Free Essays on Steve Hawking

Dr. Stephen Hawking has been considered to be more brilliant then Einstein. Dr. Hawking was born on January 8 1942 in Oxford, England on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death. Is this a coincidence? After his studies at St. Albans School, he attended University College, Oxford. He wanted to study Mathematics, but because it was unavailable at Oxford, he concentrated on Physics and earned a degree in Natural Science three years later. Stephen went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology. After attaining his Ph.D., he became a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. He left the Institute of Astronomy to become a professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge. He has held the post of Lacasian Professor of Mathematics since 1979. In the early 1960’s, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with the dreadful disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (A.L.S.), an incurable degenerative neuromuscular disease, also known as Lou Gerhi g’s Disease. He has been paralyzed unable to use every muscle in his body. The only muscles he has use of are those around his eyes. This explains why Hawking has become a theoretician rather than a â€Å"hands-on† scientist. He spends hour after hour in his wheelchair pondering complex ideas and formulating mind bobbling equations in his head. Dr. Hawking’s work is primarily in the field of general relativity and in particular on the physics of black holes. He uses his theory on the origin of black holes to help explain the creation of the universe. In 1971 he suggested the formation (following the big bang), of numerous objects containing as much as 1,000,000,000 tons of mass but occupying only the space of a proton. These objects, called mini- black holes, are unique in that because of their immense mass and gravity, they are ruled by the laws if relativity, while their minute size requires that the laws of quantum mechanics apply to them also. In 1974, Hawk... Free Essays on Steve Hawking Free Essays on Steve Hawking Dr. Stephen Hawking has been considered to be more brilliant then Einstein. Dr. Hawking was born on January 8 1942 in Oxford, England on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death. Is this a coincidence? After his studies at St. Albans School, he attended University College, Oxford. He wanted to study Mathematics, but because it was unavailable at Oxford, he concentrated on Physics and earned a degree in Natural Science three years later. Stephen went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology. After attaining his Ph.D., he became a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. He left the Institute of Astronomy to become a professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge. He has held the post of Lacasian Professor of Mathematics since 1979. In the early 1960’s, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with the dreadful disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (A.L.S.), an incurable degenerative neuromuscular disease, also known as Lou Gerhi g’s Disease. He has been paralyzed unable to use every muscle in his body. The only muscles he has use of are those around his eyes. This explains why Hawking has become a theoretician rather than a â€Å"hands-on† scientist. He spends hour after hour in his wheelchair pondering complex ideas and formulating mind bobbling equations in his head. Dr. Hawking’s work is primarily in the field of general relativity and in particular on the physics of black holes. He uses his theory on the origin of black holes to help explain the creation of the universe. In 1971 he suggested the formation (following the big bang), of numerous objects containing as much as 1,000,000,000 tons of mass but occupying only the space of a proton. These objects, called mini- black holes, are unique in that because of their immense mass and gravity, they are ruled by the laws if relativity, while their minute size requires that the laws of quantum mechanics apply to them also. In 1974, Hawk...

Diapause - Definition of the Term Diapause

Diapause - Definition of the Term Diapause Diapause is a period of suspended or arrested development during an insects life cycle. Insect diapause is usually triggered by environmental cues, like changes in daylight, temperature, or food availability. Diapause may occur in any life cycle stage – embryonic, larval, pupal, or adult – depending on the insect species. Insects inhabit every continent on Earth, from the frozen Antarctic to the balmy tropics. They live on mountaintops, in deserts, and even in the oceans. They survive frigid winters and summer droughts. How do insects survive such extreme environmental conditions? Â  For many insects, the answer is diapause. When things get tough, they take a break. Diapause is a predetermined period of dormancy, meaning its genetically programmed and involves adaptive physiological changes. Environmental cues arent the cause of diapause, but they may control when diapause begins and ends. Quiescence, in contrast, is a period of slowed development that is triggered directly by environmental conditions, and that ends when favorable conditions return. Types of Diapause Diapause can be either obligatory or facultative: Insects with obligatory diapause will undergo this period of arrested development at the predetermined point in their life cycle, regardless of the environmental conditions. Diapause occurs in every generation. Obligatory diapause is most often associated with univoltine insects, meaning insects that have one generation per year.Insects with facultative diapause undergo a period of suspended development only when conditions require it for survival. Facultative diapause is found in most insects and is associated with bivoltine (two generations per year) or multivoltine insects (more than two generations per year). Additionally, some insects undergo reproductive diapause, which is a suspension of reproductive functions in adult insects. The best example of reproductive diapause is the monarch butterfly in North America. The migrant generation of late summer and fall goes into a state of reproductive diapause in preparation for the long journey to Mexico. Environmental Factors That Trigger Diapause Diapause in insects is induced or terminated in response to environmental cues. These cues may include changes in the length of daylight, temperature, food quality and availability, moisture, pH, and others. Â  No single cue solely determines the start or end of diapause. Their combined influence, along with programmed genetic factors, controls diapause. Photoperiod – A photoperiod is the alternating phases of light and dark in the day. Seasonal changes to the photoperiod (such as shorter days as winter approaches) cue the start or end of diapause for many insects. Photoperiod is the most importantTemperature – Along with photoperiod, changes in temperature (such as an extreme cold spell) can influence the start or end of diapause. The thermoperiod, alternating phases of cooler and warmer temperatures, also influences diapause. Some insects require specific thermal cues to end the diapause phase. For example, the woolly bear caterpillar must endure a period of chilling to trigger the end of diapause and continuation of the life cycle.Food – As the growing season ends, the diminishing quality of their food sources may help trigger a diapause phase in an insect species. As potato plants and other hosts turn brown and dry, for example, Colorado potato beetle adults will enter a state of diapause. Â   Sources: Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera.Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.The Insects: An Outline of Entomology, by P. J. Gullan and P. S. Cranston.Biology of Arthropoda, by D. R. Khanna.Developmental Biology, 10th edition, by Scott F. Gilbert.

