science

GRML

GRML is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand GRML rather than just read about it. In short: GRML – an acronym for General Reuse Markup Language – is a markup language similar to HTML and XML, using tags to organize data in files and web pages. Data is organized in columns and rows.

Key takeaways

GRML belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect GRML to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of GRML from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

GRML – an acronym for General Reuse Markup Language – is a markup language similar to HTML and XML, using tags to organize data in files and web pages. Data is organized in columns and rows. Tags are used to define forms, images, and hyper-linking. Its syntax, like HTML, is based on a simplified subset of SGML. GRML is not in very wide use as of May 2005. GRML is a data-oriented format which defines data content rather than data presentation; the file or web browser determines how data is displayed. This is the same goal as HTML's separating CSS from HTML, moving away from <font> tags, but GRML takes it even further. One of the key aims in creating the format was to separate "views" of the data from "forms" used to manipulate it. It is also a common result of a typographical error when attempting to type HTML, because HT and GR are adjacent on a Qwerty keyboard.

History 1.0 - January 2003 1.1 - June 2003 1.2 - March 2004 2.0 - September 2004 2.1 - November 2004

References

External links Understanding GRML at the Wayback Machine (archived 2014-02-21)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with GRML

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what GRML claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to GRML before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about GRML ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of GRML

In research: GRML appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses GRML in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: GRML is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Markup languages, Programming language topic stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for GRML outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study GRML in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what GRML means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain GRML out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is GRML in simple terms?

GRML – an acronym for General Reuse Markup Language – is a markup language similar to HTML and XML, using tags to organize data in files and web pages. Data is organized in columns and rows.

Why does GRML matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study GRML?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on GRML.