What is Practical Work?

What is Practical Work? Practical work is viewed by the vast majority of science teachers, as an essential and integral part of science education. In fact, many regard it as an indispensable aspect of being a science teacher (Donnolly 1998 from review Practical work effectiveness in primary/sec schools Abraham). Practical work can encompass many different components, which can be divided into two main groups as described in Woodley E, (2009), as follows: 1) Core activities: These include hands-on activities such as different investigations, laboratory techniques and procedures, as well as fieldwork. These types of activities can help enhance the development of students practical laboratory skills, as well as helping them to understand key scientific concepts and phenomena. 2) Directly related activities: These are closely connected to the above core activities, and include practical demonstrations performed by the teacher, planning and designing scientific investigations and analysis of data. In addition, some argue that other activities such as use of computer simulations, modelling, use of surveys, presentations, group discussion and role plays can also constitute what is meant by the term practical activity (SCORE, 2008). However, others would disagree, and believe these activities would not come under the practical activity umbrella, and rather that they should be used complementarily alongside other practical activities, rather than be a substitute for them (Woodley, E). Millar described a practical activity as Any science teaching and learning activity which at some point involves the students, working individually or in small groups, in observing or manipulating objects to develop understanding. (Millar (2009)). It is described in The National Strategies as: Any activity that enables pupils to have direct, often hands-on, experience of the phenomena they are studying . (The National Strategies (2008)). In fact the following quotation from SCORE underpins what many believe about the importance of practical work in science: Science without practical is like swimming without water . (SCORE, 2008). Therefore, regardless of how practical work is defined, or what activities are thought to constitute it, it can be seen as a central part of how science should be taught in schools What is the Purpose of Practical Work? The main purposes of practical work are to engage students, aiding them to develop many important skills. In fact, practical work can support learning in a multitude of ways ranging from Personal learning and thinking skills to How science works (E Woodley) -See Figure 1. The overriding principle, however is to make links between the concrete and abstract worlds. (Reflecting on practical work). From reading the literature, it is clear that the different reasons and rationales for carrying out practical work in science can be classified into three main areas (see below), as discussed in (Practical Work in School Science: Which Way Now?  Jerry Wellington): Arguments for and against the use of practical work in science: 1). Cognitive arguments: It is thought that practical activities can relate to knowledge and understanding (the cognitive domain) by helping to strengthen students conceptual understanding of science by enabling them to visualise and make sense of different scientific laws and theories, often supporting learnt theory work. 2). Affective domains: This relates to the enjoyment and motivational aspects of practical work. Practical work is often used to generate interest and enthusiasm amongst students, and is thought to aid students in remembering things; making things stick. In fact, reports show that in terms of how students rate the enjoyability of school science activities, the three top rated were: going on a science trip (85%), looking at videos (75%) and doing a science experiment (71%), supporting the view that practical work is indeed highly motivational (Dillion J). 3). Skills argument: The last of the three main rationales for practical work is that it can help develop many transferable skills, as illustrated in Figure 1 above. However, characterising the real value and purpose of practical work is a very difficult task and divides opinion across the science education profession. In fact there are many arguments and counter arguments for and against practical work in science. Counter responses to the cognitive argument include the idea that practical work can often confuse rather than improve students understanding (especially if the practical does not go to plan). In addition Scott and Leach propose that practical work is not a good approach to teach theory, suggesting that theories comprise abstract ideas which cannot be demonstrated physically: In the context of the school laboratory it is clear that students cannot develop an understanding through their own observations, as the theoretical entities of science are not there to be seen. (Taken from Wellington book- Leach and Scott 1995:48) Arguments against the affective argument include the notion that many students are simply turned off at the idea and prospect of doing practicals. There is also evidence indicating that boys enjoy practical work more so than girls, and hence girls can often be less enthusiastic and motivated compared to boys doing the same practical task. (Wellington). Counter arguments to the proposal that practical work can develop many transferable skills also exist. These include the argument that group work within practical science often does not improve key skills such as communication and interaction, as widely believed, but when studied more closely, often results in more forceful students dominating the task, resulting in lack of enjoyment and engagement for some and the demotion of some students to simple medial tasks, such as drawing out tables or recording results without any real participation in the practical activity themselves.(Wellington). Many other science education professionals make claims of the overselling of the science education in terms of concept that science practical work can develop many transferable skills. The idea that these skills can add value to students and aid them on their chosen career paths have been discredited by some. In fact, Ausubel in the 1960s argued that any practical task that can give rise to the application of skills required for many disciplines, is simply not specific enough to address the particular scientific investigation being addressed: Grand strategies of discovery do not seem to be transferable across disciplines..it hardly seems plausible that a strategy of inquiry, which must necessarily be broad enough to be applicable to a wide range of disciplines and problems, can ever have sufficient particular relevance to be helpful in the solution of the specific problem at hand. (wellington, Ausubel 1964:298). Hence, there is much debate regarding the use of practical work within the teaching and learning of science in schools. The key question here really is to do with cognition and how we acquire knowledge. i.e. : How do we understand the world and make sense of it in our heads? (Miller R, 2004). One significant answer to this came from Jean Piaget, who is credited as the pioneer of the constructivist theory of knowing. He argued that we construct ever more complicated and sophisticated representations of the world. This is through modifying our existing understandings (or schemas; a structured cluster of concepts) through