Wednesday, May 6, 2020
How Does The Fever Affect Their Bodies - 1272 Words
Introduction This semester we discussed many things within the human body. We learned about many different systems of the body, such as the muscular system, urinary system, lymphatic system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, and the reproductive system. When studying all of these systems, we would look into different diseases or illnesses that could affect each system. Different illnesses affect different parts of our body in many ways and can be life threatening in many situations. In Fever 1798 I read how the fever affected their bodies, their ways for treatment, how they reacted, and more. Topic 1 How did the fever affect their bodies? In Fever 1798 by Laurie Halse Anderson, an epidemic known as yellow fever spreads throughoutâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦During the time of this epidemic, no one had even invented the stethoscope or thermometer. Out of all of Philadelphia about eighty people were practicing medicine when fever began to spread and some of them werenââ¬â¢t even trained doctors. Doctors across Philadelphia were battling each other in a sense but they were mainly divided into two groups. One group was the people that followed Dr. Benjamin Rush and the others followed Dr. Jean Deveze. Dr. Benjamin Rushââ¬â¢s idea for treatment was to give his patients mercury, calomel, and jalap so that it would cause them to throw up and have diarrhea. He also drained blood from them in hopes of getting rid of the disease. Many medical experts believe that he probably killed many of his patients from doing these things. Dr. Jean Deveze and other French physicians proved to h ave the better methods. They prescribed rest, fresh air, and lots of fluids. These very things are still considered some of the best ways to cure the disease now. Besides these two methods, people in Philadelphia were trying anything and everything they could to prevent or cure yellow fever. They soaked sponges in vinegar and would put the sponges up their nose. They washed themselves and their clothes in vinegar and would drink the vinegar as well. People would fire guns and cannons in the middle of the streets hoping the gunpowder would clean the air. They chewed garlic and drank vile potions of herbs. They would even bury their
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Charles Dickenss Hard Times and Langston Hughess Essay Example For Students
Charles Dickenss Hard Times and Langston Hughess Essay I am studying the comparisons between Charles Dickenss Hard Times and Langston Hughess Thank You Mam. The first of the comparisons is the setting. Hard Times is set in an English Victorian classroom whereas Thank You Mam is set in modern day Harlem, America. At the start of Hard Times we are placed in a classroom. It is described in ways that are significant. A plain, bare, monotonous vault of a classroom. The word vault makes me feel that it is a jail, the children are trapped and their imagination is being drained out of them. Then, we meet Mr. Gradgrind. He is overpowering, dominant, demanding and is only interested in facts. Now what I want is facts. Nothing but facts. He is quite old and has spots on his bald head. He thinks himself as ruler of everyone, and when Sissy Jupe says her name is Sissy, he says it isnt a name! Sissy is not a name, His name also tells us about himself. Mr Gradgrind gives me the impression that he is Grinding the children down until they have no imagina tion. There is a new girl in the class. Her name is Sissy Jupe. She is very shy and quiet, and vulnerable. Mr Gradgrind starts by calling her girl number twenty, instead of Sissy. W hen she says her dad works in the circus, the ring Mr Gradgrind repliesà We dont want to know about that in here. He is scared that the children might get ideas and an imagination, fun and laughter. I think Dickens wants me to be on Sissys side because she is scared and vulnerable to Mr G who is big and demolishing. We also meet Bitzer. He is very different from Sissy. Bitzer is small, light haired, light eyed and pale faced, as if all the colour and imagination had been squeezed out of him. Whereas sissy was dark haired and dark eyed. The girl was so dark haired and dark eyed, the boy was so light haired and light eyed. If he were cut, he would bleed white. Bitzer is quite snobbish and rises to the challenge, giving his answer like a human dictionary. Dickens has deliberately created two totally different children because Sissy is new, but soon she may be drained of her colour and be like Bitzer, but we dont want this to happen, making us take sides and hate Mr Gradgrind. Here is what happens in Thank You Mam by Langston Hughes. The story starts at night. We meet a boy called Roger and a woman called Mrs Jones. This is what Mrs Jones is like. She is a large built black woman, she is confident because she is walking on her own late at night. She is also very religious because when it says she carried everything in her handbag except a hammer and nails. This perhaps relates to Jesus being crucified by being nailed to a cross. She thinks its wrong to carry them. This is what Roger is like. He is the total opposite to Mrs J. He is weak because he falls over by the weight of Mrs Js handbag; he is frail and small, quite sneaky and dirty. What happens in the story is that Mrs Jones is walking home one night when a boy snatches her bag, but he falls over, then Mrs J walks over to him and picks him up by the scruff of his neck. She asks him why he did it but he says he didnt mean to. Mrs J takes the boy, Roger, into her flat and gets him fed and cleaned up. While her back is turned Roger has a clear site of the open door ahead of him, but he decides to stay. .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd , .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .postImageUrl , .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd , .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:hover , .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:visited , .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:active { border:0!important; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:active , .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc1b33dfa825988da2e79013afb315bcd:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: What aspects of responsibility are apparent in the Short play An inspector Calls EssayMrs J finds out that there is no one at his home, and that Roger tried to steel some money because he wanted some blue suede shoes. She gives him some money and he leaves. Mrs Jones gives Roger a second chance. I think she does this because she is feeling maternal, and maybe she cant have children. At the start of the story I think Roger is a small conniving little weasel. But at the end I think he is quite trustworthy and loyal, because he had the chance to run, but he didnt. One moment when Roger seemed to change was when Mrs J told him to pick up her pocketbook. Roger could have run aw ay, but he didnt. Mrs J put her trust in him. These two pieces of writing have things in common. The first thing is that they both show adults dealing with children. An example is that Mr Gradgrind tells Sissy that her name isnt a real name. He is a very dominant figure. Mrs Jones tells Roger to do something, and he does it. They both respect the adults authority. Both children, Sissy and Roger, are weak and shy, and a bit scared. They are both quiet.à These two stories are also similar because they are both about adults teaching children whats right and whats wrong. Mrs J tells Roger its wrong to steal from somebody. Mr Gradgrind tells Sissy her dad shouldnt work at the circus. I react differently to each of these teaching because Mrs Js teaching is morally correct, but Mr G is just viewing his own personal ideas. Mrs Jones and Mr Gradgrind are very different. Here are some ways in which they are different. Mr Gradgrind has children of his own, whereas Mrs Jones doesnt, as far as we know. Mr Gradgrind is forcing the children to do things and influencing them, whereas Mrs J is encouraging Roger, placing her trust in him. In a way, adults are a kind of role model, because the children are obeying them. They dont answer back and they do everything they say, like when Roger was told to get Mrs Js pocketbook, and he did so without any questions. Both stories have something to do with parenting too. Mr Gradgrind says that he brings his children up on nothing but facts. I think as a parent he is too demanding. He wants his children to be like him, and the world is a better place without imagination. Mrs Jones is different. She is rough and tough with Roger at the start because she gets him in a headlock, but then she softens up and is caring towards Roger. I think she cant have children because of some medical reason. I say this because when Roger turns round at the end towards Mrs J, it says that she is standing on a barren stoop. Langston Hughes could have used any word but he chose this word. Barren means empty, and a long time ago it meant infertile. She also says, I was young once and I wanted things I could not have. Maybe she cant have children. I think Langston Hughes likes and respects Mrs J. I think this because she first takes Roger inside and then cooks him some food and cleans him up, a bit like a Good Samaritan. I think Hughes is talking to his black audience in this story because he is trying to say that black people dont have to be afraid of anything, and that we should all work together as a community.