science

N'kisi

N'kisi 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 N'kisi rather than just read about it. In short: N'kisi is a grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) thought to exhibit advanced English talking skills and other abilities. Accomplishments According to news reports and websites, as of January 2004 N'kisi had a vocabulary of about 950 words and used them in context, frequently in complete sentences, had approximated verb forms to maintain the correct tense (such as saying flied when not knowing the past tense of fly), an…

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

N'kisi is a grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) thought to exhibit advanced English talking skills and other abilities.

Accomplishments According to news reports and websites, as of January 2004 N'kisi had a vocabulary of about 950 words and used them in context, frequently in complete sentences, had approximated verb forms to maintain the correct tense (such as saying flied when not knowing the past tense of fly), and did not depend on learned phrases to communicate his thoughts. N'kisi was shown as being supposedly capable of understanding photographic images, naming objects (within his vocabulary) appearing in a photo and inventing new terms for things he does not know words for by combining other words, like "pretty smell medicine" for aromatherapy oils. One anecdote recounted by the primatologist Jane Goodall says that, upon meeting her in person after seeing a photo of her, N'Kisi asked, "Got a chimp?" It was claimed he demonstrated a possible sense of humor.

Controversy N'kisi took part in a published scientific study of telepathic abilities conducted by Rupert Sheldrake and the parrot's owner Aimee Morgana, after Morgana had reported seemingly telepathic reactions from the bird, such as it commenting on a movie Morgana was watching despite not being able to see the screen, or saying "hi Rob" when Morgana picked up the phone to call a friend of that name. The researchers who conducted the study claim the results present a statistically significant indication of ability, while the study has been criticized by skeptics.

See also List of individual birds Apollo G. Bird Alex (parrot) Talking bird Batyr (elephant) Hoover (seal) Kanzi (bonobo) Koko (gorilla) Washoe (chimpanzee)

References

External links The N'kisi Project Page Hear N'kisi Speak Skeptic's Dictionary entry on N'kisi A rebuttal to Skeptic A rebuttal to the rebuttal to Skeptic

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with N'kisi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what N'kisi 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 N'kisi 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 N'kisi 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 N'kisi

In research: N'kisi 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 N'kisi 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: N'kisi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal intelligence, Individual birds in the United States, Individual parrots, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for N'kisi 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 N'kisi in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is N'kisi in simple terms?

N'kisi is a grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) thought to exhibit advanced English talking skills and other abilities. Accomplishments According to news reports and websites, as of January 2004 N'kisi had a vocabulary of about 950 words and used them in context, frequently in complete sentences, had…

Why does N'kisi 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 N'kisi?

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 N'kisi.