our actions on the world around us. If Piaget is correct, then the use of practical work in observing and intervening in the world must be vital for our understanding of science (R Miller 2004). The effectiveness of practical work in science As discussed above, many science teachers and other science education professionals believe that practical work in the education of science in schools is vital for helping students learn and remember things more clearly. However, as also noted there are arguments suggesting that practical work is actually not all that effective at achieving these aims. A prominent quotation from Osborne (1998) questions the effectiveness of practical work in the learning of science, saying that practical work: has only a limited role to play in learning science and that much of it is of little educational value (p. 156. from Miller 2004 review). Much of the conclusions of research into the effectiveness of practical work remain somewhat ambiguous. Research carried out in the 1980s by Hewson and Hewson (1983), in which In addition, others have argued that the way in which practical work is practised is often the cause of its ineffectiveness, and perhaps, therefore the type of practical work used, and the way it is used should be analysed, rather than simply saying that all practical work is ineffective. Hence if we are interested in looking at the effectiveness of practical work in science, the specific practical work used, or planning to be used need to be very carefully planned and thought out. A key consideration here is actually what is meant by the term effectiveness. A framework for judging the effectiveness of practical work Theobald in the 1960s argued that scientific theory must always be taught first and is required in order to visualise: Experience does not give concepts meaning, if anything concepts give experience meaning (J Wellington). Aggressive Reality Television: Impacts on Teenage Viewers Aggressive Reality Television: Impacts on Teenage Viewers Nashun Gross ABSRACT The popularity of reality TV has soared among teens. Not only are teenagers watching reality TV more than any other TV show, but it also influences their behavior, which is caused by teenagers who make a connection with the cast members. Connections happen when teens imitate the behavior because they view the cast as role models. Even when the cast behaves aggressive, whether physical, verbal, or relational, they tend to imitate that behavior. The more teenagers view aggression on reality TV, the more they are likely to use aggression as a tactic when solving real world problems. Aggression influences both girls and boys. When boys watch aggressive behavior, they tend to resort to verbal and physical aggression. Girls predominately react by using relational aggression. When aggressive reality television becomes the norm, social aggression will too. Aggressive Reality Television Impacts Teenage Viewers Although there have not been many studies on the effects of reality television there is an underlying issue researchers have found in reality television programming, relational aggression. Carlson Ward (2013) described relational aggression as social aggression, which includes indirect aggression, spreading rumors of one’s character and hurting someone’s reputation or self-esteem. In today’s programming reality television has more relational aggressive acts than regular television programming (Patino, Kaltcheva, Smith, 2011). Surprisingly, researchers found relational aggression more common than physical aggression in the media, specifically, in reality television (Carlson Ward, 2013). However, teenagers exposed to physical aggression and relational aggression had the same effects. In other words, exposure to any type of aggressive behavior, physical or relational, led to aggressive responses and reactions in both male and female teenagers. Teenager’s response to media proved to have both short-term and long-term effects (Swartzwelder White, 2013). In the short term, marketing and advertising showed significant results in sales after product was shown during a reality program (Patino et al, 2011).In the long-term, affects have been shown as late as 15 years increase (Coyne, Robinson, Nelson, 2010). Specifically, when teenagers connected with characters on television they were more likely to watch for longer periods of time. With ideas of how to react to real life situations left in the mind of a teenager could shape how they view the world (Patino et al, 2011). Since the first reality show aired in 1994, reality television has become the choice of media for teens in the U.S. Year-by-year viewer’s ratings continue to increase (Coyne et al, 2010; Carlson Ward, 2013) with forty percent of television watched by teenagers coming from reality shows (Carlson Ward, 2013). It is a popular media. Within this new genre, verbal and relational aggression is rampant (Carlson Ward, 2013; Coyne et al, 2010). Reality programming displayed 25.1 relational aggressive acts per hour, while non-reality TV displayed 8.7 acts per hour (Carlson Ward, 2013).When all forms of aggression were combined, verbal, relational, direct and indirect, it averaged 85 aggressive acts per hour (Coyne et al, 2010). When teenagers viewed relational aggression it led to other forms of aggression, especially when teenagers identified or connected with the characters (Coyne et al, 2010). Teenagers showed higher levels of aggressive behavior (Coyne et al, 2010), when they made a connection with the characters (Carlson Ward, 2013) and had the ability to interact or participate in the reality shows, such as voting off characters or choosing the best to win. Studies found realism played a huge role in the effects of reality television. If teens thought reality TV was real, not manipulated by producers to create drama, they were inclined to watch more reality programs (Carlson Ward, 2013). Despite the manipulation, studies still found teenagers drawn to watch reality TV because it satisfied a need (Coyne et al, 2010; Ferguson, Salmond, Modi, 2013). One study found conflicting results. An internal survey given by the Girl Scout Research Institute took a non-random sample of 1141 teenage girls (Ferguson et al, 2013). By using the uses and gratifications approach in an online questionnaire, girls were more confident after they watched reality programming and displayed no affects of relational aggression (Ferguson et al, 2013). Researchers thought relational aggression should not be a concern to the public and found the effects may be more â€Å"subtle and complex† (Ferguson et al, 2013). Researchers studied teenager’s motivations in watching reality television, while questioning their values. Teens were motivated when programs displayed realism, physically attractive characters, and popular among friends, (Pantino, Kaltcheva, Smith, 2011). The uses and gratifications approach was useful to find out why teens chose reality TV rather than non-reality TV. Researchers concluded they desired voyeurism, connection with characters and vengeance (Coyne et al, 2013). Teenagers also learned to mimic the behavior portrayed by those who they look up to, who they connected to in reality television. As teenagers consumed more reality programming, with aggression in its midst, they found teens had more aggressive behavior. Consumption is related to behavioral effects (Carlson Ward, 2013), but what has not been discovered is the quantity of social aggression in reality television