Onboard Note

Ray Bradbury's futuristic short story "A Sound of Thunder," tells the tale of a man named Eckels who has paid a significant sum of money to take a time machine to the Cretaceous period to hunt a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The story is set in the year 2055. Eckels leaves the path during his safari, which causes a significant shift in historical events, even changing who was elected to the presidency in the year 2055. In the beginning of the story, a man whose last name is Keith is elected president in 2055. Readers learn this information from a conversation Eckels has with a person from Time Safaris, Inc. "Makes you think if the election had gone badly yesterday, I might be here now running away from the results. Thank God Keith won. He'll make a fine President of the United States." At the end of the story, readers learn how Eckels's fumble in stepping off the path has cost humanity. The man who is described as anti-everything, Deutscher, has become the presid...

Beginning Algebra With Applications, Chapter 4, 4.1, Section 4.1, Problem 44

A carpenter is building a wood door frame. The height of the frame is 1 ft less than three times the width. What is the width of the largest door frame that can be constructed from a board 19 ft long? If we let $h$ and $w$ be the height and width of the door frame respectively, then we get $h = 3w-1 \qquad$ Equation 1 And $w+2h = 19 \qquad$ Equation 2 By substituting equation 1 to equation 2, we have $ \begin{equation} \begin{aligned} w+2 (3w-1) =& 19 \\ w+2 (3w) - 2(1) =& 19 \\ w+6w -2 =& 19 \\ 7w =& 21 \\ w =& 3 \end{aligned} \end{equation} $ Thus, the width of the door's frame is 3 ft.

Why did the US Federal Reserve not rescue banks from deflation after the stock market crash in 1929?

The Federal Reserve was unprepared for the depth of the disaster of the stock market crash late in 1929. It was a decentralized institution, split into districts with different governors. Although these governors understood that they should coordinate their efforts and tried to do so, they could not agree about the best solution to the crisis. Since so much money was wiped out by the stock market crash, the supply of money in the US economy fell by almost 30 percent between 1930 and the winter of 1933. Because people had so much less money to buy goods, the price of goods naturally dropped by an equal amount, a significant deflation. This was destabilizing for the economy. For example, if you figure prices will go down, then you will wait to make purchases. If you have debt, then you are going to run into trouble. For instance, if the value of your house dropped from $10,000 to $7,000 and you owed $8,000, you could not very well sell the house to clear the debt. Also, with less money a...

What is the allusion to David Belasco in The Great Gatsby?

On his first visit to Gatsby's mansion, having been invited to one of his parties, a slightly tipsy Nick ends up in Gatsby's library, where he meets Owl Eyes, another guest. In the library, Owl Eyes calls Gatsby a a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! David Belasco was a famous theater producer known for his lavish sets. Owl Eyes is indicating that he knows Gatsby is simply putting on a show with his mansion and his wild parties. Nevertheless, he is impressed that Gatsby has not simply ordered cardboard book backs to simulate a library: instead, he has purchased genuine books. The only problem is, he has not cut open the pages, which you would have had to do at the time so that you could read the book. Owl Eyes captures in the uncut books the enigma of Gatsby. Gatsby goes ninety percent of the way to create his illusion—more than most people would— but in the end, can't quite be totally convincing as the wealthy man who comes from old money. In...

How far is it true that body and mind are at war in Swift's writings?

In Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift explores a variety of themes in an elaborate and far-reaching satire, and a conflict between the mind and the body is certainly one of these themes. For example, Gulliver's travelogue is presented as a series of rational observations, with Gulliver reporting everything he experiences more or less truthfully and in a tone that suggests careful, reasoned analysis of the customs and traditions he observes. However, Gulliver's physical body also figures in his adventures; in his first journey, he is larger than the Lilliputians, in the second adventure he is much smaller than the Brobdingnagians, and in his final adventure he resembles the barbaric Yahoos. Thus, Gulliver's observations depend in large part upon his physical perspective of events, and this physical/bodily perspective subtly informs his rational reports. This fact is brought home to us at the end of the story especially, at which point Gulliver is so disgusted by humanity...

I am writing a book report on the book Rain Reign. What would be some good words to describe the main character, Rose Howard?