à Mrs Jones and Roger both use black American dialect. I can tell because they use words and phrases like Aint you got nobody at home and You gonna take me to jail. Charles Dickenss audience was very different. In Victorian times, there was a big gap between the upper class and the working class, for example, there used to be huge games of football played in the streets, but the posh arrogant people wouldnt play. Also, teachers were like machines and pupils were cups, ready to be filled up with facts. But I dont think Dickens wanted us to like Mr G because he was picking on a little innocent girl, and we automatically feel sorry for her.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
The Effect of a Broken Family free essay sample
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering 1998 Abstract This research investigated how social, environmental and ethical factors can be better included in theories of engineering design. The research focused on designing as an essentially human activity via consideration of the epistemological and ontological issues involved in constructing coherent design theory. The research investigations led to a clearer understanding of the roles of ontology, epistemology and methodology in design research and this clarification enabled the construction of a post-positivist approach to engineering design theory that better includes social, environmental and ethical factors alongside the existing products of scientific engineering design research. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of a Broken Family or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Other contributions to knowledge that emerged from the esearch process and which underpin the conclusions include; clarification of the terminology and basic concepts of design research and engineering design research, historical reviews of ways that the terms ââ¬Ëdesignââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëdesign processââ¬â¢ have been used in the literature of engineering design research and design research in the period 1962ââ¬â1995, clarification of the role of disciplinary structure in the development of coherent design theories, the development of conceptual tools and perspectives for the epistemic, critical and meta-theoretical analysis of engineering design theory, and the development of a new meta-theoretical structure that offers the basis for unifying the theories and disciplinary structures of design research and engineering design research. Table of Contents Some of Archerââ¬â¢s sub-disciplinary categories have declined in popularity, and others are still in contemporary use, but there is little agreement on either their precise definition, or on the precise areas of scholarly endeavour which they describe. Nearly twenty years after Archerââ¬â¢s comments, the subdisciplines of design research have still not stabilised (Cross 1997). In January 1997, Cross reported on a preliminary internal review by the Design Research Society of keywords from papers published in Design Studies from 1992 to 1995ââ¬âthese would be expected to represent the sub-disciplinary and conceptual categories of design research. Over 200 different keywords had been used across 96 papers and out of this selection, 170 were used only once and a further 28 were used only twice. Further evidence of the lack of agreement about the sub-disciplinary categories of design research is evidenced also by the predominance of lightly populated categories in a database of design researchersââ¬â¢ areas of research interest (DesignWeb Researchersââ¬â¢ Database 1996). Both the review of keywords in Design Studies and the categories of the DesignWeb Researchersââ¬â¢ Database point to the sub-disciplinary structure of design research being fragmented and confused. The choice of key terms that are discussed and defined in this section is guided by their relevance to this research and their importance in clarifying the analysis of disciplinary issues relevant to resolving the research problem. The majority of the terms are domain independent. In many cases, associated domain dependent sub-disciplinary titles can be found by prefixing a domain name, for example, ââ¬Ëengineering design historyââ¬â¢ is one of the domain dependent aspects of ââ¬Ëdesign historyââ¬â¢. The six sub-disciplinary terms whose usage is analysed in this section are, * Design History * Design Studies * Design Research * Design Thinking * Design Science * Science of Design The term ââ¬Ëdesign historyââ¬â¢ has two meanings in the literature, * The historically based classification and interpretation of designed artefacts, design methods and design cultures which have developed in different cultures over time. * The history of the conceptual development of a particular designed artefact.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
ACT Score All Questions Are Analytical
The Secret to Getting a Perfect SAT / ACT Score All Questions Are Analytical SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It seems obvious that each ACT / SAT question must have exactly one answer, and this answer must be clearly and objectively correct. However, as weââ¬â¢ll explain below, that simple fact alone disqualifies vast swaths of reasonable questions that you otherwise see in everyday tests at school. This obvious fact also leads to a little-known secret that, when applied correctly, guarantees the cracking of each question.You donââ¬â¢t have to trust me read through this guide and ask any perfect or near-perfect scorer. Theyââ¬â¢ll agree on the secret. The premise is simple. Each ACT / SAT question must have exactly one right answer. This seems obvious enough after all doesnââ¬â¢t every multiple choice question have one right answer? It turns out that most multiple choice questions youââ¬â¢ve seen in life have relatively lax standards. Suppose your science teacher, Mr. Smith, gave you a multiple-choice quiz last week. Those multiple-choice questions are the same as those of the SAT / ACT right? Absolutely not! Mr. Smith is allowed to write imperfect questions. If there are two right answers, Mr. Smith will give some credit back. In the worst case, some students will have inaccurate scores. What if choice B is only a little more correct than choice C, and you put down C? Tough luck this question only counts for 2% of your grade anyway. A few bad questions a month is part of life. In short, the multiple-choice questions you are used to in school have much wider tolerances for error and fuzziness because they matter less in your academic career. Why the SAT / ACT Can't Tolerate Any Question Mistakes The ACT / SAT is a totally different ball game, a totally different league. The writers have to make a test that contains hundreds of questions, yet they can't make a single mistake. Not a single one of their questions can have two right answers or no right answers.Each question must have one right answer that stands objectively and clearly above all the other answers. This means that, if you put each question in front of 100 experts, all of must answer it exactly the same way, without any doubt. What happens if the SAT or ACT makes a mistake? The consequences would be tremendous. Many students on the margin would lose their scholarships. Students would literally lose their deserved acceptances to their dream colleges a product that the average family pays five to six digits for. Colleges who obsess about assembling the dream class would be going off flawed data. The truth is, the stakes are super high with the SAT / ACT, so there is no margin for error. Of course, the pain isnââ¬â¢t just to students and colleges it gets transmitted to the test makers as well. Even a few mistakes a year results in scandals (see the June 2015 SAT blowup over ââ¬Å"justâ⬠5 