Self awareness assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Self awareness assignment - Essay Example Oakes et a defined self-esteem as â€Å"emphasize efective self-regard . . . feeling of affection toward neself (779). Others define it as an overall judgment one makes about one’s worth as a person. But regardless how it is defined, self esteem includes affective and cognitive components. â€Å"High self esteem people feel good about themselves and think they have many positive qualities† (779). On the reverse, low self-esteem people hold ambivalent feelings toward themselves and are less certain that they have many certain positive qualities (Baumeister, Tice & Hutton, 1989 qtd in Oakes et al 779). To this, Anjala and Worthen added the specifics of body image and self image which comprises self-esteem (90) Inferring from these definitions in setting up a SMART Goal in developing my self esteem, I will initially target a 20% increase in positive self esteem, progressing to 40% in the second week, 60% in the third week and 80% increase in self-esteem the fourth week of assessing the development of my self-esteem. The SMART Goal is effective because it is grounded on reality and the parameters were conservative. It is not an overly optimistic goal that is difficult to achieve that would make one eventually abandon the plan. Rather, it is composed of step by step plan that only requires realistic efforts that could be done consistently. Inferring from the definition of Oakes et al and and Anjala, I will categorize the componenets of self esteem as internal and external. Internal are those whom Oakes said to feel good about myself and which is triggered by a positive stimuli that helps us cope positively with the challenges of life(Tariq 23). To achieve these goals I will engage in activities that are consistent with the internal and external components about self esteem. With regard to the internal factor of feeling good about myself, I will begin making more friends and spending more time with family

Teaching Special Groups Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Teaching Special Groups - Coursework Example Tutor Signature: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Task 1 4 Task 2 5 Task 3 6 Task 4 7 Task 5 8 Task 6 9 Task 7 11 References 12 Task 1 List the different categories of beginner students, giving a brief explanation of each: Answer 1: There are different categories of beginners students, this includes: The absolute beginner’s students are those who do not have any knowledge of English language. This may include the small children’s, students from abroad or people speaking language other than English (Davison and Dowson 2003). The false beginners are those who have a little knowledge of the English language as they were previously thought English, but do not have proper knowledge. As they are only able to make few simple structures in English language. The adult beginners are those who can have made their own decision related to learning English language and are highly motivated for learning it (Davison and Dowson 2003). The young beginners are those who are una ware of the benefits of learning English and also lack motivation as they just have made the choice to learn the subject. These learners are fast and grab the language more easily than the adult beginners. Beginners devoid of Roman alphabet: These students need a lot of personal attention and also need a lot of initial working on their basic skills related to the literacy. They also require a lot of reading and writing exercises for making them learn the language (Davison and Dowson 2003). Task 2 How would you as a teacher adapt your approach to beginner students? Answer 2: As a teacher for the beginner students the needs of students will be initially identified as why the learning of the language is important for them and make clear and realistic aims for them. I will adopt the methodology to that will suit the situation the most for the students. The classroom will be arranged in a manner that will highly benefit them in learning English language using many visual which will aid t hem in learning (Davison and Dowson 2003). I will also take care of the board work which includes the justification of simple and clear instructions. The lessons to be given to them will be of appropriate pace in order to make them comfortable in learning. The practices provided will also be repeated in appropriate interval in order to make them learn the practices. Lots of questions will be asked to them in order to clear all their doubts and also to make them remember the learning’s (Osborne 2005). The students will also be encouraged to speak English in class in order to make them familiar with the language and make them revise the lessons in a proper interval. The students will also be assigned with appropriate homework’s which will assist them in learning the language on a continuous basis and make them learn the language perfectly. Task 3 How can teaching individual students differ from teaching groups? Answer 3: There is a large difference in between teaching in dividual students and teaching students in groups. Teaching individual students have a number of advantages and disadvantages as compared to group teachings. As in the individual teaching the students are highly motivated as compared to students in groups, and the needs of individual students can also be easily defined as compared to the groups. In individual learning the teacher builds up a close relationship with the student as compared to the group’s teachings (Osborne 2005).