Ann M. Martin's Rain Reign has as its protagonist a young girl named Rose Howard. Rose is quick to point out that her name is a homonym, as is the name of her dog, Rain. One of the first things the reader learns about Rose is that she can be described as a rule follower. Rose shares in chapter 1, "Some of the things I get teased about are following the rules." In her list of things she likes, "Rules" happens to be second on her list. Rose also does her best to follow rules of conversation. She often considers these rules as she is speaking, and has certain "conversation starters" that she refers to when talking with others. Finally, Rose has rules that she follows depending on her father's demeanor when he is home in the evenings. She shares, "If my father comes home and doesn’t say anything, but walks into his own room, then Rain and I should not go near him at all." Misunderstood is another word to describe Rose. Rose is the only one in...

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 2, 2.1, Section 2.1, Problem 19

By limit process, the derivative of a function f(x) is :- f'(x) = lim h --> 0 [{f(x+h) - f(x)}/h] Now, the given function is :- f(x) = (x^3) - 12x thus, f'(x) = lim h --> 0 [{{(x+h)^3} - 12(x+h)} - ((x^3) - 12x)}/h] or, f'x) = lim h --> 0 [{{(x+h)^3} - (x^3) - 12h}/h] or, f'(x) = lim h --> 0 [{(x^3) + (h^3) + 3x(h^2) + 3(x^2)h - 12h - (x^3)}/h] or, f'(x) = lim h --> 0 [{(h^3) -12h + 3x(h^2) + 3(x^2)h}/h] = [(h^2) + 3xh + 3(x^2) - 12] putting the value of h = 0 in the above expression we get f'(x) = 3(x^2) - 12

What were the cultural changes of the 1960s?

The 1960s saw the birth of a new form of counterculture and witnessed significant changes in the roles of women, African Americans, and others in society. The early 1960s were a time of hope, but after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and the worsening of the conflict in Vietnam in the mid and late 1960s, people began to question authority and traditional institutions such as schools, churches, and the government. Students played prominent roles in new forms of activism through organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and SNCC, or the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which advocated African American rights and equality. In the late 1960s, youth culture was popularized through rock and roll and in concerts like Woodstock in 1969. College campuses became places of protests and revolt against the war in Vietnam, among other causes. Women's rights became a focus of popular protests, and the role of women changed as women pushed for equal pay a...

Can you please explain the canto VII, XX and LXXVIII of the poem In Memoriam?

In Canto VII Tennyson is reminded of his late friend, Hallam, by visiting the place (the "dark house") where Hallam once lived. At night, the memory keeps Tennyson awake, and so he finds himself wandering around the house. In the early hours, he opens the door, half-expecting to find his friend there, but of course he isn't. The day comes to life, the hustle and bustle of the streets heard through the falling drizzle. This canto poignantly expresses Tennyson's enormous sense of loss over the death of Hallam. Even though his friend is no longer with him, he still feels his presence. In Canto XX Tennyson uses servants as a metaphor to describe what he calls his "lesser griefs," that is, the ordinary little everyday miseries that affect most of us in life. These "servants" will never have another "master" to serve like Tennyson's dear, departed friend. In his absence they can do no more than acknowledge how good and kind he was. When we ...

Consider a cylinder of radius R , mass M , length z , and density rho(r)=Ar that rolls without slipping down an inclined plane of height h at an angle theta . What is the velocity of the cylinder at the bottom of the inclined plane?

We will use conservation of energy to solve this problem. We need to consider the rotational energy of the cylinder and the translational energy of the center of mass. E_i=E_f U(h)=K_(trans)+K_(rot) Mgh=1/2 Mv^2+1/2 I omega^2 Mgh=1/2 Mv^2+1/2 I (v/R)^2 We need to find the moment of inertia. I= int r^2 dm=int r^2 rho(r) dv I=int_0^R r^2 rho(r) z (2pi r) dr I=2pi zA int _0^R r^4 dr I=(2pi zAR^5)/5 Now to get A in terms of M . M=int dm=int_0^R rho(r) z(2pi r) dr M=2A z pi int_0^R r^2 dr=2A z pi (1/3)R^3 A=(3M)/(2z pi R^3) I=(2pi zAR^5)/5=(2pi z)(3M)/(2z pi R^3)*(R^5/5)=3/5MR^2 Now solve the energy equation for v . Mgh=1/2 Mv^2+1/2 I (v/R)^2 2Mgh=Mv^2+(3/5MR^2)*(v/R)^2 2gh=v^2+(3/5)v^2 2gh=(8/5)v^2 5/4 gh=v^2 sqrt(5gh)/2=v http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/rotwe.html

How did the seven years of rain affect the children from "All Summer in a Day"?

