The Working Students of Sti College Essay Example for Free

The Working Students of Sti College Essay The problem has been developed with the query as to how the corresponding workloads and required working hours of working students affect their studies at STI College Munoz. As a backgrounder, the primary objective of the study is for working students to overcome conflict between their corresponding workloads and required working hours as against their studies. In addition, this paper intends to provide encouragement and motivation to all students especially those who are financially distressed to pursue and finish a college degree in order to be competitive in the future and be able to realize their goals and aspirations. It may also provide learning experiences and information to faculty members and school administrators in the development and implementation of curriculum, syllabus, school policies and procedures, and other school activities. In order to accomplish our objectives, we adopted several methodologies in obtaining data and information such as conducting surveys by providing questionnaires to our subjects, obtaining graphs, tabulations and illustrations from libraries and the internet, and conducting interviews personally and directly with our target subjects to get assurance that our data, information and values gathered were correct and accurate. We also adopted the recommendation and referral approach to enhance our networking and be able to interview more samples as possible. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1. How do the corresponding workloads and required working hours affect the studies of working students from STI College Munoz? 2. How do the working students of STI College Munoz become effective in their studies? 3. How do the students of STI College Munoz benefit from this study? 4. How does the school administration of STI College Munoz benefit from this study? ASSUMPTION 1. It is assumed that the existing workloads and required working hours of working students from STI College Munoz affect their studies accordingly especially on time allotment for studies, time travel from work area to school campus, mandatory requirement by immediate superior on working student to spend extra working hours to meet work deadlines, or unexpected work engagement or tasks with results immediately needed by management. 2. It is assumed that the working students of STI College Munoz become effective in their studies by applying actual work experience towards classroom discussion or other relevant topics, applying emotional maturity acquired from work environment towards study problems or habits, and applying ability to handle financial matters effectively. 3. It is assumed that the study of working students from STI College Munoz as sample data would benefit the students of STI College Munoz since the working students play a major role in linking industry practice with the academe. It is further assumed that study would be able to motivate all students especially the financially distressed to pursue and finish a college degree despite financial problems to become competitive and achieve their goals and aspirations in the future. 4. It is assumed that the study would provide knowledge and information in the preparation, development, and implementation of curriculum, syllabus, school policies and procedures and other school activities. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY The significance of studying working students from STI College Munoz as sample data will benefit the following: †¢Students of STI College Munoz-Edsa oBy making the full time students of STI College Munoz realize their advantage over the working students in terms of ample time to do review, research and advance reading of their respective subjects and maximize such advantage to achieve educational excellence rather than wasting a lot of time strolling in the malls or other non-educational related activities. By making the working students of STI College Munoz realize their advantage over the full time students in terms of industry experience and working practices and maximizing such advantage to improve their level of maturity and sense of responsibility in terms of balancing workloads and studyloads. oBy making financially distressed students realize that financial problem is not a hindrance in pursuing a college degree and that alternative sources of income are available if the y are willing to work to partially or fully finance their studies. Faculty Members of STI College Munoz-Edsa oBy taking advantage of the actual working experience and industry practice of working students as a tool for classroom discussion and source of information for curriculum development and syllabus preparation. oTo become more selfless and noble in sharing their support and understanding to the needs and problems of students, to be more aware of the students goals, and be ready to assist them in making decisions. The scope of this paper will cover the activities of the working students of STI College Munoz-Edsa. This study was limited to common problems and coping style of working student and their relation to academic requirements. The respondents of the study were the working college students of STI College Munoz-Edsa, aged 17 and above years old from different year level (first year to fourth year) during second semester school year 2009 – 2010. This study will determine the common problems, coping styles and academic performances as well as how the students academic performances significantly relate with the problems and coping style. DEFINITION OF TERMS Academe – The academic world. Academic Performance – refers to the grades of the college student obtained in each subject as expressed in their class cards. It is measured by getting the general weighted average (GWA) of the studies during the final term, second semester school year (2009-2010). This is the result of the grades multiplied and divided by the number of the units in a semester. A copy of these grades showing their equivalent rating appears on the transcript of records available at the school registrar. Educational Attainment – refers to the highest level of schooling a person achieved at a certain time. In this study the educational attainment is the year level the respondent is currently enrolled. Family – refers to basic