Habitat for Humanity Essay Example for Free

Habitat for Humanity Essay Habitat for Humanity originated at Koinonia Farm, which is a small Christian farming community located outside of Americus, Georgia. Clarence Jordan brought the idea to Millard Fuller, who is the founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International. They developed the idea of â€Å"partnership housing,† calling for families in need of a home to partner with volunteers to build affordable homes. In 1975 Fuller and his wife Linda established Habitat for Humanity with one clear vision in mind â€Å"a world where everyone has a decent place to live. † Habitats ministry is based on the conviction that to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ we must reflect Christs love in our own lives by loving and caring for one another. Our love must not be words only – it must be true love, which shows itself in action, this is the full forces that lead Fuller and his wife to establish this organization. Habitat provides an opportunity for people to put their faith and love into action, bringing diverse groups of people together to make affordable housing and better communities a reality for everyone. The idea of Habitat for Humanity is to work in partnership with God and people to build decent, affordable, houses in which people can live and grow into all what God has intended. The Fuller’s vision has become a successful reality that has presently helped build over 500,000 homes and helped over 2.5 million people worldwide. Habitat for humanity is operated based on two main sources: donations and mortgage payments of the homeowners. Donations generate from individuals, foundations, and businesses their monies are used to purchase land and materials. The no-interest mortgage payments made by current Habitat homeowners greatly contribute to support the construction of additional Habitat homes. Some organizations such as Ameri-Corp may pay their volunteers with school courses and materials in return for their time. Habitat for Humanity’s crucial point is not just to build a house and help people to be under a roof, but their main goal is to build a clean, decent, and stable house for families: these families can provide stability to their children, the sense of dignity and pride grows for these families; health, physical safety, and security improves, educational and job prospects. My experience at Habitat for Humanity was a powerful and passionate one. Amazingly, one of the most precious gifts we can give one another is – time. A couple of hours or days can translate into a lifetime of hopefulness and commitment to strive and I had the opportunity to experience this reality, throughout my experience at the Habitat. I have learned what the meaning of passion is mainly because I’ve had the genuine sentiment to finish the work I’ve started, along with many other people that shared this experience with me. The other thing that I discovered about passion is how easy it is to be a family with people you have met for the first time if you open your heart to them and let them be part of your life. The other thing I found about passion is the skills that I have that would help to repair the universe. In this experience I found something that has deepened my faith that God created each one of us uniquely with specific skills that not everybody has; therefore, this experience helped me to find skills that I am going to use to help building the world again with passion and also the experience and realize that the simple usage of my hands can a the life of a family. The people that I met at Habitat for Humanity were dedicated to their jobs. As I approached the job site, I noticed several groups of people who were putting their time and organization into this home-building project. They invested hundreds of hours of sweat into building houses to help low income families. Some days, community volunteers spend more than eight hours working on the houses. To complete their jobs, volunteers overcame obstacles such as: lack of supplies, unusable wood, and lack of enough workers. The employees and volunteers I met were motivated to overcome obstacles to help families in need. Though they may not have had the best materials, they used what they had in order to complete the job. Many of these materials come from the Re-Store; this store sells donations mostly given by the community. The funds collected are used for materials and other services that are required. Volunteers must be willing to work in the heat and endure a lot of intense physical labor. Wall-framing, installing dry wall, plumbing and roofing are skills that the organization needs from volunteers. The volunteers I worked with were willing to endure the heat and physical labor in order to help low income families who need a home. If you are looking for a place where you can make a huge impact on society, Habitat for Humanity is the place. People of all backgrounds, races, and religions are invited to build houses for people in our community. Habitat for Humanity is capable of working with each volunteer’s skill level. Don’t be afraid of hard work. No matter what goes on in your life, you will always remember all of the positive things you have done to help out in your community. In conclusion, Habitat for Humanity does such essential work and by that work they recognize the concept of passion and Christianity, and the other thing about them is they recognize that there are needs in the world and these needs should be met with their work. My experience helped me change my idea about service and the real meaning of service, and it let me be familiar with the big three R’s- restoration, reparation, and reconciliation that are the keys for service. The three R’s were spoken among many of the volunteers that I met, indeed the R’s simply describe this experience, the other thing I found is that dedicating myself is another important part of service because without dedicating myself, the work that we need to do to repair the universe would not be as perfect as how it should be.

Exodus and the Ethics of Labor Essay -- Social Issues, Oppression

Oppression is something that has been repeated throughout history all over the world. Whether it was the oppression of Black Americans during the Jim Crow period or the oppression of Jews in Nazi Germany during World War II, oppression is an unethical act that humanity has not yet moved past. Looking to the Bible as a source of Christian ethics in terms of how to fight oppression and promote equality brings to attention how God intended His people to be treated, especially the poor and the helpless. The book of Exodus is a primary guide for what the ethics of labor ought to be in the work force to avoid oppression. One might reference the story of the Israelites in the book of Exodus. The Israelites are under the thumb of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians that force them into slave labor. The grueling and overly strenuous labor conditions in which the Israelites are put under is comparable to the labor conditions that the employees of slaughterhouses are forced to endure today, as illus trated by Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. By comparing these two labor conditions, the reader is able to apply the Biblical ethics found in Exodus to modern times. â€Å"Knocker, Sticker, Shackler, Rumper, First Legger, Knuckle Dropper,† these are just a few of the positions the workers at a slaughterhouse get assigned to. Simply reading the names of the above job positions induces a sense of nausea and hints at the inherent brutality that these positions demand (Schlosser, 172). Because the weight and size of cows is unpredictable, most of the labor in the slaughterhouse must be done by hand. On the kill floor of a slaughterhouse, workers are forced to slice cattle into halves with a power saw â€Å"as though they were two-by-fours,† (Schlosser, 170). Wo... ...is people to be free and live and work under ethical and just conditions. Jesus preaches that as long as the Israelites follow his commandments, they will be â€Å"treasured among all people† and that they will live in a â€Å"land of milk and honey,† (Exodus 3:8). Unlike the unethical laws that the Pharaoh forced upon the Israelites, Jesus’s commandments are moral and promote the common good of the whole community. The Bible says in Exodus 1:12, â€Å"But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.† This provides hope the workers in the slaughterhouses whom are still forced to work under unsafe conditions today. The workers must become collectively active and speak up and fight for their right to an ethical work environment. Ultimately, the minorities and immigrants will become the majority, and the â€Å"dictators† of the world will be forced to step down.

