physic Essays - Elementary Particles, Particle Physics, Dark Matter

Physics covers a wide range of phenomena, from elementary particles (such as quarks, neutrinos and electrons) to the largest superclusters of galaxies. Included in these phenomena are the most basic objects from which all other things are composed, and therefore physics is sometimes called the "fundamental science".[8] Physics aims to describe the various phenomenon that occur in nature in terms of simpler phenomena. Thus, physics aims to both connect the things observable to humans to root causes, and then to try to connect these causes together. For example, the ancient Chinese observed that certain rocks (lodestone) were attracted to one another by some invisible force. This effect was later called magnetism, and was first rigorously studied in the 17th century. A little earlier than the Chinese, the ancient Greeks knew of other objects such as amber, that when rubbed with fur would cause a similar invisible attraction between the two. This was also first studied rigorously in the 17th century, and came to be called electricity. Thus, physics had come to understand two observations of nature in terms of some root cause (electricity and magnetism). However, further work in the 19th century revealed that these two forces were just two different aspects of one force ? electromagnetism. This process of "unifying" forces continues today, and electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force are now considered to be two aspects of the electroweak interaction. Physics hopes to find an ultimate reason (Theory of Everything) for why natur e is as it is (see section Current research below for more information).

Euthanasia..Justifying Your Right to Die essays

Euthanasia..Justifying Your Right to Die essays Over the years, the practice of physician-assisted suicide, affectionately know as euthanasia, has evolved into one of the biggest social issues in the United States and the world. There have been many controversies over whether or not euthanasia is justified. To some people in the United States, euthanasia is considered murder while to others it is seen as completely understandable. Life belongs to the one person living it. The decision whether to end or continue that life is completely up to that one party. If someone felt, for very good reason, that there was nothing left for them on earth but more pain and suffering, there is no one who should legally be allowed to tell them they are wrong and force them on until natural death. With the right steps taken and specific rules surrounding guided suicide, making it a legal practice makes sense and is something this country should take serious steps towards looking into. The argument is often made that if a person is in a lot of pain and has been suffering for quite a while; their mental capacity to make a life or death decision is impaired. For others who oppose euthanasia, fear of a slippery slope would follow its legalization. This means that once it is legal to do this, the procedure may be taken advantage of and administered too often and for more selfish reasons either from the family or the health care professional. And a third reason why many disagree with helping someone along the way to suicide would be the religious aspect of the procedure. Some say it should be left into the hands of God to decide the fate of human being. Taking a life is playing the role of God and is strongly opposed and sometimes equated with murder. If physician-assisted suicide was to be made legal, before anything is done it is up to the doctor to not only get a second opinion on the physical aspects of the patients condition, but to evaluate his or her state of mind as well. ...

How should we use the public space Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How should we use the public space - Essay Example This essay deals with public spaces and private interests, which clash to abridge our rights. Let us look for a meaning of the two words ‘public space’. Word ‘Public’ is an adjective which connotes ‘open to all / accessible to all / not private, and, the word ‘Space’ is a noun meaning in this context, ‘an area / expanse’. So in essence, a public space is an expansive area, open to all and one which is not private. Or so, as most of us would like to think. Historically speaking public spaces always existed. The agoras of the ancient Greeks, the chaupals of the northern India and the temple premises of the southern India, the Hyde Park in London are some of the examples of public spaces where people gathered to participate in public discourses. Public interaction and free exchange of opinions and ideas have always resulted in progress of social, political and economical awareness, for the good of the humanity. Modernization and migration of rural populations to urban areas had a significant impact on the traditional meaning and purpose of public spaces. Rampant commercialization is encroaching more and more into our open spaces. Large open spaces with natural endowments like trees, brooks, hills, green fields and meadows are now confined to countryside only and are non-existent in cities, towns and suburbs. While the populations are shifting to suburban areas for reasons of cleaner air and peaceful environs, the natural open spaces even in those areas are also being converted to shopping malls, manicured gardens, water sport centers or walking tracks with a toll gate! These are the neo-public spaces with a private fee, like the neocons with an axe or two to grind. The fast pace of life leaves us practically no time for a stroll round the corner for a quiet chat. With the electronic media blaring its ‘breaking news’ every

