Bonds are normally treated as low risk securities, though they are Essay

Bonds are normally treated as low risk securities, though they are rarely risk-free. Assess the risks associated with bonds. Discuss the implications of these r - Essay Example Bonds are one of the methods of raising capital by the issuer, apart from selling shares or taking a bank loan. Once issued, the bonds too can be traded in the open market like shares. Bonds, like other debts, can be structured in different ways. Bonds attract interest and the yield from the bond is the interest rate paid on the bond divided by the bond’s market price. Bonds are normally treated as low risk securities, specially the Government Bonds. Corporate bonds by blue-chip companies are also considered safe. Nevertheless, bonds are rarely risk free. There are various risks associated with bonds and can have far reaching impacts. The income from bond is usually fixed but interest rate fluctuations affect the capital value of investments. The yield and hence the market price always depends on the market environment. A bond investor would normally avoid investing in overvalued bonds where the risk of default far outweighs the extra yield. If a bond portfolio is well structured it would be diversified across a range of credits with no concentration in undue sectors or issuers. Even the highly rated bonds carry certain amount of risks. Bond may be called or redeemed before the maturity date. Poor management of the organization by the issuer may reduce or even destroy the value of the bond. If a company is doing very well and has surplus cash to pay the outstanding debts, they may call the bonds. They would result in lower rate of interest for the investor. The issuer may call back this bond and issue fresh bond with a lower rate of interest. Hence, if the bond has been called, there would be no interest paid on such bonds. Various economic risks affect the value of bonds. These include rate of interest and the inflation (Online, 2004). If a bond was issued before the interest rate increased, it will lose its vale if it is sold before the maturity date. This is because in such a situation its price is likely to be lower than par

The Crucible is both timeless and universal discuss Essay Example for Free

The Crucible is both timeless and universal discuss Essay The Crucible, first written and performed in 1953 as the work of Arthur Miller, was written through the perspective of a man living in an era of radical social and economical traumas. Miller wrote his play at a time when America was only just beginning to make its way past the suffering of the Great Depression and during the McCarthy Hysteria of the 1950s. His work is not merely heavily influenced by these outside affectations but it becomes evident to one observing the social and political climates of Millers time that these are in fact the inspiration for his creation. What Miller wrote was an artists answer to human suffering, not only through the hard times of the depression but also through the politics and in particular the ideological war on communism (and indeed all left-wing views), which was taking place. Such a war, Miller noticed, was comparable to the war which Puritan society waged on the Devil during the Salem with trials of 1962 and indeed such wars are equally comparable to Hitlers vendetta against the Jews during WW2. Such wars, such prejudices and long term states of disagreement, have been recorded since biblical times which described the Egyptians forcing the Jews into slavery. The fact exists that war is an unfortunate symptom of the human condition it is an inescapable side effects of what it means to be human. A central focus within the play is hysteria: The whole countrys talkin witchcraft Word of Betty and Ruths mysterious states spreads so rapidly throughout the village because the matter is one which is of concern to everyone in the village. People tell each other because it is a universal matter, not necessarily one shared by people today, but certainly one shared by Salems people at the time to a great extent: The whole worlds gone daft with this nonsense The reason that people react so severely to the situation is because they fear witchcraft in the same way that the society in which Miller was writing in, in 1952 feared communism. The hysteria surrounding the McCarthy incident is easily comparable to the Salem witch trials, because although the fear has changed with time and location the human nature remains the same and the human instinct to protect itself invokes a mass of people grouping together for protection against what is seen as a threatening group. In 2003 this can be seen even more clearly in the aftermath of the September the 11th incident when The Times printed the article: Is Arab a dirty word? Discussing how many people in America associated all those of Arabic descent with acts of terrorism. Once again this paranoia is invoked by a deep fear which has become integrated into the minds of the people in that society. Intricately linked to this are the ideas of good and evil within the play: Its Gods work we do Throughout the play many people, from Proctor not confessing to a lie, to Cheever taking the accused to what he knows may be their deaths, justify their actions through religion claiming that what they do, they do in Gods will and that is a healthy thing to strike out against those opposed: Let you strike out against the Devil Very similarly capitalist