social institution of society. It is traditionally defined as a social unit of those related through marriage, birth or adoptions who reside together in officially sanctioned relationships and who engaged in economic cooperation, socially approved sexual relations and reproduction and child rearing (Andersen, 2002). In this study, this refers to the direct family of the respondents. This covers the family relationships between parents and children, between father and mother, among siblings, family economic condition and total number of family members. Income – The average family monthly income which includes fixed sources from salaries and wages and other additional sources from business, farming, fishing and others. Problems – Refers to the difficult situations, which the working students in STI- College, Munoz Edsa are facing while portraying their different roles. Socio-Demographic Profile / Profile – refers to the demographic characteristics of the respondents which include their age, gender, socio economic status of the family, college year level, family’s monthly income, and their class schedules. Students – Refers to the respondents of this research coming from STI COLLEGE Munoz – EDSA. They are studying at the same time working for varied reasons. Work – refers to the type of job the respondents are engaged in while studying. In this study it refers to the respondents to their work profile which includes the type of work, where they are working, how many hours are they working and where do they spend their salary. Working Students – are those students who work with pay, those who are self – employed or having their own business while studying after working hours or working in between class hours. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter includes a discussion of literature and studies, local and foreign, which were found to have bearings on the present study. Even though there have been only a few related studies, no similar study yet has been conducted wholly and solely on the problem of working college students of STI College Munoz EDSA. It can therefore be safely assumed that this research does not duplicate any study. LITERATURE LOCAL Manuel R. Santos expressed the view that the fate of the domestic helpers in the Philippines is somewhat disturbing. Majority of these young people are treated like animals although he said that not all are treated like animals. He said that not all these young people are badly treated but there are many of them who really received such maltreatment not only in our country but also abroad. Santos stressed the view that there is a need to amend the law about domestic helpers in such a way that they may be given opportunities to go to school and finish at least a college education. The author opinioned that most importantly, a domestic helper should receive a compensation commensurate to their workload with entitlement to a thirteen month pay and other benefits such as Medicare and SSS. The domestic helper should be given time to rest at least one day a week with pay. Clawid, being a working student as well as joining captivating Capiz is one of the hardest parts in the life of a college student. Why? Because aside from studying his lessons, making his homework and assignments, listening to his instructors and professors and finishing his projects, he has to do or finish other assignments or workload which full-time students don’t have. He doesn’t have enough time to go and hang out with his friends because he has assigned duty in the school, and several tasks to be done and the outcome would depend where he would be assigned to have his duty. He has responsibilities and accountabilities to the school where he is working and that is part being a working student, to serve the school and render working hours. Being a working student, the school shoulders the tuition fee and all he has to pay are the miscellaneous fees. That is one of the reasons why some students are applying to become a working student especially when their parents could no longer afford to send them to school. Sometimes he is being told to have committed mistakes but he takes them as encouragement and as a challenge but sometimes it also puts him down, depending on how other students have told him and the manner of delivery for calling his attention for the mistake committed. Some working students are very sensitive when being told that they had committed mistakes and easily feel bad. But what makes him proud is that he decided to become a working student in order to help his parents with their burdens especially in sending him to school. Sometimes he finds some extra jobs like typing just to earn money and be dependent. Some of his fellow working students told him that they would like to quit because it is really hard and they are tired after a long hours they spend in the class. But he told them that it is a part of the life of a college student. They have to manage their time and be patient because it is their investment for their career in the future. He is proud that he is a college working student and advised that we need patience, time management and strong determination to graduate from the course we have chosen and be able to face those circumstances and trials that may come in the life of being a college working student. Veronica Rillorta, after her high school graduation, dreamed of going to college and taking up a course of her interest as the key to finding employment. But as June 2005 drew near, she started to get worried because her parents couldn’t send her to school. Her mother consoled her by saying that it would be her own choice if she wants to work and where to work. At first, Veronica worked as a waitress in a restaurant in their town. The restaurant served so many customers, that they could only eat their lunch at around 3:00 in the afternoon. After working for few weeks, she quit. She relaxed for a few days, but because she didn’t want to be a burden to her parents, she found work as saleslady. Unfortunately, her employer cooked up some gossip about her and told her relatives that she had many boyfriends. She explained to her mother and dissuaded her from confronting her employer. Veronica blamed herself and developed self-pity. She was unhappy and felt life was boring doing nothing but wait for new opportunity to come. One day her