Harriet Jacobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harriet Jacobs - Essay Example Norcom. Dr. Norcom (given the pseudonym Dr. Flint in her Jacobs’ novel) would play an influential role in the life of Jacobs, sexually abusing her for most of her early life as a slave girl and threatening her should she refuse him. All of these factors led to Harriet Jacobs leading a difficult early life, which she recorded in her memoir Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Life for Harriet Jacobs as a slave girl in the south was not easy. Although her parents were considered to be relatively high status for slaves, her mother’s early death meant that she was alone and under the full control of slave masters for the entirety of her early life. Dr. Norcom (Flint) began to sexually harass Jacobs just a few years after she was entrusted to his care. Jacobs was still very young at this point, and this sexual harassment would be one of the major influences on her life and her later writing. Cleverly, Harriet consented to the sexual advances of another white man (Mr. Sands ), which she thought would prevent Dr. Flint from sexually harassing her. Although Jacobs has said that she did not love this man and did not find it to be a Christian relationship, it was still preferably to being abused at the hands of Flint. Dr.

``The Rise of Silas Lapham by Dean Howells Essay Example for Free

The Rise of Silas Lapham by Dean Howells Essay Argumentative thesis : In Dean Howells The Rise of Silas Lapham, Silas was a man victimized of the Gilded age as seem through the sudden immigration of his family to Boston and his obscure and ambitious attempt of permeating the upper social strata by means of having his daughters marry an elite of the aspired social ground, and having his business on a set back. All of which points a significance in the development of the Gilded age. Introduction The Gilded Age in American history is marked by the growth of industry and wave of immigrants along the territorial arena. Coined by Mark Twain, the age refers to the period of conspicuous luxury yet corrupted beneath. There was a development in railroad industry, and steel and oil production instantly were in great demand during this period. Some men, hence, has been prominently a subject to opportunities of formidable opulence and wealth. To name, there was John D. Rockefeller famed for his oil success and Arnold Carnegie renowned for his steel undertakings. known both as robber barons (people who acquired wealth and fortune through various ruthless business deals). While several people distinctively wore diamonds, there are however still a number of people who clothed rags. And as a consequence of the well-offs immodesty towards the working class of the time, revolts ideal of and accompanied by revenge were instilled upon the urban poors psyche. Point of view of Howells The Rise of Silas Lapham by W.D. Howells portrays the societal views of discrimination during the Gilded era. Furthermore, it highlights the changing roles of women in the context of traditional society, consequently partitioning rights unto feminists. W.D. Howells The Rise of Silas Lapham is a story about the materialist rise of an American man through the establishment of his fortune upon his fathers discovery of a vast amount of mineral grade. The narrative focuses on the societal differences distinctively acknowledged by both newly-rich and old-rich milieu. In addition, the book draws attention to the clashing and shifting of moral and financial profits of the newly-rich and the substantial growth of the old-rich society. The newly-rich social order has managed to rise above the old-rich yet still far less in culture and manners. on the other hand, it was the refinement and social sophistication that the old-rich tries and ventures to maintain. Howells’ protagonists The storys protagonist, Silas, despite being a man of affluence, still happens to possess no social standard typical of the rich ones. He still further finds it difficult to adjust his and his familys lifestyle into the new realm of wealth they have in their newfound place. Seemingly, this first and foremost conflict brought about by his sudden rise in the social class, puts him into a victims shoe during the Gilded age. Consequently, the blinding actuality of luxury and wealth deprives Silas of the notion of morality. Silas Lapham tries to attain such a social standard through the venture of having his two daughters marry an elite class from the Aristocratic family of the Corey. This particular area of the novel, however tracks down Silas fatality as a businessman. Apparently the distinct division or societal strata imposed upon by the time significantly poses the realist and materialist subjugation of Silas Lapham towards the nature and effects of the Gilded age. Archetypal of the Gilded age was the height of economic prowess among the people of America and the relocations to other places by the rich. This immigration flight is paralleled to Silas Laphams immediate acquisition of wealth and his familys resettlement to Boston. Subsequently, such reposition corrupted Silas Lapham of his previous moral obligations as seen on the first chapter of the book.   