Free Essays on The History Of Magic Squares

Very little is known about the origin of magic squares. Next to nothing is known about the movement of the idea of a magic square before about 1300 AD. Three cultures are known to have created magic squares, the Chinese, the Indian, and the Arabic. In each culture they were viewed as having supernatural properties. The first magic square in history was created in China by an unknown mathematician, sometime before the first century AD. â€Å"Called the Lo Shu square, it is a magic square of 3 that was said to have appeared on the back of a turtle that came up out of the river. Lo Shu supposedly means "river map," and the story of the appearance of the turtle had to do with a sacrifice to the river god† (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msqhst01.htm). In 80 AD Ta Tai Li Chi gives the first clear reference to a magic square. In 570 AD, Shuzun gives an actual description of a magic square of 3. Not until 1275 do we hear of the Chinese making squares of order larger than 3. We find the first magic square of 4 in the first century in India by a mathematician named Nagarajuna. â€Å"India is the birthplace of much superior mathematics, and was advanced in many areas of combinatorics at an early date.† (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msqhst01.htm). The next known date in the Indian development is an 11th or 12th century Jaina inscription that includes a magic square of 4. This particular magic square of 4 has unusual properties not found in other magic squares before that time. The whole class of squares having these properties is called "Jaina squares". â€Å"The first magic squares of 5 and 6 appear in an encyclopedia in Baghdad about 983 AD by Ikhw'n al-Saf' Ras'il, (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msfmsq01.htm) though several earlier Arab mathematicians also wrote about magic squares. How it came to pass that the Arabs acquired knowledge of magic squares is unknown. It is not known if they invent... Free Essays on The History Of Magic Squares Free Essays on The History Of Magic Squares Very little is known about the origin of magic squares. Next to nothing is known about the movement of the idea of a magic square before about 1300 AD. Three cultures are known to have created magic squares, the Chinese, the Indian, and the Arabic. In each culture they were viewed as having supernatural properties. The first magic square in history was created in China by an unknown mathematician, sometime before the first century AD. â€Å"Called the Lo Shu square, it is a magic square of 3 that was said to have appeared on the back of a turtle that came up out of the river. Lo Shu supposedly means "river map," and the story of the appearance of the turtle had to do with a sacrifice to the river god† (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msqhst01.htm). In 80 AD Ta Tai Li Chi gives the first clear reference to a magic square. In 570 AD, Shuzun gives an actual description of a magic square of 3. Not until 1275 do we hear of the Chinese making squares of order larger than 3. We find the first magic square of 4 in the first century in India by a mathematician named Nagarajuna. â€Å"India is the birthplace of much superior mathematics, and was advanced in many areas of combinatorics at an early date.† (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msqhst01.htm). The next known date in the Indian development is an 11th or 12th century Jaina inscription that includes a magic square of 4. This particular magic square of 4 has unusual properties not found in other magic squares before that time. The whole class of squares having these properties is called "Jaina squares". â€Å"The first magic squares of 5 and 6 appear in an encyclopedia in Baghdad about 983 AD by Ikhw'n al-Saf' Ras'il, (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.farrar1/msfmsq01.htm) though several earlier Arab mathematicians also wrote about magic squares. How it came to pass that the Arabs acquired knowledge of magic squares is unknown. It is not known if they invent...

Harper Lees New Novel

Harper Lees New Novel Go Set a Watchman by  Harper Lee Is Coming! Harper Lee, the famous author of the all-time American classic To Kill a Mockingbird, is to publish her second novel in mid-July. The new book, Go Set a Watchman, is rumored to be a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, featuring the main character Scout Finch as an adult woman.According to different sources, Go Set a Watchman was actually written before To Kill a Mockingbird, but it was set aside for over 50 years. The existence of the 304-page novel was unknown until last fall – even the 88-year old Lee herself thought the original manuscript had been lost or, perhaps, destroyed. Fortunately, it was recovered on accident by a family friend (the novel was affixed to the original manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird). If you need a similar essay feel free to  ask our writers for help! Go Set a Watchman takes place in Alabama in the mid-50s (20 years after the original story) – right in the middle of the civil rights movement. In this story, Scout comes back to Maycomb to visit her father, the brave lawyer Atticus Finch. According to Associated Press, who released the news on February 3, Scout â€Å"is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her fathers attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood.† You may also like these articles: Yasar Kemal Is a Master  of Word Literary Technique That Works Wonders Literature Review Essay on Edgar Allan Poe The publisher is planning to print 2 million copies of the new novel; the text itself will be released as the author first wrote it and will not contain any revisions. Harper Lee’s first – and until recently only–book To Kill a Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960 and was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie in 1962. It was banned several times because it raised sensitive racial themes; however, the novel survived over the years and became one of the best works of literature of the 20th century – or even of all times. It taught us valuable lessons of justice, integrity, and understanding. To Kill a Mockingbird sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and the new book by Harper Lee is predicted to have the same level of success.