friend from high school who has just graduated as a working student, came for a visit together with her employer, Madame Judith. Her friend told her she had recommended her to Madame Judith as her new working student. Veronica’s parents were delighted. Thinking this was the help she had been praying for every night, she went to Solano town in Nueva Viscaya province, one week before the start of classes in June 2007. She was fortunate given the opportunity to study in her employer’s school, while working for her family. She got free tuition and miscellaneous expenses as well as free lodging and food. And her employer gave her a monthly allowance amounting to P800. Balancing her work and her studies was not easy for her at first, but her second parents guided and supported her. They accepted her weaknesses and trusted her. Days became months, and months became years. She encountered some problems along the way, but they hardly mattered, compared to the chance of getting an education and becoming a more responsible and productive citizen. Her goal is to finish her course, but her employer had told her that they have other plans for her after finishing her course. They must be the instruments of God’s love for her. They are modern-day good Samaritans to whom she owed her new life. This early she was already thinking that in order to repay God and her second parents for their kindness, she will sponsor a scholarship program for deserving poor, young people so that they can go to college and have brighter future. She will also try to inculcate in them spiritual values and moral strength. All the things happening in our country certainly affects the youth, but it should not drive us to despair. Instead, let us take it as a challenge for us to make a difference, for the future awaits us. Being a better youth today ensures a brighter future tomorrow. Let us always believe in God, pray without ceasing and stick to the hope that we can achieve our goals through sheer determination. Veronica V. Rillorta, 19, is taking up a computer secretarial course at the Viscaya Institute of Computer Science in Bayom, Nueva Viscaya. Philippine Overseas Employment Authority report by Analiza Buendia mentions that based on statistics from 1983 to 1986, there were 632 complaints from migrant women workers who were domestics helpers that they were maltreated by their employers and 14 causes of rapes. These figures involved only women with legal and proper documents, although there were many of them who did not want to risk of losing their jobs by reporting cases of abuses and maltreated by their employers to the authorities. Then there were also those who did not want to give worries to their families in the Philippines. It was revealed that there was already organized in London an organization like commission of Filipino migrant workers(CFMW) had been helping the Filipino victims of such maltreatment and rapes; another organization was organized called â€Å"Kalayaan† whose member were Filipino domestic migrant workers who have been victims of the above kind of slavery. In this organization, it was shown that the members help each other and give moral support. It was revealed that the CFMW gave legal, financial and spiritual support to Filipinos overseas workers in London. According to Buendia, the Philippine government is not doing anything about what is happening to the Filipino women abroad. In spite of overwhelming proofs of this domestic helpers’ slavery, there has been no determined effort to help the victims. In fact the author pointed out that government officials kept on saying that they are doing everything about the problem, but up to now no law has been passed to protect the safety and interest of Filipino domestic helpers abroad, unless something concrete is done is pointed out by Buendia. The Filipino domestic helpers’ only choice aside from escape is to endure, pray and make sleep as their only escape from drudgery and cruelty as well as abuse Although some of the related literature did not directly show that the domestic Filipina helpers abroad was not studying while they worked as such, yet some of them study in their vacant times especially in the night. This could be due to the fact that these domestic helpers wanted to finish courses with foreign orientation. While the present study is concerned mostly on the problems, profile and motivations of part time working students in STI College Munoz, it has relations with those literature published in the local scene. Based on a study undertaken by the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA) Leonila Anastacio, only 49 percent of overseas workers in 1986 were women. In the first quarter of 1987, POEA data revealed that women migrant workers had outnumbered the men in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In fact there were 40,000 Filipino now living in Great Britain in 1987 and almost 70 percent of this was women. Most of these women were college graduates and yet many of them were employed as domestic helpers, hotel chambermaid and waitresses. The young ones were still going to school to be able to finish another course which was pure British in orientation. Others landed on such jobs as teaching and nursing. It was noted that according t several job placement agencies in London, Filipinos were the most sought after for domestic work. The agencies attributed this development to the fact that all Filipinos spoke and understand English, hardworking, seldom complain about long hours of hardworking, patient with children, and most of all can easily adopt themselves to any situation. It was reported to the Philippine Overseas. FOREIGN A Working Students Life, a relentless work ethic, an upbeat attitude and a supportive family got her to the equitation finals. But for junior Kristin Mauks, the prize she treasured most was what she learned along the way. Sandra Cooke, Mandy Lorraine, At 10 p. . the night before the 1998 Maclay Finals, Kristin Mauks was staring through trainer Missy Clarks truck windshield at a Manhattan side street teeming with rigs, horses, and people, with Madison Square Garden looming beyond. Shed worked hard toward this chance for six years. For a moment, though, the reality was overwhelming. I was thinking, I have to unload these horses here. I have to take the tack trunks up this five-story-high ra mp.

