Tuesday, April 28, 2020

The Best College Essay Advice Youll Ever Get!

No clue where to begin writing your essays? Dont think you have anything to write about because you havent brought peace to Earth or cured a major disease yet? Not sure what the difference is between a great essay and a great admissions essay, let alone a phenomenal one? Dont sweat it. We have the perfect person to help you with all those questions! Dan Sten, founder of College Essay Organizer, has helped tens of thousands of students write their way into their top-choice colleges. Sign up for this free webinar on The Best College Advice Youll Ever Getwith Dan Sten on Monday, September 19th at 8PM ET for a chance to learn how to: Write your essays strategically as opposed to writing a great essay that doesnt actually help you get accepted Use College Essay Organizer so you can work smarter and get insider tips Avoid classic blunders made by even the brightest applicants You wont want to miss out on this opportunity to ask him any questions you may have about college application essays! Sign up now!

Friday, March 20, 2020

The Best AP Chemistry Review Guide 2017

The Best AP Chemistry Review Guide 2017 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Not sure how to begin studying for the AP Chemistry exam? This review guide will help you figure out what's on the test and how you can ace it. I'll go over the exam structure, provide sample questions in each format, list the concepts you can expect to see on the test, and give you some tips on how to get the most out of your studying. I just looked into my PrepScholar Crystal Ballâ„ ¢ and saw a 5 in your future, so get ready to kick this test's butt. What’s the Format of the AP Chemistry Exam? The AP Chemistry exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and has two sections:multiple-choice (90 minutes long) and free-response (105 minutes long).There are 60 multiple-choice questions andseven free-response questions. The free-response section contains three long response (worth 10 points each) and four short response (worth four points each) questions.You're allowed to use a calculator on the free response section, but you can't use one for multiple-choice. Time management is important on the AP Chemistry exam because you can easily get caught up in difficult problems.Try not to spend more than a minute on each multiple-choice question during your first pass through the section so that you don’t miss any questions at the end that you could have answered.You’ll have time to go back and revisit the ones you skipped if you pace yourself.For the free-response questions, you should limit your time to around 5-10 minutes for short response questions and 15-20 minutes for long response questions. What Do AP Chemistry Questions Look Like? The following are examples of official AP Chemistry questions in multiple-choice, short response, and long response format.I’ll go over the answers in detail to give you a sense of the types of problems you’ll face on the test and how you might solve them. Multiple-Choice Sample Question Multiple-choice AP Chemistry questions are often chunked together. In other words, several questions will pertain to a single experiment or dataset.Here’s an example: In this case, you’re asked why a certain outcome resulted from an experiment.You need to know why the pressure in the container would increase based on the changes that occurred.A and B suggest that the increase in pressure has to do with intermolecular attractions either decreasing or increasing in the flask.These choices are incorrect because the intermolecular attractions between these molecules wouldn’t be significant enough to make a difference in the pressure of the container. For Choice C, the first part is correct: the number of molecules has increased with the decomposition of PCl5.It also makes sense that this would result in a higher frequency of collisions with the walls of the container.This answer is looking pretty good. Choice D is wrong because there’s no reason to expect that the molecules have increased in speed inside the container during the reaction. Since we ruled out all the other options, Choice C is the correct answer! Short Response Sample Question For part A, you needed to draw out the interactions between the ions and water molecules in the solution.Three points were awarded for: A representation of at least one Li+ ion and one Cl- ion clearly separated and labeled correctly Each ion surrounded by at least two water molecules Water molecules must be oriented correctly (oxygen end is closer to the lithium ion, and hydrogen end is closer to the chloride ion) Part b was worth one point for identifying the chemical species and providing justification.The species produced at the cathode would be H2(g) and OH-(aq) (you could say either one of these for the point).The hydrogen atoms in water are reduced to H2 at the cathode because this reaction has a lower magnitude reduction potential than that of the reduction of lithium ions to Li (-0.83 vs. -3.05). Long Response Sample Question Here’s an example of a long free-response question from the 2015 exam: This question expects a lot from you. There’s stoichiometry, chemical bonds, intermolecular forces, Lewis diagrams, and thermodynamics!It’s testing whether you can apply a bunch of disparate skills that you’ve learned throughout the year to the scenario presented on the test. Let’s look at part a: For part i of part a, we need to calculate the number of moles of ethene that are produced in the experiment and measured in the gas collection tube. The first step is to calculate the pressure of the ethene so that we can use the ideal gas law to figure out the number of moles of gas produced.We can find the pressure of the water by using the given figure for water’s vapor pressure at 305 K: 35.7 torr.Since 1 atm = 760 torr, we can convert the vapor pressure to atm like so: 35.7 torr x (1 atm/760 torr) = 0.047 atm Then, we can find the vapor pressure of the ethene by subtracting that number from the total vapor pressure of the