Attitude and Behavior Essay

If someone has a negative attitude toward a particular individual or group, for example, what are the potential implications of their behavior toward that individual or group? How do implicit and explicit attitudes differ? Go to the Project Implicit website and take the Implicit Association Test (implicit.harvard.edu/implicit). Choose any test within the demonstration category. After retrieving the results of your test, share them with your classmates and consider their accuracy. Were you surprised by your results? Do they accurately portray your attitude toward the group? Do you think these types of tests are reliable in measuring prejudice? Please explain your answer. Reflect on the relationship between personal attitudes and resulting behaviors, using the Theory of Planned Behavior, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, and Self-Perception Theory as your references. If someone has a negative attitude toward a particular individual or group, for example, what are the potential implications of their behavior toward that individual or group? How do implicit and explicit attitudes differ? Go to the Project Implicit website and take the Implicit Association Test (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/). Choose any test within the demonstration category. After retrieving the results of your test, share them with your classmates and consider their accuracy. Were you surprised by your results? Do they accurately portray your attitude toward the group? Do you think these types of tests are reliable in measur†¦ To download this material Click this link – https://bitly.com/1wyTIGq College could be a great experience, no matter how challenging it may seem. The advice below is sure to help you with some of the tough stuff so you have more time for fun. Use the tips you have learned here, and from other places as well, with care; after all, your college choices play a major role on how your life turns out. Reflect on the relationship between personal attitudes and resulting behaviors, using the Theory of Planned Behavior, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, and Self-Perception Theory as your references. If someone has a negative attitude toward a particular individual or group, for example, what are the potential implications of their behavior toward that individual or group? How do implicit and explicit attitudes differ? Go to the Project Implicit website and take the Implicit Association Test (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/). Choose any test within the demonstration category. After retrieving the results of your test, share them with your classmates and consider their accuracy. Were you surprised by your results? Do they accurately portray your attitude toward the group? Do you think these types of tests are reliable in measuring prejudice? Please explain your answer. Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

Extraction of Benzoic Acid

Introduction: The theory behind the extraction of a solution containing benzoic acid, cellulose, and methyl orange involves many components pertaining to the fundamental ideas of solubility and polarity. Using the concepts of like dissolving like and acid base reactions, a solution of organic acid (benzoic acid), a water soluble compound cellulose, and an organic soluble compound methyl orange, can be separated and benzoic acid can be isolated by a method of extraction.At the fundamental level, organic solvents separate from aqueous solutions based on their varying densities, typically the organic layer being less dense and therefore on top of the aqueous layer1. Therefore any solutes in those solutions are also separated and can be isolated from one another. This phenomenon is the basis for the liquid-liquid extraction and leads into the concept of the partition coefficient. According to MtCg the ratio of concentrations of a solute in each layer is defined by the partition coefficie nt K, where K = C2 / C1.The distribution coefficient can therefore be viewed as the ratio of the concentration of the compound in organic solvent to the concentration of the same compound in aqueous solution. This constant allows for the calculation of dissolved compound in each layer of the solution, so that after several extractions, the yield can be sufficient for the purposes of the experiment. A second type of extraction, acid-base extraction, involves the addition of acids and bases in solutions to change the polarity of organic acids and bases to their corresponding water-soluble salts2.This allows us to take advantage of the liquid-liquid extraction to separate organic acids and bases from solution mixtures. Such extraction can be considered chemically active extraction because the polarity of one substance is altered to increase solubility in water. This type of extraction is necessary when both compounds are non-polar and dissolved well in organic solvents. For Experiment #1 Extraction of Benzoic Acid, a solution of benzoic acid, cellulose and methyl orange will first be added to ether, heated and filtered to separate the organic insoluble cellulose leaving benzoic acid nd methyl orange. Then after adding NaOH, the benzoic acid will react to form the water-soluble salt, sodium benzoate, which can be separated via the liquid extraction technique. Finally adding HCl to the aqueous sodium benzoate will cause the acid-base reaction to undergo restoring benzoic acid in the organic layer and NaCl in the water layer. Reagent Table: Experimental: To start, a solution of diethyl ether was mixed with 4. 06g of crude benzoic acid with two impurities.Boiling stones were added to the mixture and heated over the steam bath until the ether solution began to boil. Once the solution was boiling to most efficiently dissolve the inorganic parts of the solution, the ether insoluble material was filtered out of solution using the Buchner funnel vacuum filtration techniqu e. The filtrate ether remaining was added to a separatory funnel with 30mL of 1M NaOH, mixed and vented properly, and then rested as the solution settled into separate organic and aqueous layers.The bottom layer (aqueous) was drained from the separatory funnel into a beaker and another 30mL of NaOH was added to the left over ether, swirled and vented, separated, and the aqueous layer drained off into the same beaker as the first aqueous extraction. Next the aqueous solution that was collected was cooled on ice and 50mL of chilled 6M HCl was added to the mixture. At this point, a Bruchner funnel was used to collect the solid precipitate via vacuum filtration and those collected crystals were weighed out and set aside for the recrystalization of benzoic acid.Results: The most important measurements made during this lab were the initial weight of the crude benzoic acid, which was 4. 06g, and the mass of the crystals after the separation from the two impurities, 4. 88g. The fact that th e crystals weighed more than the starting material can be accounted for based on the lack of proper drying time for the crystals, and will be accounted for when calculating the percent composition.Discussion: After the results of the lab, there were a few points to consider in the final analysis. First off, and most importantly, after the crystals were obtained from the aqueous solution obtained by adding NaOH, the crystals were used immediately for the recrystalization and were not given the proper time to dry out, so the weight of the wet crystals must be used to calculate the percentage composition, which will be inaccurate.Another important note was after the HCl was added to the aqueous solution, the solution turned bright pink, indicating that some of the methyl orange, which should have remained in the organic layer in the separatory funnel, had made it into our aqueous solution. To counteract this, when the vacuum filtration technique was used, the solid precipitate was wash ed with distiller water to ensure the crystals did not contain a pink tint to them.The reason this lab works was because the first filtration got rid of the organic insoluble cellulose leaving methyl orange and benzoic acid in the ether mixture. Then, using the acid-base extraction technique, benzoic acid was altered to sodium benzoate, rendering it soluble in aqueous solution, which allowed for the separation of the sodium benzoate from the methyl orange (still dissolved in ether) and then the reformation of benzoic acid by adding a strong acid to the aqueous dissolved salt. References: MtCg pg. 129 MtCg pg. 131