minutes timing difference). Both students and colleges will stop using the error-prone test. And, to kick it off, these mistakes have resulted in lawsuits that have cost the ACT / SAT hundreds of thousands of dollars to battle. Therefore, neither test can tolerate any chance of two right answers, no right answer, or any other question mistake. Why Each SAT / ACT Question Must Have One Very Clear Answer The ACT / SAT is also not allowed to have unclear answers or answers that rely on fuzzy reasoning. Suppose an ACT science question asked: How many planets are there in the solar system? A) 8; B) 9 â⬠¦ It seems that the answer is pretty clear most scientists would say A) 8. But this level of clarity is not good enough for the ACT.Very recently we had nine planets, so some educators might argue that students who put down nine are answering as theyââ¬â¢ve been taught and should be given credit; these educators would have a good argument. Other fringe scientists may not accept the consensus and argue that nine is still right. Also, the ACT runs the risk of a new planet being discovered between publication and test date. If two answers are close to each other in how good they are, this creates headaches for the test makers.First, the test makersmight make a mistaken judgment call and claim the slightly worse answer is the right one this leads to the horror show above. Another scenario is more insidious: it affects students who put down the ââ¬Å"less goodâ⬠answer but are at the cusp of a big prize. Maybe the student is right at the cutoff of a sports recruitment or a huge scholarship. She would be hugely incentivized to get the test to accept her answer as correct. In fact, many students do cause an administrative or legal headache for the ACT / SAT by making a fuss. With that environment in mind, you hopefully have a better understanding as to why the ACT / SAT can afford zero mistakes on the test. You should also understand why their multiple-choice questions canââ¬â¢t have a best answer that is just 20% better than the next choice. Now weââ¬â¢ll discuss how we can use this information to your bestadvantage. Every SAT/ACT question has exactly one correctanswer, and, once you learn this method, that correct answer will look very different from all the other options. Three Ways to Think About Having One Very Clear Answer OK, the SAT / ACT has to have one very clear answer thatââ¬â¢s a little theoretical. How canyou think about the degree of clarity in a way that will help you on the test? For my students, Iââ¬â¢ve come up with three rules that illustrate what ââ¬Å"very clearâ⬠means. These rules get at the same single, central idea from three different directions. You should make note ofthese three rules to remind yourself on the test what clarity means. Rule 1: The 10x Rule of Clarity It turns out that the clarity of the right answer is so important that the best answer is not just 20% or 2x better than the next best answer, but in fact 10x better. Thatââ¬â¢s right, you might think D and E are close answers, but, to an infinitely knowledgeable test-taker, it turns out that E is actually ten times as good as D. Rule 2: Panel of 100 Experts Agree Another way to think about how clear the right answer must be is to realize that, if there were a panel of 100 experts, all of them would have to agree on what the right answer is. If even one or two of them disagree, suddenly the question is no longer objective itââ¬â¢s subjective and up for debate the test maker's worst nightmare. Because questions must be objective, a panel of carefully thinking experts must agree on the correct answer. Rule 3: Provably Correct One final useful way to think about how clear the right answer needs to be is to realize that it must be provably correct.If given a long enough time, you could write almost a math-style proof on why the answer is correct and the other choices are wrong. If you couldnââ¬â¢t write a math-style proof, then some part of the logic process has to be based on a ââ¬Å"hunch." Hunches are neither clear nor objective, and therefore, the ACT / SAT cannot rely on these. Again, the ACT / SAT must have questions that can be solved using precise, analytical logic. How do these rules help? When youââ¬â¢re stuck on a question and two answers are looking very close to each other, youââ¬â¢ll realize this canââ¬â¢t be how the question is meant to be answered by the 10x Rule of Clarity. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to rely on a subjective judgment, where you catch yourself saying ââ¬Å"my opinion is thisâ⬠or ââ¬Å"it seems likely that the answer is this," then the Panel of Experts rule will tell you that you can do more to answer your question. The most powerful rule, the one rule to rule them all, is the Provably Correct rule. This rule tells you that you never need to rely on fuzzy reasoning or a feeling to answer a question. If you have enough background information, enough time, and enough logic, you can prove that every answer you choose is correct. Thinking about the Provably Correct rule in the negative is also helpful. It means that, for all the wrong answers, you must be able to identify a fatal flaw that disqualifies them. Example Problems These rules also mean that, if you are getting stuck solving the hardest problems for you, the solution is not to ââ¬Å"get better intuitionâ⬠or ââ¬Å"get subtler at fuzzy thinkingâ⬠but rather to learn how to penetrate the analytical, logical core of each question. How do you apply these rules? One of the best ways to learn is to try them on real questions. For the rest of this article, we will demonstrate the rules on a math question, a grammar question, and finally a reading question. The rule will be most obvious in math, but most insightful in reading. For each of these three example problems, we will write math-style proofs to show beyond any doubt that the answer we choose is the right one. By proofs, I just mean breaking the problem down into very small but clear steps. No background on proofs ina math class is needed. I use the word much more loosely in this article, usually to emphasize that an explanation is crystal clear instead of fuzzy. Math Example The easiest place to start demonstrating these concepts is math. Math is the subject where it is most obvious that each question has one very clear, objective, provably correct answer. Since it is so obvious to everyone that math answers are objective, the following demonstration is less subtle than in reading, but itââ¬â¢s still useful to go through this example to learn. One of the most difficult ACT Math questions is as follows: Consider all pairs of positive integers w and z whose sum is five. For how many values of w does there exist a positive integer x that satisfies both 2^w = x and x^z = 64. (Statement 2) 0 2 4 8 Infinitely Many You can get at the single very clear answer by completing a proof, as I'll show you: First, we'll start with the information given to us. The two integers w and z must add up to five. That gives us four options for integer pairs for (w,z): (1,4), (2,3), (3,2) and (4,1). Letââ¬â¢s call the second sentence of the question above statement (2). Now we can prove for all four pairs above whether statement (2) holds: In each case, since z is a positive integer 2^w = x is a positive integer, we can ignore the restriction that x is a positive integer. For (1,4), statement (2) gives that 2^1=x=2. And x^z = 2^4 = 16 =/= 64. Thus, for the first pair statement (2) is false. For (2,3), statement (2) gives that 2^2=x=4. And x^z = 4^3 = 64 indeed. Thus, for the second pair statement (2) is true. For (3,2), statement (2) gives that 2^3=x=8. And x^z = 8^2 = 64 indeed. Thus, for the third pair statement (2) is true. For (3,2), statement (2) gives that 2^4=x=16. And x^z = 16^1 =/= 64. Thus, for the fourth pair statement (2) is false. Therefore, the above is a mathematical proof in the most original sense, that there are two pairs that satisfy the answer. The answer is two. This corresponds to B. Note that, as a mathematical proof, the above explanation is watertight. (I would know I've taken dozens of courses in theoretical math and spent countless hours writing proofs.) This proof passes the 10x rule of clarity (no other answer would be even 1/10th as correct). It would pass the panel of 100 experts rule in fact, I bet every single professional mathematician in the world would agree with the proof above. Finally, the proof is fully analytical it breaks the entire solution into small but obvious pieces. Proofs in reading, science, or writing wonââ¬â¢t be nearly as perfect, but the above serves as a guideline for later in the article. Important Notes First, all proofs depend