Americans in Millers era believed that they were doing good for the world in seeking out communists, who are portrayed by American society as being evil because they oppose capitalism in making the world a better place. In such a situation the commonly viewed good is capitalism where as its antithesis evil can be supposed to be communism. In 2003 the ordinary people of America view themselves as good people who do no great wrong, and yet are being attacked by terrorists. They see terrorism, or more generally the east and those of Arabic descent, as the evil of the world, because the moral framework imposed by society is not accepting of the taking of an innocent life. However, the girls know that those they are accusing are in fact innocent: Lies, lies It is also possible to suggest that later Danforth realises this but becomes part of the conspiracy in order to protect himself and his position: You know in all your black hearts that this be fraud Very similarly at the time of Millers writing senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing people within the government and authoritarian positions of being communists or sympathizers, and encouraging them to confess and name others. This is very much like the situation within the crucible when the girls knowingly blame innocent people because it is, again, in order to protect themselves. In 2003 corruption can be seen within the British and American governments who justified their invasion of Iraq by claiming that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. However since that time, none have been found and many propose that none exist, but leading figures in the movement such as Tony Blair still knowingly untruly claim that Saddam possessed such items in order to protect their own reputations and positions. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

The Ability Of Sound To Shatter Glass Environmental Sciences Essay

The Ability Of Sound To Shatter Glass Environmental Sciences Essay There is a myth that claims that the piercing voice of the soprano vocalist has the power to shatter a wine glass. In this media-driven world, we are often shown television portrayals of such events; there is also evidence and personal testimony that supports the statement. Scientific research has also proved that sound can break a glass and the laws of physics have proven that this is possible through sound resonance. In this extended essay, I will compare the ability of sound to shatter glass through using different sized beakers and also different shapes of glass. The significance of this experiment is to relate the physics concept with our lives. During my experimentation, three different sizes of beaker and three different shapes of glass have been utilised to test the ability of sound to shatter glass through using the laws of physics. All the beakers and glasses are made of the same glass and are of the same thickness. The experiment is conducted by resonating the glass and beaker at its natural frequency. The glass and beaker will vibrate when sound waves are emitted to the wall of the glass. In order to shatter the glass, the amplitude of the sound is increased until the glass shatters. If lower amplitude is needed to shatter the glass, this will indicate that the glass is more easily shattered. All the three different sizes of beakers and three different shapes of glass will then be compared. . The results show that actually the smaller sized beaker is more easily shattered when compared to the bigger sized beaker; the results also demonstrate that the beaker glass is more easily shattered when compared to the wineglass, which is curved inwards and outwards at the rim. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 SCOPE OF WORK I have studied about sound waves and its subtopic which is resonance in Physics at High School and also during my diploma programme. .But I was disappointed to find that I couldnt locate any literature that explores how the sound waves can shatter glass through sound resonance. This essay is an attempt to study the phenomenon that involves the factors that affect the vibration of glass through the emission of sound waves of the glasss natural frequency Shattering of glass can be because of many factors. Thus I set myself the objective of doing this research which is to determine whether changing the size of glass will affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter glass. Another objective of this essay is to investigate whether changing the shape of glass will affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter glass. Therefore, my research will be based on the two objectives. To achieve the objectives in this research I have posed two research questions which are: Research Questions: Does changing the size of the beaker affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter the glass through sound resonance? Does changing the shape of the glass affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter the glass through sound resonance? 1.2 Background Information and Literature: The most important thing about this essay is to know the basic information that makes the experiment related to the physics concept. In this essay the main physics concept that will be talked about is sound resonance. Using this concept, the glasses will be forced to vibrate at their respective natural frequencies until they shatter into smithereens. There are several key terms that need to be clarified before performing the research. The first term would be the natural frequency. The natural frequency is the frequency of a system which oscillates freely without the action of external force  [1]  . Another term that is important is resonance. Resonance is the state which the frequency of the externally applied periodic force equals the natural frequency of the system.  [2]  .All objects have their own resonance frequency. This includes glasses. 2.0 Research Question This extended essay will be guided by two research questions. The research questions formed were set to be the parameters of this essay. First research question: Research Question: Does changing the size of the beaker affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter the glass by sound resonance? Three beakers with different diameters of rim of glass are used to test the ability of sound waves to break the beakers. Type of glass Size of glass Diameter of rim of glass, cm ( ±0.01cm) Beaker A Small 6.28 Beaker B Medium 9.46 Beaker C Large 11.39 Table 2.01: Size of the glass and the diameter of the rim of the glass for Beakers A and B and C Second Research Question: Research Question: Does changing the shape of the glass affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter the glass by sound resonance? Different glass can be moulded into different kinds of shape. Different shapes of glass are used to test the ability of sound waves to break the glass at its natural frequency. Type of glass Diameter of rim of glass/cm Shape of the glass Beaker A 6.28 Straight shape Wineglass A 6.13 Curvature (inwards at the rim) Wineglass B 6.31 Curvature (outwards at the rim) Table 2.02: The table of the diameter of the rim of the glass, the shape of the glass for Beaker A , Wineglass A and Wineglass B. 3.0 Variables Experiment I Dependent: The amplitude of the sound waves needed to shatter the glass. Independent: The size of the beaker used. Constant: The natural frequency of the glass, the thickness, type and shape of the glass. Experiment II Dependent: The amplitude of the sound waves needed to shatter the glass. Independent: The shape of the glass being used (beaker and wineglass). Constant: The natural frequency of the glass, the thickness, type and size of the glass. 4.0 Apparatus and Materials Apparatus Quantity 1000ml beaker 1 600ml beaker 1 150ml beaker 1 Wineglass 1 Wineglass with outwards curvature at the rim 1 Metal spoon 1 Microphone 1 Headphones 1 Eye Goggles 1 60 Watt Speaker/Amplifier(Roland Cube 60X) 1 Cool Edit Pro 2.0 (Frequency analyzer)-laptop 1 Signal/Frequency generator(Programmable analysis software) 1 Vernier Calliper 1 In this experiment, most of the apparatus and material were available at the science laboratory. The apparatus and materials used are: Table 4.1 Table of list of apparatus and materials and the quantity used. 5.0 Methodology 5.1 Safety Precaution The experiment must be done by wearing eye goggles and headset/earplugs because of the danger posed by shattering glass and due to the hazard posed by the high pitched sound. 5.2 Making a measurement for the frequency of glass Frequency is very important in this experiment. Frequency of the glass can be determined by hearing the ping sound produced when hitting the glass with a metal spoon. But it will only show the qualitative result which is not the actual frequency of the glass. In order to get the quantitative data for the frequency of the glass, a microphone was used and connected to a laptop so that the sound could be analyzed by using the software, Cool Edit Pro 2.0 by Syntrillium Software Corporation. The software Cool Edit Pro 2.0 detects the sound produced by the glass and changes the sound into a Sine-wave. The wave form will be very dense and close to each other. A stable form of sine wave needs to be chosen in order to find the period for the wave. The frequency of the glass can be found by using the formula: Where, f = frequency of glass T = period of glass The frequency that measured is the frequency of the glass. Then the frequency needs to be trailed around  ±100 Hz to get the actual natural frequency of the glass that can resonate the glass easily. Experiment I and Experiment II The steps for Experiment I and Experiment II are the same. The only difference is that for Experiment I, three beakers with a different diameter at the mouth of the glass are used. Measure the diameter of the glasses using vernier callipers and label it as Beaker A, Beaker B and Beaker C. Then, for Experiment II, three type of glass are used: a beaker, a wineglass with an inward curvature and a wineglass with an outward curvature. The glasses are labeled as Beaker A, Wineglass A and Wineglass B. After that, for Experiment I, Beaker A is taken to start the first experiment. The frequency for Beaker A is found by using the steps as stated earlier. Roland Cube 60X, an amplifier with a built in loudspeaker which is capable of generating more than 110dB of power of sound is used to shatter the glass. Place the beaker very near to the speaker to so that it is in full contact with the glass. The frequency of the sound is generated by using a frequency signal generator. The frequency signal generator will produce sound waves with the desired frequency, generated by the Roland Cube 60X. The frequency generated will be tested on the beaker; a straw is put into the beaker to see the vibration of the beaker. Then, the volume of the sound is increased until the beaker expands and shatters. The amplitude