and its related effects (Coyne et al, 2013). Majority of researchers came to the same conclusion, reality television affects both male and female. When researchers compared the effects between girls and boys, they found no differences (Carlson Ward, 2013). Concerning relational aggression, girls showed more aggression than boys, while boys displayed more physical aggression than the girls (Coyne et al, 2013). With miniscule differences, boys are more physically aggressive and girls tend to have a saucy mouth. As a whole, the results indicate a current trend in teenagers, specifically with watching reality television. Teenagers tend to have changes in their attitudes and behaviors similar to the ones they watch regularly on reality television. In addition, studies have shown it takes just a few hours of exposure to display negative effects (Coyne et al, 2013; White , Swartzwelder 2013). These literature reviews revealed aggression had the same effects on boys than on girls. However, for future research understanding the associations between teenagers and realism on TV is important because it could help in assessing the severity of relational aggression among teenagers. Hypothesis 1: Teenagers who see abusive behavior, such as hitting, kicking or pushing others, in reality television programs, will have an increase in aggressive behavior, with boys experiencing a greater increase than girls. Hypothesis 2: Teenagers who see aggressive behavior, such as spreading rumors or damaging someone’s reputation or self-esteem, in reality television programs, will have an increase in relational aggressive behavior, with girls experiencing a greater increase than boys. METHOD Participants Participants are 60 students from a middle school located in suburban Jacksonville, Fl. Half of the students are male, the other half female. The ages range from 11-14 years. As a random sample, there will be no consideration on race. However, the sample size is divided up by each grade, meaning 20 students from the sixth grade, 20 students from the seventh grade, and 20 students from the eighth grade. Measures Exposure to reality programs then observed . Students would watch a 30-minute top-rated program once a week in class. Programs shown will have social aggressive behavior throughout, such as The Challenge: Cutthroat, Jersey Shore and Survivor (Carlson Ward, 2013). Then an observer would watch their behavior and report the results. Procedure Students are invited to participate on a voluntary basis with their parent’s permission. After a few weeks of getting the permission of the parents, an observer would visit each classroom and show a reality program on video. The program would run for 30-minutes, then shortly afterwards the student’s behavior would be observed for additional 30-minutes. The total time needed is approximately one hour per classroom visitation. The observer will fill out a Likert Scale before and after the reality show is played (Appendix A) to show the differences of behavior. References Carlson, C. Ward, M.L., (2013). Modeling meanness: Associations between reality TV  consumption, perceived realism, and adolescents’ social aggression. Media Psychology,  16 (4), 371-389. doi:10.1080/15213269.2013.832627 Coyne, S. M., Robinson, S. L., Nelson, D. A. (2010). Does reality backbite? Physical,  verbal, and relational aggression in reality television programs. Journal Of  Broadcasting Electronic Media, 54(2), 282-298. doi:10.1080/08838151003737931 Examples of likert scaled responses used in data-gathering. (n.d.). Retrieved from  http://www.rpgroup.org/sites/default/files/Surveys Interactive Activity %20Examples%20of%20Likert%20scales.pdf Ferguson, C., Salmond, K., Modi, K. (n.d.). Reality television predicts both positive and  negative outcomes for adolescent girls. Journal of Pediatrics, 162(6), 1175-1180. Patino, A., Kaltcheva, V. D., Smith, M. F. (2011). The Appeal of Reality Television  For Teen and Pre-Teen Audiences. Journal Of Advertising Research, 51(1), 288-297. White, A.M., Swartzwelder, S. (2013). What are they thinking?!: The straight facts about the  risk-taking, social-networking, still-developing teen brain. New York: W.W. Norton   Company, Inc. Appendix A (â€Å"Examples of likert scaled responses used in data gathering,† n.d.) How Are Tension And Suspense Built Up? How Are Tension And Suspense Built Up? Novels such as TRR and TTTH were very popular during Victorian times, and some people think that this was partly a reaction to the development of science during the period that was known as The Enlightenment. The scientific age taught that there was a reason for everything, and that emotions like fear should be repressed. Horror stories like these led to many of the horror films that we watch in the cinema today, and people liked them for the same reasons; being scared is exciting, and lets the person watching or reading experience this in safety. Writers knew that people enjoyed the genre, and so they used a variety of ways to make sure that the interest of the reader was maintained, and they would want to read more. Both Edgar Allen Poe and H.G. Wells use the traditional Gothic conventions to explore human fear and the power of the imagination, particularly using tension and anti-climax to make an exciting rhythm. I have read the short stories TRR by HGW and TTTH by EAP, and in this essay I hope to show how each author developed and maintained tension and suspense. Many of the methods are used in both stories, and are based on standard Gothic conventions such as duality, the weather, the setting, fear of the unknown, the supernatural, mystery and dread; they also use metonyms for doom and gloom, such as doors slamming shut and gusts of wind blowing out lights. In TTTH the tension starts with the first sentence, TRUE! nervous very, very dreadfully nervous. The writer uses capital letters and exclamation marks to cause surprise and fear, and follows this with a short, repetitive sentence. He then immediately draws the reader in by asking why they think he is mad, when clearly they had not had that thought themselves. The mood is approaching hysteria, which was a great fear in Victorian times. The author then mentions many things that are opposite to each other, such as heaven and hell, day and night and the fact that although he had nothing against the old man in his story, the fact that he had the eye of a vulture meant that he would have to kill him. Once the tension is in place, the author slows the pace by lengthening the sentences, but keeps the reader in a state of fear through his use of language. He continues to repeat words cautiously oh, so cautiously cautiously, making the narrator seem even more mad, even though he is trying to explain that he isnt. He gives a very intense description of the darkness inside the old mans room black as pitch with the thick darkness, making the reader aware that it is under the cover of this darkness that the evil deed will take place. The suspense starts to grow again when the narrator says that he made a mistake with the lantern, and that small sound woke up the old man. Neither of them moved for over an hour, and it almost feels like you are holding your breath with the two people in the story. After a long time, the old man groans, and this gives rise to more hysterical thoughts by the narrator, the sentences slow again, and the language less staccato and very dramatic Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, so the reader knows that something