on a set of indisputable, underlying facts (in rigorous proofs, these are called axioms). Here, the two underlying facts I cited were that:1) a positive integer taken to a positive integer power is positive, and2) there are exactly four unique pairs of positive integers (w,z) such that w+z=5. Understanding these facts is assumed to be part of being an expert in math, and if you find yourself missing these facts when constructing proofs, then you know the problem is an underlying content problem. Most of the underlying facts in math and grammar, and some in reading, need to be memorized beforehand.If you lack these facts, no amount of logic and no amount of time will let you solve the problems. Second, the proof method is best used as training wheels, as an illustrative tool. On the real test, they are too time-consuming to use on more than a few rare occasions.On a real test, proofs are most useful in reading, then grammar, and least of all in math. After all, in math, the fact that there is a single, clear, objective, right answer is usually obvious. When are proofs useful then? Proofs are useful when you are stuck on the hardest 1-3 problems in each section and have extra time.Proofs are also useful when you are practicing the SAT / ACT. Whenever you feel a question has ââ¬Å"two right answers," you can do a proof exercise to convince yourself thatââ¬â¢s not the case. Also, I put the math proof first because itââ¬â¢s the simplest to understand; in fact, itââ¬â¢ll be the reading proof at the end that youââ¬â¢ll find most helpful on SAT / ACT training. How to Use the Proof Method on Math Problems Here are some general guidelines to follow when you start to solve math problems using this method: First, read through the question and break down the information it gives you. Then, identify the axioms, or indisputable math facts, you'll need to apply in order to solve this problem. This is where having strong mathematical knowledge comes in handy. If, for example, the question is about triangles, you should be able to quickly come up with all the triangle rules and information you know. After you've done this, you can start the proof. Work through the problem, making a new line for each new statement, until you've solved it and figured out your answer. Grammar Example The following question is from an ACT English section, and it's similar to a grammar question you might find on SAT Reading. Grammaris a great area to illustrate the Provably Correct concept because itââ¬â¢s an area where many students use fuzzy thinking. Many students, especially native English speakers, are used to ââ¬Å"sounding phrases outâ⬠and choosing the one that ââ¬Å"feels best.â⬠However, itââ¬â¢s also obvious that grammar follows hard, explicit logical rules like math does. And those hard logical rules, not your ear, are the only method guaranteed to get you every question right. Consider now the following question: Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion. A musician balancing a cello case, two Buddhist monks in saffron robes, and a group of stockbrokers in crisp, charcoal gray suits get on the subway at the Wall Street station. No Change. charcoal gray suits, charcoal, gray suits charcoal gray, suits Like math questions, you can follow a set of steps to solve English questions using proofs. Every question on the English section will relate to at least one grammar fact. Your first step is identifying which grammar fact they are referring to. This requires a strong knowledge of English grammar, but if you study enough, you'll be able to easily identify the particular grammar rule you need. For this example, the sentence has multiple phrases with the same grammatical structure; therefore, the grammar fact you need to use is parallel construction. Go through the answer choices, applying the grammar rule to each of them, until you have clearly identified one correct answer and three incorrect answers. This one fact is particularly important for this question: Grammar fact (parallel construction): When there are multiple phrases that have the same grammatical structure, these phrases are to be separated by a comma. Conversely, separation by a comma strongly suggests phrases are parallel. E.g. The US flag is red, white, and blue. The words ââ¬Å"redâ⬠, ââ¬Å"whiteâ⬠, ââ¬Å"and blueâ⬠are parallel construction and separated by a comma. Now, letââ¬â¢s examine the answers. Note that the only difference is in the placement of the comma (if it exists at all). We will prove the right answer by deconstructing all versions and showing that all but one is nonsensical or ungrammatical. Choice A: No Change. The sentence is talking about ââ¬Å"charcoal gray suitsâ⬠. The word ââ¬Å"charcoalâ⬠modifies gray (itââ¬â¢s a type of gray), and the phrase ââ¬Å"charcoal grayâ⬠modifies suit. This makes sense. Also, the commas imply parallelism between the three nouns in the sentence: the group of stockbrokers, the Buddhist monks, and the musician. This is also correct. Choice B: ââ¬Å"charcoal gray suits,â⬠This option puts a comma at the end of the phrase. This separates the sentence into four suggested parallel phrases: A musician balancing a cello case, two Buddhist monks in saffron robes, and a group of stockbrokers in crisp, charcoal gray suits,get on the subway at the Wall Street station. The first three are noun phrases and contain subjects (musicians, monks, and stockbrokers, respectively). The fourth phrase, however; doesn't include a subject and is instead a verb phrase which violates suggested parallel construction This means that placing the comma after the word "suits" would not be signifying parallel construction. To be rigorous, you must be aware that, in addition to parallel construction, commas can only be used to set off nonessential clauses, along with a few other minor cases. The verb clause is an essential part of this sentence; without it the sentence would not make sense, and it wouldn't be grammatically correct. The placement of the comma for option B is therefore inappropriate. This disproves B. Choice C: ââ¬Å"charcoal, gray suitsâ⬠By our first Grammar Fact, this suggests that charcoal and gray are parallel. This means both are modifying the word ââ¬Å"suits." The suits are both gray (makes sense) and charcoal (doesnââ¬â¢t make sense). The suits are not literally made of the same charcoal that you barbecuewith! This parallelism gives the sentence the wrong meaning and thus can be provably disqualified. Choice D: ââ¬Å"charcoal gray, suitsâ⬠By our first Grammar Fact again, the commas here would strongly suggest that the phrases ââ¬Å"crisp," ââ¬Å"charcoal grayâ⬠and ââ¬Å"suitsâ⬠are parallel. However, the first two are adjectives, and the final word is a noun, again violating parallelism and disproving this option as the correct answer. And there we have it, we have ââ¬Å"provenâ⬠above that the right answer must be A. (To be even more rigorous, we would want to list all valid uses for commas and eliminate these cases in each of the answers above. This gets truly arduous, but it will advance this proof from ââ¬Å"10x correctâ⬠territory to ââ¬Å"100x correctâ⬠territory. This again is a demonstration between thetrade offsbetween full rigor and time spent.) Who Is This Proof Most Useful For? The proof is best used for a student who is stuck between two answers which both look right. In this case, many students have complained that they canââ¬â¢t tell whether A or C is correct after looking at the question long and hard. They both ââ¬Å"soundâ⬠correct. A proof allows you to show that one answer must be very right while the others are very wrong. In the case above, we relied on the role of the comma in parallelism. You'll want to use this method practically, and only if youhavesubstantial time to eliminate all ambiguity. You can use it 1) on a real test if you have extra time left 2) if you are studying and want to conquer the most difficult questions 3) if youââ¬â¢re working on improving content and donââ¬â¢t mind spending extra time demonstrating to yourself why one answer is exactly right. Proofs arenââ¬â¢t infinitely powerful. After all, you have to know the underlying Grammatical Fact put out at the beginning. A proof doesnââ¬â¢t give you an answer if you donââ¬â¢t know the subject! Second, proofs take much too long to implement on all questions on a live test. In a live test, you absolutely want to eliminate some choices ââ¬Å"by earâ⬠when they sound egregious, and you absolutely want to take timing shortcuts that give you 90% of the accuracy in 10% of the time. However, even if you donââ¬â¢t do an actual proof on the test, just knowing that a proof must exist is incredibly empowering. Even when you are using intuition or