of sound produced by the Roland Cube 60X that caused the glass to shatter is then recorded. All the data is recorded in a table .The experiment is then repeated by using the Beaker B followed by Beaker C. All the steps for Experiment I are then repeated in Experiment II. In this experiment the glasses are changed into three different shapes of glass: Beaker A, Wineglass A and Wineglass B. 6.0 Data Collection and Processing This section explains the data collected after the experiment was conducted. All the data was taken when tabulated into the table as shown in the table below: Experiment 1 Type of glass Diameter of rim of glass/cm ( ±0.01cm) Frequency of the glass calculated, Hz ( ±1Hz) Actual Natural Frequency of the glass,Hz ( ±1Hz) Amplitude of sound needed , dB( ±1dB) Beaker A 6.28 1515 1466 123 Beaker B 9.46 689 747 128 Beaker C 11.39 625 658 130 Table 6.1: Table of Diameter of rim of glass , natural frequency, the actual natural frequency and the amplitude of the sound needed to break the beaker A,B and C The highest frequency calculated is Beaker A, followed by Beaker B then Beaker C. In this experiment, Beaker A only needs 123 dB to reach its elastic limit. Beaker B needs 128 dB to be broken into pieces while Beaker C is the hardest to shatter, needing 130 dB amplitude of sound to break the beaker. Experiment 2 The data from the second experiment was tabulated in the table below. Type of glass Diameter of rim of glass/cm ( ±0.01cm) Frequency of the glass calculated, Hz ( ±1Hz) Actual Natural Frequency of the glass,Hz ( ±1Hz) Amplitude of sound needed , dB( ±1dB) Beaker A 6.28 1515 1466 125 Wineglass A 6.13 1250 1153 132 Wineglass B 6.17 1449 1388 Cannot be broken Table 6.2: Table of Diameter of rim of glass, natural frequency, the actual natural frequency and the amplitude of the sound needed to break the Beaker A, Wineglasses A and B In this experiment, the highest natural frequency for the glasses is Beaker A. Wineglass B is the second highest followed by Wineglass A. All of the glasses are shattered at their natural frequency except for Wineglass B. Wineglass B cannot be broken, which will be explained in the discussion section of this paper. 7.0 Discussion and Analysis 7.1 How glass can be shattered This part of extended essay will explain the actual concept of how a glass can be shattered. There are several factors that will affect the ability of sound to break a glass. The sound wave used to resonate the glass must be of a high pitch and it will start to make the object vibrate. The constructive interference occurring at the glass walls make the vibration of the glass more visible. Then the following conditions will happen: Figure 7.1a Figure 7.1b Figure 7.1 Figure of an exaggerated example of the view of the rim of the glass from the top view when the sound wave is generated to the glass In the diagram above, it shows that in figure 7.1a, there will be four nodes when the sound wave is resonated to the glass. This type of condition occurs if the frequency generated is the same as the natural frequency of the glass and the amplitude of the sound produced is high. If the amplitude is further increased, the shape of the ellipsoidal rim will increase until it reaches an elastic point until the glass shatters. Comparatively, the diagram in figure 7.1b shows there will be six nodes produced when a higher or lower frequency than the natural frequency of the glass is used to resonate the glass. This is not the most efficient frequency for the oscillation of the glass. Thus the rim of the glass will vibrate in all directions. Below are the properties that will occur when the glass resonates: When sound waves are generated to the wall of glass, constructive interference will occur and the glass will oscillate inwards and turn into an ellipsoidal-like shape at A as shown in the figure. The ellipsoidal-like shape which oscillates inwards will be reflected back to its original position as it doesnt have enough energy (amplitude of sound) to reach its elastic limit B The reflected oscillation of the glass will then exceed its actual rim position as it will oscillate in an ellipsoidal-like shape outwards of the actual rim shape at B. The oscillation will continue as long as the frequency generated is the same as the natural frequency of the glass. But to exceed the elasticity limit of the glass, a higher amplitude of sound wave needs to be generated. A longer ellipsoidal-like shape will be produced. Later will exceed the elastic limit and break the glass into pieces. Diagram 7.2- Properties of wineglass when it undergoes resonance If a different frequency rather than its natural frequency is used, more nodes of oscillation will be produced and it is harder to break as it doesnt reach the glass elasticity limit, as shown in diagram above. The lower number of nodes produced, the further the stretch of the oscillation will be. 7.2 The quality factor (Q-factor) Q factor is a dimensionless parameter that describes how under-damped an oscillator or resonator is  [3]  . It is known that Q factor is inversely proportional with damping  [4]  . The Q factor can be determined by measuring the time taken for the glass from rim to steady mode and has the highest resonance frequency. In the experiment of shattering of glass using sound resonance, the glass cannot be affected by any damping massively. Damping is the decrease in the amplitude of an oscillating system  [5]  . Damping will oppose the direction of vibration