awful is bound to happen soon. The momentum builds further as the narrator opens the lantern, which fell full upon the vulture eye, and making it clear that the old man now also knows for certain that he is in danger. The narrator becomes furious, and believes that he can hear the beat of the old mans heart. The rhythm of the work gets faster, choppy sentences and a lot of exclamation marks and more repetition increase the excitement with th e beat of the hellish tattoo; then the crescendo, The old mans hour had come! The actual murder is over in a moment, and this sudden drop away from extreme terror to the narrator saying that he smiled gaily to find the deed so done exaggerates the tension. The next concern for the reader is whether or not the murder will be discovered, and the author increases this worry by describing the dismemberment of the body in quite graphic detail. The mood of the piece is changing again, with the description of as dark as midnight making way for I went down to open it (the door) with a light heart as the police arrive. The narrator takes the police on a very long journey through the house, asking them to search search well, and this makes the reader become anxious about when or if they will find the evidence of the old mans death. The language is calm and this adds to the impression of time passing slowly. As the characters sit and talk, the narrator starts to get more agitated; he can hear a strange noise getting closer. The pace picks up, the vocabulary starts to get more hysterical I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations, it grows more repetitive, and the punctuation is full of exclamation marks. It b uilds to another climax, when the narrator says I felt that I must scream or die! and now again ! hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!. The reader will be on the edge of their seat by now, wondering what on earth will happen next; and is immediately dropped from this state of expectancy as the narrator shrieks his admission of guilt to the police, and the story comes to a sudden and dramatic close. TRR starts in a similar fashion, with the piece being written in the first person so that the reader can quickly identify with them, and feel what they are going through. The physical scene is set in more detail, with careful descriptions of the hideous features of the people involved in the story, and how the narrator felt about them. The three of them made me feel uncomfortable with their gaunt silences, their bent carriage, their evident unfriendliness to me and to one another. He had come to disprove a ghost story, and was not afraid, but these grotesque custodians were affecting him a lot; which helps to slowly start to wind up the tension in the story. The language of this early section involves words such as withered, inhuman, senility, night, darkness, dead, haunted and evil, all of which add to the suspense, and are standard ways of creating fear in this kind of novel. As the narrator decides to move on to the Red Room, to discover more about the alleged haunting, the other characters seem to try to stop him, suggesting that this is not a good time for him to go there. But if you go to the Red Room tonight , this sentence tails off, letting the reader imagine what the man might have been going to say. The old woman whispers this night of all nights, and as the narrator leaves to continue his ghost hunt, the man with the withered arm says Its your own choosing. So there are plenty of warnings, and the state of tension in the readers mind is maintained as the narrator sets off down the chilly, echoing passage. This passage is further described as long and shadowy, with a film of moisture glistening on the wall, (was) as gaunt and cold as a thing that is dead and rigid, and this journey to the room makes use of many other words chosen to create as much fear as possible, talking about ghosts, omens, and witches. The author also uses shadows, flickerin g candles, darkness and cold to great effect, making certain that the reader is anxious before the Red Room is even reached. Arriving at the room itself, it is described as being in a shadowy corner, and then a detailed description of the room and its contents is given. Again, the language is very imaginative, and this increases tension as the narrator tells us that it looks very frightening, and that one could well understand the legends that had sprouted in its black corners, its germinating darkness. As he tells the reader about each item, the sense of waiting for something bad to happen is very strong. He mentions his scientific attitude of mind, which was very popular in Victorian times, but then destroys any confidence this might cause by saying that he caught sight of his own face in a mirror, and despite his rational approach, it was absolutely white. Now that he has admitted to being frightened, the narrator builds on this by describing how he tries to make himself safe in the room, by lighting candles, getting his gun ready, and making a barricade out of a table. He tells us that he is in a state of considerable nervous tension, and goes out to get more candles until the room is as brightly lit as possible; then the wait begins. The candles start to go out, and its even more frightening that they do so one at a time; a note of hysteria creeps into his voice as he starts to try to relight the candles, and he becomes panic stricken. The fear is everywhere, and the pace is building, with the narrator crashing around the room desperate to stop the darkness from overwhelming him. When finally even the fire goes out, he says it was not only palpable darkness, but intolerable terror. At this moment the reader is certain that something appalling will happen, and the narrator screams with all his might once, twice, thrice. He runs for the door, knocks himself out, and knows no more. At this point he is completely vulnerable to whatever malevolent spirit might be present. The opposite to darkness rescues the narrator, as he opens his eyes in the daylight, and the tension is broken for a moment. His rescuers take a more friendly approach to him, and in daylight he wonders why he previously disliked them. They ask if he now believes that the room is haunted, and he agrees that it is. This reinstates the feelings of fear and tension as the reader wonder what he is about to reveal. Two of the custodians have their own theories about who the ghost may be, but the narrator cuts them short, and tells them that it is not, building the tension further. The old people and the readers are now on the edge of their seats, as in The Tell Tale Heart, waiting for the climax of the story. The speed of the text increases, with choppy sentences and a lot of punctuation as he announces Fear! Fear that will not have light nor sound, that will not bear with reason, that deafens and darken and overwhelms. This is a great contrast against the scientific theories of the time, making the reader question rationality, and would increase fear. The story ends with the last of the three custodians joining in the conversation, defining the haunting as A Power of Darkness, a curse upon the home. As the reader has already been asked to put aside rational scientific thoughts, this makes it even worse, by making them think that such a curse might be able to put on their own home. The tension continues right up to the last moment Fear itself is in that room. Black Fear..And there is will be..so long as this house of sin endures.

