In every living and developing language, there are words that have several meanings. Russian is no exception. Even the ordinary word "language" can be interpreted in different ways. This is a speech, a way of communication between people, and an organ in a person’s mouth, and a certain elongated area that has an elongated shape, and even a prisoner captured in the war, which can provide a lot of valuable information. But in our article we will consider what a platform is. What are the meanings of this word? We will try to figure this out.
Railway platform
A platform is called a certain hill, a platform that serves for boarding passengers or loading goods into trains. Usually it is located above ground level, flush with the entrance to the cars. Platforms are both passenger and freight. They are also on the subway.
In addition to land, they can be high-altitude, as well as used in monorail transport, the lines of which are located significantly above ground level. This is just one aspect of the question of what a platform is.
Digital technology
In addition, the word "platform" is also used in the technological field (phones, tablets, etc.). What is the platform on the phone? So called the combination of computing or software technologies that are used, for example, in computers, smartphones and tablets. Most often, this name means the operating system of the device. As in any technological field, there are many telephone platforms, but the most popular among the population or developers are those such as Windows, Linux, Android and iOS. And recently, they have all become widespread both in desktop PCs and laptops, and in tablets with smartphones.
They differ, in addition to appearance, their functionality and purpose. For example, Android is used not only in tablets and phones, but also in many other devices - navigators, smart TVs with Internet access, car DVRs, etc. This fact is promoted by the fact that this operating system is free and has an open source. And iOS is a closed system, and although third-party developers can create applications for it, it is still not as flexible and feature-rich as Android.
Oil
One of the most important natural resources, without which humanity can no longer do, is oil. This product is so popular that sometimes for the sake of owning its deposits wars were organized. It is believed that the oil reserves on earth are huge. But active production, growing every year, gradually depletes them. If 50 years ago oil spurted fountains out of the ground, now even large deposits have to be pumped out by force, pouring water in there to displace the product out.
Now many developed countries are gradually trying to completely abandon oil, building wind and solar power plants, producing electric cars and more. But the value of this resource is not only in the fuel that is obtained from it. A wide range of materials is made from oil, for example plastic. Oil is so demanded that it is extracted everywhere, even in the oceans, constructing complex technological platforms.
Oil Platform
This is the name of special drilling rigs, which are not only equipped with tools for the extraction of raw materials, but also serve as housing for workers on a rotational basis, a helipad, etc.
The construction of such platforms began in 1938, the first of which was built in the United States. Since then, many countries, including Russia, have been using oil platforms. But they are especially actively used in the Scandinavian countries, for example, in Norway.
Oil platforms are sometimes the culprits of severe environmental pollution. As a result of accidents, an oil spill occurs on them , which, being lighter than water, rises to its surface and begins to drift, carried away by the current. This leads to the mass death of many marine inhabitants, the birds that got into the oil slick can no longer take off and slowly die.
Since this is a rather complicated technical structure, it needs constant careful maintenance in order to prevent leakage of oil or other raw materials, for example gas.
The largest accident occurred in 2010 at the Deepwater Horizon floating rig. This accident claimed the lives of several people and caused the largest oil spill in US history. According to those years, there was even a threat of stopping due to the Gulf Stream oil slick - the warm current that heats Europe. But, fortunately, this did not happen.
This is another side of the question of what a platform is.
Technics
Also, a platform is a specific technological structure, for example, a forklift truck. There is this word in geography, it means a large area of the earth's crust, which is characterized by increased tectonic stability.
As you can see, there are many answers to the question about what a platform is. We tried to present the most frequently used meanings of this word in our article.