The children have been somewhat traumatized by the constant rain. They desperately want the sun to come out. You could say this made them somewhat bitter and mean, based on the way they treat Margot. They were all nine years old, and if there had been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could not recall. The children desperately want the sun to come out. They are jealous of Margot because she has come more recently from Earth than they have, and she says she remembers it. For this they relentlessly bully her. Margot does not fit in. In addition to being an outsider and more of an Earthling, she does not relate to the other children. She doesn't try to be one of them. They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. The sun coming out and the stopping and then restarting of the ra...

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Scout help Boo Radley?

In the novel, Boo Radley saves Scout and Jem from Mr. Ewell, and he earns the gratitude of both Atticus and the children. When Sheriff Tate and Atticus discuss the aftermath of Mr. Ewell's attack and Jem's possible culpability for Mr. Ewell's death, Boo Radley is present. However, because of his shy ways, Boo doesn't join in the conversation. Scout instinctively knows the reason for his reticence, and she's respectful of Boo's quiet ways. With a compassion and sensitivity beyond her years, Scout quietly leads Boo to the farthest corner of the porch, where he will feel more comfortable in the shadows. Scout doesn't judge Boo; she helps him by extending him the gentlest of courtesies, but she doesn't make any effort to change who he is or to cause him discomfort. After Sheriff Tate and Atticus decide on the best course of action regarding Mr. Ewell's death, Boo gets ready to leave. Before he leaves, however, he nods towards the front door. Instinctivel...

What advantages did Britain have that helped it be the first to industrialize?

Since the Norman invasion in 1066, or perhaps the Viking attack on Lindisfarne in 793, the British peoples have relied on world trade via the oceans. William the Conqueror and his Norman nobles led expeditions deep into the Mediterranean. English shipwrights were historical leaders in innovation and development. The Magna Carta (1215) endowed English citizens with more rights and freedoms than the citizens of virtually any other country until the American and French revolutions nearly four hundred years later. Coupling the English spirit of adventure with an emerging market economy and a governmental system that encouraged entrepreneurship, the British developed a world empire—truly, one which the “sun never set upon.” The military adventures of the British in the New World, Europe, Africa, and India made Britain a superpower by 1815. The exchange of goods, ideas, commerce, and access to appropriate raw materials—most significantly coal and iron—allowed the British to absorb, adapt, im...

Why is 97% of the water on earth undrinkable?

I have heard different values about this myself. And, the only thing I could gather was it depends upon your perspective.For instance, water is water, so you should be able to drink water. However, what about the water in the oceans? That isn't just H2O. For example, there is also salt in that ocean. And, that water wouldn't be considered drinkable by many, even though some are trying to cure that with desalinization plants.Or, what about the water in our bodies. For instance, even though I can drink water, I can't "get at the water" to drink in my brother's body. And, much of what we are is made of water. So, that water wouldn't be drinkable.But, then, if you consider the water in the streams, natural streams, that water should be drinkable. Yes, unless a factory has been throwing its toxic pollutants into it.In summary, the reason why so much water isn't drinkable is because of what that water is already combined with. We would have to sepa...

Was the graphic novel 300 based on real events?

The graphic novel, and the film that followed is about the historical Battle of Thermopylae. In that battle, the Spartans were tasked with slowing down the Persian ground forces until the Greek navy could defeat the Persians on the seas. Most of the information that historians have about Thermopylae is presented in the accounts of the Roman historian Herodotus. Herodotus had a habit of blending history with myth, so a lot of the story seems exaggerated. While the battle did take place, and the Spartans did mount a very brave defense to slow down the Persians, it is unlikely that it was done with only three hundred soldiers. So, to answer the original question, the novel is somewhat true, but likely an exaggeration of an already exaggerated battle in history.

What was the scene inside Raina's bedchamber when the Russian officer came looking for the fugitive Captain Bluntschli in Act 1 of Arms and The Man?