Economy of Saudi Arabia and Canada Research Paper

Economy of Saudi Arabia and Canada - Research Paper Example In this case it is worth noting that these two countries are of the developed world and for that matter are in the first world countries. The various similarities that come into play are going to be focused on. The Saudi Arabian economy is one which is majorly based on its oil production capabilities. In this case it is worth noting that the country produces a significant amount of oil on the global market. For this reason, the revenues that are generated from the oil activities are very influential in the developments that are taking place in the Saudi Arabian economy. The other thing which is worth noting is that the Saudi government is an entity which has significant influence in the happenings of this economy. The revenue which is gotten from petroleum and its associated products accounts for close to 45 per cent of the total budget of the country. On the other hand, close to 40 per cent of the GDP in the country comes from the private sector. It is worth noting that the economy in the country is very encouraging to investments especially from the locals and also foreign investors. This significant developments in the financial well-being of the country has attracted quite a lot of for eign workers in the country. The figure at the moment stands at close to six million foreign workers. These are centered in the oil industries and also the private sector. Initially before the inception of the oil phenomenon, the Saudi economy was largely dependent on nomadic pastoralism. This was until the discovery of oil in the country. After the oil crisis that occurred in the year 1973, the country realized significant growth in its GDP. The GDP per capita in the 1970s went up by close to 2 per cent. As at the year 2009, the World Bank set Saudi Arabia as the strongest economy in Arab world. Saudi Arabia has the second largest oil reserves in the world. The figures that w4ere released by the government put this at close to 260 billion barrels of oil. This

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

History - Essay Example Germany had a strategy to win the war by starving the British. So on February 4, 1915, it issued a formal declaration, warning neutral ships to stay away from the British waters or risk being sunk. Wilson strongly challenged this declaration making it clear the US government would not tolerate sinking of any of its ships. Subsequently, on May 7th, 1915, German U-boat sank the British ship Lusitania, resulting in deaths of over 100 American citizens. President Wilson lodged strong protests to the German government, which claimed that the British ship was carrying arms and ammunitions. After several months of diplomatic efforts, in April 1916, President sent an ultimatum to the German government to stop its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Germany complied and US entry to the Great war was put off. President Wilson was re-elected for having kept America out of war. However, in January 1917, frustrated by British naval blockade, Germany decided to reintroduce the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. This resulted in the US severing all diplomatic ties with Germany. Also, the British intercepted the coded Zimmermann Telegram telegram sent by Germany to Mexico. In the telegram, Germany had proposed alliance with Mexico should America join the war. In return, Germany promised to help Mexico in back states of Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. When this telegram was made public in the United States there was a huge public outcry, eventually forcing President Wilson to declare war on Germany. In an address to the congress, President Wilson said that loss of civilian lives as a result of unrestricted submarine warfare was inhumane and unacceptable and hence left no choice for the US but to join the war. He said that war was against the German government, and not the German people who were not consulted in this war. He also made it clear he would only be declaring war against Germany and not with the other allies, at least for the

Cango Analysis Essay Example for Free

Cango Analysis Essay Like Liz mentions in the video (speech); CanGo acts as a personal shopper for their customers. Customers don’t have go to different store to buy their merchandise when they can buy online at the same place and for affordable prices. Weaknesses: When Liz was asked to prepare a speech of how their company developed over time, she had no clue of where to start. She didn’t plan anything ahead, for example; she mentions in the resolution video that if she had done some planning for her company, her company would have gone much far from where they are at now. CanGo didn’t have a strategic plan for online gaming. Liz and her employees just had a small meeting and without giving a notice ahead of time, she just announced that they are entering into a new market of online gaming. All her employees were surprised at first. She didn’t ask any of her employees before that if they liked the idea of online gaming or not. She just went ahead and asked for preliminary marketing plan. The employees seemed hesitant as to asking questions. The employees at CanGo don’t work together and are not working in a team setting as should be implemented. Furthermore, the company doesn’t determine what this online gaming includes. Further, the company didn’t speak to determine what would be the various levels of support it would provide to its customers. CanGo didn’t develop a strategy explaining how it will conduct its business. Opportunities: As one of the employee mentions what about online â€Å"football† game ? I think it would be great idea for the company to go ahead and implement an online football game, since a lot of customers like to play football or sports. It could be that during the football season they can get a huge rush. Secondly online gaming also allows people from different countries to play at the same time which is a huge plus. Threats: CanGo doesn’t have a huge capital to invest. If they waste it on the idea of online gaming without knowing if they have any future with it, CanGo will be in a huge debt. If they are going to train their staff to do the operations, their customers are going to be unhappy because they have few people and there is a lot of work to do. They would have to increase wages of their employees because they will be handling more work than they are supposed to. Recommendation: CanGo company needs to have a mission and vision statement. Mission statement is going to describe what their company does and vision statement is where management wants to see their company in future. First step is, to have these two statements ready, which this company is missing. I don’t think CanGo should expand on their idea of online gaming without having a strategic plan. They were missing all the elements of strategic planning which are implementation, evaluation and formation. There were no questions about the future of online gaming nor there do any report to see how much success other companies had so far with online gaming. No one discussed about the equipment they are going to need to build this huge project. Liz has put the whole burden on one employee. There is no teamwork; what if that person gets lazy and comes up a lazy marketing plan. Then everyone would have to agree to it because no other member knows anything about marketing. Liz should have told her employees that everyone needs to come up with marketing plan and then in the next meeting they will choose the best one by consensus. I don’t think company is in its best financial condition. If they go ahead with their idea of online gaming, operational costs of buying equipment and software are going to cost a lot by itself. I also think they need new personnel; training old employees about the new technology is going to be a tough job. Hiring the new staff will be cheaper. May be they should wait for the financial times to get better or they should outsource. The company can outsource the implementation of equipment which would save them a lot of money and keeping the customer service here in America. CanGo’s customers will be very happy because they will be able to talk to their own people in their language comfortably. Customer Service should be the priority in any decision they make or any service they provide. References: Devry. (n. d. ). CanGo videos. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from devry: www. devry. edu/ec/crs