We quote a passage from the book most which most illustrative,   â€Å"she [mother] was a little frail thing, not bigger than a good-sized intermediate school-girl but she did the whole work of a family of boys, and boarded the hired men besides. Silas’ mother was depicted as frail yet did all the housework alone including taking care of the hired men. And still she managed to have time for church and teach her sons to read the Bible (Howells, 1993). Silas’ mother was good but apparently, the image and picture of a mother did not in anyway affected Silas. This despite the imagery which was highlighted by Howells wherein Silas narrated or viewing her mother kneeling while in a church service and it reminded him of his mother cleaning him up for bed on her knees washing his dirty feet. An non-immutable class Evidently, Silas at a younger age seemed to have a manner of neglect on his mothers moral inculcations while running bare all day and having then the luxury of being fixed decent for bed by his mother. This same attitude exuded by Silas appears to be distinguished upon his sudden fortune. Drowned in luxury, he administered his business in paint and ignored the goodwill of being such a business-oriented individual during the time. Furthermore, Silas Laphams extravagant objective of entering the class-above through the marriage of one of his daughters to Tom Corey, a wealthy Aristocrat in the truest sense, signaled the downfall of his entrepreneurship. This fall is significant also to the constituents of the Gilded Era. Howells’ prose is full of powerful imageries hence the book is not so a discourse but a depiction of the fundamental conflict which gave the Gilded Era its characteristic trait. Thus adversity is a friend but it took away the hope of a social success.   Wealth made the new rich but it is no guarantee of social acceptance. Hence redemption is through failure, a return to the fundamental trait and character.   Manhood to Howells’ Lapham was taken away by prosperity but prosperity was the alpha and the omega of the Gilded Age. Emptiness could be the thematic running through the lines of The Rise of Silas Lapham (Howells, 1993). This part of the book correlates the failure of Silas to belong and be among the respected class in his society. Despite the fat that Silass daughter Penelope, had accepted the marriage proffered by Tom Corey, it is evident that such means of penetrating the upper classs culture still is not enough to sustain his grasp from fortune. This could be due to the fact that the Coreys and Laphams are incongruent in class. Tom Corey could not let go of his class, could not betray class loyalty as if class is something permanent. We could see this on a passage of Howells depicting the feeling of Corey on their basic difference with Lapham. Howells offered an insight to the psyche of the aristocrat. Corey deliberated snubbed Lapham by going into the larger office, a symbolic place unreachable to Lapham.   In this scene, Corey was furious at Lapham for no other reason than culture as this passage described, â€Å"he thought of him the night before in the company of those ladies and gentlemen, and he quivered in resentment of his vulgar, braggart, uncouth nature (Howells, 1993).† The question of class of being born into was delved further by Howell. He explored allegiance to the â€Å"exclusiveness to which he was born and bred, as a man perceives his duty to his country when her rights are invaded (Howells, 1993).† The seeming innocence of Lapham, the simplicity of his social breeding has made the Corey character detest not Lapham personally but what he represents. Thus this passage of Howells depicting such social conflict connected pride, social traditions, suppressed emotions and feelings in the persona of Corey, we quote thus, â€Å"the stings and flashes of his wounded pride, all the social traditions, all the habits of feeling, which he had silenced more and more by force of will during the past months, asserted their natural sway, and he rioted in his contempt of the offensive boor, who was even more offensive in his shame than in his trespass (Howell, 1993).† As a matter of speaking in fact, one can view this attitude of Tom towards Lapham as the truth behind every breed man, that you can take an individual from his class, but you cannot take the class itself from the individual. Rather interrogating the value of his class as Why are there effective markers designated to delineate each class? Tom simply stitched himself up with his classs doctrine to have a delineation or barrier among other classes. This mindset was among the Gilded Ages contribution to American vista and notion of social stratification, unmistakably portrayed in W.D. Howells The Rise of Silas Lapham. As a player in the said age of mental framework, Silas, nevertheless, have been sightless of the potential features and indication of his forthcoming downfall. Because of being at hand with invariable riches, and mentally bolstered to acquire even more, Silas had failed to point the rationalities of his actions. He made his purchased wealth as the object of his desires, thus, casting a victimized light upon the identity of Silas himself. The way it began, hope for change To further apprehend the casualty on Silas Laphams life, we point the fall of his business and his suppression to bankruptcy. Moreover, we can aim at the abrupt shift of control over his household as he turned ill. His wife, Peris has to slot in as to what had befallen the business and run the household herself. This instance indicates the strength cultivation and advancement of women in the society. In general, the Gilded Era has been portrayed by W.D. Howell in his book The Rise of Silas Lapham. The typical recurrences of events, social state of mind and the distinction of classes of the time as participated by Silas in the story envelopes well the idea of how people have geared and approached the materialism of the present time. References Herring, R. (2005-12-05 ). The Business of Marriage in The Rise of Silas Lapham (Publication. Retrieved 20 July 2007: http://locus.cwrl.utexas.edu/herring/node/9 Howells, W. D. (1983). The Rise of Silas Lapham : Penguin Books. THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM by William Dean Howells Library of America PB (Publication.: http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Rise-Of-Silas-Lapham-by-William-Dean-Howells-1991_W0QQitemZ160138548936QQihZ006QQcategoryZ377QQcmdZViewItem (Publication. Retrieved 20 July 2007: http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~de271296/SilasLapham.htm (Publication. Retrieved 20 July 2007: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/gilded (Publication. Retrieved 20 July 2007: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/gilded_age/index.cfm (Publication retrieved 20 July 2007: http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/etext94/silap10.htm (Publication retieved 20 July 2007: http://locus.cwrl.utexas.edu/herring/node/9