gas produced: 0.822 atm (total vapor pressure) - 0.047 atm (water’s vapor pressure) = 0.775 atm (ethene’s vapor pressure) Finally, we can use the ideal gas law to figure out how many moles of ethene were produced: PV = nRTn = PV/RTn = (0.775 atm)(0.0854 L)/(0.08206 L atm mol-1 K-1)(305 K)n = 0.00264 moles of ethene produced Ok, now let’s move onto part ii of part a. How many moles of ethene would be produced if the dehydration reaction went to completion?To solve this problem, we need to reference the total amount of ethanol originally put into the tube, 0.2 grams, as well as the molar mass of ethanol.Using these numbers, we can see how many moles of ethanol were put into the tube: 0.2 grams ethanol x (1 mole ethanol / 46.1 grams) = 0.00434 moles of ethanol Ok, that’s the number of moles of ethanol that were put in, but we’re trying to find the number of moles of ethene that would result if the reaction went to completion.Since both molecules have coefficients of 1 in the equation, they exist in a one to one mole ratio.This means that the answer is 0.00434 moles of ethene. Now for part b! The percent yield of ethene in the experiment is pretty easy to find based on our answers to part a.We know that the amount of ethene that was actually produced was 0.00264 moles.The amount that would have been produced if the reaction went to completion was 0.00434 moles. To find the percent yield, we can just divide 0.00264 by 0.00434 and multiply the answer by 100: 0.00264 mol / 0.00434 mol x 100 = 60.8 percent yield In part c, you are asked to agree or disagree with the student's claim that the reaction at 298 K has an equilibrium constant of less than 1 and provide justification in the form of calculations forââ€" ³G °298.According to the formula sheet: ââ€" ³G ° = ââ€" ³H ° - Tââ€" ³S °Ã¢â€" ³G ° = 45.5 kJ/mol - (298 K)(0.126 kJ/ K*mol)ââ€" ³G ° = 8.0 kJ/mol Referencing our formulas again, the equilibrium constant, Kp, is equal to e(-ââ€" ³G °/RT).Since we found that ââ€" ³G ° was greater than 0, Kp has to be e raised to some negative number, resulting in a solution equal to a number less than 1.The student is correct that Kp must be less than 1 at 298 K. Part d asks you to complete a Lewis electron-dot diagram.Your answer would look like this: The diagram should include all the bonding pairs, plus two non-bonding pairs on the O atom. In part e, you're asked to determine the C-O-H bond angle.This molecule is tetrahedral around the oxygen atom.That means that the bond angle is approximately 109.5 degrees.On this question, you got a point for any answer between 100 and 115 degrees.Technically, the bond angle would be a little smaller because of the two unbonded electron pairs on the oxygen atom.For visual reference: In part f, you have to explain why ethene was collected as a gas after the experiment and ethanol was not.This happened because ethene isn’t as soluble as ethanol in water.Ethene is only slightly water-soluble because the weak dipole intermolecular attractions between nonpolar ethene molecules and polar water molecules are weaker than the hydrogen bonds between water molecules.Ethanol molecules are water soluble because they're polar, so they form hydrogen bonds with water molecules as they dissolve. These bears are like ethanol and ethene. The one on the left is ethanol because it's CLEARLY more polar. Again, notice how many different skills we used in this one question. We had to know how to: Calculate the number of moles of a gas that were produced by a reaction given the temperature, vapor pressure and volume (with vapor pressure calculated indirectly) Calculate the number of moles of a gas produced by a reaction taken to completion given the mass of the reactant Calculate percent yield of a reaction Calculate the equilibrium constant of a reaction at a given temperature Draw Lewis electron dot diagrams Determine bond angles Explain how polarity and intermolecular attraction would impact the outcome of a reaction and the states of its products You only have a short amount of time for each free-response question (around 20 minutes for the long ones and 10 for the short ones), so you need to have all the information you learned in the course pretty well-mastered if you want to earn the majority of these points! What Topics Does AP Chemistry Cover? The AP Chemistry course is structured around six main themes or â€Å"Big Ideas.† These Big Ideas encompass smaller, more specific themes that the College Board calls â€Å"Enduring Understandings.†I’ll list the Big Ideas and their corresponding Enduring Understandings in this section.I’ll also provide a more straightforward lists of relevant topics under each Big Idea with links to some notes. Big Idea 1: The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangement of atoms. These atoms retain their identities in chemical reactions. Enduring Understanding 1.A: All matter is made of atoms. There are a limited number of types of atoms; these are the elements. EU 1.B: The atoms of each element have unique structures arising from interactions between electrons and nuclei. EU 1.C: Elements display periodicity in their properties when the elements are organized according to increasing atomic number. Periodicity is a useful principle for understanding properties and predicting trends in properties. EU 1.D: Atoms are so small that they are difficult to study directly; atomic models are constructed to explain experimental data on collections of atoms. EU 1.E: Atoms are conserved in physical and chemical processes. Content Areas: Chemical Foundations Units Scientific method Significant figures Basics of systematic problem-solving Organization/classification of matter Atomic structure and periodicity Electromagnetic radiation Max Planck and quantum theory Atomic spectrum Mass spectrometry Spectroscopy Bohr model Quantum mechanical model Quantum numbers and electron orbitals Coulomb’s Law Periodic trends Atoms, Molecules, and Ions Dalton’s atomic theory Millikan’s oil experiment Rutherford’s metal foil experiment Timeline of milestones in the history of