The Beast :: essays research papers

In the movie â€Å"The Beast†, Second in Command, Constantine and Arab Khan, Mej both exhibit similar and different ideals. Some of these ideals such as leadership, tactical knowledge and their attitude toward the Russian soldiers play an important role in these soldiers fates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Constantine and Mej have very good leadership abilities. They are similar in that both of them have their position forced upon them. Mej becomes Khan when the ruling Khan is killed and his older brother is run over by a tank driven by the Russians. The Uncle of Mej whom he adores, tries to explain how to be a good Khan and how to control himself and his men through his title as Khan. Constantine is in the leadership position only temporarily. The Commander is losing his mind and Constantine mounts a mutiny against him. The Commander overcomes and ties Constantine to a rock and leaves him for dead. Against the word of his soldiers, Mej takes Constantine in who has cried for â€Å"nanawati†. Constantine proves his worth when he fixes the Arabs RPG missile launcher. He helps Mej lead his men because he knows the Russian weaknesses. Mej asks for Constantines’ help to destroy the tank and Constantine agrees. Constantine in a way takes the Uncles place in guiding Khan Mej to destroying the tank which has taken his brothers life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tactical knowledge also plays a major role in these soldiers traits as a characters. Both Constantine and Mej are very smart, clever and resourceful. Constantine repairs the Arabs RPG with parts from another gun so that it would be operational. Also he devises a plan to overthrow the commander. Mej shows he is savvy because he knows a shortcut to the pass that the tank must drive through. They are both different from each other in that Constantine knows a lot about the weaponry and the weaknesses of the Russian tank and Mej knows the Arab terrain. this Puts the Russians at a huge disadvantage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Constantine and Mej both look at Russian soldiers alike. Constantine seeks revenge against the soldiers for leaving him for dead. Mej wants to kill what killed his brother. They are different because Constantine will not go as far as killing them.

