computer science

The Unpoppables

The Unpoppables is a computer 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 Unpoppables rather than just read about it. In short: Unpoppables is a television show on TLC, featuring three balloon artists that aired for six episodes in early 2011. The show portrays their work for the company New Balloon Art, based in Los Angeles, California.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Unpoppables is a television show on TLC, featuring three balloon artists that aired for six episodes in early 2011. The show portrays their work for the company New Balloon Art, based in Los Angeles, California. Season one premiered on February 7, 2011.

Format The production company for Unpoppables is Authentic Entertainment, producers of Ace of Cakes. Like Ace of Cakes, the show follows a group of highly skilled artisans in their respective fields as they are challenged to complete seemingly impossible tasks at the last moment. In the show, the cast is given three days to design and build their elaborate balloon creations. This is common in the balloon world as balloon sculptures can not be made more than 72 hours in advance of an event or they risk deflation, color fading and popping.

Cast The cast consist of three characters. Addi Somekh taught himself balloon art all on his own. His success has led him to appear on The Martha Stewart Show, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Access Hollywood, and several other shows. He owns and manages his own company - New Balloon Art Prior to "The Unpoppable," Addy had achieved notability in the balloon twisting world as he traveled to 34 countries with photographer Charlie Eckert making free hats for photo ops. Katie Balloons is portrayed as the show's fashion expert; she did not regularly make dresses for other people until the show began. Brian Asman is a former chef now working full-time for New Balloon Art. He is known for his realistic art and professionalism. Brian is from Brooklyn, New York.

New Balloon Art New Balloon Art is the name of balloon decorating company, owned by Addi, that the show focuses on. Founded in 2002 as a one-man company, today the company has grown to include clients worldwide. For large projects, Addi brings in extra assistance as needed beyond the team of Katie and Brian. Information about New Balloon Art can be found at their website.

References

External links New Balloon Art Website TLC'S "The Unpoppables" Webpage

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Unpoppables

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Unpoppables claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer 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 Unpoppables 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 Unpoppables 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 Unpoppables

In research: The Unpoppables appears in computer 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 Unpoppables 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 Unpoppables is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2011 American television series debuts, Balloon artists, TLC (TV network) original programming, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Unpoppables 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 Unpoppables in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is The Unpoppables in simple terms?

Why does The Unpoppables matter?

Because it connects several computer 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 Unpoppables?

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 Unpoppables.