Claudius Ptolemys Contributions to Science

Claudius Ptolemys Contributions to Science Claudius Ptolemy The ancient world can be traced back to times of mysterious and enigmatic people. Some mysteries, however, remained unfathomed till date. Life, during those times, was very different; humans performed activities and tasks that gave a lot of prominence to the Gods and were primarily based on the cycle of nature. On the contrary, today, life has taken 360 degrees turn. Our life today is almost dependent on technological gadgets. The transition from then to now has been enormous. There is a stark difference observed in the lifestyles of both the ages. And it is not just the lifestyle there is a vast difference even in the thinking. Since ages, many questions have often been accumulating in the human mind such as, what are the dimensions of the earth, how many continents are there on the Earth, and what are the functions of the Moon and the Sun in our day-to-day lives. Now, the answers to these questions are just a click away. But when a similar scenario must have emerged during ancient times, people might have associated it with some myth or an old wives’ tale. The transformation of people from an ancient era to the modern one was really a lengthy process where philosophers, thinkers, mathematicians, astronomers and geographers must have put across their observations and theories to the general public. However, change is never easy. Their ideas and concepts were not accepted instantly. In fact, they were all rejected outright and they were ridiculed as well as humiliated because of their beliefs and concepts. But all of them stood their ground and fought for what they believed was right. After a series of untiring efforts, they were rewarded and were proved right years after they passed away. It was the observation and contribution of these people which have now evolved into theories and concepts that help us simplify and demystify our lives. Let us shed light on the life of one such person who made a significant contribution in changing our lives. His name was Claudius Ptolemy. He was a Greek-Roman citizen, who displayed multiple talents of astronomy, mathematics, georgraphy, astrology and poetry. Decoding the Enigma In a distant town of Ptolemais Hermiou in Thebaid, Egypt, a child was born into the family of Ptolemies. The family was the descendant of Ptolemy Soter, a mighty General from the army of Alexander the Great in 90 AD. Although the family was rooted in Egypt, the Roman influence on the family was such that the infant was given a Roman name, Claudius. The name Claudius is a Roman nomen (Roman naming system) and the fact that Ptolemy bore it, indicates that he lived in Egypt under the rule of Romans . Nothing much is known about Claudius Ptolemy’s upbringing or his family. â€Å"Where did Ptolemy come from?†, â€Å"Where was he born?† are the questions which are still asked today but the answers have been lost with time. All that is known is Ptolemy started becoming renowned as someone who had a keen mathematical and astronomical sense. He became popular in Thebaid and later, in Alexandria, where he began to reside in his adulthood. Star Gazing Nothing much is known about Ptolemy’s ancestry, apart from what can be deciphered from the details of his name. However, the modern researchers are sure of one fact, that it was Ptolemy who wrote the great edict called Almagest at around 150 AD. Ptolemy wrote in Greek and utilised Babylonian astronomical data. In spite of being a Roman citizen, most of the scholars came to a common understanding that Ptolemy was ethnically Greek, although some others also had the opinion that he was a Hellenised Egyptian. In most of the later Arabic sources, he is referred to as, ‘the Upper Egyptian’, which means that he may have belonged to southern Egypt. Hence, the Arabic geographers and physicists referred to him by his Arabic name Batlaymus. Ptolemy built his reputation owing to his astronomical works, wherein he had recorded the existence of 1000 stars, out of which 300 were his finds. He is also credited with coming up with the first practical theory of Refraction of Light. He was precise in his discussions about the dimensions of the planet. Ptolemy came up with a compilation of the ancient view of astronomy in an astronomical manual called Almagest. He used the 800-year-old astronomical observations by his predecessors as a reference point for this purpose. He also added his conclusions on the basis of this reference as his vision of the universe. Ptolemy’s successors considered the Almagest to be the Gospel of astronomy for many centuries throughout medieval Europe. The ancient Greeks believed in the theory that the path of the planets was completely spherical, were discarded later as it was proved later that the orbits of the planets are elliptical. Even Ptolemy had been convinced by this earlier belief. Going Into