chemistry Atomic structure Types of bonds Chemical formulas for molecules Organization of the periodic table Naming compounds Big Idea 2: Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them. EU 2.A: Matter can be described by its physical properties. The physical properties of a substance generally depend on the spacing between the particles (atoms, molecules, ions) that make up the substance and the forces of attraction among them. EU 2.B: Forces of attraction between particles (including the noble gases and also different parts of some large molecules) are important in determining many macroscopic properties of a substance, including how the observable physical state changes with temperature. EU 2.C: The strong electrostatic forces of attraction holding atoms together in a unit are called chemical bonds. EU 2.D: The type of bonding in the solid state can be deduced from the properties of the solid state. Content Areas: Bonding Types of chemical bonds Electronegativity Bond polarity and dipole moments Ions: size and electron configuration London dispersion forces Lewis structures VSEPR Model Covalent Bonding: Orbitals Liquids and Solids Intermolecular forces The liquid state Structures and types of solids Structure and bonding in metals Vapor pressure and state changes Phase diagrams Gases Pressure Gas laws of Boyle, Charles, and Avogadro Ideal gas law Gas stoichiometry Dalton’s law Kinetic Molecular Theory Effusion/diffusion van der Waal’s equation Atmospheric chemistry Gas law practice problems Big Idea 3: Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons. EU 3.A: Chemical changes are represented by a balanced chemical equation that identifies the ratios with which reactants react and products form. EU 3.B: Chemical reactions can be classified by considering what the reactants are, what the products are, or how they change from one into the other. Classes of chemical reactions include synthesis, decomposition, acid-base, and oxidation-reduction reactions. EU 3.C: Chemical and physical transformations may be observed in several ways and typically involve a change in energy. Content Areas: Stoichiometry Atomic and molar mass Percent composition of compounds and determining formulas for compounds Structure of chemical equations Balancing chemical equations Limiting reactant problems Percent yield Types of Chemical Reactions and Solution Chemistry All about water Aqueous solutions and electrolytes Types of reactions (precipitation, acid-base, oxidation-reduction) Half-cell reactions Salts in solution Redox reactions tips and practice problems Big Idea 4: Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions. EU 4.A: Reaction rates that depend on temperature and other environmental factors are determined by measuring changes in concentrations of reactants or products over time. EU 4.B: Elementary reactions are mediated by collisions between molecules. Only collisions having sufficient energy and proper relative orientation of reactants lead to products. EU 4.C: Many reactions proceed via a series of elementary reactions. EU 4.D: Reaction rates may be increased by the presence of a catalyst. Content Areas: Chemical Kinetics Reaction rates Rate laws Reaction mechanisms Catalysis Big Idea 5: The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter. EU 5.A: Two systems with different temperatures that are in thermal contact will exchange energy. The quantity of thermal energy transferred from one system to another. EU 5.B: Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but only transformed from one form to another. EU 5.C: Breaking bonds requires energy, and making bonds releases energy. EU 5.D: Electrostatic forces exist between molecules as well as between atoms or ions, and breaking the resultant intermolecular attractions requires energy. EU 5.E: Chemical or physical processes are driven by a decrease in enthalpy or an increase in entropy, or both. Content Areas: Chemical Equilibrium Equilibrium conditions Equilibrium constants Solving equilibrium problems Le Chatelier’s principle Thermochemistry All about energy Enthalpy and calorimetry Hess’s Law Spontaneity, Entropy, and Free Energy Gibbs Free energy (G) Entropy changes in chemical reactions Free energy and chemical reactions Free energy ...and pressure ...and equilibrium ...and work The Nucleus Nuclear stability and radioactive decay Kinetics of radioactive decay Nuclear transformations Thermodynamic stability of the nucleus Nuclear fission and fusion Big Idea 6: Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations. EU 6.A: Chemical equilibrium is a dynamic, reversible state in which rates of opposing processes are equal. EU 6.B: Systems at equilibrium are responsive to external perturbations, with the response leading to a change in the composition of the system. EU 6.C: Chemical equilibrium plays an important role in acid-base chemistry and in solubility. EU 6.D: The equilibrium constant is related to temperature and the difference in Gibbs free energy between reactants and products. Content Areas: Properties of Solutions Solution composition Factors affecting solubility Vapor pressure of solutions Boiling point and freezing point variation Osmotic pressure Colloids Solubility and complex ion equilibria Solubility and solubility products Common Ion effects Precipitation Acids and Bases The pH scale Calculating pH Acid-base properties of salts and oxides Calculating acid strength Lewis Acid-Base Model Solving acid-base problems Acid-Base equilibria Buffered solutions Titration Acid-base indicators Tips for AP Chemistry Review Tip #1: Start From the Beginning Get your fundamentals straight before you try to do more complicated problems.On many AP Chemistry questions, you have to integrate a few pieces of essential knowledge and apply them to a given scenario.If you’re shaky on the foundational concept, you won’t be able to get to the correct answer.When you start studying, fill the gaps in your knowledge from earlier in the course first. Tip #2: Redo Problems You Didn’t Get the First Time If you can’t figure out a