Teratogens essays

Teratogens essays To put a definition plainly, teratogens are agents responsible for many known birth defects. Research found suggests over eight hundred known teratogens. In this paper, you will find interesting facts based on research, the relationship between teratogens and developmental psychology and some personal views based on the information and research found for this piece. Teratogens are easily classified in three different groups, these being drugs, disease and environmental. These three classifications are very broad. To be slightly more specific some commonly heard of agents classified as teratogens are given as examples. Agents classified as drugs, include prescription, non-prescription and illegal. Some frequently heard of conditions requiring prescription drugs that are known teratogens are diabetes, hypertension, and Anxiety. Other commonly heard of non-prescription and illegal teratogens are cocaine, nicotine, caffeine, and marijuana. Environmental teratogens are agents that are man made or a product of industry. Some well-known teratogens are Lead, mercury, PCBs, radiation and arsenic. Lastly, we have teratogens due to disease. Some diseases known to cause prenatal complications are HIV, herpes, Rubella, and Syphilis. This information is very common and is all provided within the college text book and from research found by the Uni versity Hospital School of Iowa. The affects teratogens can have on the developing fetus can vary greatly. Research provided from the University of Iowa on teratogens explains some of the possible outcome to exposure to certain teratogens. Listed birth defects resulting from exposure to teratogens, range from prenatal death, to physical and mental abnormalities. Exposure to medications or drugs during pregnancy can result in abnormalities such as withdrawal symptom, respiratory problems, growth retardation, developmental retardation, congenital heart defects, caudal deficiency...