Archimedes :: essays papers

Archimedes Few certain details remain about the life of antiquit^s greatest mathematician, Archimedes. We know he was born in 287 B.C. around Syracuse from a report about 1400 years after the fact. Archimedes tells about his father, Pheidias, in his book The Sandreckoner. Pheidias was an astronomer, who was famous for being the author of a treatise on the diameters of the sun and the moon. Historians speculate that Pheidias^ profession explains why Archimedes chose his career. Some scholars have characterized Archimedes as an aristocrat who actively participated in the Syracusan court and may have been related to the ruler of Syracuse, King Hieron II. We also know Archimedes died in 212 B.C. at the age of 75 in Syracuse. It is said that he was killed by a Roman soldier, who was offended by Achimedes, while the Romans seized Syracuse. Archimedes had a wide variety of interests, which included encompassing statics, hydrostatics, optics, astronomy, engineering, geometry, and arithmetic. Archimedes had more stories passed down through history about his clever inventions than his mathematical theorems. This is believed to be so because the average mind of that period would have no interest in the Archimedean spiral, but would pay attention to an invention that could move the earth. Archimedes^? most famous story is attributed to a Roman architect under Emperor Augustus, named Vitruvius. Vitruvius asked Archimedes to devise some way to test the weight of a gold wreath. Archimedes was unsuccessful until one day as he entered a full bath, he noticed that the deeper he submerged into the tub, the more water flowed out of the tub. This made him realize that the amount of water that flowed out of the tub was equal to the volume of the object being submerged. Therefore by putting the wreath into the water, he could tell by the rise in water level the volume of the wreath, despite its irregular shape. This discovery marked the Law of Hydrostatics, which states that a body immersed in fluid loses weight equal to the weight of the amount of fluid it displaces. There are three main mechanical inventions credited to Archimedes. The first one is the Archimedean screw which supposedly could serve as a water pump. The second invention was the compound pulley. The third invention was the way of finding the volume of something by displacement as demonstrated in the story above. Most historians would agree that more important than his great mechanical inventions were his mathematical discoveries. The mathematical works that have been presented to us by Archimedes could be classified into three groups. The first group consists of works that have as their major objective the proof of Archimedes :: essays papers Archimedes Few certain details remain about the life of antiquit^s greatest mathematician, Archimedes. We know he was born in 287 B.C. around Syracuse from a report about 1400 years after the fact. Archimedes tells about his father, Pheidias, in his book The Sandreckoner. Pheidias was an astronomer, who was famous for being the author of a treatise on the diameters of the sun and the moon. Historians speculate that Pheidias^ profession explains why Archimedes chose his career. Some scholars have characterized Archimedes as an aristocrat who actively participated in the Syracusan court and may have been related to the ruler of Syracuse, King Hieron II. We also know Archimedes died in 212 B.C. at the age of 75 in Syracuse. It is said that he was killed by a Roman soldier, who was offended by Achimedes, while the Romans seized Syracuse. Archimedes had a wide variety of interests, which included encompassing statics, hydrostatics, optics, astronomy, engineering, geometry, and arithmetic. Archimedes had more stories passed down through history about his clever inventions than his mathematical theorems. This is believed to be so because the average mind of that period would have no interest in the Archimedean spiral, but would pay attention to an invention that could move the earth. Archimedes^? most famous story is attributed to a Roman architect under Emperor Augustus, named Vitruvius. Vitruvius asked Archimedes to devise some way to test the weight of a gold wreath. Archimedes was unsuccessful until one day as he entered a full bath, he noticed that the deeper he submerged into the tub, the more water flowed out of the tub. This made him realize that the amount of water that flowed out of the tub was equal to the volume of the object being submerged. Therefore by putting the wreath into the water, he could tell by the rise in water level the volume of the wreath, despite its irregular shape. This discovery marked the Law of Hydrostatics, which states that a body immersed in fluid loses weight equal to the weight of the amount of fluid it displaces. There are three main mechanical inventions credited to Archimedes. The first one is the Archimedean screw which supposedly could serve as a water pump. The second invention was the compound pulley. The third invention was the way of finding the volume of something by displacement as demonstrated in the story above. Most historians would agree that more important than his great mechanical inventions were his mathematical discoveries. The mathematical works that have been presented to us by Archimedes could be classified into three groups. The first group consists of works that have as their major objective the proof of

Bill Gates :: essays research papers

In his high school years, Bill Gates proclaimed that one day he would be a millionaire. He greatly underestimated himself. He became interested in computers while in the 8th grade. His school received a hookup to a high powered computer. Bill and his good friend Paul Allen used to skip gym class to use the computer. Sometimes they would even break into the school at night to spend time on the computer. Eventually Bill made his first program. A virtual tic-tac-toe game. The Computer Center Corporation (CCC) wanted to rent a computer from the Digital Co., but they couldn't pay for it. Digital said they would provide it at no cost if they could find any bugs in their computer. CCC put an add out in the local paper, and Bill and Paul applied immediately. Although skeptical about hiring two teenagers to do the job, their doubts were quickly dissolved. When they were done, Bill and Paul had compiled a list of bugs that was over 300 pages long! Bill was next hired by his school. They wanted him to write a program for use in class scheduling. Bill was happy to do it. He used a programming language called FORTRAN for the first time in this program. FORTRAN was one of the major languages later used at Microsoft. With this program, Bill first took advantage of his skills. He designed the program to put him in classes with no other boys and all the girls he thought were cute, what a guy! At this time Paul and Bill also started their first company called Traf-O-Data. Keep in mind that they are still in high school! They designed a program that could analyze traffic counts by machine so counties could get government funding for road projects. They had clients in British Colombia and Delaware but went out of business in 1973 when the government offered the same services for no charge. Bill Gates scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT's. However, instead of going into computers, which would seem logical, he went to Harvard to become a lawyer. In 1974, a company in Albuquerque, NM, known as MITS made the first home computer. The computer was useless because it had no monitor or keyboard. In place, it had switches to input data and a device similar to a printer to display data. This computer was called Altair and when Bill and Paul heard about it, they were a-twitter.