problem and have to look up the solution, don’t just read over what you were supposed to do and leave it at that.Review the steps you should have taken to get the correct answer, and then, without looking at them, try to resolve the problem. Learning by doing is very important in chemistry.Make sure you know why you’re solving the problem a certain way.You should also reinforce your knowledge by going through other similar problems. Tip #3: Do Lots of Free-Response Questions You might be tempted to stick with practicing multiple-choice questions because you can do a lot of them quickly and feel like you’ve made significant progress.However, it’s extremely important not to ignore the free-response section of the test in your studying if you want to do well.Free-response questions are a bigger challenge to your chemistry knowledge because you have to come up with the answers independently.Practicing themwill help you do better on the test as a whole.If you can answer free-response questions correctly on a consistent basis, that means you really know your stuff! This is what's gonna happen if you don't practice free-response questions! How to Review for AP Chemistry Your AP Chemistry review should revolve around detecting your areas of weakness and practicing relevant problems.Here are the steps you might go through: Step 1: Take and Score a Practice Test The first thing you should do is take a full practice test to assess how well you know the material.It’s more efficient just to study the concepts that you’re still shaky on rather than going back through all your notes for the course.Make sure you take the test with the same time constraints as the real exam, and don’t use a calculator on the multiple-choice questions. You should also circle any questions where you feel even a little unsure of the correct answer.You need to go over those concepts even if you end up getting the question right so you can be as comfortable as possible with all the content. When you’re done with the test, you can score it and set a goal for how much you want to improve. Step 2: Categorize Your Mistakes (and Any Other Questions That You Were Unsure About) Now that you’ve scored your test, go through your mistakes and lucky guesses, and sort them by topic area.This is the best way to get a clear picture of where you have the most significant issues with the content.Your list of mistakes will inform the rest of your review.I’d also recommend redoing problems that you missed to see if you can get to the correct answer. Step 3: Review Relevant Content If there was any essential background information on the test that you forgot, start by reviewing that content.The information that you learned in the first couple months of the course serves as a foundation for the rest of the class.After you feel confident with the basics, you can move onto studying higher-level topics. You might review your notes on how to solve certain types of problems or look back at the information in your textbook.You can also use an AP review book to study.Sometimes this is a better option because review books are specifically tailored to the test. Step 4: Do Practice Problems Reviewing content isn’t enough in chemistry. You need to know how to apply your knowledge to unfamiliar experimental scenarios on the test.Spend some time doing practice problems that pertain to each of your areas of weakness until you feel more comfortable with the subject matter. Step 5: Take Another Practice Test to See If You’ve Improved After you finish doing practice problems, try out your new skills on another practice test. You can score the new test and see whether you’re satisfied with your new (and hopefully improved) scores.You always have the option of repeating this process if there’s still room for growth.If you don’t see much improvement, you may have to go back and reevaluate your study methods. If there are some concepts that you’re having a really hard time wrapping your head around, I’d encourage you to ask your teacher or one of your classmates to help you understand the material better.Sometimes, if you can’t figure something out yourself, an alternative explanation is what you need for it to click. Here’s an approximate time breakdown for all of these steps: Take and score a practice test: 4 hours Categorize your mistakes: 1 hour Review content: 2 hours Do practice problems: 2 hours Take a second practice test: 4 hours Total time for one cycle: 13 hours Now it's time to set off on your own personal review journey. Good luck out there. No, I don't know why someone sculpted a ceramic frog with a rolling suitcase, but I have to assume that their life is much more interesting than mine. Conclusion The AP Chemistry exam covers a challenging set of concepts that require skills in math, factual recall, and analytical thinking. It's also one of the longest AP tests, lasting three hours and 15 minutes total. To recap, the types of questions on the test include: 60 multiple-choice questions (90 minutes) Seven free-response questions (105 minutes) made up of Three long response (10 points each) Four short response(four points each) AP Chemistry covers six main themes that encompass many more specific topics. These themes or "Big Ideas" are: The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangement of atoms. These atoms retain their identities in chemical reactions. Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules, and the forces between them. Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons. Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions. The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter. Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations. Some study tips that I would recommend implementing as you prepare for the exam include: Start with the basics Redo problems that you miss Practice free-response questions regularly When you study, you follow these steps for the best results: Take and score a practice test Categorize your mistakes Review content Do practice problems Take a second practice test If you keep up with your classwork throughout the year and adhere to the advice in this article, you'll have no problem doing well on the AP test! What's Next? If you're thinking about buying a review book to supplement your in-class notes, check out my list of the best AP Chemistry review books. Still planning out your schedule for the rest of high school? Read this guide for advice on which AP classes you should take based on your academic interests. Are you considering taking an online AP class that your high school doesn't offer? Learn more about online AP classes and whether they're worth it for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Should I Get a Masters Degree 6 Factors to Consider