Business Applications of Measure of Central Tendency

Measures of Central Tendency â€Å"Measures of central tendency (averages) are statistical constants which enable us to figure out in a single effort the significance of the whole.† (Prof Bowley) The main objectives of measure of central tendency are:To reduce data in a single value. To make easy comparisons between data. There are different types of averages; each has its own business applications.1. Arithmetic Mean 2. Median 3. Mode 4. Geometric Mean 5. Harmonic Mean 1.1 Arithmetic Mean 1.1.1 DefinitionMost important measure of location is the mean or average value, for a variable. The mean provides a measure of central location for the data. If the data are for a sample, the mean is denoted by; if the data are for a population, the mean is denoted by the Greek letter ÃŽ ¼. (David R. Anderson et al) 1.1.2 Business Applications of MeanArithmetic mean is considered a deal average. It is frequently used in all the aspects of business i.e. number of items produced per day on a l arge assembly line, number of orders received per month for a firm. further In economic analysis arithmetic mean is used extensively to calculate average production, average wage, average cost, per capital income exports, imports, consumption, prices, etc. (www.publishyourarticles.net)1.1.2.1 ExampleSay we want to find the average annual salary of all secretaries. We believe we can do this on the basis of our knowledge of annual salaries of 6 particular secretaries, who each earn $.10400, $34000, $14000, $25800 respectively.Our result is a sample mean because we are interested in finding the mean annual income of all secretaries on the basis of the annual income of a smaller sample consisting of only 6 secretaries. (Cheng F. Lee et al, 1993)1.2 Median1.2.1 Definition The median is another measure of central location. The median is the value in the middle when the data are arranged in ascending order .With an odd number of observations, the median is the middle value. An even number of observations has no single middle value. In this case, we follow convention and define the median as the average of the values for the middle two observations. (David R. Anderson et al) 1.2.2 Business Applications of MedianMedian is positional measures of central tendency. The median salary gives a value close to the average salary commonly paid, without taking the extreme values into consideration. There are mainly used in the qualitative cases like honesty, intelligence, ability, etc. These are also suitable for the problems of distribution of income, wealth, investment, etc. (www.publishyourarticles.net)1.2.2.1 ExampleThe U.S. Census Bureau finds the median household income. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, â€Å"median household income† is defined as â€Å"the amount which divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount, and half having income below that amount.† (www.ehow.com) 1.3 Mode1.3.1 DefinitionThe mode is d efined as the element that appears most frequently in a given set of elements. Mode can also be defined as the element with the largest frequency in a given data set. (www.wyzant.com) 1.3.2 Business Applications of ModeThe mode is the most important when an analysis is looking for what happens most often. In analyzing prices, most of the sales occur at a particular list price or possibly at a reduced, sale price. While there may have been sales at other prices, very few customers will have paid an average or a  mean price. Those values are therefore less important when setting pricing in terms of what most customers paid. (www.publishyourarticles.net)1.3.2.1 ExampleMode is used to calculate the ‘modal size of a collar', ‘modal size of shoe', or ‘modal size of ready-made garments' etc.The mode may be beneficial for a manager of a shoe store. For example, you would not see size 17 shoes stocked on the floor. Why? Because very few people have a size 17 shoe size. Th erefore, store managers may look at data and determine which shoe size is sold the most. Managers would want to stock the floor with the best selling shoe size. (www.ehow.com)1.4 Geometric Mean1.4.1 DefinitionGeometric mean is well defined only for sets of positive real numbers. This is calculated by multiplying all the numbers (call the number of numbers n), and taking the nth root of the total. (ww.easycalculation.com)1.4.2 Business Applications of Geometric MeanGeometric Mean is used in the construction of index number. The averages of proportions, percentages and compound rates are computed by geometric mean. The growth of population is measured in it as population increases in geometric progression.1.5 Harmonic Mean1.5.1 DefinitionHarmonic mean is used to calculate the average of a set of numbers. Here the number of elements will be averaged and divided by the sum of the reciprocals of the elements. The Harmonic mean is always the lowest mean. (ww.easycalculation.com)1.5.2 Busi ness Applications of Harmonic MeanHarmonic mean is applied in the problems where small items must get more relative importance than the large ones. It is useful in cases where time, speed, values given in quantities, rate and prices are involved. But in practice, it has little applicability.