Counting the minority vote Essay -- essays research papers

Counting the Minority Voter This election year the presidential candidates are courting the minority voters like never before in history. States like Arizona, Florida, New Mexico and Ohio are considered swing states or battleground states. In many states voter registration drives have significantly increased the number of minority registered voters, particularly Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians. The candidates are well aware of this and are campaigning issues relevant to minority voters because they are prominent players in the political arena in the upcoming presidential election (Kamman). According to the "Current Population Reports," a report put out by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2002, there are 25.1 million Hispanics in the United States. Of these 25.1 million, 15 million are U.S. citizens, of those 8.1 million are registered voters, of those 4.7 million reportedly voted. In percentages it relates in the following way: 52.5% of Hispanics are U.S. citizens, 30% of those Hispanics are registered to vote. Of the 30% that are registered to vote 57.9% reported to have voted. Hispanics have traditionally voted Democratic but in recent history a few more are swaying to the Republican Party. According to a poll analyzed by Steve Sailer 20 % of the Latino voters identifies themselves as Republican with the percentage of Latino voters voting Republican being slightly higher in Texas (the President's hom...

Generators: Electric Power and Ashe Members

[pic] Regulatory Advisory A service to members, advisories are produced whenever there is a significant development that affects the job you do in your community. A Message to ASHE Members: The Joint Commission (JCAHO) is conducting a Field Review of its proposed addition to standard EC. 7. 40 on the inspection, testing and maintenance of emergency power systems. JCAHO proposes to add a new Element of Performance (EP) requiring annual testing of each emergency generator for four continuous hours, under load.ASHE members are encouraged to take full advantage of this opportunity to: †¢ Provide your input on the actual need for this new requirement, †¢ Comment if this requirement will assure greater reliability, †¢ Inform JCAHO of the specific impact to your facility from implementing this requirement as it is proposed. The Field Review will close on February 20, 2006 Standard EC. 7. 40 – Proposed Element of Performance #5The [organization] tests each emergency gen erator at least once every 12 months for a minimum of four continuous hours. This test shall be conducted under a load (dynamic or static) that is at least 30% of the nameplate rating of the generator. The Field Review is being conducted on the JCAHO website at: www. jcaho. org/accredited+organizations/hospitals/standards/field+reviews/ec740_std_fr. htm The notice contains background information that identifies emergency electrical generators as a critical resource for delivery of safe care.The background information further explains that â€Å"Testing generators for sufficient lengths of time increases the likelihood of detecting generator reliability problems and reduces the risk of losing this critical resource when it (is) most needed†. A key question ASHE members should comment on is: As it is written – will the proposed requirement lead to more effective detection of generator reliability problems and in doing so reduce the risk of failure under emergency conditi ons? † The Field Review is organized to challenge both the premise for and the wording of the proposed standard.The survey questions and ASHE’s guidance on responding to these questions are on pages 2 and 3 of this alert. All answers should be for your specific facility based on your experience. In addition to providing input on whether this standard will meet its intent, you should focus on possible obstacles to complying with this requirement including resources (fuel and labor costs), disruption to services and patient care during the test, and air emission regulatory compliance issues. ASHE urges you to seize this opportunity to comment!Your input is essential to ensure this proposed revision is well thought out and will actually improve system reliability. JCAHO Field Review – Proposed Emergency Power Testing Standards The Field Review is an on-line survey launched from the Field Review web page at: www. jcaho. org/accredited+organizations/hospitals/standard s/field+reviews/ec740_std_fr. htm The actual survey is conducted through surveymonkey. com with results compiled for JCAHO. Below are the survey questions with guidance on how to respond to each question 1.Name – this is listed as optional but we suggest you provide your name 2. Organization – again this is optional but we suggest you provide this 3. In which one of the following categories are you primarily responding? – there is a list provided to chose from – in most cases you will select the first choice as being a ‘Joint Commission Accredited Organization’. 4. If you are primarily representing a Joint Commission accredited organization, which one category best describes your role in that organization? similar to the previous question this is a list – most ASHE members will choose ‘Facility Maintenance’, Facility Design’, or ‘Safety Management/Security Management’. 5. For which accredited program ar e you responding to this field review? – a list is provided of each of the JCAHO programs for which this proposed standard will apply. Please select your primary facility (e. g. Hospital). If you have multiple care settings, please consider filling out a survey for each different type of care setting. 6. Does your organization rely on an emergency generator to provide care, treatment, and services during electrical power outages? Yes/No 7. Would your organization rely on an emergency generator to continue care, treatment, or services for four hours or more during extended electrical power outages? – typically this is Yes unless your program allows for the discontinuation of services and facility evacuation 8. Are the proposed revisions illustrated in â€Å"Element of Performance #5†, understandable or clear to your organization? – this is where the â€Å"rubber hits the road†. Comment on the proposed standard as it is written – don’t read into it what you think it is trying to say.If it is not clear please take the time to comment on what is unclear and/or if there is a better way to clearly state what they want you to do. 9. Regarding â€Å"Element of Performance #5†, is the required frequency for testing emergency generators appropriate? – the real question is – should this be an annual test? The 2005 edition of NFPA 110 – Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems – requires Level 1 EPSS (Emergency Power Supply Systems) to be tested for at least 4 hours, at least once within every 36 months.ASHE members are represented on the technical committee of NFPA 110 along with manufacturers and designers. This technical committee has voted that a 4 hour test, every three years provides adequate assurance of reliable performance. If you agree with NFPA 110 you should select No. 10. If you indicated no, what would be the appropriate frequency of testing? – NFPA 110 require s 36 months (NFPA 110 – 2005, section 8. 4. 