Should I Get a Master's Degree 6 Factors to Consider SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whether you've already graduated or are about to graduate from college, if you're asking yourself, "Should I get a master’s degree?" it’s time to dig deep and find the answer. A master's degree can be useful for particular careers- but it's also expensive and time-consuming. So is a master’s degree right for you? In this guide, we go over what a master's degree is, four key questions to ask yourself before you decide to get one, the pros and cons of getting one, and three tips to help you decide on the best master’s degree program for you.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

BP Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BP Case - Essay Example As a result, he outsourced and collaborated with Burmah Oil Company. Together, the two companies made their first successful oil discovery in 1908. Numerous transformations and ownership details alterations followed this incidence. During this stage, the name was Anglo-Persian Company. The British government secured several shares, propelling the company’s progress (Kim and Marques 1). The British influenced the initial interest of the company. The primarily aim for searching and mining of oil was the need to fuel British aircrafts and vehicles in the world war I and probable future wars (Kim and Marques 2). Claims that the company neglected workers’ safety were common during the early stage in the company’s development. The manual workers and the surrounding communities experienced food shortage and health crises despite establishing the largest oil refinery in Iran, and becoming a superior fuel supplier to the Allied forces in Second World War. The infrastructu re remained a concern for the community, while the company, now referred as Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), played â€Å"a blind eye†. The failing national trust made the Iranian government to kick out the company. Following a coup, the AIOC returned and rebranded to British Petroleum (BP) (Kim and Marques 7) After its come back, the Middle East public still resented the company despite establishing environmental-friendly oil pipeline-network to several refineries. The pressure mounted until BP finally decided to take action. It rebranded the logo from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum and the management swore to explore other eco-friendly energy sources as a new measure of conserving the environment. However, the pledges of transformation did not reflect in the ensuing BP operations. A number of separate accidental disasters followed until the most recent disaster, Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010 (Kim and Marques 1-7). Communication process A strong internal comm unication system reassures the public and makes them confident ambassadors of the organization. The principles outlined below establish effective internal communication processes and systems according to the professional analysis. The surveys check on employee’s views, interests and opinions. The management will not establish system, rules and policies that will effectively enhance internal communication unless it understands its staff accordingly. Fulfilling promises The management should ensure that promises made to the staff are met in time. This reduces the risk of losing trust in the employees that ultimately leads to reduced regard for official or upstream communication. Celebrating success and communicating the brands’ value. Some employee performs their tasks devoid of motivation. These staff members do not believe in the organizations goals. Consequently, they may create a negative attitude in other staff members. Awarding members who perform exceptionally sho ws that the firm is focused. Communication diversification Diversification involves incorporating other communication channels and forms that differ from usual ones. For example, the management team may take tea with the subordinate staff to improve informal communication and interaction within organization. This process eventually promotes motivation and confidence among workers. Reassuring the staff Reassuring the staff especially when the media attacks the organization is vital.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

The History of Projective Geometry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of Projective Geometry - Essay Example In the everyday life, one often does come across varied aspects of projective geometry. For example a motion picture being displayed on a screen is an example of projection. The shadows brought into existence by opaque objects are one other example of projective geometry. Projective geometry evolved and developed into a formal constituent of mathematical studies over a long period of time. History The history of projective geometry is an apt example of the confluence and collaboration between science and art. Projective geometry, to begin with had its origins in the studies in optics carried on by the Arab mathematicians like Alhazen (Boyer et al., 143). During the Renaissance, when the Western Europe developed a more look outside approach to varied aspects of life including mathematics and art, the discoveries and studies of Arab mathematicians that had by that time reached Europe through trade routes greatly influenced the Western world (Boyer