How is the information in the flashback in Chapter 2 important to the current plot of The Outsiders?

The flashback of Johnny’s beating is relevant because the same boys threaten them again.  The flashback foreshadows the reappearance of the car.  

Johnny and Pony make friends with some girls at the movies.  There is nothing unusual about this, except that these are greaser boys and Soc girls.  The girls know that their boyfriends will be jealous and angry if they see them with greasers.  

Pony flashed back to Johnny’s condition after he was jumped because this is what he thinks of when he thinks of Socs and greaser.  Bob and his friends once jumped Johnny, beating him badly. It traumatized Johnny.  He was already sensitive, but the experience left him even more fragile. 

"There was a whole bunch of them," Johnny went on, swallowing, ignoring Soda's command. "A blue Mustang full... I got so scared..." He tried to swear, but suddenly started crying, fighting to control himself, then sobbing all the more because he couldn't. (Ch. 2) 

When the girls see the blue mustang, they know there could be trouble.  Johnny recognizes this blue mustang too.  Johnny, Pony, and Two-bit get ready to fight.  Two-bit hands Pony a broken bottle, and Johnny fingers his switchbade.  Seeing the car makes Johnny go into a panic.

Johnny was breathing heavily and I noticed he was staring at the Soc's hand. He was wearing three heavy rings. I looked quickly at Johnny, an idea dawning on me. I remembered that it was a blue Mustang that had pulled up beside the vacant lot and that Johnny's face had been cut up by someone wearing rings... (Ch. 2) 

Cherry temporarily defuses the situation by telling the boys that they will leave with them.  That is the end of it for then.  Unfortunately, the Socs are still cruising later that night when Johnny and Pony are in the park, and they attack.  Johnny kills Bob.

What happened to the community in Gathering Blue?

Gathering Blue depicts a post-apocalyptic society. The exact form the apocalypse took remains cryptic in the novel, but as the story begins, the "civilization of the ancestors" had ended long ago. The society is now primitive, operating without any technology to speak of, and most people in the society are illiterate. The method they have for retaining their history is oral: A Singer presents a Ruin Song annually to the entire community which tells the history of people. The part of the Ruin Song that refers to the apocalypse speaks of "smoky, poisonous fumes, of great fractures in the earth itself, of the way huge buildings toppled and were swept away by the seas." The Singer's robe depicts through embroidery the scenes mentioned in the Song. Kira repairs an area of the robe that shows "tall buildings ... against a background of fiery explosions." These were skyscrapers, destroyed in a war.

The words to accompany that section of the robe say, "Burn, scourged world / Furious furnace, / Inferno impure." That the destruction was widespread, even worldwide, is implied by the verse, "Ravaged all, / Bogo tabal / Timore toron / Totoo now gone." Destruction ranged from Bogata to Baltimore to Toronto, meaning that cities on both the North and South American continents were destroyed. The fact that many humans are physically deformed in the village where Christopher lives suggests either nuclear or chemical weapons were used that caused congenital defects for generations.

Though Lowry never specifically says so, one assumes that a World War, including nuclear weapons, wiped out civilization as we know it. Kira's community rebuilt, but without technology and without many of the markers that define our culture, such as religion, education, philosophy, and the arts.

How long would it take for a ball dropped from a height of 18 m to strike the ground? Assume it bounces to 40% of its height. How long does take to...

When the ball is dropped, there is a gravitational force of attraction acting on it that accelerates it towards the ground. The average acceleration due to gravity on the Earth is 9.8 m/s^2.

If a body starts with velocity u m/s and is accelerated at a m/s, the distance traveled by it in time t seconds is equal to D = u*t + (1/2)*a*t^2

In the problem, the ball is dropped from a height of 18 m. Its initial velocity is 0 m/s. The time taken by the ball to fall 18 m is t where 18 = 0*t + (1/2)*9.8*t^2

t = `sqrt(18/4.9)` = 1.916 s

The ball takes 1.916 s to strike the ground.

After striking the ground, the ball bounces up and rises to a height 40% of the height it is dropped from. After the first bounce it reaches 7.2 m. When it falls again, the total distance traveled when it strikes the ground is 18+7.2*7.2 = 32.4 m. The ball has traveled 30 m before it reaches the ground the second time.