9) 11. Do you feel that a load of 30% of the nameplate rating of the generator required in â€Å"Element of Performance #5† would adequately assess the generator’s fueling and cooling systems during the test? NFPA 110 requires the test load to be the EPSS load running at the time of the test. This is to test the ability of the EPSS to deliver the required power to the outlets, lighting, and systems that are on the emergency power system rather then to simulate it with a load. As written, EP 5 could be met through use of a resistive load bank without testing other vital components of the EPSS including transfer switches and paralleling switchgear. This is a fundamental question – will â€Å"cooking† the engine for 4 hours adequately test he fuel and cooling systems and therefore enhance system reliability? Or is should the entire EPSS be tested? If you feel that the entire system should be tested as requir ed by NFPA 110 – 2005, section 8. 4. 9. 1, answer question 11 as No and list your reasons in the provided space for comment. 12. Would the proposed revisions in â€Å"Element of Performance #5† be burdensome for your organization? – ASHE recommends that you discuss this issue with your administration and safety committee to fully identify all the implications of performing this test annually.Issues to discuss include additional resources (fuel consumption and labor to conduct the test), increased amounts of air emissions from the test (state or regional clean air regulations), and disruption to services during the test such as computer based systems on emergency power, lighting, transportation systems, and ventilation systems. Organizations that have experienced any difficulty in scheduling and performing the currently required monthly tests must ensure that all stakeholders are fully informed and supportive of the scheduling and performance of this proposed 4 h our test. 3. If â€Å"Element of Performance #5† became effective immediately, how long would it take for your organization to be in compliance? – this question only allows one of four responses, with a maximum of 12 months. Your response should be informed by the discussion from question 12. If you feel that none of the listed time frames are adequate, utilize the â€Å"additional comments† area at the end of the survey to discuss the compliance timeframe 14. Would your organization utilize outside sources to perform this test required by â€Å"Element of Performance #5†? For example, would your organization need to utilize a load bank to meet the 30% test load requirement? ) – Consider if you have the available staff, the available expertise on staff, and/or the available current load to perform this test without taking on additional outside expenses. If you anticipate additional expenses, provide a ‘best-guess’ of that cost. For que stions or comments contact Dale Woodin at [email  protected] org or 312-422-3812 https://www. premierinc. com/safety/safety-share/05-06-downloads/11-ashe-fda-bed-rail-entrapment-05-06. pdf

Duffy: The Real ‘Painful Case’ Essay

In â€Å"A Painful Case,† by James Joyce, the central character is cold, intellectual, and emotionless. The narrator of this story adopts a pessimistic and scathingly negative view of the central character, Mr. Duffy. Duffy is, figuratively speaking, dead. He is dead to the world of passionate emotions that make others ‘alive,’ and he shuns most contact with other humans, especially emotional and intimate contact. He argues that ‘every bond is a bond of sorrow,’ and uses this as justification for not engaging in any relationships of an intimate nature. He has ‘neither companions nor friends, church nor creed.’ Duffy’s room is very telling of his personality as well. â€Å"The lofty walls of his uncarpeted room were free from pictures† (Joyce, 118). It is customary to put up pictures in one’s home of one’s family or friends, but Duffy does not associate with either. He has no joyous memories to immortalize in film and frame on his bedroom wall. His room mirrors the state of his mind: orderly and austere, uncluttered by anything resembling passion. In many respects Duffy is dead. The only intimacy Duffy may have ever felt in his life was with Mrs. Sinico, but even when she dies he initially feels nothing but disgust that he had shared intimate parts of himself with someone who degraded herself with an alcoholic suicide. â€Å"The whole narrative of her death revolted him and it revolted him to think that he had ever spoken to her of what he held sacred. [She had] a commonplace vulgar death. Not only had she degraded herself; she had degraded him. He saw the squalid tract of her voice, miserable and malodorous. His soul’s companion!† (Joyce, 126-127) The extent of Duffy’s aloof fear of intimacy is such that even when Mrs. Sinico dies the only thing he can think about is how her death cheapened him. Eventually, Duffy realizes that ‘he had withheld life from her,’ and ‘he had sentenced her to death.’ He realizes that he, at least in large part, had been responsible for her descent, alcoholism, and eventual suicide. He left her to loneliness when he stopped seeing her, and that loneliness was what prompted her death. â€Å"Now that she was gone he realized how lonely her life must have been, sitting night after night alone in that room† (Joyce, 128). With the realization that he was responsible for Sinico’s death, Duffy realizes that he too will die someday, and, like Mrs. Sinico, become nothing more than a memory. The reason why Mrs. Sinico left memories with Duffy is because she reached out and attempted to become emotionally intimate with him. Unlike Sinico, Duffy never made any such attempts, and recoiled when he realized that their relationship was becoming too close. Because of his lack of warmth and passion, when Duffy dies it is likely that no one will even remember him, and he realizes this. â€Å"His life would be lonely too until he, too, died, ceased to exist, became a memory- if anyone remembered him†¦ He gnawed the rectitude of his life; he felt that he had been outcast from life’s feast†¦ no one wanted him† (Joyce, 128-127) However, even after Duffy comes to this painful realization he still has little hope of altering his lifestyle to be more passionate and ‘alive.’ This is shown by Duffy’s thoughts of Sinico near the end of the story. Initially, he can feel her presence. â€Å"She seemed to be near him in the darkness. At moments he seemed to feel her voice touch his ear, her hand touch his† (Joyce, 128). Later, he sees a goods train emerging from the Knightsbridge station, and imagines the ‘laborious drone of the engine reiterating the syllables of her name.’ In this manner he personifies her spirit with the train. After the train leaves, so does his feeling that she is still there next to him; after the train leaves he feels utterly alone again. â€Å"He listened again: perfectly silent. He felt that he was alone.† Duffy dismisses Sinico’s spirit, and by dismissing her, he also dismisses any hope he had of learning to live. In this manner the narrator provides a pessimistic view of Duffy, while showing the reader how Duffy has little hope of learning to feel passion even after Sinico’s death. The newspaper refers to Mrs. Sinico’s death as ‘a most painful case.’ However, the title of the story really refers to Mr. Duffy. He is, in fact, the real painful case.