et al., 145). The one big flaw in the Western art that had been created till now was that it was more or less flat in its presentation and style. However, soon, several early Renaissance artists after being influenced and inspired by the essentially Arab studies in optics, started to develop techniques of visual depiction that endowed their works of art with a three dimensional depth and perspective (Encyclopedia Britannica: Online) . The creations of Renaissance art had a significant impact on the contemporary and future mathematicians. The projective geometry evinced nascent reverberations in the architectural drawings of Leon Battista (1404-1472) and Filippo Brunelledchi (1377-1446). In fact, it was these two individuals who laid down the foundation of the method of perspective drawing (Encyclopedia Britannica: Online). The primary approach of this method was to connect the eyes of the painter to various points on a landscape with the help of seemingly straight lines. The original drawing was created on the basis of tracing the intersection of these lines on a vertical plane. Obviously, this approach towards drawing was named projective geometry as it intended to project a real plane on a picture plain (Encyclopedia Britannica: Online). Further, Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and Gerard Desargues (1591-1661) further expanded the scope and possibility of projective geometry by developing the concept of ‘point of infinity’ (Boyer et al., 221). In that context, it would not be wrong to say that the works and studies of Gaspard Monge at some time during the end of the 18th century played a central and pivotal role in the future development and study of projective geometry (Boyer et al., 221). Still it was Jean-Victor Poncelet (1788-1867) who is attributed to be the father of modern projective geometry (.Encyclopedia Britannica: Online) Jean-Victor Poncelet was a renowned French engineer and mathematician who are credited with the honor of systematically and formally reviving projective ge ometry in the 19th century. Some mathematicians go even as far ahead to claim that his work Traite des  proprietes projectives des figures was actually the first credible, authentic and well researched work on projective geometry after what was published by Gerard Desargues in the 17th century (.Encyclopedia Britannica: Online )To begin with it were the French mathematicians Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) and

Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Island Move Analysis

The Island Move Analysis In the beginning of the film Lincoln 6 Echo is very inquisitive, reminding me much of a child whos favorite question is why. He wants to know why he has to wear white, why he has to package vitamins, why survivors are being found, why people are drawn at random to go to the island, why he cant eat certain things and the list goes on and on. He has a friend who can do these things, that he visits by faking a shortage in his identity bracelet, unknown to him, this man is an actual human, while Lincoln 6 Echo and his friends are clones of extremely wealthy individuals who pay many millions of dollars to have themselves duplicated should they ever need an organ, skin, or want a surrogate to carry their child. Lincoln, goes exploring one day and realized that there is no island, those who supposedly win the lottery are killed shortly after giving birth, or having organs removed. Jordan 2 Delta, had won the lottery the evening before, and he goes and convinces her to run with him. They esc ape the under ground bunker and realize there is an entire world on the outside with people. They find out that they are clones, created with the sole purpose of keeping their human counterparts alive for many years longer then a natural life. They go in search of their counterparts to show them that they are too living, feeling, thinking individuals and not kept in a vegetative state, as they were lead to believe. Jordans counterpart had been in a car accident so they went in search of Lincolns counterpart an extremely wealthy man named Tom Lincoln, who resided in Los Angeles. They are being hunted by the institution to be brought back before the general population learns the truth of how human they are and what the institution actually does. They eventually find Tom Lincoln and tell him the story; he agrees to take them to the news station to tell their story. Jordan realizes that the original Tom is lying, because his eyes get the same look as Lincolns. Lincoln convinces her to s tay behind, so she doesnt get captured when he double-crosses them. Tom does in fact call the institution because he is not ready to die, and Lincoln is his insurance policy. Lincoln pretends to be the original Tom and the real Tom gets shot, with the mercenary thinking he is the clone. The institute offers Tom a replacement insurance policy. Jordan is captured the next day while Lincoln is going to the institute under the disguise of Tom; his goal is to save all of the other clones. During this time the institute realized that there was a defect in the clones from the echo generation on, giving them the human curiosity personality characteristic, to get rid of this problem they decide to do damage control and kill all of the clones. Jordan and Lincoln intervene and ultimately stop the institution from killing everyone. They save their friends, and the institution is destroyed and prevented from causing any further destruction. I love how this plays in with organ donation and harvesting organs from cadavers as we learned about in class, I think it is such and interesting solution that I hope our society never turns to. The public was lead to believe that the clones were kept in a vegetative state, not feeling, or thinking, or having emotions, which allowed them to be more at ease with the concept. I cant say if I had the money and I was promised that my clone would always be vegetative, that I would say no to that. I can see why it was such a popular concept from the public, I do think that if the public