Metaphysics: Philosophy and Idealism Essay

Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy that focuses on the nature of reality, including abstract concepts such as being and knowing. The term literally means ‘beyond the physical. ’ It attempts to find unity across the domains of experience and thought. There are five broad philosophical schools of thought that apply to education today and these general frameworks provide the base from which the various educational philosophies are derived. Idealism is the view that ideas or thoughts make up fundamental reality. Idealism is a label which covers a number of philosophical positions with quite different implications and tendencies, including: 1. Objective idealism asserts that the reality of experiencing combines and transcends the reality of the object experienced and that of the mind of the observer. 2 Objective idealists accept common sense realism but reject naturalism. In other words, objective idealists accept the view that material objects exist but reject the concept that the mind and spiritual values have emerged from material things. * Proponents include Thomas Hill Green, Josiah Royce, and Benedetto Croce. 2. Subjective Idealism describes a relationship between experience and the world in which objects are no more than collections or â€Å"bundles† of sense data in the perceiver. 2 Subjective idealists assert both metaphysical and epistemological idealism while denying that material objects exist independently of human perception and thus are opposed to both realism and naturalism. * Proponents include Berkeley, the Bishop of Cloyne. 3. Transcendental idealism is a doctrine that maintains that the mind shapes the world we perceive into the form of space-and-time. 2 Transcendental idealists are strong skeptics of a mind-independent world, asserting epistemological and not metaphysical idealism. * Proponents include founder, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich Schelling. 4. Absolute idealism is the view that in order for human reason to be able to know the world at all, there must be, in some sense, an identity of thought and being; otherwise, we would never have any means of access to the world, and we would have no certainty about any of our knowledge. 6 * Proponents include founder, G. W. F. Hegel. As well as several more minor variants or related concepts, including: 5. Epistemological Idealism asserts that minds perceive only their own ideas, and not external objects; therefore we cannot directly know things in themselves or things as they really are. The only thing we can ever have knowledge about is the world of phenomenal human experience which leaves no reason to suspect that reality mirrors our perceptions and thoughts. 6. Actual Idealism is a form of idealism that contrasted Transcendental Idealism and Absolute Idealism. This system saw thought as all-embracing, and claimed that no-one could actually leave their sphere of thinking, or exceed their own thought. 6 * Proponents include Giovanni Gentile. 7. Buddhist Idealism is the concept in that all existence is nothing but consciousness, and therefore there is nothing that lies outside of the mind. 8. Panpsychism holds that that all parts of matter involve mind or that the whole universe is an organism that possesses a mind. Therefore all objects of experience are also subjects. * Proponents include Gottfried Leibniz. 9. Practical Idealism is a political philosophy which holds it to be an ethical imperative to implement ideals of virtue or good. * Proponents include Mahatma Gandhi. Realism is the view that entities of a certain type have a reality that is completely ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc. There are many different types and degrees of Realism, including: 1. Platonic Realism is the view that universals exist. A universal is a property of an object, which can exist in more than one place at the same time. * Proponents include founder Plato, who formed a solution to the problem of universals. 2. Moderate Realism is the view that there is no separate realm where universals exist, but that they are located in space and time wherever they happen to be manifest. * Conceptualism, initiated by Peter Abelard, is the doctrine that universals exist only within the mind and have no external or substantial reality. * Modern Conceptualism, as represented by Immanuel Kant, holds that universals have no connection with external things because they are exclusively produced by our a priori mental structures and functions. 7 * Proponents include Aristotle St. Thomas Aquinas, Jacques Maritain and Etienne Gilson. 3. Modal Realism is the view that possible worlds are just as real as the actual world we live in, and not just abstract possibilities. * Propounded by David Lewis. 4. Moral Realism is the meta-ethical view that there are objective moral values which are independent of our perception of them or our stance towards them. Therefore, moral judgments describe moral facts. 7 * Proponents include Plato and Immanuel Kant. There are many others disciplines which are related to Realism, including: 1. Transcendental Realism is the theory that implies individuals have a perfect understanding of the limitations of their own minds. 2. Organic Realism is the metaphysical philosophy in which subjective forms complement Plato’s Forms. The theory holds that change in not illusory or purely accidental to the substance, but rather the very cornerstone of reality or Being. * Propounded by Alfred North Whitehead. Ontology is traditionally listed as a part of the major branch of philosophy known as metaphysics, while being the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence, or reality, as well as their relations. Ontology deals with questions concerning what entities exist or can be said to exist, and how these entities can be grouped and subdivided according to similarities and differences. G. W. F. Hegel Wikipedia. com Wikipedia. com Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher as well as a major figure in German Idealism. His historicist and idealist account of reality revolutionized European philosophy and was an important precursor to Continental philosophy and Marxism. 19 Without eliminating either pole or reducing one to the other, he developed the concept that mind manifested itself in a set of contradictions and oppositions that it ultimately integrated and united. Hegel attempted to elaborate a comprehensive and systematic ontology from a logical starting point throughout his published writings, as well as in his lectures. In 1801 Hegel moved to Jena to join Schelling at the University of Jena, where Fichte had studied previously; although at that time, the prime of Jena idealism was over. In this same year, Hegel published his first philosophical work, The Difference between Fichte’s and Schelling’s System of Philosophy. He worked with Schelling closely and together they edited the Critical Journal of Philosophy. He wanted to develop a system of science in which he displayed in his writings. Phenomenology of Spirit was considered his project and one of his main works where he speaks of his thoughts on the evolution of consciousness from sense perception to absolute knowledge. He also believed that human cognition changes from one generation to the next; as well as the idea that our experiences are what make us who we are and we make our experiences ours. His thinking can be understood as a constructive development within the general tradition that includes Plato and Kant, as well as Plotinus and Gottfried Leibniz. A common trait that these thinkers share is that they regard freedom or self-determination both as real and as having important ontological implications, for soul or mind or divinity. His concern with Kantian topics such as morality and freedom, including their ontological implications, is omnipresent. He aimed to incorporate it within ‘true infinity’, ‘spirit’ and ‘ethical life’, rather than simply reject his dualism of freedom versus nature. He incorporated it in such as way he rendered Kantian’s duality as intelligible. He saw a relational unity as well as a metaphysical unity between Jesus and God the Father. Jesus is both divine and human, according to Hegel. He further attested that God not only died, but that a reversal had taken place, that is to say that God maintained himself in the process and the latter is only the death of death. He claimed God rose again to life and thus things are reversed. 