Extinct Animals

Animal that has gone extinct ( Alasmidonta mccordi The Coosa elktoe, scientific name Alasmidonta mccordi, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This species was endemic to the United States. [pic] I didn’t manage to find any specific ecological role of Coosa Elktoe, however I found the ecological role of mussels. Mussels play a key role in aquatic environments and are considered to be â€Å"ecosystem engineers† because they modify aquatic habitat, making it more suitable for themselves and other organisms.One of the valuable functions performed by mussels is capturing organic matter from the water column when they siphon, processing it to build body and shell, excreting nutrients that are immediately available to plant life and then depositing the remaining organic material to the sediment making it available for other invertebrates and fish to consume. During this feeding process, the mussels â€Å"c lean† the water they live in by removing phytoplankton and the bacteria and fungi that are attached to the non living organic particles they have removed from the water column.Other undesirable particles and chemicals are bound in the mussels' pseudo feces and deposited on the river bottom. This species was known only from a single specimen collected from the Coosa River in St. Clair County, Alabama and after its’ extinction the River was observed and there were no changes found, therefore, I suppose its’ extinction had no effects on ecology or if it did the effects are not significant and cannot be observed. |Kingdom: |Animalia | Phylum: |Mollusca | |Class: |Bivalvia | |Order: |Unionoida | |Family: |Unionidae | |Genus: |Alasmidonta | Alasmidonta mccordi was listed in 1996 (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) as Critically Endangered due to insufficient survey information. In 2000, surveys confirmed that A. mccordi is Extinct (Bogan 2000) and there has been no further evidence in recent years to suggest otherwise.This species is considered to be Extinct. Impoundment of the Coosa River is thought to have caused the extinction of this species. Animal that is endangered ( Brotia pageli This species occurs in mountain streams in Western Borneo, from Sabah to South Kalimantan. At present it is only known from the type locality, Sabah, east Malaysia, Borneo and one other location in south-west Indonesian Borneo. Brotia pageli requires well-oxygenated, small, clear mountain streams, preferring rocky or pebble substrates.It is mainly found in mud, on stones, or under leaves and therefore is only present in remnant patches of rainforest. Ecological role same as Alasmidonta mccordi ( mussel ). [pic] There is a continuing decline in the extent of occurrence, area of occupancy and the extent and quality of this species' habitat as a result of the slash-and-burn agriculture, intensive logging and deforestation taking place across Borneo. Further research is n eeded into the species' current population status and impacts of deforestation. |Kingdom: |Animalia | Phylum: |Mollusca | |Class: |Gastropoda | |Superfamily: |Cerithioidea | |Family: |Pachychilidae | |Genus: |Brotia | Animal that was endangered but now it is not ( American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Bald eagles are one of the largest birds in North America with a wing span of 6-8 feet. Females tend to be larger than males. They live up to 40 years in the wild, and longer in captivity.Bald eagles are monogamous and have one life partner. [pic] Bald eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes, marshes, seacoast and rivers. They nest and roost in tall trees. The eagles live in every US state except Hawaii. They use a specific territory for nesting, winter feeding or a year-round residence. Their natural domain is from Alaska to California, and from Maine to Florida. Bald eagles that reside in the northern USA and Canada migrate to the warmer southern areas duri ng the winter to obtain easier access to food.They feed primarily on fish, but also eat small animals such as ducks, rabbits, turtles, snakes, etc. Bald eagle population numbers have been estimated to be 300 000 to 500 000 birds in the early 1700s. Their population fell to less than 10 000 nesting pair by the 1950s, and to less than 500 pairs by the early 1960s. This population decline was caused by the mass shooting of eagles, the use of pesticides on crops, the destruction of habitat, and the contamination of waterways and food sources by a wide range of poisons and pollutants.For many years, the use of DTT pesticide crops caused thinning of eagle egg shells, which often broke during incubation. The use of DDT pesticide was outlawed in USA and Canada in 1972/73. This action contributed greatly to the return of the bald eagle. The Bald Eagle was listed as Endangered in most of the U. S. from 1967 to 1995, when it was slighted upgraded to Threatened in the lower 48 states. The numbe r of nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states had increased from less than 500 in the early 1960's to over 10,000 in 2007.They had recovered sufficiently to delist them from Threatened status on June 28, 2007. Since delisting, the primary law protecting Bald Eagles has shifted from the Endangered Species Act to the Bald and Golden Eagle Act. Although Bald Eagles have made an encouraging comeback throughout the U. S. A. since the early 60s, they continue to be face hazards that must be closely monitored and controlled. Even though illegal, Bald Eagles are still harassed, injured and killed by guns, traps, power lines, windmills, poisons, contaminants and destruction of habitat. Kirill Tashilov