All Quiet on the Western Front Essays: Two Years :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

All Quiet on the Western Front   Two Years      The book I chose to read was All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. The story told in All Quiet on the Western Front occurs during the two years just before the Armistice ended World War I in November 1918. By 1916 when the story begins, World War I had already been underway for two years. From the beginning, World War I was fought in two areas, named for their geographical relationship to Germany. The Eastern Front extended into Russia, and the Western Front extended through Belgium into Northern France. The main character is a young man named Paul Baumer who is a 19 year-old private in the German army. It follows Paul trough the horrors of World War I. Paul joins the army after a recruiter named Kantorek pumps him and his friends full of glory and honor. Glory and honor they can get by joining up. Paul is excited that he is going off to war.   Once he arrives at the front he begins to understand the â€Å"terrible thing called war.† He realizes that war isn’t all glory, there is death and destruction. Paul learns to deal with the deaths of all his friends and how to keep his mind clear without turning into an animal. One of the big issues in the book was Kemmerich’s leather boots. At his death everybody was squabbling over who would get them. Remarque, in my opinion, shows you the pettiness between good friends because of war. Remarque kind of slips in these themes, some others are how terrible war really is, friendship is a must to stay alive on the battlefield, and World War I destroyed a generation.   During the time period of All Quiet on the Western Front the Russian were rebelling against Czar Nicholas II. Eventually him and his entire family were killed, and so began communist Russia. Also during this time European countries were colonizing Asia and Africa which was one of the causes of World War I. The Ottoman Empire collapses and the introduction of Henry Ford’s Model T.   If there was one thing that I learned from this book it is that war is not pretty. Despite what the recruiters and military personnel say, if there is a war you can die.