As is typical of Shaw's work, Act 1 of Arms and the Man begins with an elaborate two paragraph description of the scene in the bedchamber. Your assignment is basically to paraphrase this description. Your paraphrase should include both a description of the physical setting and of Raina and her mother. The physical setting is the bedroom of Raina Petkoff, a young woman from a wealthy Bulgarian family. Shaw's description emphasizes a sort of cultural hybridity. Shaw praises the beautiful Oriental textiles and disparages the "cheap Viennese" influences. He describes several elements that will become important later in the plot, including the balcony through which Captain Bluntschli will enter the room. Shaw also describes in great detail the portrait of Sergius. Shaw also describes the canopied bed, religious shrine, dressing table, chair, washstand, chest of drawers, and box of chocolate creams, that will become an important element of the dialogue. For characters, Sh...

What happened in the 1970s and why is it important to us now?

Covering everything that happened in the entire world over a decade, including politics, economics, science, literature, art, popular culture, medicine, and technology in the space of a few paragraphs is impossible. A few important events are listed below. In the United States, two of the most significant political events were the opening of diplomatic relations between the US and China and the Watergate scandal and subsequent impeachment of Richard Nixon. The Yom Kippur or 1973 Arab–Israeli War led to an uncomfortable military stalemate, eventually leading to the 1978 Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. A notable economic event was the oil crisis in which prices rose dramatically as supplies were curtailed by OAPEC in retaliation for the US and European support of Israel. In response, many countries became more focused on conservation and energy self-sufficiency. This also changed the automotive industry, with many people shifting to more efficient cars and, as a resul...

How is mental health and the importance of active patient involvement in their own treatment addressed in "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman?

To begin, the validity of the narrator's experience of mental illness is questioned by her husband, who is also her physician. She tells us in the opening paragraphs that he "laughs at [her]," and she expresses her belief that she does not get well more quickly because he "does not believe [she is] sick!" She asks, rather resignedly, "What can one do?" The narrator's illness is downplayed, and she is told that it does not exist; there is simply no way she would be asked to participate in a treatment plan because her doctor/husband is too busy trying to convince her that she is imagining her illness. Her husband, John, tells all of the narrator's friends and relations that she only has a "temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency," and her brother, also a doctor, says the same thing. Told that she is overreacting or making something out of nothing, she says, I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, a...

How is 18th century religion in England linked to Swift's Gulliver's Travels?

I would identify three major themes of Gulliver's Travels that relate to the religious beliefs of Swift's time. First, Swift was a devout Christian, a member of the Anglican Church. But from his writings, one gets the sense that he was leaning towards a more ecumenical form of Christianity in which Lilliputian-like differences of opinion between denominations would become unimportant and fade away. To Swift, these disputes were petty and "small," like the Lilliputians and their arguments among themselves. Second, Swift's satirical "mirror" is meant to show the Europeans that their own behavior is hypocritical with regard to religion. The King of Brobdingnag famously tells Gulliver that the English (by extension Europeans in general) must be "pernicious odious vermin" based on Gulliver's own descriptions of their wars and history. Put this in the context of Swift's writings overall. He criticizes the ruling class in A Modest Proposal for...

sum_(n=1)^oo (n!)/2^n Verify that the infinite series diverges

In "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury, how did the kids misbehave?

The children, Peter and Wendy, generally misbehave in a manner that we would expect; they act contrary to their parent's wishes when they aren't being directly observed, deflect blame, and then complain when they receive a punishment. Their key "misbehavior," if it can be called that, is the fact that they lock their parents in the nursery at the end of the story and allow them to be consumed by lions. Furthermore, this is foreshadowed throughout the story, such as when Peter and Wendy's parents hear screams and discover their personal items in the nursery, in retrospect obviously having been mauled by the lions; we are meant to understand the children used the nursery to visualize, in graphic detail, their parents being murdered, which is arguably a much more severe misbehavior than lying or whining. The first misbehavior we can be fairly certain of is Peter manipulating the nursery so it no longer accepts commands from adults. This is not actually evident until ...