Function Questions on SAT Reading Strategies and Practice

Function Questions on SAT Reading Strategies and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Function questions (also sometimes known as â€Å"meaning in context† questions) make up 17% of all passage-based reading questions, or about 12% of all SAT Critical Reading questions (based on my survey of the four publicly available post-2005 SATs). Answering function questions requires the ability to step back from the text and judge the effect of a phrase in a certain place (as opposed to little picture and vocab in context questions, which are just concerned with meaning). So how are function questions asked on the SAT, and what strategies can you use to answer them? Read on to find out. Note: The advice in this article is still relevant for the new SAT (March 2016 and beyond), but some of the examples have not yet been updated. Feature image credit: What's Your Function In Life? by bixentro, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. What Are Function Questions? Function questions ask what a phrase, sentence, paragraph does in the context of a passage. They are often framed as â€Å"The author wrote [this thing] in order to..." Answering these questions can be tricky, because the wording of function questions often makes it seem as if they're asking â€Å"Why did the author do this thing?† Invariably, unless you are the author, your first response will probably be along the lines of "How should I know? I can't read the author's mind!"A better way to approach function questions is to rephrase them from "The author uses the phrase "The Great Old Ones" multiple times in order to..." to something more like â€Å"What effect does mentioning "The Old Ones" multiple times have in the context of [the lines, paragraph, or passage]?† A label sometimes given to function questions is "meaning in context" questions, which I find to be a little too imprecise: the questions are asking about the EFFECT of a phrase in context, not what the phrase means (which would be an inference question). Let's say that I lived in a city that got over 100 inches of snow last winter, and just as I finished clearing snow out of the gutters, it started snowing again, prompting me to sing (sarcastically) "It's the most wonderful time of the year" as I smiled through gritted teeth. The MEANING of the words "most wonderful" in this context would be "worst" (as in "It's the worst time of the year"); the FUNCTION of the words "most wonderful" would be "to suggest that the speaker actually feels the opposite is true." Just as with primary purpose questions, function questions usually have answer choices that are in the form of â€Å"verb a noun† (as in "add gravitas to the mythology" or "convey the passing of time"); the main difference between the two is that function questions ask about relatively small amounts of text (phrases or lines), as opposed to the entire paragraphs covered in big picture questions. In fact, having a good understanding of the big picture/main point of a passage can often assist you in answering function questions. Consider this example: you're asked "The phraseâ€Å"the life-or-death cycle of espionage and counterespionage† primarily serves to..." If you know that the main point is, for instance, about deep sea life, you’re unlikely to assume the phrase â€Å"the life-or-death cycle of espionage and counterespionage† promotes the idea that all underwater creatures are potential spies for other countries. Instead, it's far more likely that the function of the statement is to support the idea that in dangerous environments like the deep ocean, species are constantly evolving to win the fight for survival. Here are a few examples of the most common ways you’ll see function questions presented in the SAT (adapted from actual SAT questions): â€Å"The primary purpose of the statements in lines 36-42 (â€Å"Like†¦from the deep†) is to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"In lines 58-73, the description of the ocean floor primarily serves to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The author invokes â€Å"Cthulhu the destroyer† chiefly in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The author uses spy imagery in lines 84-85 in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Jun asks the questions in lines 41-42 (â€Å"Does†¦frightening†) primarily in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"In lines 27-30, the author uses the word â€Å"ordinary† several times in order to† Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn by Thomas Claveirole, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. This is not in any way to imply that there is something lurking beneath the surface of the water. Why would you even think such a thing? The Best Strategies for Answering Function Questions Below, I’ve gathered the advice that is most helpful for answering function questions. Some of this advice is specific to certain ways of reading the passage (for instance, advice for students who read the whole passage before answering questions may be different from advice for students who read the questions before looking at the passage), while some advice is useful for everyone. Understand What the Question Is Really Asking I believe that this is the single most important part of consistently answering function questions correctly. The fact that function questions are worded in a way that makes it seem like you need to read the mind of the author (or character) can make these questions seem impenetrable. To some extent, I understand why the College Board words SAT Reading function questions the way it does. Questions that say â€Å"What does the mentioning of two sports stars do† are too open to interpretation, as compared to [actual SAT question] â€Å"The author of Passage 1 mentions two sports stars (lines 31-33) in order to.† Understanding the reasoning behind the wording doesn’t make the wording any less confusing at first glance, however. In order to answer function questions successfully, you must first learn to translate the questions into questions that you can actually answer. Here's an example question: The author most likely refers to the â€Å"flea† in line 4 in order to... Wrong way to rephrase it: "Why does the author refer to â€Å"the flea†?" The answer to this question is going to be something like "Because she feels like it? I dunno." Right way to rephrase it: "What does the reference to â€Å"the flea† DO?" The answer to this question: mentioning â€Å"the flea† emphasizes how good Duke Ellington’s listening skills were (his hearing was so sharp that he could even hear a flea). Corollary: Answer in Your Own Words Coming up with the answer in your own words before looking at the answer choices is just as useful for function questions as it is for many other types of SAT Reading questions. Your answer for â€Å"what does mentioning ‘monsters’ DO?† will probably not be as elegant as the answer choices, but your answer should only include relevant and accurate information, which means matching it to the correct answer should be easier (since the wrong answers may have irrelevant info or interpretations that â€Å"seem like they could be true†). Including irrelevant information in answer choices is a way the SAT will trip you up, particuarly on Reading questions – the College Board knows that you’re used to trying to see things from many angles as part of school (which is ordinarily helpful) and plays to that tendency. Because there's only one right answer on the SAT, if you start with the right answer in your own words it’s a lot easier to choose the right answer in their words. But how do you come up with your own answer for what a phrase, line, or sentence does in a passage in the first place? Look for Context Often, the lines that the question gives you are not necessarily the only lines you’ll need to answer the question - you'll need more context to figure out the function. If you’re struggling with a function questions, the best strategy is to look at the sentences before and after the phrase/sentence/lines you’re given in the question and see if they shed any further light on the phrase/sentence/lines in question. Occasionally, you may need even more context than the surrounding lines to answer function questions (like knowing the bigger picture/main point/perspective of the text/author). If you don’t have that context and are struggling to answer the question, circle it and come back to it after you’ve answered relevant big picture questions (questions about the paragraph/section the lines in question are in, or even questions about the whole passage). This leads nicely into my next point... Answer Questions in the Order That Works for You In contrast to the previous strategies, this strategy is heavily dependent upon which way you read the passage. I present three scenarios below. If you read thoroughly first, then answer questions, you could try answering big picture questions first (they might give you information that's useful for answering function questions), then function and inference questions (answer questions about larger amounts of text while it's still fresh in your mind), and end with little picture, author technique, and analogy questions. Honestly, though, if you read quickly enough to get through the passage and have plenty of time to answer the questions, answering all the questions in order is a viable option: it might be less confusing then jumping all over the questions and decreases the chance you’ll miss one/fill in the answer in the wrong spot. Do some trial and error to see what is most effective for you. If you look at the questions first, then go to the passage, I recommend answering little picture and vocab in context questions first. Answers to these questions will provide more information about the author and/or topic being covered, which can help you with function questions. If you end up needing big picture information in order to answer the function questions, you can always come back to them later (after you've answered the relevant big picture questions). If you skim through first, then read the questions, then back to passage, it's better to answer big picture and little picture questions first and get to function questions later. Why? Unless the phrase, sentence, lines being asked about were in the parts of the passage that you paid close attention to (beginning or end of a paragraph/passage), you probably didn’t get the meaning of the phrase/sentence/lines your first time through. Make the most use of skimming by answering questions that would be better served with a quick skim before answering questions that require a closer look (like function questions). Eliminate Answers The most important thing to remember when answering function questions on SAT Reading is that you must eliminate 3 wrong answers. If you’ve already answered the question in your own words successfully, this step might not even be necessary, because only one answer choices should match. However, the answer choices for function questions are often complex. What happens if your answer doesn't match any of the answer choices, and you have to go through them one by one? At first, it might seem daunting, because how do you figure out if the answer is right? There's so much to go through because the answers are so complicated! Actually, the fact that the answer choices are complex makes everything easier. Why? Because if any part of the answer choice does not match with the passage, then you can eliminate it. Let's look at an example: The author’s use of italics in line 20 serves primarily to (A) draw attention to a commonly known hypothesis (B) stress a speculative aspect of two theories (C) support a difficult claim (D) underscore a surprising point (E) emphasize an area of agreement Unlike with primary purpose questions, the verbs in the answer choices to function questions are usually synonymous (or close to), so you can’t really use that as an area of elimination. Instead, you must focus on the second part of the answer choices. For (B), this would be â€Å"a speculative aspect of two theories.† Are there two theories? If not, ELIMINATE. Is there a speculative aspect to these two theories? If not, ELIMINATE Does the use of italics actually stress the speculative aspect of the two theories? If not, ELIMINATE As you can see, there are many chances for elimination – it should be really hard for an answer to qualify as correct. For this question, the correct answer, (D), passes this test: there is a point, the point is surprising (both theories work, yet both cannot be true), and the italics underscores this (the italics emphasize the fact that both can’t be right). Function Questions: A Walkthrough I'll end this article with a walkthrough of a difficult function question. Here it is: The sentence in which â€Å"difficult† appears (lines 54-55) indicates that the author considers the word to be (A) an exaggeration (B) an estimate (C) an understatement (D) a contradiction (E) a preconception Before I even copy and paste the relevant lines, I’m going to rephrase this question in a way that is answerable: What effect does â€Å"difficult† have in lines 54-55? Okay, now it's time to take a look at those lines. The Tanaina live in an environment that could euphemistically be described as â€Å"difficult.† My thoughts: The word "difficult" appears in quotation marks, which makes me think the author doesn’t mean exactly what is written. If I know the word â€Å"euphemistically† (which I do), this will go a lot smoother. But let’s say for argument’s sake that I don’t know what "euphemistically" means. Hmm. The sentence doesn’t provide enough to answer what â€Å"difficult† does, except that there’s probably a hidden meaning. I need to look for more context. Here’s the sentence from the question again, along with the following sentence (since the sentence is at the beginning of a paragraph, it makes more sense to look at the next sentence, rather than the sentence before it): The Tanaina live in an environment that could euphemistically be described as â€Å"difficult.† Survival, especially in the wild, is always precarious. My thoughts: So the sentence in the question is followed by one that says â€Å"It’s hard to live out in the wild.† Author uses the word â€Å"precarious† which I’ve always associated with things hanging off the edge, as in â€Å"Your glass of seltzer is pretty precarious sitting at the edge of the table there, Laura. You might want to move it† (may or may not be a true story). So if survival is precarious that means it’s like something almost falling over the edge. That’s more than difficult – that’s dangerous. Okay. So let me check the question again: â€Å"The sentence in which â€Å"difficult† appears (lines 54-55) indicates that the author considers the word to be† Right right right. So the situation is actually much worse than just â€Å"difficult† for the Tanaina, and putting quotes around it makes it clear that the author thinks â€Å"difficult† is way too mild a word to describe the situation. So, in my own words, the author considers the word to be too mild. Let’s look at the choices again and eliminate some answers: (A) an exaggeration Nope, â€Å"difficult† is, if anything, the opposite of this. (B) an estimate Not really - this doesn’t make sense. If it were an estimate, there’s no reason for it to be in quotes. (C) an understatement Oh yes. This is the word I was looking for. I’ll just check the other answers†¦ (D) a contradiction No, â€Å"difficult† is not a contradiction, it’s just not extreme enough. (E) a preconception Hmm I guess I could double check to see if the word â€Å"difficult† is used earlier in the passage to describe the Tanaina, although I don’t think it was†¦but wait, no, I already have an answer that is correct. Never mind. IMG_1362 by Sasquatch I, used under CC BY 2.0. Fortunately, there is no "difficult" trail. Maybe that's what happens if you try to walk straight up the tree? Function Questions: Practice Time! The following four questions are all on the same passage (taken from an official and publicly available SAT). I’ve excerpted only the paragraphs that are relevant for these questions. 1. The author of the passage uses the quotation in lines 5-6 primarily as a (A) vivid expression of how she views words (B) powerful example of what she sought in Shakespeare (C) scholarly citation linking her to poetic words (D) comical introduction to a problem encountered by every dramatic performer (E) pragmatic assessment of the power of words for beginning drama students 2. By presenting both versions of the grandfather’s words (lines 9-10 and lines 15-16), the author primarily conveys the (A) grandfather’s attempts to play with language (B) grandfather’s enthusiasm in spite of her reaction (C) father’s intervention in a private moment (D) ambivalence she feels toward her grandfather (E) significance of the grandfather’s message 3. The comparisons in lines 26-27 serve primarily to (A) show the similarities that exist between dancing and acting (B) celebrate the broad range of memories that actors learn to draw on (C) justify the author’s adherence to conventional acting theory (D) explain why actors have difficulty interpreting character (E) enhance the author’s credibility as a technically trained actor 4. In lines 29-34 (â€Å"a kind . . . follow†), the author uses the idea of a dance to (A) supply an image for the awkwardness some actors experience (B) illustrate a process that words can set in motion (C) portray the enactment of a character as an exhilarating experience (D) argue that acting requires physical agility (E) show how a word can evoke multiple meanings Answer key (scroll down when ready): 1. A 2. E. 3. B 4. B In Conclusion Function questions ask you â€Å"what effect does this [phrase, sentence, series of lines] have, in context,† or, more simply, â€Å"what does this [phrase, sentence, series of lines] DO?† Make sure you understand the question (and put it in your own words, if necessary/it helps). Answer the question in your own words before looking at the SAT’s answer choices Look for context around the phrases or lines cited in the question to help answer the question. Answer function questions in an order that makes sense Eliminate four wrong answers What’s Next? Want to practice with actual SAT questions? Go to our guide and find links to free SATs and information about what other official tests are out there. Interested in more SAT Reading skills articles like this one? We’ve got a whole series of articles on SAT Reading skills, all linked in our complete guide to SAT Reading prep! Not sure how to finish the SAT Critical Reading section without running out of time? Learn about the different ways to read the passage and figure out which one is right for you. Think more structured help is the answer for you? Then why not try out our very own PrepScholar test prep platform free for five days? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Whether HSE is genuine or not in the evidence of difference in the Assignment