fuzzy feelings, you then know that the intuition or feeling must be overlaying a cold, hard fact. If you are going by intuition, you know that the final word in the answer cannot possibly be just a feeling. Provably Correct is something that should totally change your perspective on an ACT / SAT questions. Reading Example ACT / SAT Reading is my favorite area to apply our rule to! This is because reading seems so touchy-feely, so subjective, that itââ¬â¢s tempting for students to think of the section as uncertain, subjective, and intuition-based. In fact, reading questions are exactly the opposite: they are certain, objective, and analytical. Reading is the opposite of math in that proofs are the least obvious but the most helpful tool to improve your score. Letââ¬â¢s get to the question: Consider the following paragraph: "We plan makers are accustomed to things turning out not quite as good as we had in mind. Our world view includes the ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠component. Diminished excellence is a condition of the world and therefore never an occasion for sorrow, whereas flawed competence comes out of character and therefore is frequently the reason for the bowed head, the furrowed brow." In the last paragraph, a comparison is made between "diminished excellence" and "flawed competence." From the narrator's point of view, the conditions are different because the one is: A source of sorrow while the other is a source of pride. Based in the family while the other is based in the self. Inherent in the environment while the other is inherent in the individual. A sign that the individual can improve the world while the other is a sign that the individual can't. If you want to really learn the proof method, I strongly encourage you to work through this problem. Give yourself 10 or even 20 minutes if you need. Write out your logic and compare it against the rigor below. If you are confused, introspect about your confusion. In just a few moments youââ¬â¢ll see an explanation that will prove beyond a doubt that one of the answers is clearly 10x correct. What Not to Do First, letââ¬â¢s go over what a student using ââ¬Å"fuzzy thinkingâ⬠might do. Frank the fuzzy thinker might look at F and think, ââ¬Å"The paragraph does mention one of them being sorrow, so this looks fine.â⬠He may then go onto G and go, ââ¬Å"Well, there was no discussion of family in this paragraph, so thatââ¬â¢s clearly out.â⬠For H he thinks, ââ¬Å"Yes, one of them is about the world while the other isnââ¬â¢t, so letââ¬â¢s keep H.â⬠Finally, he goes onto J and thinks, ââ¬Å"Well, yes, one of them is improvable, while the other isnââ¬â¢tâ⬠; so he keeps J. Frank has eliminated F because it feels a bit off to him, and he eliminated G because of a "feeling" he had. However, both H and J sound good. Frank would estimate that H sounds about twice as good as F, but J sounds the best of any of the answer choices, beating H by maybe 10-20%. Frank thinks the answer really depends on how you see the question it's subjective anyway, so he chooses J. Unfortunately for Frank, he chose the wrong answer. Even worse, the way he solved the problem demonstrates the worst of fuzzy logic! Rules That Frank the Fuzzy Thinker Broke Note that his final reasoning broke every one of our three ââ¬Å"clear answerâ⬠rules. First, he thought that the best answer was only 10-20% better than the next, and at most 2-3x better than the third best answer, violating the 10x clear rule. Second, he thought the answer was subjective and broke the ââ¬Å"consensus of 100 expertsâ⬠rule. Finally, his reasoning lacked substantial analytical rigor. He relied on how he felt about the answers and used simple ââ¬Å"word matching," breaking the Provably Correct rule. Breaking the Provably Correct rule on reading questions invariably shows some patterns. Frank illustrates some of them: Associative thinking: Frank saw the word "sorrow" in the paragraph and thought that, since answer F contains that word, it has a high chance of being right. Likewise, he ruled out G based on only the single word ââ¬Å"family." While it is tempting to use word-matching to choose answers, this is the lowest form of non-analytical, fuzzy thinking. Reading questions are more subtle than hunting for the right word. Drawing inferences from the outside: To Frank, whether something is ââ¬Å"inherent in the environmentâ⬠(from the source paragraph) is the same as ââ¬Å"a sign that the individual canââ¬â¢t improve the worldâ⬠(answer J). However, this latter statement is actually not stated in the paragraph at all! Dropping or adding words to force things to fit: Frank keeps F even though the word ââ¬Å"prideâ⬠isnââ¬â¢t anywhere in the paragraph. F otherwise seems like a good answer, so Frank ignores the minor inconvenience that an entire word is out of place. How to Solve This Problem Analytically With a Proof Now, letââ¬â¢s see why the above question is really not a subjective, ââ¬Å"two good answersâ⬠situation. Weââ¬â¢ll do this by bringing out our usual tool of analytical rigor, the proof. First, read the paragraph word-by-word slowly and carefully.Think about what each sentence means after reading it. Then, re-read the entire paragraph. I will start the proof by restating a large majority of the paragraph in my own words. The following statements are logically contained within the original paragraph: We are plan makers. We are used to things turning out less than our plan. The way we see the world includes a part called ââ¬Å"diminished excellence." Diminished excellence is a condition of the world. Because of this, ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠is not an occasion for sorrow. However, ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠comes out of character. Because of this, ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠is often why there is the bowed head, the furrowed brow. Each statement is a rigorous transformation of the original and totally implied by the original. We will use both the original and the implied transformation to prove the answers. Choice F: A source of sorrow while the other is a source of pride. The first part of this answer is true. It's true that one is implicitly a cause for sorrow. The paragraph states that ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠isnââ¬â¢t a cause for sorrow, but the conjunction ââ¬Å"howeverâ⬠implies strongly that ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠indeed causes sorrow. However, for all F to be true, the second part must be true as well; we must have a source for pride. Since ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠is taken by sorrow already, if F were true, then ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠must be a cause for pride. Intuitively, ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠doesnââ¬â¢t seem like a good cause for ââ¬Å"prideâ⬠, but letââ¬â¢s prove it. The paragraph just says diminished excellence is a condition of the world and not a cause for sorrow. Nowhere do we have it explicitly said or strongly implied that ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠is a cause for pride. This means F cannot be wholly true. Therefore F is wrong. Choice G: One is based in the family while the other is based in the self. Reading all the logical statements in the original paragraph, it is easy to see that no statement says anything about a family, nor anything that would imply a family (such as a group, relative, etc). Therefore, we can deduce that ââ¬Å"based in the familyâ⬠cannot possibly be a conclusion of the paragraph. Thus G is ruled out as an answer. (If youââ¬â¢re looking for extra credit, it is indeed true the paragraph says that ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠is based out of character, which is strongly associated with the self, so the second half of statement G is true. However half-true is just not good enough!) Choice H: One is based in the environment while the other is inherent in the individual. The paragraph clearly does state that diminished excellence is a condition of the world and thus the environment. This proves the first part of the statement as true. Now, the paragraph says the other term, ââ¬Å"flawed competence," comes out from the character, which almost definitionally is inherent to the individual. This proves the second part of the statement as true. As a bonus, further reinforcing this proof is the fact that the entire paragraph is a parallelism between a concept with roots in the world, versus another with roots in character. This world vs. character contrast is exactly targeted by this answer which compares environment vs. individual. Thus H has very strong support, a proof in