It travels the first 18 m in 1.916 s. As the ball only rises to 40% of its height, the velocity with which it starts in the upward direction after striking the ground the first time is u = `sqrt(2*9.8*7.2)` = 11.879 m/s. The time taken by the ball to rise up to 7.2 m is equal to 1.21 s. The time taken by the ball to travel the last 4.8 m 0.9897 s. The total time taken by the ball to travel 30 m is 4.1157 s.

Why does Rolf stop reporting, put his camera down, and just stay with Azucena toward the end of the story?

Rolf puts his camera down, stops reporting, and just stays with Azucena towards the end of the story because he knows that he can do no more for the little girl. Essentially, by this point of the story, Rolf has come to accept the inevitable and that, bar some miracle, Azucena will die.

Since no one has been able to procure the pump that might possibly save Azucena's life, the little girl must be made as comfortable as possible in the last moments of her life. Rolf chooses to stop reporting and to concentrate all his efforts on providing her the emotional support she needs to face death. So, when Azucena laments that no boy has ever loved her, Rolf comforts her with the assertion that he loves her more than he loves his own mother, sister, lover, and any other woman who has slept in his arms.

Rolf stays with Azucena all throughout her last moments, and when she dies, he closes her eyelids, hugs her to his chest briefly, and then lets her sink down into the mud. Throughout the whole ordeal, Rolf prays that death will come quickly for Azucena, as "such pain cannot be borne" indefinitely. Azucena dies with Rolf by her side, as her friend and ally. 

What are some of the main ironies of the story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

Irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what you would expect. One irony is that Montresor decides to kill Fortunato during the Carnival, which is meant to be a happy occasion. This is one of the reasons Fortunato doesn’t suspect anything. He is drunk on wine and dressed up in a silly outfit. He is having a good time, while Montresor is planning a murder.

The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

Another irony is that Montresor is accusing Fortunato of doing something terrible to him, some “thousand injuries,” when Montresor is actually the bad guy. Whatever Fortunato did seems insignificant compared to murder.

There is also some verbal irony used in the story. Verbal irony is when words or usage seem to contradict each other in a sentence. For example, Montresor says, "I must not only punish but punish with impunity." It is ironic Montresor only feels he has successfully punished someone if he gets away with punishing the person without being punished himself.

It may be considered creepy, but it is also ironic how happy Fortunato is to see Montresor and how happy Montresor is to see him.

I said to him—"My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. 

Finally, there is Fortunato's name. His name indicates he should be fortunate, but he is about to end up murdered and bricked into a wall for at least fifty years. Most people would not consider that a lucky fate.

Is glass the result of a physical or chemical change?

The process of making glass involves a chemical change. While a physical change describes change in the superficial properties of a substance-- like melting ice into water, or tearing up a piece of paper-- a chemical change alters the chemical makeup of the substance itself. 

Glass is made when sand is heated to a very high temperature, causing it to melt. The main component of sand is silicon dioxide, and when this is heated at extreme temperatures, the chemical structure of the silicon dioxide begins to rearrange! Actually, because of its unique molecular structure, we sometimes refer to glass as an "amorphous solid." This means that it behaves like a solid, but the molecular structure isn't the typical crystalline pattern we find in other solids. Different substances may be added to sand before melting or to the molten glass to change the molecular structure or final color of the resulting glass.

Glass can undergo physical changes, too! Have you ever seen glass shatter? This is an example of a physical change. Even though the initial drinking glass or window broke into lots of pieces, the chemical structure is essentially still the same.

How did Augustus rule the Roman Empire?

Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome; he ruled from 31 BC-14 AD. When Augustus gained power following Julius Caesar's death, Rome was in dire straits. His first major action was to consolidate power. He defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, protecting his rule from external threats.

However, Augustus still had to prove to the Romans that he was a rule they could trust. He engaged in a "charm offensive," flattering the people to gain their support. One strategy he used was to pretend to give up power; however, once a few crises threatened Rome, the people became scared and pressured the Senate to vote him absolute ruler. Augustus seized this opportunity to establish himself as the head of Rome's first imperial dynasty.

Despite his ambition (or perhaps because of it), Augustus had many positive accomplishments. He expanded Roman territory as far as Germany and northern Spain, and he sought to restore Roman morals (so much so that he banished his daughter for her public immorality). Following his death, he was even declared a god.