General Environmental Pollution and the KyotoProtocol

What is environmental pollution? It can be defined as the act of environmental contamination, usually caused by man-made wastes. The Environment and Opportunity Cost At first thought, these two concepts seem to be fairly unrelated. However, both of these concepts come down to one single principle – Scarcity. As economists, we have seen that society tries to make the best arrangements between various resources in order to gain maximum benefit. Unfortunately, these arrangements which provide maximum benefit to an individual or firm can have detrimental side effects to other individuals and/or firms. Environmental problems would not arise if there was a superabundance of resources. There would be no worries about running out of supplies. Most waste products could be easily and harmlessly dispersed if there were boundless oceans and atmosphere. Many of our environmental problems occur simply because we have tended to treat world resources as if they were limitless. Scarcity forces upon us the necessity of making choices by comparing alternatives. We are all aware that if limited resources are fully employed, an increase in the output of one commodity or service can only be achieved by having less of another – more resources being used to clean-up the environment will mean fewer resources available for consumer goods. (Explain opportunity cost and trade off) (Explain shifting of PPC inwards in long run due to unhealthy workforce and hence less productivity of workforce – should we locate at A or at B? – Most developed nations would aim for B whilst most developing nations would really produce at A) (Explain minimum consumption limited – why points below/above are unachievable) Economic Causes of Environmental Pollution Environmental pollution is basically caused due to economic actions of a firm – i.e. production of a good or service. Environmental pollution is a form of a negative externality. Most economic actions of firms contribute towards some external cost. This is illustrated below. The cost of producing oil, to a firm is C. However, this is only the private cost of production of oil – i.e. the cost of manufacturing oil to the firm, which includes its fixed and variable costs. The firm pays C to produce an output of Q. However, it does not take into account the social cost of producing oil. The social cost is the private cost plus any external costs. In this case, the external cost is the vertical distance between the two supply curves, E1T. The oil factory emits harmful chemicals which damages the environment. This, in the long run, causes health problems for the local residents, as it contaminates the air, soil and water. These infected inhabitants will need to be treated at the NHS. This is ultimately funded by the government, who pays the cost of cleanup. In order to bare this cost on the firm, the government must try to equate MPC with MSC, as the product is currently being overproduced, from society's point of view. In order to do this, it must set policies to shift the MPC curve leftwards to the MSC curve, by basically reducing supply. At this point, the cost to the firm will be C1 at an output level of Q1. At this reduced output level, a social optimum point will be reached. However, reducing production can lead to a firms cost increasing, as it moves leftwards on the AC curve. If such an increase in costs comes from a more vital product, say oil, it can cause cost-push inflation in the economy. We shall now take a real-life example of the French oil industry and a French oil company called TotalFinaElf. TFE has consistently been leading the list for the worst French polluters, followed by other French oil firms. The French government, a couple of years ago decided to implement more stringent policies in order to reduce pollution and environmental damage. The policies that were implemented have been discussed below. 1. The first policy implemented was a flat rate tax. The tax leads to an increase in the cost of production, a reduction in production and hence a reduction in pollution. The social optimum point of production is at OQ, where the firm pays tax equal to EQ. This is equal to its marginal profit in pollution and hence there is no profit on the last unit. However, the French government soon realised that such a policy was not very effective for a number of reasons. It placed the same amount of tax on producers regardless of their size and regardless how much they individually polluted the atmosphere. It was very difficult to place a monetary value on the extent of the damage and hence the tax rate. Oil is a necessity and has an inelastic demand. For this reason, the oil producers were able to pass on most of the tax cost onto the consumer and hence it had no effect on reducing pollution caused by these firms. 2. Another policy that was thought of, but not implemented was a form of regulation. Under this policy the French government would allow production of oil of OQ barrels. Beyond this limit, the French government decided to ban production of oil. However, this policy was not put into effect because of the fact that demand for oil is inelastic. Reducing supply, would lead to an increase in price and hence cost-push inflation. (Draw diag.) The French government has still not decided on an appropriate policy to implement. The French government is trying to implement a policy which combines property rights and environmental taxes. They have realised that it is very difficult to extend property rights and identify the polluter. The Kyoto Protocol The policies implemented by various nations, to limit greenhouse gas emissions have had a fairly adverse effect on their economies and industries. The Kyoto Protocol was set up to alleviate these adverse effects and to continue pursuing the goal of reducing pollution and environmental degradation. The purpose of the mechanisms described in the protocol, entails channeling investments in energy efficient and energy conservation to countries and projects where the cost per unit of emissions reduction is lowest. This concept would entail a large-scale resource transfer from relatively energy-efficient, high cost countries to energy-inefficient, low cost countries. The pact requires industrialised countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 8% of the 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012 The establishment of emissions reduction targets was a very complicated issue in the early phase of the international negotiations. Many countries could point to special circumstances that justified a more lax treatment of them compared to other countries. This argument was accepted to a limited extent. Notably, Russia and the Ukraine were given a zero target as opposed to the western industrialized countries that would have to reduce their emissions by 2010. The Kyoto Protocol uses a system of pollution permits which can be traded on an international market. The USA is opposed to this treaty, because it claims that it will have a devastating effect on its economy. It claims that it will lead to serious job losses, inflation and a fall in GDP. How – We have seen that pollution occurs because of overproduction and over consumption. Reducing production will lead to more factors of production becoming unemployed, and also a fall in GDP. This has brought various criticisms, especially from the UK. All nations claim that the USA, by a large margin, is the world's largest polluter and hence should sign the treaty for the well-being of future generations. â€Å"The US contains 4% of the world's population but produces about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions. By comparison, Britain emits 3% – about the same as India which has 15 times as many people† Source: BBC President Bush â€Å"Under the Protocol, the U.S. is supposed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by seven percent. With four percent of the world's population, the country accounts for about 25 percent of the Earth's greenhouse gas emissions† European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m says ‘But this ignorant, short sighted and selfish politician, long since firmly jammed into the pockets of the oil lobby, clearly couldn't care less. The talks in Bonn in July must now concentrate on world action independent of the U.S.' â€Å"