fact. Choice J: A sign that the individual can improve the world while the other is a sign that the individual can't. With fuzzy thinking, J looks similar to H. However, let us be precise. J says that one is a sign that the individual can improve the world. This first concept J refers to cannot possibly be ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠since the paragraph does not say anything at all about the individual with respect to ââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠. Thus, if J were true, the first part of J must refer to ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠. It is true that the paragraph says ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠comes from the character and thus the individual. However, the paragraph says nothing about flawed competence being changeable. Also, even if ââ¬Å"flawed competenceâ⬠implied any potential for change, nothing in the paragraph speaks about the ability of this change to ââ¬Å"improve the worldâ⬠. Thus, J is disproven. As a bonus, you can also point out multiple other logically-rigorous, fatal flaws in J. For example, the paragraph says nothing about ifââ¬Å"diminished excellenceâ⬠modulates whether an individual can impact the world. The fuzzy thinking here is that the paragraph talks about two concepts that come from the world versus the individual, while choice J is instead talking about the impact of the individual on the world. Same concepts, but totally unrelated. It would be as unrelated as if the paragraph talked about the weather of New York compared to that of Los Angeles, and the answer talked about flights between New York and Los Angeles.Thus J is rejected too. We have written relatively objective, logical, and analytical proofs that show that H must be the right answer, and all the others must be wrong answers. Hopefully, if you thought the question was vague, subtle, and subjective before, the proof shows that the question is, in fact, analytical with a very clear, objective, and logical answer. For Reading questions, you'll want to first start by reading the passage, then transforming it into your own words, while keeping its entire original meaning intact, like we did in the example. Then, go through each of the answer options and compare them to both the original passage and your rewording to see if they are true. Remember, each part of the answer must be true. If only half the answer is true, then it is not the right answer. Takeaways From the Proof I hope that the proof above gives you confidence that, with enough time and application of logic, you can clearly show only one answer is true. By transforming what seems like a fuzzy question into cold hard logic, hopefully, the above demonstrated that, on the ACT / SAT, all questions are in fact analytical and provable. But if all questions are analytical, logical, and provable, then why doesnââ¬â¢t the ACT / SAT just directly test these skills in straightforward ways? The reason is that most of reading / English in academia is indeed subjective and often fuzzy. Whoââ¬â¢s a better writer, James Joyce or Vladimir Nabokov? Subjective. What social actions did Orwell want to encourage in his readers by writing his bestseller 1984? Again, subjective. Many interesting and difficult academic subjects are inherently subtle and subjective. I can tell you this from firsthand experience, from writing countless college essays on topics like film studies and the Jewish Bible. Since much of real academia has a feeling of intuition, subtlety, and subjectiveness, the ACT / SAT wants to mimic these factors. They dress their questions up to look as subtle and fuzzy as possible. But we know from the beginning of the article that the ACT / SAT cannot afford truly fuzzy or subjective questions.Therefore, the fuzziness is a ruse. It becomes a set of trap answers for the student. The core of any ACT / SAT question is a hard, analytic question, and if you only see a fuzzy question, this means you havenââ¬â¢t seen the core of the question yet! Conclusion Now that you know that each SAT / ACT answer is provable, youââ¬â¢ll no longer approach difficult questions the wrong way. It is so common for students to think that they need to develop a finer sense of intuition or better fuzzy thinking to get the hard questions. In fact, what you should be working on is a fast analytic breakdown of every question. You can definitely do this yourself, and the above steps offerpretty good guide-by-examples of how to do it. For those interested, we also should mention that PrepScholar trains you in this method as well. Our program will detect when non-rigorous thinking is the major source of your errors. We see this mostly in high-performing students trying to nail those final questions, but we also see it to some degree in all students. Our program will provide you with lessons that teach you how to be analytic and give you practice problems for you to apply your new skills. If you liked our lesson here, give our program a free try: What's Next? Ready to try this method on your own?One of the best ways to prepare for standardized exams is to take practice tests. Check out our official SAT practice tests and official ACT practice tests. Aiming for a top score?Learn how to perfect your score on the SAT or ACT! Want to take your studyingone step further?Read aboutthe pros and cons of each type of test prep and learn which method is the best for you.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4
Final Exam - Essay Example In Spain, it highlighted on the controversy over the alleged elitism of Revolt and the French did not welcome Ortegaââ¬â¢s reasoning or philosophical views. The public accepted the work of Ortega because of numerous reasons. It highlighted on the masses that were disadvantaged in the society and seemed to look for solutions to the problems caused by the European integration. Ortegaââ¬â¢s meaning and Characteristics of the ââ¬Å"Europe massesâ⬠Ortega y Gasset talks of ââ¬Å"Europe massesâ⬠after assessing the social order that most people live without noticing. In the wake of globalization and diversity in numerous areas, Ortega believes that the European elite that are creating problems to other unfortunate individuals in the society. When he refers to ââ¬Å"masses,â⬠Ortega highlights on the political and the social crisis of Europe. In general, he talks of the general Western civilization. In this process, Ortega focuses on revealing the root causes of this crisis that the Western civilization brings to the social systems in the society. Ortega refers to ââ¬Å"massesâ⬠and ponders concerning who should rule the human society (Ortega y Gasset 34). The mass man Ortega refers to is the ordinary or the average person who accepts himself as he is and is unwilling to place demands on himself. The masses also consider themselves equal of others and have had immense effect on the intellectual fiber of the society. Ortega believes that the emergence of ââ¬Å"European massesâ⬠and technological advancement had stripped away Manââ¬â¢s bottom illusions, at enormous rate. The masses take control of the government and change the manner in which people should be governed. Concerning the characteristics of the masses, Ortega admits that it is normal to have minority in power but there are problems associated with such a leadership. To some extent, it is a good move; however, it makes nations suffer as people are affected by the rebelli on of other masses. Rebellious is one characteristic of the masses. Most importantly, masses believe in political life where one questions the other partiesââ¬â¢ economic, moral, religious and intellectual, which are collective habits of people. The characteristic of the masses is based on the commonplace mind that understands itself as a commonplace. This mind claims to have the authority of exercising their rights and is capable of imposing them wherever it will. According to a say in the U.S. that, ââ¬Å"to be different is to be indecent.â⬠Ortega portrays the mass as a tool that crushes anything that is beneath it. Some of the things that the mass crushes include individuals, excellent things, qualified and select. It assumes that people should have different characteristics, but ensure that they accommodate others (Ortega y Gasset 64). This is why they say that anybody who is not like everybody risks being eliminated because they do not belong to the same mass. Ortegaà ¢â¬â¢s Perspective of the proper ââ¬Å"Minoritiesâ⬠Ortegaââ¬â¢s Revolt highlights on the significance of having proper minorities and the masses in Europe. He argues through mature thoughts regarding the respective roles of minorities and masses in Western society. His diagnosis culminates in this work and he continues to ensure that he promotes the well-being of the European society. His efforts aim at working towards eliminating the imbalance between masses and minorities. This is because the masses take over the society and fail to