Beginning Algebra With Applications, Chapter 3, 3.2, Section 3.2, Problem 68

Solve $\displaystyle \frac{2}{3} = \frac{3}{4} - \frac{1}{2}y$ and check. $ \begin{equation} \begin{aligned} \frac{2}{3} - \frac{3}{4} =& \frac{3}{4} - \frac{3}{4} - \frac{1}{2} y && \text{Subtract } \frac{3}{4} \\ \\ \frac{-1}{12} =& \frac{-1}{2} y && \text{Simplify} \\ \\ -2 \left( \frac{-1}{12} \right) =& \left( \frac{-1}{2} y \right) -2 && \text{Multiply both sides by } -2 \\ \\ \frac{1}{6} =& y && \end{aligned} \end{equation} $ Checking: $ \begin{equation} \begin{aligned} \frac{2}{3} =& \frac{3}{4} - \frac{1}{2} \left( \frac{1}{6} \right) && \text{Substitute } y = \frac{1}{6} \\ \\ \frac{2}{3} =& \frac{3}{4} - \frac{1}{12} && \text{Simplify} \\ \\ \frac{2}{3} =& \frac{2}{3} && \end{aligned} \end{equation} $

Who is Tiresias?

Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo who appears in the Odyssey, the works of Pindar, and many Greek dramas. He was a son of the nymph Chariclo, had a very long lifespan, and was noted for his great prophetic gifts, especially understanding of the language of birds, interpretation of smoke patterns, and ability to communicate with the dead. He is associated with the city of Thebes and played an important role in Sophocles's Theban plays. In the Odyssey, he appears in Book XI, which describes Odysseus's journey to the Underworld. Tiresias warns Odysseus to ensure that his men do not harm the cattle of Helios and foretells many of the future adventures of Odysseus. He also explains how to attract and converse with other spirits by offering them blood.

How did the professor stumble upon the Egypt game?

The professor stumbled upon the Egypt Game while looking for something in a storeroom in the back of his antique shop. Since he was not used to being in the storeroom, his curiosity was piqued when he heard a noise coming from outside the storeroom. The text tells us that the storeroom overlooked an abandoned yard surrounded by a fence and that there was a dilapidated lean-to shed in the yard. Since the storeroom window was caked with grime, the professor had to rub out a spot in the thick coating of dirt before he could look through the glass. As he looked through the window, the professor saw two girls (of about eleven or twelve-years-old) and a little boy (of about four-years-old) coming through a hole in the fence. The professor had seen both of the girls before; the first, called April, once entered his store, while the other, an African-American girl, was a resident in the neighborhood. The little boy, also African-American, was undoubtedly the second girl's brother. Becaus...

What are two types of evidence geologists use to learn about the earth's interior?

To learn about the Earth's interior, geologists use two main types of evidence: 1) Direct evidence from rock samples, and 2) Indirect evidence from seismic waves. Rock samples are obtained by drilling deep holes into the ground. These samples are then used to obtain more information about the rock structures underneath the ground surface. Sometimes, the samples are also obtained through volcanic activity (which may cause the rocks from deep underground to be brought to the surface). However, such direct evidence-based investigation is limited to samples obtained from only a few kilometers underneath the Earth's surface. Geologists can also use seismic waves as indirect evidence to study the interior of our planet. Geologists keep track of seismic activity and record seismic waves and then study the paths taken by these waves as an indirect measure of Earth's interior. Based on such indirect evidence, geologists have found that our planet is made up of several layers. Hope t...

What overall conclusions can be drawn about the society depicted in the story "Harrison Bergeron"? [Consider how people must function and what has become "normal."]

The society of Kurt Vonnegut's short story is one of forced equality, an equality that diminishes talent, intelligence, and beauty. Individuality exists no longer. With the use of technical manipulation and the addition of three amendments to the Constitution, everyone is now "finally equal." But, it is an equality in mediocrity. For, Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General to whom Hazel Bergeron bears a strong resemblance, is the standard. In fact, as Hazel talks to her husband George, she remarks, "I think I'd make a good Handicapper General," and her husband responds, "Good as anybody else." For those like George Bergeron and especially his son Harrison, as well as the pretty ballerinas, mandatory handicaps and masks serve to equalize their looks if they are prettier or their brains are keener. For instance, George must wear forty-seven pounds of bird shot around his neck. When he has certain thoughts, a twenty-one-gun salute fires in his h...

What might have motivated Harriet's mistress to bequeath Harriet as a slave to her five-year-old niece?

In the autobiographical Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs gives us an account of her years living as a slave. Linda Brent, a pseudonym that Jacobs used, faces many hardships while under the thumb of slavery, some that almost seem almost too terrible to be true, but as she states in the preface to the book: I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true. I have not exaggerated the wrongs inflicted by Slavery; on the contrary, my descriptions fall far short of the facts. The first mistress that young Linda had was a woman who promised Linda's dying mother that "her children should never suffer for any thing." And so, when this mistress "sickened and died" when Linda was twelve, Linda and her loved ones hoped that the woman had made some sort of provision for Linda to be set free. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the mistress wrote in her will that Linda should be given to her niece, who was o...