of the glass so that it can reduce the glasss vibration. Thus for shattering a glass, the glass with a high Q factor is the best as it will have less damping and higher resonance frequency. Experiment I ( size of the beaker) In this experiment the only difference between the beakers is the size of the beakers. It brings a difference to the amplitude of the sound wave needed to break the glass. After the experiment has been done, it becomes clear that there is a connection between the size of the beaker and the ability of the sound to break the glass. From the result, it can be seen that smaller sized glass beaker will break more easily when sound wave of its natural frequency is directed to the wall of the glass. However, it is hard to investigate the exact math relationship between the natural frequency of the glass and the amplitude of the sound wave needed to break the glass. The high amplitude is used to expand the solid state of the glass to a more elastic shape ( liquid state characteristic) of the glass so that the intermolecular forces between the particles can be overcome. In this experiment, the easiest glass to break by sound resonance is Beaker A as the amplitude needed to break the glass is the lowest when compared to the other beakers. This is because the beaker has a high resonance frequency. When the resonance frequency of the beaker is high, the beaker will vibrate more in a period of time. Since the glass is vibrating at a high frequency, the damping effect on the glass less effective. As small beakers will have a low damping effect, the elastic limit for the glass will also be lower. Thus less energy (amplitude of sound) needed to shatter the glass. So for the Beaker A, the size of the beaker is small, the resonance frequency is high and the damping effect is low, thus the quality factor for the glass is high. That is why lower amplitude of sound is required to shatter Beaker A For Beaker B, higher amplitude of sound is needed to break the beaker. This because the size of the glass is bigger than Beaker A. Beaker B will have a lower resonant frequency compared to Beaker A. This is because the natural frequency of Beaker B is lower when compared to Beaker A. Thus there will be less vibration of the particles of glass per second. As the resonant frequency of the glass is lower when compared to Beaker A, the damping for Beaker B will be higher when compared to Beaker A. Therefore, the elastic limit for the glass to break will also be higher when compared to Beaker A. Since damping is inversely proportional to Q factor, thus the Q factor of Beaker B will be lower when compared to Beaker A,. Thus it will require a higher concentration of energy (amplitude of sound) to reach the four nodes mode oscillation of glass and later to exceed the elastic limit of the glass. The hardest beaker to shatter is Beaker C. This is because the size of Beaker C is bigger than Beaker B and Beaker A. In this case, the glass with the lowest resonance frequency is Beaker C. This is because the frequency of Beaker C is very low when compared to the other two beakers. Lower frequency means a lower number of vibrations of the particles of glass per second. Thus there will be a higher damping effect for Beaker C. Damping will oppose the force of the vibration, thus making it harder for the glass to resonate. The Q factor for Beaker C is the lowest compared to Beakers B and A. Thus the amplitude needed to break Beaker C will be the highest as the beaker need more energy to reach the beakers elastic limit. What is needed for the glass is to have a strong resonance where it will vibrate at a higher resonant frequency, with less damping effect and a high Q factor. Then it is possible to force the beaker to vibrate with a bigger displacement and then break. Experiment II ( Shape of the glass) In this experiment, the most important factor that is manipulated is the shape of the glass. The shapes used in this experiment consist of shapes that have tall sides and sides with curvature. These two shapes of glass can be broken easily by sound resonance because of the structure of glass that has a certain type of periodic structure. The connection between the sound resonance and the periodic structure of the glass makes the vibration of the glass stronger. Strong vibration can reach the four nodes mode of the glass until it reaches the elastic limit of the glass. The shape of Beaker A is with less curve and more tall sides when compared to the wine glass with curved inward or outward sides of glass. The amplitude needed to break Beaker A, Wineglass A and Wineglass B are not the same as the shape of the side wall of the glass will play a major role in the ability of sound to break the glass. When comparing all three type of glass, the glass most easily shattered is Beaker A. Having a glass with tall sides with minimum curve promotes better vibration of the glass and makes it easier to break. This is because; there will be less damping effect that will occur when using Beaker A. The tall sides with minimum curve will reduce the damping effect of the beaker. Since the damping effect for Beaker A is low, the resonance frequency of Beaker A will be high and thats why the natural frequency of the beaker A is the highest. Since the Q factor is inversely proportional to the damping effect, thus Beaker A has the highest Q factor. Thats why lower ampli tude of sound is needed to shatter the beaker when compared to Wineglasses A and B. The curved