the Orbit In Ptolemy’s manual, it was clearly seen that he followed the steps of Aristotle, whom he considered his ideal. Aristotle had come up with a theory that the planets moved in a continuous and uniform motion in perfect circles. As per Ptolemy’s observation he concluded that earth is a spherical object which remains freely suspended in the centre of the Universe. One of the studies revealed the stars to be bodies which were fixed to a strong exterior of the Universe which lay beyond the orbit of Saturn. A large number of these studies were based on Aristotle’s philosophy but Ptolemy added his inputs by calculating the motion of each planet in great detail and thus came up with his contribution to astronomy. One of his early works, the ‘Almagest’ provided a detailed study of the Mathematical theory of the movements of the Sun, the Moon and other planets. Ptolemy’s theory that the planets move in circular epicycles along their orbits, which was wel l-received during those days. The Almagest was preserved in Arabic manuscripts, like most of the Classical Greek Science. By the 12th century, it gained the desired reputation and was widely sought after. Due to its popularity, it was translated twice into Latin, once into Sicilian and then into Spanish. Like Ptolemy’s predecessors, his model was geocentric and received almost complete acceptance universally until simpler heliocentric models were introduced during the scientific revolution. Ptolemy’s theory of Planetary Hypotheses extended beyond the explanation given in the Mathematical model of the Almagest. The Planetary Hypotheses depicted the physical realisation of the Universe in the form of nestled spheres and used the epicycles of this planetary model to portray the dimensions of the Universe. According to his calculations, the sun was at an average distance of 1,210 earth radii, while the radius of the sphere of the fixed stars was 20,000 times the radius of the Earth. To calculate astronomical calculations in Handy Tables, Ptolemy introduced an efficient tool which tabulated all the data required to calculate the positions of the Sun, the Moon and the planets, as well as the rising and setting of the stars and the eclipses of the Sun and Moon. This Handy Tables became the basic model which was improvised later as astronomical tables or zijes. Ptolemy also worked on a star calendar or Almanac, which he prepared with the help of the positions of the hands and disappearances of stars during the solar year. This was presented in the Phaseis (Risings of the Fixed Stars). His observations made a huge impact in those days and made Ptolemy somewhat of a seer or scholar. Mapping it Out Apart from Ptolemy’s tremendous contribution to the understanding of astronomy throughout the world, he also laid down the groundwork to the future cartography or the study of maps. He wrote another treatise on the lines of the Almagest, compiling his knowledge of Geography, along with what was already known through the Roman Empire. An important source of information for the book, Geographia, written by Marinos of Tyre, an earlier geographer and the gazetteers of Roman and ancient Persian Empire. Ptolemy began the book with a discussion of the data and the methods used by him to write down the book. The book was written in a much organised pattern on the lines of following a grand scheme. He assigned co-ordinates to all the places and geographic features he knew in a grid that spanned the globe which was quite similar to the work of Marinos. The Latitude that we know of today and is measured from the equator was done by Ptolemy but he named it as climata, which was the length of the longest day rather than degrees of arc. For example, the length of the mid-summer day increased from 12 to 24 hours as one moved from the equator to the polar circle. In books 2 through 7, Ptolemy used degrees. He assigned 0 degrees longitude to the Blessed Islands or the Canary Islands, which was the most western land on the extreme left of blue sea of Ptolemy’s map. This was identified by the six dots that were also labelled as Fortunata islands. Most medieval mapmakers followed the instructions that Ptolemy had devised and mentioned it in the Geographia. The second part of the Geographia contained Ptolemy’s Oikoumene or the map of the whole world. The area of Oikoumene extended from 180 degrees of longitude from the ‘Blessed Islands’ in the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of China and about 80 degrees of latitude from Shetland to anti-Meroe or the east coast of Africa. His map indicated he knew only about the quarter of the globe. He improved the projections of his maps than they were since the third century BC. However, Ptolemy’s maps were inaccurate as compared to the modern maps because he took the size of the Earth as being only 500 stadia for a great circle degree on the globe. The Bible of Astrology Along with