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Privatization of Prisons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Privatization of Prisons - Essay Example Private prisons purpose was to house inmate thus reduce congestion in public prisons then paid by the government using taxpayer prison revenue. Despite privatization being profit generation source, private prisons have benefits and disadvantages to the public and prisoners. As a result, the essay will deduce and come up with the judgment on whether the government should embrace private prisons or abolish the idea. Positively, private prisons reduce congestion of prisoners in public prisons in United States. Mason indicates that many public prisons in America house inmate more than the required number because of lack of an alternative place to keep the criminals (4-7). For instance, some of California prisons facility have about 300, 000 prisoner compared to the required number of 170,000 prisoners. Additionally, such high numbers of prisoners hinders effective rehabilitation of prisoners because of lack of sufficient rehabilitation space, tools, and personnel found in the prisons. Fo r this reason, the federal and state government adopting the idea of private prisons was important. This will reduce the congestion in public prisons and ensure effective rehabilitation of all the prisoners hence curbing the level of prison violence. Private prisons served as a cost effective method in the budget of federal and state government in the United States. ... Mason posits that states with higher number of private prisons enjoy lower cost of housing prisoners in the state (8-10). Therefore, with abundant prison facilities in United States, criminal rate may reduce in most states. This is because there will be no waste of time in delay of convicting criminals because of lack of space in public prisons. However, private prisons also have several disadvantages. There are high reports of violence and mistreatment of prisoners in private facilities. Most private prisons have limited incentives that could curb recidivism and violence among prisoners (American Civil Liberties Union 23). Moreover, most private prisons focuses on profit creation and not the safety and decent living of the prisoners hence hindering the process of rehabilitation and accelerating violence level among prisoners. In addition, the management team in private prisons may not have sufficient training personnel to handle cases of violence and recidivism hence, becoming a thr eat in the rehabilitation of prisoners. Thus, such reasons may inhibit the number of prisoners admitted in private prisons while may affect the profit generation goal of the private prison. Despite the private prison goal being profit generation to the public and shareholders, most private prisons experience limited profits level. The amount of profit earned causes the private prisons to overlook the intensity of training the prison security personnel (American Civil Liberties Union 20-22). Therefore, this affects the way in which the private prison personnel may handle rude prisoners and curb the level of prisoners escaping experienced in from private prisoners. Moreover, the surrounding community may not benefit from the revenue gained by the private prison in town. Hence,
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Putting Global Warming on Ice Essay Example for Free
Putting Global Warming on Ice Essay What makes the earths temperature rise and fall? Do greenhouse gases block solar heat from leaving the earth, or is it only a product of solar activity? Many people have theorized on what causes temperatures to change. A catch phrase named Global Warming came to popularity. Environmentalists from all walks of life joined the global warming fight. According to Thomas OConnell the global warming debate wasnt accepted in the 60s and 70s when he studied it. It only became popular recently in the 90s. Everyone believed that humans were causing a catastrophe by punching a whole into an ozone layer in the sky, letting harmful rays of sun in. People fought to shutdown plants in order to stop the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Everyone believed the global warming claims coming from senators and environmentalists. Today in the 21st century, science has stepped up to disprove the common myths of global warming. Many of the theories and claims of global warming are easily disproved with science. Science is the only tool that can be used to tell whether theories are fact or fiction. The first issue of global warming is the recent Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty designed to cut greenhouse emissions from successful countries. The international Kyoto protocol has been in debate for many years. The Kyoto protocol is an international treaty to reduce developed countrys greenhouse emissions, specifically carbon dioxide, to 7% below their 1990 levels. As President Bush came to office he refused the U.S.s involvement in the treaty. President Bush wasnt even the man that killed the idea for the U.S. (National Center 2). A bill, stating that the U.S. wouldnt ratify any climate treaty that would harm the United States economically and would have no consequences for developing or 3rd World countries, was passed with a unanimous 95-0 vote by the senate before President Bush was elected (National Center 2). The treaty isnt about global warming. It was designed in order to transfer success from developed nations like the U.S. to developing or struggling countries (Tuccille 2). Research declares that China, India, and Brazil who are not affected by the Kyoto Protocol will increase their CO2 emissions by 16% more than the United States even withoutà the Protocol in effect (National Center 3). Proponents of the protocol confessed that the treaty would not have the beneficial environmental impacts advertised and that the costs of implementation would be much higher than the public had been told (National Center 1). U.S. economy would suffer if we agreed to partake in the Kyoto scheme. Gasoline prices would increase by as much as 66 cents per gallon, electrical costs would also increase up to 80%, energy intensive products such as chemicals, steel, paper, and cars would rise in price by as much as 15%. (National Center 2). The economy of the USA would be devastated, states Thomas OConnell. The minority income would be lowered by about 10%, 864,000 African Americans as well as 511,000 Hispanics would be unemployed (National Center 2). Oil and fuel used for farming would be taxed or restricted causing in a higher cost of producing and lower profits of products including corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, hogs, and milk (Heartland Institute 2 and 3). Businesses taxed by the government for their emissions would result in raising costs for their consumers (Heartland Institute 3). New regulations would be implemented for automobiles making carpooling mandatory and would penalize owners of trucks and sports cars. The average household income would even drop by about $2,700 (Heartland Institute 2). Even the unbiased and credible Time magazine quoted, the campaign against global warming seemed to be over before it even started referring to the Kyoto Protocol (Tuccille 1). Are we prepared to disappear from the map in order to prevent 1 degree Celsius of warming for the next Century? One of the hot issues on global warming is that humankind has had something to do with the temperature. Man-made emissions such as carbon dioxide have been claimed to cause global temperatures to increase over the years. Ever since the industrial revolution in the 1940s man has continued to emit gases such as CO2 into the air. Many people claim that CO2 is what blocks heat from escaping the atmosphere. They also claim that mankind has poked a hole in something called the ozone layer, a protective layer above the atmosphere that keeps harmful UV radiation out, which lets more solar rays in. How convenient. The fact is that 98% of these greenhouse gases are natural to the earth. Man has not emitted them and they are not pollutants. They are mostly water vapors and clouds (Zipperer 2). Does that sound dangerous to you? The earthà has even cut down on the rate of carbon dioxide emissions from the years 1973-1990 (Lindzen 1 and 2). Even if we did have a lot of CO2 in the air evidently the effects wouldnt be catastrophic. In