shape of Wineglass A makes it hard for the glass to resonate at its natural frequency. Curved walls make the glass wall more suitable for damping. Due to the damping effect, the structure of the curvature in the wall can easily reshape to its actual position even though it vibrates under sound resonance. This will increase the elastic limit of the glass thus making it harder for Wineglass A to shatter. Thats why Wineglass A needs higher amplitude of sound to break the glass when compared to Beaker A. As the damping effect for Wineglass A is higher than Beaker A, thus the resonance frequency of wineglass A is lower when compared to Beaker B and the Q factor for Wineglass A is lower when compared to Beaker B. Thus Wineglass A is more resistant to being broken by sound resonance when compared to Beaker A. In contrast, Wineglass B is different from Wineglass A and Beaker A. This is because Wineglass B cannot be shattered even though 140 decibels of sound are emitted to the glass. The shape of the wineglass itself causes it to stay rigid and it cannot be shattered. The shape of Wineglass B is curved outwards at the rim of the glass. The shape of Wineglass B makes the wineglass easier for damping. This is because, when Wineglass B is resonated at its natural frequency, it is hard for constructive interference to occur between the waves as damping occurs easily. The damping effect of Wineglass B is higher when compared to Wineglass A and Beaker A as the shape of Wineglass B is not a periodic structure. Though the natural frequency of Wineglass B is higher than Wineglass A , Wineglass B still cannot be shattered into pieces because the energy supplied to the glass is not enough to overcome the high damping effect of the glass. Thus in this experiment, glass with sides which dont curve in t oo much at the top and also have tall sides of wall of the glass are most easily shattered by using sound resonance. Conclusion and Evaluation There are several factors that affect the shattering of glass such as the size of the glass, the shape of the glass, the thickness of the glass and also the type of glass used. In this experiment, the research concerned the question: does changing the size of the beaker affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter the glass? After conducting the experiment, it can be seen that in Experiment I, the lowest amplitude needed to break the glass is on the smallest beaker which is Beaker A. It only needs amplitude of 123dB to shatter a glass with diameter of 6.28cm The second easiest size of glass to be broken by sound resonance is Beaker B; it only needs an amplitude of 128dB to shatter a glass with the diameter of 9.46cm. The most difficult beaker to shattered through sound is Beaker C as it needs an amplitude of 130dB to shatter a glass with diameter of 11.39cm. This answers the research question as there is a pattern to the ability of sound to shatter glass: the smaller the size of t he beaker, the easier it is for the glass to be shattered as it requires lower amplitude of sound. Thus the size of glass plays an important role in determining the amplitude of sound needed to break the glass. For the second experiment, the investigation was based on the research question of does changing the shape of the glass affect the amplitude of sound needed to shatter the glass by sound resonance? The result from the experiment proves that the less the curvature of wall of the glass, the more easily the glass is shattered by sound resonance. In this experiment, Beaker A has the lowest curvature structure of the wall and it requires 125 dB of amplitude of sound to shatter the glass. It is followed by the Wineglass A with the wall curved inwards. Wineglass A needs a sound with amplitude of 132dB to shatter the glass. Wineglass B cannot be shattered by sound resonance. Thus the Wineglass B is the hardest to shatter by sound resonance when compared to Beaker A and Wineglass A. Thus a different shape of glass needs a different amplitude of sound to shatter it and in this experiment Beaker A is the easiest to shatter. The method used in this research is not the most efficient way to find the amplitude of sound needed to break glass. This is because there are weaknesses and limitations to this experiment that can affect the results of the experiment. One of the weaknesses of the experiment was the calculation of the natural frequency of the glass. The natural frequency of the glass, which was calculated by using the software Cool Edit Pro, was not accurate enough. That is why to get the actual natural frequency of the glass was hard because we need to trail at about  ±100Hz. This is because when recording the sound produced when the glass is hit by a metal spoon, there will invariably be a background sound recorded along with the sound from the glass. Thus this will affect the frequency of the glass calculated. Instead of using the microphone and Cool Edit Pro, another device can be used to detect the frequency of the glass: a frequency analyser. Another weakness of the experiment was that the sound generated by the amplifier wasnt concentrated enough upon the glass. This is because there might have been leakage of the sound energy. The size of the amplifier was very big and the sound directed to the glass was not efficient enough, thus it will have excited the glass in an inefficient way. But this can be overcome by using a compression driver. This is because the compression driver has a small