How was life in the colonies after their independence?

Life in the colonies was not easy after the Revolutionary War. There was a great deal of uncertainty. Britain was not a willing trade partner and, as a stipulation of the Treaty of Paris, the colonists still had to pay their debts to the British. The national government also owed money to Spain, France, and the Netherlands for their help in winning the war. The Articles of Confederation did not allow for national taxation, so it was unclear as to how the money would be raised to pay the national debt. The government owed money to individuals as well, especially the soldiers who had given so much to the patriot cause. In many cases, the money could not be raised. Alternatively, if it was, it was in Continental dollars that proved to be worthless. The soldiers were then paid in western land, but the land was sold for pennies on the dollar to land speculators who sought to take advantage of these soldiers. The most famous instance of citizens becoming disgruntled with the federal ...

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 3, Summary Exercises, Section Summary Exercises, Problem 12

Write an equation of the line "through $(4,-2)$ with slope $-3$". (a) In slope-intercept form Using Point Slope Form $ \begin{equation} \begin{aligned} y - y_1 =& m(x - x_1) && \text{Point Slope Form} \\ y - (-2) =& -3(x - 4) && \text{Substitute } x = 4, y = -2 \text{ and } m = -3 \\ y + 2 =& -3x + 12 && \text{Distributive Property} \\ y =& -3x + 12 -2 && \text{Subtract each side by $2$} \\ y =& -3x + 10 && \text{Slope Intercept Form} \end{aligned} \end{equation} $ (b) In standard form $ \begin{equation} \begin{aligned} y =& -3x + 10 && \text{Slope Intercept Form} \\ 3x + y =& 10 && \text{Standard Form} \end{aligned} \end{equation} $

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 7, 7.4, Section 7.4, Problem 40

The quantity to be calculated is the area of what is called a surface of revolution. The function y = 3x is rotated about the x-axis and the surface that is created in this way is a surface of revolution. The area to be calculated is definite, since we consider only the region of the x-axis x in [0,3] , that is, x between 0 and 3. The formula for a surface of revolution (which is an area, A) is given by A = int_a^b (2pi y) sqrt(1 + (frac(dy)(dx))^2) dx The circumference of the surface at each point along the x-axis is 2pi y and this is added up (integrated) along the x-axis by cutting the function into tiny lengths of sqrt(1 + (frac(dy)(dx))^2) dx ie, the arc length of the function in a segment of the x-axis dx in length, which is the hypotenuse of a tiny triangle with width dx and height dy . These lengths are then multiplied by the circumference of the surface at that point 2 pi y to give the surface area of rings around the x-axis that have tiny width dx yet have edges that...

How did Henry VIII change Christianity?

When Henry VIII consolidated the wealth and power of his throne, he did so in part by dismantling the monasteries, taking their valuables—essentially for his own wealth—under the guise of tearing down the opulence of the papacy and its influence in his kingdom. And many monasteries were literally dismantled and torn down. As a result of this, you have the near-extinction of monastic life in the United Kingdom at that point. Henry's influence on Christianity can also indirectly be seen in particular through one of his wives and his children. Anne Boleyn and her family had long been supporters of the evangelical movement (although still moderately Catholic). With Anne's growing influence on Henry and her eventual rise in status, she found herself in a position to show greater support through patronage to reformers like Simon Fish. Young King Edward, upon Henry's death, continued to support the new Church of England and disfavor Catholicism. When Mary took the throne, however,...

What is the difference between a white dwarf, a neutron star and a black hole?

December 18, 2011

White dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes are all possible final stages of evolution of stars. In a star, a large amount of matter is collapsing together due to the gravitational attraction. However, as matter particles get close enough together, they undergo nuclear fusion which releases energy (in the form of radiation) that stops the star from collapsing. As the result of the fusion, lighter elements (such as Hydrogen) bond together to form heavier elements, but when the heavier elements undergo fusion, less energy is released. So, eventually the star runs out of fuel. What happens then depends on the mass of the star. If the mass of the star is less than about one and a half masses of the Sun, it becomes white dwarf. White dwarf eventually stops collapsing because of the pressure provided by electron degeneracy. This is a quantum mechanical principle that roughly could be interpreted as that the two electrons cannot be in the same place at the same time, even if the forces of gr...