the Almagest which spoke at lengths about astronomy, it is believed by some that Ptolemy also wrote a 4-part treatise on astrology called the Tetrabiblos, which in Greek terms means, Four Books. But there are others who believe that Tetrabiblos wasn’t written by Ptolemy. In fact, many scholars state that he must have just given the term Apotelesmatika, meaning Astrological Outcomes, as it was found in some Greek manuscripts. It is said that Tetrabiblos was revered as much as the authority of a Bible by the astrological writers for more than thousand years. It is an extensive database based on the ancient principles of horoscopic astrology and as a result has been continuously reprinted. However, it could not come up to the level of Almagest as it did not touch upon some popular areas of the subject such as medical astrology and event astrology which was interpreting astrological charts for a particular moment to determine the outcome of a course of action to be initiated at that time. However, these were later incorporated into the treatise. Ptolemy was of the belief that astrology was a science which tried to describe the physical effects of the heavenly bodies on the terrestrial life but unsuccessfully. Although he had no issues with the basic validity of the traditional astrological doctrines but he worked at modifying the details so that aligns with the Aristotelian conception of nature, matter and change. Ptolemy had a practical view of astrology. He believed that astrology was conjectural like medicine as many variable factors had to be taken into account. While to assess the requirement of the medicine factors such as the race, country and upbringing of a person had been taken into account for astrology the deciding factors were the position of the Sun, Moon and the planets at the precise moment of their birth. So he considered astrology to be useful in life, but in no way, relied upon it completely. A later pseudepigraphical composition known as Centiloquium, a collection of 100 aphorisms ascribed to Ptolemy, was commented upon by the Arabic, Hebrew and Latin scholars. Striking a Chord Ptolemy had resided in the Roman Empire, where music was given a high status as an art form. His work called ‘Harmonics’, is an observation on Music theory and mathematics of music. Ptolemy was very critical of his predecessors’ approach to the Musical theory. As per his theory he based the musical intervals on mathematical ratios, which was contrary to the belief followed by Aristoxenus and in sync with the belief accepted by the followers of Pythagoras. Ptolemy further propounded the theory which was first spoken about by Pythagoras about the musical notes being translated into mathematical equations and vice versa in Harmonics. He also wrote at length about an intense diatonic scale, which was later incorporated by many musicians. Another commendable contribution of Ptolemy’s work is Optics. However today, the only Optics that has survived is in poor Arabic translations and in around 20 manuscripts of a Latin version of the Arabic, translated by Eugene of Palermo, Circa 1154. Ptolemy wrote about the properties of light, including reflection, refraction and the colour in it.. The work is a significant part in the early history of optics. The more famous Eleventh Century Optics by Alhazn (Ibn al-Haytham) was majorly influenced by this work. It contained the earliest surviving table of refraction from air to water, for which the values (with the exception of the 60 degree angle of incidence), although historically praised as experimentally derived, it seemed to have been obtained from an arithmetic progression. It had the earliest surviving table of refraction from air to water for the values with the exception of the 60 degree angle of incidence. It seemed to have been obtained from an arithematic progression although it is said to be derived experimentally. Ptolemy’s work is based on the combination of mathematical, philosophical and physiological traditions. His theory of vision was based on extramission-intromission theory; the rays (or flux) from the eye formed a cone, the vertex being with the eye and the base defining the visual field. The rays were sensitive and conveyed information back to the observer’s intellect about the distance and orientation of surfaces. The size and shape of the object get determined by the visual angle subtended at the eye, combined with perceived distance and orientation. This was one of the initial statements of size-distance invariance as a cause of perceptual size and shape constancy, which was a view supported by the stoics. Ptolemy provided explanations for many phenomena concerned with illumination, and colour, size, shape, movement and binocular vision. He also classified illusions according to those caused by factors such as physical, optical and judgmental. However, his explanatio n of the Sun or Moon illusion was obscure (the enlarged size on the horizon) which was the difficulty of looking upwards. Footprints in the Sand It is believed that Ptolemy died around 168 AD in Alexandria, the city where his work flourished. He left a lasting impression on most of the researchers existing during that time. Although his works were controversial, in recent times, it has been discovered that his studies still contain important clues and observations that are practical. Many objects or characters have been named after Ptolemy as a tribute to his immense contribution to the modern day Astronomy, Astrology and Geography. Some of them include, the crater Ptolemaeus on the Moon, the crater Ptolemaeus on Mars, the Asteroid 4001 Ptolemaeus, A Character in the Fantasy series, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Track number 10 on Selected Ambient Works 85–92 by Aphex Twin, the Ptolemy Stone used in the Mathematics courses at both the St. Johns College campus. Sir Patrick Moore, an English astronomer and TV presenter called his cat by the name of Ptolemy and the name of a music magazine was called Ptolemaic Terrascope. With the information of Ptolemy’s life being virtually unknown, it is only his work and legacy that do justice to his biography.

A Fire Alarm System | Engineering Essay

A Fire Alarm System | Engineering Essay It is more prudent to head off a disaster beforehand than to deal with it after it occurs. Fire alarms are one of the most useful ways to avoid fire deaths. A fire alarm system is part of the total security system providing fire protection. Installation of fire alarm system gives rise to numerous benefits such as safety of occupant of a building, reducing loss of property or early notification to fire department. Two hundred years ago, early Americans fire alarms were very creative. The different ways to announce a fire were by blowing whistles, ringing church bells or even shooting guns into the air. Due to the creativeness and inventiveness of early scientists, alarm systems were revolutionized. They were using the telegraph technology [1]. Ensuing decades into the 21st century produces multi-functional community fire reporting methods through wireless transmitter. Consequently, alarm systems were installed in private houses and business for security reasons. The first fire alarm system was created in the year 1658. There was no technology used. The New Yorks first fire department employed eight men. Nightly, the firemen were walking the streets to check for fires. In the 1850s, the Australian created the hand-shaken wooden rattle alarm which awoke people from impending harm. After the creation of the telegraph, forthcoming fire alarms were improved by employing this technology. Using teleg raph technology, in 1852, William F. Channing and Moses Farmer designed two fire alarm boxes with each containing a telegraphic key. With reporting a neighborhood fire, the person cranks the attached handle on the box releasing the key to send out a message of the box number to a central alarm station. Upon receiving the message, the telegrapher at central headquarters sent the corresponding address of the box location to the fire department response team [2]. Consequently, more advance technologies were used to create fire alarm which made the latter more effective in numerous ways. One of the most common types of fire alarm system is the smoke alarm. A smoke alarm is one that uses a smoke detector as a device that detects smoke to activate the alarm system. Although the use of smoke detector as sensing element is mostly used in fire alarm, the latter is not fully effective. According to Journal of Safety Research, improved efforts are needed for the functional use of smoke alarm to saves more lives. To improve the functioning of fire alarms, the type of sensor used must be changed [3]. Sensors play a fundamental role to any measurement and automation application. A sensor is a device that converts a change in a physical condition to a measurable response. One of the most useful types of sensor used in fire alarm is the temperature sensor. A temperature sensor is one that converts heat energy in electrical energy. That is, the temperature scale is calibrated accordingly to a voltage scale. There are several temperature sensors, a few of them are, thermocouples, thermistors and thermostats among others [4]. In most of the electronic circuitry, signals from sensors are processed using a microcontroller. A microcontroller is a small computer mounted on a single integrated circuit. It is divided into different section namely the processor core, memory and programmable input and output peripheral. The different types of microcontroller used are Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Peripheral Interface Controller and the most recent one the Matrix Industrial Automotive Controller (MIAC). The MIAC is an industrial grade control unit which can be used to