diaphragm. Thus it can concentrate and direct the sound into one side of the glass wall. This way of generating sound is more efficient when compared to using Roland Cube 60X. The sound from the compression driver also needs to be generated close to the wall of the glass. To reduce the leakage of the sound, a Perspex box should be used so that all the sound energy will be concentrated upon the glass. The biggest limitation of the research is that the apparatus that can be found in the college library makes it hard to break the glass efficiently. This is why it is hard to break the wineglass and also the beaker at its natural frequency. The apparatus that was used from the college laboratory made it impossible to perform extensive research into the experiment. That is why it is hard to break Wineglass B with the apparatus. The apparatus that can be improved is using a compression driver instead of the loudspeaker/amplifier. Other than that, instead of detecting the volume by using the amplifier, a volume meter in decibels should be used so that a more accurate measurement of the amplitude of sound can be measured. The experiment can be extended into more in depth research by using a greater variety of sizes of glasses so that a pattern can be seen for the volume of sound needed to shatter the glass. Other than that, a greater variety of different shapes of glass also should be used so that a standard measurement of the volume of the sound needed to shatter the glass can be calculated. This experiment is important as it will explore the effect of sound resonance upon our lives. Sound resonance can vibrate any object in the world, thus this experiment has been to explore the beauty of the mechanical resonance that can distort the shape of glass.

How Do Humans Acquire Language? Essay -- essays research papers fc

How Do Humans Acquire Language?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Humans live in a world full of communication. Humans possess a native language that separates them from other animals. Language is developed within the first few years of a person’s life. By the time one is a child; he can speak and understand almost as well as an adult. Children world-wide exhibit similar patterns of language acquisition even though they may be learning different languages. How humans learn even the most complicated languages has perplexed the minds of many scientists. Two of the most popular beliefs on language acquisition today are held by Skinner and Chomsky. Their opposing belief on how humans acquire language has become the two standard views on this complicated issue; however, other researchers have also reported convincing theories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some theories of language acquisition that are not as commonly recognized as Skinner’s or Chomsky’s theories are still important in understanding language development. â€Å"Even before using any words, the infant learns to communicate through gestures, facial expressions, and reciprocal vocalization with a caretaker† (Levine 4). These nonverbal behaviors are very important for an individual’s speech development. Another author, Fromkin reported that: Children diagnosed at birth as mentally retarded acquire language in the same way as those with normal intelligence. Not only can children learn any of the thousands of languages that exist in the world, they do so without being overtly taught. It is difficult, if not impossible, to account for this ability without assuming that the brain is genetically ‘pre-wired’ for language. (2) One renowned researcher of language acquisition, Pinker, endorses language as being an instinct. The term instinct conveys the idea that: People know how to talk in more or less the sense that spiders know how to spin webs. Web-spinning was not invented by some unsung spider genius and does not depend on having had the right education or on having an aptitude for architecture or the construction trades. Rather, spiders spin spider webs because they have spider brains, which give them the urge to spin and the competence to succeed. Although there are differences between webs and words, [†¦] it helps to make sense of the phenomena. (5) Pinker also acknowledged that Darwin was the first to articu... ...suggested that language was developed through observational learning and classical conditioning. Some people believe that language development is a combination of the two theories and language development cannot occur unless both are present. Thus far, it is not precisely known how humans develop language. If researchers discovered how humans acquire language, they may be able to solve the problem individuals with hearing impairments experience or prevent hearing impairments from occurring. Works Cited Berry, Mildred. Language Disorders of Children: The Bases and Diagnoses. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1969. Fromkin, Victoria. â€Å"The State of Brain/Language Research.† Language, Communication, and the Brain. 66 (1988): 189-214. Gazzaniga, Michael & Heatherton, Todd. Psychological Science: Mind, Brain, and Behavior. New York: Norton, 2003. Hamaguchi, Patricia. Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parents Should Know. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1995. Levine, Linda. Great Beginnings for Early Language Learning. Tucson: Communication Skill Builders, 1988. Pinker, Steven. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. New York: Morrow, 1994.