Whether HSE is genuine or not in the evidence of difference in the potential health hazard between workers at the two operations - Assignment Example Exposure to respiratory particles of crystalline silica is associated with several human diseases such as cancer and lung diseases. The disease risk is related to both the total dose and duration of silica exposure. Silicosis, a nodular pulmonary fibrosis, is the disease most associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silicavi. Studies have shown that exposure to crystalline silica can lead to physiological changes, disease and death. There is a reliable link between cumulative silica dust exposure and increased mortality from lung cancer. Calvert et al. found a relationship between crystalline silica exposure and rheumatoid arthritis. Meijer et al. showed significant association between exposure to concrete dust and a small lung infection. xii. There are a number of factors that influence the development of silicosis and these include size of particles, and concentration of silica particles in the air duration of exposurexiiixiv. RSAxv noted that chronic silicosis is mainly the result of long term exposure and that accelerated silicosis can develop after five to ten years of exposure. Morfeldxvi concluded that no other non-malignant health effect due to RCS is as specific and so clearly linked to RCS as silicosis. Research Questions 1. Is there any difference in the health of the workers in the two operations? 2. What associations exist, if any, between length of service and recorded health effect? These research questions will be answered through a hypothesis testing. As Dythamxvii noted, hypothesis testing is the cornerstone of scientific analysis. Tests are carried out to determine whether a stated hypothesis is correct. The hypothesis is rejected or accepted based on the P-values observed. Usually, the null hypothesis (the hypothesis that nothing is going on) is the one that is accepted or rejected based on the calculated probabilities. Most research will accept or reject a hypothesis at 95% level of confidence. Thus if the calculated p-values from a hypothesis test is less than 5% (or 0.05), we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis. For this study, the alternative hypotheses for which the null hypotheses were tested were: H1: There is a difference in the health of workers in brick and tile operations. H2: There is a statistically significant association between length of service and recorded health effect. Study Methodology Primary data was collected from a sample of 65 workers randomly selected for blood testing, 38 from brick operations and 27 from tile operations. The study collected data on their identity, the sectors in which they worked, the length of service of each employee, their ages, and health. Following Dythamxviii, the first hypothesis was tested using independent samples t-test since the data was unpaired and the dependent variable was a continuous variable. Minitab 16 was used to perform a two-sample t-test to assess whether there were any differences in the health of workers in the two operations. The existence of association between length of service and recorded health effect was assessed using the Pearson’s product-moment correlation. Descriptive Results Descriptive results are presented and show the number of observations (N), mean, standard deviation, minimum values, first quartile (Q1), median, third quartile (Q3), maximum values, skewness and kurtosis. The normality tests are also shown together with the descriptive results. These are graphically presented for the three main variables of the study namely age (years), length of service (years), and % of damaged cells. Figure 1: Descriptive

