science

The Secret Supper

The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper rather than just read about it. In short: The Secret Supper is a thriller novel written by Javier Sierra. The original Spanish title is La Cena Secreta, winner of the 2004 Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja literary award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Secret Supper is a thriller novel written by Javier Sierra. The original Spanish title is La Cena Secreta, winner of the 2004 Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja literary award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world. The English translation by Alberto Manguel was published in 2006.

Plot summary It is set while Leonardo da Vinci is painting The Last Supper. The story is told in Agostino Leyre's words, as mysterious letters come in to Rome. He is a chief inquisitor, and so he decides to investigate who had sent these mysterious letters, hinting at heresy. He goes to Santa Maria delle Grazie, where he meets various monks, priests and nuns. But while he is there, various suspicious deaths and rumours takes him into a search for truth- the meaning of The Last Supper. Intrigued, he finds yet another mystery - a blue leather-bound book, portrayed in tarot cards left by the killer of several pilgrims, known as 'The Soothsayer'.

Main characters Agostino Leyre- Chief Inquisitor at Rome, called to investigate The Soothsayer Beatrice d'Este- Duchess, died along with her newborn baby Leonardo da Vinci- Artist, inventor and author, painter of the Last Supper and Maesta Father Alessandro- Librarian who helps Agostino with his search Brother Benedetto- A one-eyed monk who is not what he seems... Brother Guglielmo- The cook at Santa Maria Brother Giberto- A red-haired monk Father Prior- tries to decipher the identity of the Soothsayer along with Agostino Bernardino Luini- One of Leonardo's ex-apprentices who starts his own hunt for answers Marco Forzetta- Another one of Leonardo's ex-apprentices

See also Cultural references to Leonardo da Vinci

References The Secret Supper, Javier Sierra, 2006 (Atria Books) ISBN 978-0-7432-8764-7 La Cena Secreta, Javier Sierra, 2004 (Plaza & Janés) ISBN 84-672-1092-3

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Secret Supper

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper

In research: The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper 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: The Secret Supper is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s Spanish-language novels, 2000s mystery novels, 2000s thriller novel stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is The Secret Supper in simple terms?

Why does The Secret Supper 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 The Secret Supper?

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 The Secret Supper.