Macbeth †explain in an essay format how I would direct Act2, Scene1 Essay

I am now going to explain in an essay format how I would direct Act2, Scene1 and what I would change from how the play has been originally shown. If I was directing Act 2 Scene 1, I would want Macbeth to appear to the audience as if he is cracking under the pressure and for him to appear insane, unhappy and insecure. Macbeth acts different from when we first saw him with Banquo, as now he is about to commit a crime of treason and kill his beloved King. This is very different from when we first saw him as he loved his King and he would die for him but now it is in reverse. This is important that the audience understand he is very different and not the same person due to his greed for power. It is imperative that he is portrayed this way so the audience can see he is weaker and worse of especially as his wife, Lady Macbeth has been pressuring him in to completing his task of murdering King Duncan. If it was not for his wife then I do not think that Macbeth would have gone through with it. This change in Macbeth’s character will hopefully have an affect on the audience so they can see how the three witches and his wife have affected him and his state of mind. Macbeth is realizing that he is weaker than he thought and that he is making a mistake, he doesn’t want to commit the murder but his wife pushes and pressures him into killing his King. This shows the audience that at this time Lady Macbeth is stronger than Macbeth and in a better state of mind. He starts to imagine things and this is a sign of him being insane, and mentally unstable. â€Å"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me Clutch thee.† p. 43 This speech is important in the understanding of Macbeth’s role in this scene. So I would want Macbeth to be sitting at the end of a table and to †¦ say this in such a way that the audience can see him turning mentally insane. I would want him saying the sentence slowly and negatively, emphasising â€Å"toward† as if he is surprised about it, also holding a dagger infront of him looking at it up and down with eyes that look blurred feeling the blade. Also I would want a low-angled shot showing him overcastting the camera to give that extra touch of madness during the first line. Then I would also have a close up of him holding the dagger to get his face and dagger in the same camera shot for the last two lines. To add to the tension of this speech there would be music playing in the background that would be farley heavy to give the impression of evil and what is about to happen. This will make the audience grasp his character and understand what he is going through at this time in the play. After this speech I would have had Macbeth walking up the stairs with the dagger looking bedazzled and insane and then I would have him raise it above his head as he reached the top of the stairs. After he comes out of the room I would have him looking down at his hands ready to brake down and crumble at his knees. Once he reaches his room I would have him collapse onto the bed and lay there feeling guilty. Also when he looks at his hands I would have him start to shed tears to show that he is a wimp and insecure.

Physical Injury To The Brain Affect Overall Function Coursework

Physical Injury To The Brain Affect Overall Function Coursework Physical Injury To The Brain Affect Overall Function – Coursework Example Brain Injury of Different Lobes Different parts of brain are responsible for various functions in human body: some control vision, other take care of muscles work. Still there are numerous body functions the centers of which seem to be located in several parts of the brain. Obviously, injury or trauma of some part of brain will result in the impairment of certain function. Frontal lobe is responsible for various types of control. When it is injured the person may find it hard to make decision, solve problems, and sequence certain tasks. It is also more difficult to concentrate attention and control one`s personality because of unpredictability and spontaneity. Verbal expression of an individual is impaired and it gets harder and harder to control one`s emotions (Brain Injury, 2012).Temporal lobe injury often results in people decreased understanding of spoken word. Moreover, it is hard for many to deliberately pay attention to certain things so selective attention is weak. Sexual beh aviour changes: the appetites might increase enormously or it can vanish totally. A person with injured temporal lobe is often more aggressive. Identification and categorization of different objects becomes a complicated task. A person may also find it hard recognize people`s faces and find the objects in space.Parietal lobe is responsible for higher cognitive functions so the person with the injury in this part may have decreased cognitive abilities. Memory, attention, analytical skills are impaired and person`s academic success may suffer. Orientation in space, tactile processing may also be impaired. Injury in occipital lobe results in problems with vision: identifying colors, locating objects, writing, and reading (Brain Injury Recourses Guide, 2014).Cerebellum is responsible for motor activity and the injury of this part of the brain results in difficulty with keeping balance, equilibrium and overall orientation in space. Brain stem is crucial for the work of the body. It contr ols body temperature, heart rate, breathing and swallowing. Impairment of these functions cause many troubles as they are often taken for granted.ReferencesBrain Injury Recourses Guide (2014). Center for Neuro Skills. Retrieved from: neuroskills.com/brain-injury/brain-function.phpBrain Injury (2012). Brain Injury Institute. Retrieved from: braininjuryinstitute.org/Brain-Injury-Types/Frontal-Lobe-Damage.html