19 Karl Marx Wikipedia. com Wikipedia. com Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, journalist, historian and revolutionary socialist. His ideas had a significant influence in the development of social science and the socialist movement. He wrote and published many works but the most important of all was the Communist Manifesto. Being born into a wealthy middle class family, he studied at the University of Bonn as well as the University of Berlin, where he became interested in the Young Hegelians philosophical ideas. After writing for a couple radical newspapers and being exiled to Brussels, he became a leading figure of the Communist League. Once he returned to Cologne, he founded his own newspaper. Even experiencing poverty, he continued writing and formulating his theories about the nature of society and how he believed that it could be improved. His theories about society, politics and economics are known as Marxism and these theories hold that all societies progress through a conflict between ownership class which controls production and a lower class which produces the labor for goods. His view of history, which came to be called historical materialism, certainly shows the influence of Hegel’s claim that one should view reality as well as history dialectically. However, Hegel had thought in idealist terms, putting ideas in the forefront, whereas Marx sought to rewrite dialectics in materialist terms, arguing for the primacy of matter over idea. Where Hegel saw the â€Å"spirit† as driving history, Marx saw this as an unnecessary mystification, obscuring the reality of humanity and its physical actions shaping the world. He wrote that Hegelianism stood the movement of reality on its head, and that one needed to set it upon its feet. 21 He believed that only large scale change in the economic system could bring about real change; he criticized utopian socialists by arguing that their favored small scale socialistic communities would be bound to marginalization and poverty. Engel’s book, The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, led Marx to conceive the modern working class as the most progressive force for revolution. In opposition to traditional theology, he believed that human beings had created God in their own image and that worshipping God diverted human beings from enjoying their own human powers. He explains that religion is a response to alienation in material life and that it can’t be removed until human material life is set free, resulting in the deterioration of religion. Epistemology is branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and limitations of knowledge. It addresses mainly the following questions: * What is knowledge? * How is knowledge acquired? * To what extent is it possible for a given subject or entity to be known? 13 Rene Descartes Wikipedia. com Wikipedia. com Dubbed the ‘Father of Modern Philosophy’, Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He is known for having made an important connection between geometry and algebra, thus allowing a solution for geometrical problems by way of algebraic equations. He is perhaps best known for the philosophical statement â€Å"Cogito ergo sum†, meaning I think, therefore I am. From 1604-1612 he attended Jesuit school, where he learned the standard scholastic, Aristotelian philosophy. In 1619 he embarked on his life’s work of rebuilding the whole universe because he believed everything he had learned was wrong. To do this he used what is known as his method of doubt. He meditated on various possible skeptical scenarios to help him doubt even things that seemed possibly true. First he considered that, when asleep and dreaming, everything seemed just as real and true as when he was awake. This led him to think that perhaps he is dreaming at that very moment, in which case he may not be really sitting in a chair but dreaming that he is sitting in a chair. Descartes, to make his doubting even more radical, considered the possibility that God is evil and has the aim of deceiving him as much as possible by placing fictitious sensory inputs directly into his conscious mind. This resulted in his famous statement: I think, therefore I am. His argument for the existence of God begins with the belief that ‘I have a concept of God, as perfect and infinite. This concept is clear and distinct; therefore an idea must have a cause-even an idea cannot appear from nowhere. A greater object can cause a lesser one but the reverse is impossible. Thus, my idea of God, which is supremely great, can only have been caused by just such a being. Thus God, as I conceive him, must exist. ’16 With his belief in the reliability of his senses restored, he was then able to acquire common-sense beliefs about material objects. He went on to build an elaborate system of mechanics, a theory of planetary motions, among many others. David Hume Oregon State. edu Oregon State. edu The most important philosopher ever to write in English and one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment was David Hume. He was also well-known in his own time as a philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist. Among the interesting features of Hume’s empiricist philosophy are a revolutionary view of causality, the problem of induction, and the distinction between fact and value. Hume advocates various forms of moderate or mitigated skepticism. He was a relentless critic of metaphysics and religion. 10 Hume was born in Edinburgh on April 26, 1711 and spent his childhood at Ninewells, the family’s modest estate near Berwickshire. His family thought he was suited for a career in the law, but he preferred reading classical authors and pursuing the goal of becoming a scholar and philosopher. He followed a rigorous program of reading and reflection for three years while pursuing this goal. Hume’s Problem of Causation has remained unsolved for two-hundred fifty years and this uncertainty has greatly prejudiced our belief in the possibility of metaphysics and the certainty of science, and has ultimately led to postmodernism. Hume explains that until we know what exists and the ‘necessary connections’ between these things that exist, it is impossible for humanity to have certainty of knowledge. This in return leads to the Problem of Induction, for if we do not know the a priori cause of events then we have no principles from which to logically deduce our conclusions. Then we are simply left observing that one event follows another and somehow they seem connected, yet we don’t know why or how; therefore we must depend upon induction to determine the laws of nature. This problem of induction can be demonstrated using his simple example of dropping a stone such that when I let go of the stone it falls to earth. And despite the amount of times this experiment is repeated does this inductively infer that the stone must fall the next time I let it go. He argued that it doesn’t, that it is simply a habit of thinking that it does and that it is quite possible that at some point in the future the stone will not fall. Hume stated, ‘The supposition that the future resembles the past, is not founded on arguments of any kind, but is derived entirely from habit. ’11 He believed that a priori ideas did not exist and that they are not innate but derived from experience of perceptions. He believed these perceptions could be divided into impressions and ideas. He believed that humans learned through impressions and if there are no impressions then there is no idea. He also believed that every person’s perceptions were his alone and different from other peoples. 17 For the argument for the existence of God, Hume began by laying down the principle that we can ascribe capacities to a God only if they are evident in the world. He believed humans have no reason to infer an almighty God from the world because the world is manifestly finite and imperfect and any argument from such is unwarranted. He claimed that the hypothesis of a God is useless; that there is no practical gain in positing such a being. 1. Oregon State. â€Å"Section III – Philosophical Perspectives in Education† Web. October 16, 2012. 2. Wikipedia. â€Å"Idealism† October 13, 2012. Web. October 16, 2012. 3. Wikipedia. â€Å"Objective Idealism† May 5, 2012. Web. October 16, 2012. 4. Wikipedia. â€Å"Transcendental Idealism† September 30, 2012. Web. October 16, 2012. 5. Wikipedia. â€Å"Neo-Platonism† October 6, 2012. Web. October 16, 2012. 6. The Basics of Philosophy. â€Å"Idealism† Web. October 16, 2012. 7. The Basics of Philosophy. â€Å"Realism† Web. October 16, 2012. 8. Wikipedia. â€Å"David Hume† October 12, 2012. Web. October 16, 2012. 9. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. â€Å"David Hume† May 15, 2009. Web. October 16, 2012. 10. Oregon State. â€Å"David Hume† Web. October 16, 2012. 11. On Truth & Reality. â€Å"Meta-physics: David Hume† Web. October 16, 2012. 12. Wikipedia. â€Å"Ontology† October 29, 2012. Web. October 30, 2012. 13. Wikipedia. â€Å"Epistemology† October 30, 2012. Web. October 30, 2012.

