May

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. Late May typically marks the start of the summer vacation season in the United States (Memorial Day) and Canada (Victoria Day) that ends on Labor Day, the first Monday of September. May (in Latin, Maius) was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology, in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for "elders", and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or "young people" (Fasti VI.88).

Eta Aquariids meteor shower appears in May. It is visible from about April 23 to about May 20 each year with peak activity on or around May 6. The Arietids shower from May 22 – July 2, and peaks on June 7. The Virginids also shower at various dates in May.

Ancient Roman observances Under the calendar of ancient Rome, the festival of Bona Dea fell on May 1, Argei fell on May 14 or May 15, Agonalia fell on May 21, and Ambarvalia on May 29. Floralia was held April 27 during the Republican era, or April 28 on the Julian calendar, and lasted until May 3. Lemuria fell on 9,11, and 13 May under the Julian calendar. The College of Aesculapius and Hygia celebrated two festivals of Rosalia, one on May 11 and one on May 22. Rosalia was also celebrated at Pergamon on May 24–26. A military Rosalia festival, Rosaliae signorum, also occurred on May 31. Ludi Fabarici was celebrated May 29 – June 1. Mercury would receive a sacrifice on the Ides of May (May 15). Tubilustrium took place on May 23 as well as in March. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

Symbols May's birthstone is the emerald, which is emblematic of love and success. Birth flowers are the Lily of the Valley and Crataegus monogyna. Both are native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States, but have been naturalized throughout the temperate climatic world.

The "Mayflower" Epigaea repens is a North American harbinger of May, and the floral emblem of both Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. Its native range extends from Newfoundland south to Florida, west to Kentucky in the southern range, and to Northwest Territories in the north. The zodiac signs are Taurus (until May 20) and Gemini (May 21 onward).

Observances

Month-long Working class history month Better Hearing and Speech Month In Catholic tradition, May is the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary. See May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary Flores de Mayo (Philippines) Borderline personality disorder awareness month Celiac Awareness Month Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness month Garden for Wildlife month Huntington's Disease Awareness Month (International) International Mediterranean Diet Month Kaamatan harvest festival (Labuan, Sabah) New Zealand Music Month (New Zealand) National Pet Month (United Kingdom) National Smile Month (United Kingdom) Season of Emancipation (April 14 to August 23) (Barbados) Skin Cancer Awareness Month South Asian Heritage Month (International) World Trade Month

United States

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month National ALS Awareness Month Bicycle Month National Brain Tumor Awareness Month National Burger Month Community Action Awareness Month (North Dakota) National Electrical Safety Month National Foster Care Month National Golf Month Jewish American Heritage Month Haitian Heritage Month Hepatitis Awareness Month Mental Health Awareness Month National Military Appreciation Month National Moving Month National Osteoporosis Month National Stroke Awareness Month National Water Safety Month Older Americans Month

Non-Gregorian (All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)

List of observances set by the Bahá'í calendar List of observances set by the Chinese calendar List of observances set by the Hebrew calendar List of observances set by the Islamic calendar List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar

Movable Phi Ta Khon (Dan Sai, Loei province, Isan, Thailand) Dates are selected by village mediums and can take place anywhere between March and July. National Small Business Week (United States): May 5 – 11 National Hurricane Preparedness Week (United States): May 5 – 11 New Zealand Sign Language Week: May 6 – 12 Green Office Week (Britain, United States): May 13 – 17 Walk Safely to School Day (Australia): May 17 Emergency Medical Services Week (United States): May 19 – 25 Bike to Work Week Victoria (May 27 – June 2)

Western Christian Special devotions to the Virgin Mary take place in May. See May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Labour Day: May 1

International Workers' Day Sunday after Divine Mercy Sunday: May 5

Jubilate Sunday Monday and Tuesday in the week following the third Sunday of Easter: May 6–7

Hocktide (England) Fourth Sunday after Easter: May 12

Cantate Sunday Good Shepherd Sunday Fourth Friday after Easter: May 17

Store Bededag (Denmark) Third Sunday of May: May 19

Feast of Our Lady of the Audience Sunday preceding the Rogation days: May 26

Rogation Sunday Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday preceding Feast of the Ascension: May 27–29

Minor Rogation days 39 days after Easter: May 30

Feast of the Ascension Father's Day (Germany) Festa della Sensa (Venice) Global Day of Prayer Sheep Festival (Cameroon)

Eastern Christian Wednesday after Pascha: May 1

Bright Wednesday Thursday after Pascha: May 2

Bright Thursday Friday after Pascha: May 3

Bright Friday Saturday after Pascha: May 4

Bright Saturday 8th day after Pascha: May 5

Thomas Sunday 2nd Tuesday of Pascha, or 2nd Monday of Pascha, depending on region: May 6 or May 7

Radonitsa (Russian Orthodox) 2nd Sunday following Pascha: May 12

Sunday of the Myrrhbearers 4th Sunday of Pascha: May 26

Sunday of the Paralytic Wednesday after the Sunday of the Paralytic: May 29

Mid-Pentecost

Movable civic

Last Friday in April to the first Sunday in May National Arbour Week (Ontario, Canada)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with May

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what May 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 May 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 May 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 May

In research: May 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 May 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: May is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics May, Months, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for May 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.

How to study May in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what May 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 May out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is May in simple terms?

May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.

Why does May 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 May?

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 May.