had known about the clones living and breathing, and feeling and being human in everyway except having a natural birth and a childhood, that some would still pay for this privilege. Many people are so scared of death that it doesnt matter how they survive, it just matters that they do. I loved that an underlying theme of the movie was not to trust anyone; humans are manipulative, and only care about their b est interests. This really hit true to me, that we lose so much of our innocents, and our trust as we age because we become so self serving, you could see that happen with Lincoln as he and Jordan spent more time in the human world. He was so trusting and willing to do anything for any one, yet he sacrificed his original counterparts life to save his own. I dont think it is a bad thing, but I think that in the beginning of the movie, it is not something he would have done. When he said, Im not ready to die either, I think it had come full circle that he was starting to become more human, and more self-serving. I think this also played very well into the end of life stages, really focusing on how far would you go to prevent your own death? My main issues with the concept of cloning for organ use are all ethical, is it ethical to clone? What will cloning lead to? What is okay to clone? Not ok? Animals? Adults? Children? Why would people need or want to clone for use other than to use organs and or other body parts? My next issue is the issue of creating life to suit and ulterior need. To me this is using life as a means to achieve a goal, and life should not be a tool to help succeed in other areas, a life should be enough to just be lived and enjoyed. My last concern is that after the clone in the movie has served its purpose, whether it be give birth or donate a kidney the clone is killed, and I cannot grasp making killing the clone ok. Cloning, the act of creating something in the exact form that already exists; to me this alone is unethical there is no need or reason in my mind why society needs to do this. I see no good or benefit for society that can come from cloning, I think it creates unnecessary temptations to do just what was done in the movie, by allowing the wealthy to clone themselves to serve a purpose. If we make cloning a common practice I see no reason why this will not become a reality, and that to me is frightening. The clones in the movie thought, felt, loved, and had all human emotions and to imagine being a clone and knowing you were created to eventually die, so someone else could live makes me ill. I would not choose to prolong someone elses life at the expense of my own unless I truly loved this person. I imagine a clone would feel the same way since they have human emotions. In this situation I think the golden rule applies, do unto others as you would want done to you. My next issue is creating life to serve an ulterior purpose. This reminds me of the book My Sisters Keeper, by Jodi Pullcott. Where the youngest daughter was conceived to ultimately save the elder daughters life. Not only does this make the produced person feel like a means to the end, but also it creates an issue of individual rights. Does the Produced person have the right to refuse to help save the life of the person needing saved? Do they have the right to put their health above the other person? I think that they should. Whether or not you were born out of the desire to create a life to love that person, or created out of the desire to save someone else, that the person who is ultimately being used should given the right to the most important issue in donation, free will in the form of informed consent. If we are going to create people to serve a purpose of saving other lives what is to stop society from breeding slaves? No there isnt the same promise that the organs will be as good of a match, but it would be a lot cheaper. My last issue is that the clones were killed after surgeries they could have easily lived through. I can maybe, in so stretch make it okay, if the clones were only being used to donate organs that they could survive with out, and if they were being compensated for them. Or if they were being treated as real surrogates, but killing them after routine operations amazed me. It seemed almost too cruel to do that just to protect the rest of the clone population from learning the truth. The killing seemed senseless and completely unnecessary. All in all I thought this was an amazing movie and I really enjoyed watching it. It was not something I would have picked to watch on my own but I am very glad that I did.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Epiphone

The history of Epiphone started in 1873, in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey), where Greek founder Anastasios Stathopoulos made his own fiddles and lutes (oud, laouto). Stathopoulos moved to the United States of America in 1903, and continued to make his original instruments, as well as mandolins, from Long Island City in Queens, New York. Anastasios died in 1915, and his son, Epaminondas, took over. After two years, the company was known as The House Of Stathopoulos. Just after the end of World War I, the company started to make banjos. The company produced its Recording Line of Banjos in 1924, and, four years later, took on the name of the â€Å"Epiphone Banjo Company†. They produced their first guitars in 1928. Epi Stathopoulos died in 1943. Control of the company went to his brothers, Orphie and Frixo. Unfortunately, they were not as capable owners as Epi. In 1951, a four month long strike forced a relocation of Epiphone from New York to Philadelphia. The company was bought out by their main rival, Gibson in 1957. It is extremely important to understand that all Epiphone instruments made between 1957 and 1969 were made in the Gibson factory at 225 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan. These 1959–1969 Epiphone instruments were, effectively, identical to the relevant Gibson versions, and made with same timber, materials and components. These guitars were made by the same