Octaves and Decibels

Octaves and Decibels Octaves and Decibels Octaves and Decibels By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: Can you inform on the usage of . . . octave and decible?   I am of the opinion, that octave deals with human voice and decible deals with noise.   Both words, octave and decibel are terms of measurement. Octave derives from the Latin word for â€Å"eight† and decibel incorporates the Latin word for â€Å"ten.† The words can be used in various contexts. I’ll just address the uses suggested by the question. The words bel and decibel are units of measurement of sound intensity. A bel is A unit, equivalent to ten decibels used in the comparison of two levels of power in an electrical communication circuit. A decibel (db) is one tenth of a bel. â€Å"Bel† is a shortening of the name of inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922). A bel is A unit, equivalent to ten decibels, used in the comparison of two levels of power in an electrical communication circuit. An octave in the musical sense is an interval embracing eight notes of the diatonic scale. Think of the Do-re-me song in Sound of Music. Doe- a deer, a female deer Ray- a drop of golden sun Me- a name i call myself Far- a long long way to run Sew- a needle pulling thread La- a note to follow so Tea- a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to do oh oh oh The normal speaking range of the human voice is about 20-50 decibels. Sounds that go above that range become annoying, for example a vacuum cleaner (70 db). Noise becomes painful at 120 db. Sounds above 132 db lead to permanent hearing damage and eardrum rupture. In answer to the question, decibel refers to sound, pleasant or unpleasant, whether it originates in the vocal cords or elsewhere. NOTE: Although both the OED and Merriam-Webster give db as the abbreviation for decibel, Ive been informed by a technical writer that the standard abbreviation is dB. Sources: Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Mosbys Medical Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary Online Etymology Dictionary Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHow to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsWhat Is a Doctor?

