
Total viewers (millions)[35][36]
Weekly rank[35]
Share (%)

Auditions 1
12 April
12.41
1
45.0[37]

Auditions 2
19 April
11.05
1
40.4[38]

Auditions 3
26 April
11.33
1
42.6[39]

Auditions 4
3 May
10.90
1
42.3[40]

Auditions 5
10 May
11.14
1
41.1[41]

Auditions 6
17 May
10.70
1
40.9[42]

Auditions 7
25 May
9.93
1
38.9[43]

Semi-final 1
26 May
10.94
1
39.1[44]

Semi-final 1 results
8.87
10
33.3[44]

Semi-final 2
27 May
9.36
8
34.9[45]

Semi-final 2 results
7.54
14
27.4[45]

Semi-final 3
28 May
9.41
6
36.7[46]

Semi-final 3 results
7.55
13
28.7[46]

Semi-final 4
29 May
9.53
7
36.7[47]

Semi-final 4 results
8.39
12
33.3[47]

Semi-final 5
31 May
8.97
11
38.1[48]

Semi-final 5 results
7.09
19
28.2[48]

Live final
7 June
12.05
1
49.0[49]

text: Criticism[edit]

text: Holden's semi-final comment[edit]

text: After the final semi-final had been aired, several viewers took to social media to criticise Amanda Holden for a comment she had made in regards to he performance of salsa dance duo Paddy & Nico. Prior to their appearance in the live episode, Paddy had received an injury during practice and had to be checked over by the show's doctors before she could be allowed to perform. Making her opinion of their act in the semi-final, Holden had complimented the dancer for doing well despite the circumstances, adding remarks that she had "come back from injury with fighting spirit" and "today is Pad-D Day". Posts written about the comment complained that it had been distasteful to compare the performance of the dance duo with the efforts of the soldiers during the D-Day landings, with one viewer commenting that her words had been "disrespectful".[50]