people, in the same place, and with the same materials and components as the contemporary equivallent Gibson guitars were. They even shared the same Gibson serial-number sequence! To note some of the specific examples of Gibson-made Epiphone instruments from this period: the Epiphone Casino was identical to the Gibson ES-330; the Epiphone Cortez was identical to the Gibson B-25; the Epiphone Olympic Special was technically identical to the Gibson Melody Maker; the Epiphone Sorrento was identical to the Gibson ES-125TC (except for a few cosmetic improvements! ), and the Epiphone Texan was (apart from a change in scale-length) an identical guitar to the Gibson J-45. All of the other Gibson/Kalamazoo-made Epiphones had some clear technical or cosmetic relationship with the relevant Gibson version. This wealth of information can, admittedly, be quite confusing so I direct any interested readers to â€Å"Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars† (Gruhn-Carter, Miller-Freeman Press). Most of the specific information that you will need can be found here. Gibson eventually realized the folly in having two identical brands and, therefore, by 1970, Gibson commenced using the Epiphone brand as a budget-line and started having them made, initially, in Japan. Some confusion arises here because the first year or so of Japanese acoustic guitar production utilizes a label that denotes the address â€Å"Kalamzoo, MI†. At no point does this label say â€Å"Made In USA† but some confusion, especially on internet auction websites, still arises. It is equally important to understand that the overwhelming majority of Epiphone-branded instruments made since 1969 are, in essence, exploitation instruments are and are basically facsimilies of either Gibson (most commonly) or Epiphone guitars of the past. The vast majority of these facsimilies are very decent, budget-versions of the iconic instruments that they replicate and are, in may cases, exactly what a student guitarists needs, but they must not, in any way whatsoever, in terms of materials, components and intrinsic quality, be mistaken for the real item. In the hands of a good player the guitars may sound indistinguishable, but that doesn't grant them inherent equality. [edit]Casino Main article: Epiphone Casino The most famous Epiphone model introduced by Gibson after taking over was the Casino. The Casino was made in the same shape and configuration as a Gibson ES-330 guitar. It has a very heavy sound and is a very good rhythm guitar due to its fairly thick sound when strummed. It is a genuine hollow body electric guitar with single coil P90 pickups. Epiphone Casino VT The Casino is famous for being used by The Beatles. Paul McCartney was the first to acquire one and John Lennon and George Harrison followed suit soon after. Paul McCartney used his for the solo in Taxman and the Casino sound is very prevalent throughout Revolver and their later albums. John Lennon made his Casino one of his main guitars and used it for the rest of his time with the Beatles and into the '70s. Paul still uses his Casino, which has a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, in concert and studio today. [edit]1970–present In the early 1970s, Epiphone began to manufacture instruments in Japan. From the 1980s, Epiphones were manufactured mainly in Korea but also in Japan by contractors licensed by Gibson. One of these contractors was Samick, which also built instruments under license for other brands and in its own name. Thus, a Korean-era solidbody Epiphone would have been built under license. The brand was primarily used to issue less expensive versions of classic Gibson models, in a manner similar to that of the Squier brand by Fender. Like all Asian-made copies, these guitars were constructed using different timbers (usually Nyatoh, for example, instead of Mahogany), were stuck together with epoxies rather than wood-glues, and were finished in hard, quick-to-apply polyester resin rather than the traditional nitro-cellulose lacquer used by Gibson. Nitro-cellulose lacquers are applied very thinly, and as a result, do not impede the resonance of the instrument as resin finishes do. Nitro-cellulose, being a solvent-based lacquer (as opposed to a catalyzed resin), requires many more very thin coats (but still results in a lighter, thinner finish because of much more hand-applied cutting and polishing) and is therefore much more time-consuming (and consequently expensive) to apply. Resin finishes are much quicker and cheaper to apply. These particular budget considerations, along with others such as plastic nuts and cheaper hardware and pickups, allow for a more affordable instrument. Although the decent Epiphone copies look (other than upon very close inspection) to be very much like the iconic, original instruments that they replicate, and often, in the hands of a good player, DO sound very, very close to the originals, they are not, as is the case with all of these budget brands, conceived and constructed to the same intrinsic quality. But it is a matter of budget – if you can look and sound close to how your favorite player sounds for a fraction of the cost then it is a good thing. Gibson, via their Epiphone brand, just like Fender via their Squier brand, bring a close approximation of the real thing to countless players who cannot afford, or justify, the expense of a professional-quality instrument. The result is that Epiphone and Squier have become the world's highest selling brands of electric guitar. Samick has stopped manufacturing guitars in Korea. In 2002, Gibson opened a factory in Qingdao, China, which manufactures Epiphone guitars exclusively. With few exceptions, Epiphones are now built only in the Qingdao factory. Unique Epiphone models, including the Emperor, Zephyr, Riviera and Sheraton, are built to higher quality standards than the company's â€Å"Gibson copy† line. Epiphone also produces a range of higher quality instruments under the â€Å"Elitist Series† moniker, which are built in Japan. The â€Å"Masterbilt† acoustics are manufactured in Qingdao.