the past the atmosphere has had much more amounts of CO2 in it before without significant increases in temperature (Lindzen 4). Richard Lindzen, a professor of meteorology at MIT, claims that a doubling of CO2 in the earths atmosphere would only result in a 1 degree Celsius increase in global temperature (National Center 3). Another greenhouse gas is methane. Methane is more harmful than CO2 but will not increase significantly for another 100 years if it continues at its current rate (Michaels 1). Many credible experts in the field of science have agreed that man is not responsible. Over 17,000 scientists from all over the world have signed a petition declaring that there is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the earths atmosphere and disruption of the earths climate (Heartland Institute 5). Even if there were significant cases of warming global temperatures the effects wouldnt be as tragic as everyone thinks. There are many benefits to the warming of the earth, as there are consequences. Warming on a global scale would have dramatic effects on life and climates. Some effects may be harmful but many of them are beneficial. Some ideas about global warming consequences are myths that are unlikely. Many people say that global warming is linked with the uprising in tropical storms. Storms such as hurricanes coming from the southeast into Florida coasts have been getting stronger for many years, but in 1991 there was a drought of storms that ranged to 1995. The amount and intensity fell way below the average, which suggests that these storms were not affected by the warming of the earth (Bible Believers 3 and 4). Others claim that sea levels have risen all over the world because the polar ice caps are slowly melting due to the warming. Tests have proven that temperatures at the poles are actually getting colder and that sea levels have been rising for centuries before we had any affect on the c limate (Bible Believers 3). Former Vice President Al Gore spoke of diseases migrating due to climate warming. He spoke of diseases like the Black Plague and Cholera, which he believed wereà spread because of weather patterns. Rats, who spread the Black Plague, lived in both warm and cold climates so they had no reason to migrate. His second example Cholera has been a problem in both warm and cold climates and can be easily treated by purifying the water we drink (Heartland Institute 9). Many people have never heard possible benefits of global warming before. Having a warmer climate is very beneficial. Historically, very warm periods in time resulted in flourishing life such as plants, animals, and fish (Bible Believers 4). Even large amounts of CO2 can be beneficial. More CO2 in the atmosphere fuels plants, which makes more food for all walks of life. Vikings were once able to farm what is now a cold and icy Greenland (Zipperer 3). A warming of the earth would result in longer growing seasons and would deplete world hunger and crop failure (Robinson 3). Global warming wouldnt be all that bad, but we do not have a way to tell if there is or will be any warming because of the difficulty to predict the weather. In order to make predictions about weather, people have designed computer models that estimate changes in weather patterns. The models are designed from past weather data and possible factors effecting the weather. What modelers do not know is that global weather is very hard to predict, maybe even impossible without the right understanding and tools for the job (Robinson 2). Factors such as clouds, precipitation, oceans, and the sun are misunderstood and often underestimated (Zipperer 2). Modelers also leave out possible advances in the future such as nuclear energy and the positive effect it would have on the environment (Lindzen 2). Our current technology isnt even close to being advanced enough. Errors in the data are equivalent to 50% (Lindzen 3). These computer models could not even predict weather from the past. While global temperatures have raised by .3 to .6 C over the past 100 years models have over predicted the increase to be from .7 to 1.4 C by the year 1990 (Heartland Institute 7). Climate modelers have even inputted their own bias into the data, shifting variables to what they want them to be. Climate modelers have been cheating for so long its almost become respectable, says Richard A. Kerr, a writer for Science magazine. Further research on the topic is necessary in order to accurately determine whether we have a problem or not. Many people of profession have studied global warming and what may affect the outcome of their results. When measuring from the surface global temperatures have increased by about .6 degrees Celsius with a .2-degree error, but parts of the United States including the southeast have cooled slightly since the late 19th century (NOAA 2). For those 100 years of slight warming, 70% of it occurred before the industrial revolution in 1940 in which man began to emit gases into the air (Zipperer 2). The surface on and around the equator has remained plus or minus 1 degree Celsius of its current temperature for billions of years (Lindzen 4). Research has also been done to determine the affect on rising and falling temperatures. Scientists have found very close relations with solar activity from the sun and the current temperature patterns, which suggests that fluctuations in temperatures are out of our hands (NOAA 5). Satellites are the best way to determine global temperatures. They are unbiased and have only a 0.001-degree Celsius of error (Heartland Institute 6). These satellites have confirmed that there is no evidence of global warming. If anything there is a slight cooling in the atmosphere (National Center 3). Very reliable agencies have done their own research on global warming. Many scientists have tested the greenhouse theory carefully and have found that greenhouse warming isnt even occurring and that rising temperatures are do to different stages of solar activity (Robinson 1). In 1995 the IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, did not prove that humans were affecting global temperatures (Heartland Institute 8). Their report, Climate Change, includes a statement, The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on the global climate (Heartland Institute 8). Dr. Roy Spencer, a meteorologist and team leader of the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, quotes, The temperatures we measure from space are actually on a very slight downward trend since 1979 the trend is about 0.05C per decade cooling (Heartland Institute 7). In a recent poll only 17% of the meteorological society and the American Geophysical Society believe that global warming is a product of man (Bible Believers 2). Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency are threatening to withdraw their support from a global warming study done by the government. They have said that the report has an extreme/alarmist tone and that it does not appear to fairly reflect the scientific literature and the historical recordà (Torres 1). The representatives claimed that the report also had scientifically inaccurate statements about the potential implications of climate change for air pollution and human (Torres 1 and 2). Usually, in scientific law, if a hypothesis fails through experimentation it should be discarded, but the theory of global warming and greenhouse gases as a result of man is still considered substantial hypothesis even though it has been proven to be unlikely (Robinson 2). The debate of global warming may continue on for many years to come. Mankind may never see any rising in global temperatures, but nevertheless it will be speculated. Thomas OConnell At this moment in time there has not been any reliable and convincing evidence that the globe is dangerously warming. Global temperature is a product of natural variables that affect the earth. Man has little if any influence on this temperature. Many of the greenhouse claims have been poorly researched and have yet to be proven credible. Hopefully in the future science will prevail and provide the real answer. Until then, people interested in global warming should do research of their own in order to formulate their own opinion. Life on earth has adapted or evolved to the environment. The earth will never adapt or change due to a single species; the earth is far too powerful. As this paper comes to a close a quote sums up the main idea. Thomas OConnell once said, As the rhetoric of the proponents gives w ay to real problem or is this phenomena more closely related to political agendas. Ill wait for the science.
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