Computers and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computers and technology - Essay Example Through technology, ill-intended people have been able to steal the identity of others and orchestrate terror attacks amongst other crimes. For example, someone can misuse the internet, impersonate a public personality, and tarnish their reputation in the process (Anderson & Goodman, 2002). On the other hand, computers and technology have helped in globalization of trade and other important economic activities. Similarly, information technology has been assimilated in business activities through systems such as supply chain management systems, inventory management systems, and customer relationship management systems (Atkinson & McKay, 2007). According to Egbu and Botterill (2002), information technology can be defined as the software, hardware and management database amongst other technologies used to process, distribute and store information. This technology is responsible for electronic business operations, management of business models and improved efficiency in commercial as wel l as personal operations. Information technology is enabling many establishments innovate ways of increasing their competitiveness and profitability as well as managing their business processes (Atkinson & Mckay, 2007). Many activities in most companies are now conducted electronically with the use of information technology. This requires less effort and the technology can be used to link similar institutions located in different areas. Therefore, different bureaus and offices around the world can be linked with software technology and improve efficiency in their operations (Anderson & Goodman, 2002). Literature Review The use of technology has been integrated into many aspects of business such as sales and advertising. Technology has become an instrument of value for the maintenance and development of prolific business-customer relationships. However, the issue of ethics in the utilization of technology has been overlooked for a long time now (Anderson & Goodman, 2002). According B ush, Bush, and Orr (2010), many users find no need to conduct ethical procedures on the use of technological products; as a result, it causes ethical loopholes and weaknesses in technological platforms. Technology is perceived as an instrument for changing business operations, whereby there is a substantial integration of various business activities with technology (Egbu & Botterill, 2002). For instance, inventory in a company is no longer managed using books and files, instead, managers are able to track inventory by use of technological devices such as barcodes scanners, thereby managing inventory effectively. Therefore, it is through some of these changes that technology has been able to dominate activities in industry and trade amongst other significant sectors of the economy. Galimberti (2009), states that technology has not only taken over the economical domain of many countries and organizations but also dominated the political arena. A good example is the political revolutio ns that occurred in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt, whereby some citizens mobilized others using social media (Safranek, 2012). Therefore, through technology, different solutions are formulated to solve problems and innovate new ways of doing things such as detecting fraudulent activities in bank systems or monitoring sales trends for a given product to avoid excess production,