How do I use my personal qualities to become a good teacher?

December 18, 2011

Let me just add a professor's perspective. The job of Professor has four overlapping components: scholarship, teaching, community outreach, and in-university service. For several reasons, the teaching aspect is too often neglected, not the least of which is that promotion and tenure depend most heavily on one's reputation and contributions to his/ her field. When a student in graduate school asks about teaching, he/ she is told "We all know how to teach." In actual practice, a professor prepares a syllabus, which is as much a "contract" between school and student as it is a schedule of assignments, quizzes, tests, projects, and content. A good teacher (on this level) is one who gives as much energy and creativity to this aspect of the job as to the scholarship element of his/ her work. In practice, this takes the form of finding striking deviations of the standard "canon" (often frozen in anthologies), seeking individualized techniques for individu...

How does Yunior see Lola as different from other girls? How does he feel about her? What do we learn about Yunior’s personality as a result?

Yunior has a rather ambivalent relationship with Lola. While he thoroughly adores her, he somehow finds it impossible to remain faithful to her. It is unknown whether this is a product of his cultural background or personal inclinations. Yunior, however, is an intriguing character and also the principal narrator of the novel. For his part, Yunior is fascinated with sex; he sees women primarily as a means of fulfilling his physical urges. In spite of this, he has a special place in his heart for Lola, Oscar's sister. He sees Lola as a "tough Jersey dominicana." Lola is a long-distance runner who drives her own car. She is tough as nails, independent, and unconventional. Unlike the other Dominican girls, Lola is not fixated on outward appearances. However, she tends to revel in extremes. Yunior mentions with awe that Lola even shaved her head "Sinead-style," remaining oblivious to the radiating disapproval from the larger Dominican community. In Yunior's mind,...

How did the market revolution and westward expansion heighten the nation's differences?

The market revolution describes the transition from an economy focused largely on agrarian products to one based on capital. This transition, in the United States, was largely confined to cities in the North, while cities in the South tended to maintain their agrarian focus. This influenced differences in the beliefs of slave holders and abolitionists. Abolitionists saw the industries in their cities grow, requiring an increase in labor to ensure profitability. The smaller concentration of slaves in these areas led to the use of paid laborers, which helped drive economic gains, as these individuals expanded commerce by spending the money they earned. Abolitionists gained more support in Northern cities because slavery posed a threat to laborers by offering a cheaper alternative that could cause significant unemployment. Even emancipated slaves in the North were seen as a threat by laborers because these emancipated slaves would work for lower wages. Cities in the South maintained their...

Is the title appropriate?

The title of this story is appropriate because it describes its most important event. During a conversation about solitary confinement and the death penalty at a dinner party, a banker and a lawyer make a bet to find out which of these two forms of punishment would be the worst. The lawyer, believing that he could handle 15 years of solitary confinement, agrees to be imprisoned by the banker in return for two million roubles. This bet, therefore, sets the story's main events in motion. What the title does not convey, however, is just how significant the bet will become. As a result of his suffering from years of solitary confinement, the lawyer becomes so disillusioned with life that he deliberately forfeits the bet by leaving his cell five minutes before the time is up. For the banker, this is a hollow victory. He keeps his money but despises himself because he had intended to kill the lawyer before the time was up.

What are some statements and remarks of Crooks and Curley's wife that relate to personal alienation in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men?

Both Crooks and Curley's wife have been marginalized as they possess single identities that differ from all the other people on the ranch. Crooks Within the setting of the 1930's, Crooks finds himself subjected to the racial bias of this era. Even though he is probably better educated than many of the other ranch hands, he is made to live in the barn with the mules and horses, and is subjected to verbal abuse and being called pejorative racial names. In Chapter 2, for instance, the old swamper named Candy tells George and Lennie that the boss has been angered by their late arrival and has yelled at the stable buck: "He sure was burned....Come right in when we was eatin' breakfast and says, 'Where the hell's them new men?' An' he give the stable buck hell, too." "Give the stable buck hell?" [George] asked. "Sure. Ya see the stable buck's a nigger." "Nigger, huh?" Yeah....The boss gives him hell when he's mad....

What are five ways that the Hadleys are bad parents?