Dos and Donts for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Dos and Donts for Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences, handled correctly, are an opportunity to form a cooperative team for the coming school year. You will need each students parents on your side in order to have the maximum positive impact on learning. Follow these guidelines and youll be on the right track: Dos Give parents plenty of notice. Remember that parents have busy lives and challenging work schedules. The more notice you give them, the more likely they will be able to attend the Parent-Teacher Conference.Start and end the Parent-Teacher Conference on a positive note. Remember that parents are often nervous, too. Set them at ease by starting off with your positive observations of their child. After youve explained some areas of improvement, finish the conference off with more things the parents can feel good about. This goes a long way toward creating a positive working relationship with them.Be organized. Fill out a pre-conference form for each student, complete with space for your notes and follow-up issues. The conference may be your first impression on the parents, and your organization will inspire confidence in your abilities to help their child this year.Listen actively. When the parents speak, concentrate and really hear what they are trying to communicate to you. You may ev en want to take notes. When parents feel heard, you are setting up a cooperative relationship for the coming school year. Have samples of student work to back up your points. When discussing specific learning goals for the student, show the parents what you observed in the classwork that shows a need for improvement. On the flip side, you can also show samples of work well done, so they can see how much the students are learning with you.Give the parents homework. Think of 2-3 customized tasks that the parents can do at home to help their child learn this school year. It may not always happen as you hope, but its worth a shot. Offer worksheets, websites, and tools to support their efforts.Call in the principal for touchy situations. Sometimes teachers need to call for backup. If a specific set of parents have already shown some hostility towards you, a trusted administrator can act as a facilitator who has everyones best interests at heart. Moreover, the principal can act as a witness for you, if the tone of the conference starts to sour. Donts Dont stray from the topic at hand. Its easy for conversations to wander off into fun topics, such as shared interests. But remember why you are having this conference in the first place and keep the meeting on track.Dont Get Emotional. Stay professional and objective as you describe the behavior youve observed from a particular child. If you stay rational and calm, the parents likely will, as well.Dont run late. Once the Parent-Teacher Conference schedule is set, do everything possible to keep things running in a timely manner. Parents have busy lives and have dropped everything to meet with you at the appointed time. Respecting their time will make a great impression.Dont have a messy classroom. We all know that classrooms can get messy during the busy course of a school day. But spend some time straightening up your room, especially your desk, in order to make the best possible impression.Dont overwhelm the parents with too many at-home tasks. Choose 2-3 doable ways that the parent s can support learning at home. Be specific and offer them the tools they will need to help their child.

Analysis JB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis JB - Essay Example Some children also learn to play the keyboard at a very tender age, and this helps them to improve in spatial-temporal skills. Regular playing of the musical instrument changes the shape of the brain and gives it more power to improve cognitive skills. The musicians have higher intelligence quotient (IQ) in comparison with non-musicians (Mathews 1). Managers who are love listing and listening to music has refined managerial skills, as they are capable of organizing their schedules wisely. Musicians value quality time to quantity time. The most celebrated musicians are champions of time management. They plan and practice in the various challenging environments making them efficient time managers. Playing various instruments together makes music so music able. The people who perform a task together have ability to relate with each other in a harmonious manner in oppose to those who prefer individual work. To play music would require one to work with others to make an appealing music. People get to learn from each other hence boosting their mutual understanding of one another. Music has power to develop teamwork for the members. Music involves reading and counting notes and rhythms, which has an aspect of mathematics. Learning various techniques of playing the musical instruments require patience and passionate because music is an art of performance. The reading of arithmetic and elementary instruments give the people who play music an upper hand to be champions of mathematics unlike the haters of music. To play a reasonable music, one has to read constantly and comprehensively. Musicians must have an audacity to read and understand the rhythms’ arrangement and notes to produce the correct accurate patterns. Reading much enables one to adventure in the field of knowledge and exposure. Persistent reading gives someone an insight ability to master the concepts. By playing musical instruments, therefore, help one to improve his/her reading

Primary source analyze Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Primary source analyze - Article Example Therefore, free trade is tied to the Europe’s colonies fate. The author argues that the special trade of the mother nations tends to reduce or at least putting down below what these nations would then rise to both the industry and enjoyments of all the countries generally, particularly the American colonies. He continues to argue that by rendering the colony produce preciously in other nations, it diminishes its consumption and henceforth cramps the industry of all the other nations that both enjoy less when they emolument a lot for what they are enjoying, and producing less when they get less for the things they are producing. The people targeted by this source are historians mostly who want ton know how the British ruled America1. It is viewed that the surplus produce of America, however, which is the main source of all that increase of industry and enjoyments that Europe got from the colonization and discovery of America. The source is rendered much less sufficient by the select trade of mother countries. This primary source is a book written by He Ao (Ho Ao) in 1520. The author was a bureaucrat who referred to the Europeans as the Feringis. The event of this source took place in the fifteenth century when the Europeans invaded China. He portrayed that they were not trust worthy individuals; they were unruly and were a threat to the security of a nation. The sentiments stated by He Ao were mutual among to officials in following centuries, even when China prospered in the commercial exchanges of a gradually connected universe2. The author argues that the Feringis were the most crafty and cruel. Their arms were the most superior than that of other foreign individuals. This source was created during the colonial periods. It is seen that the Europeans came to Canton where some of them stayed in the post station while others had bad behavior and had intercourse with the local people. The source also states that if the Chinese people