control a wide range of different electronic systems. Programming the MIAC system is typically done using Flowcode, which is a simple microcontroller language that uses the same principle as flowchart. In this project, a fire alarm will be installed in a chemical laboratory. One of the crucial aspects while working with chemical substances is temperature. The system which will be created will have as main objective to regulate in temperature of the laboratory and in case of fire to activate the fire alarm and its entire component. The system will have as input a temperature sensor which will read the temperature of the room. The signals from the temperature sensor will be used as the microcontroller input. The output of the microcontroller will vary according to the temperature of the room. The three main functions of the microcontroller are to activate the air conditioner system when the temperature of the room is high. Furthermore, at low temperature the microcontroller will activate the heater system. Finally, at very high temperature, that is in case of fire, the system will activate the fire alarm, the sprinklers, close the windows and doors after all occupants of the laborato ry have left the premises. Closure of the windows and doors prevent the exposure of the fire to oxygen and avoiding the fire to expand on a larger scale. 1.2 Aim of the project The aim of the study is to design a system which will be used in a chemical laboratory. In case of very high temperature in the room denoting a fire, the system activates a fire alarm and all its components. Moreover, when the temperature of the room is low the heater system will be activated and when the temperature is high the air conditioner system will be activated. The system will have as input a temperature sensor and the MIAC as microprocessor to process the signals from the temperature sensor and activate the required system as its output. 1.3 Objectives of the Project The objectives of the project are as follows: To understand the structure and operation of the MIAC. To study the flowcode programming technique. To understand how to interface MIAC to the inputs and outputs. To design a program that meets the requirements of the system. To build a model of the system with all its components working accordingly. 1.4 Structure of the report 1.5 Brief Literature Review In the United State (US), most lethal injury that occurs in houses is caused by fires and burns. One of the most persuasive ways to prevent death and injury from fire is by installing a fire alarm. It is an effective method if regular maintenance is done on the alarm system regularly. Statistic shows that 95% of the houses in the US have a fire alarm; there is still a high percentage of fatal injury caused by fire. Due to lack of maintenance of the alarm, the latter tend to be ineffective. According to the finding in the Journal of Safety [3], theres a huge gap between number of smoke alarm present and the number of lives saved in fire tragedy. In order to improve the efficiency of alarm, campaign shall be done to make people aware of the danger if maintenance is not performed regularly. Accordingly, the most vulnerable group of people from fire death is the young children, older adults and the disabled person. Alarm system is an important aspect in processing industry. In industry where products are manufactured in line processing, alarm system plays a fundamental role in alerting the operators that a strange event has occur or equipment is not behaving according to normal conditions. For safe operation of the alarm system, regular alarm assessment is required for alarm management life cycle [5]. Regular assessment provides feedback for fine tuning the system resulting to a good working condition. There are two aspects in fire alarm design. The first aspect, the engineering aspect consist of the designing the alarm generating algorithm. The algorithm can be simple limit checking on a raw process to much complex one such as using machine learning tools for fault classification. The second aspect of the alarm system is the way that errors are notified in order that necessary action is taken at the right time to solve for the problem that occurred. Human Machine Interface [6] is an elemental part in the second aspect. In order to test for the performance of alarm system with respect to the first aspect of alarm design, graphical tools are used. Two graphical tools which are commonly used are firstly the High Density Alarm Plot (HDAP) and the Alarm Similarity Color Map (ASCM). The High Density Alarm Plot is an appropriate tool for visualizing large amount of alarm data of a plant over a selected time range. The HDAP gives a global picture of the alarm system without getting a deeper insight of how the latter works. The HDAP has the capability to identify visual periods of plant instability. By instability we mean the period of time where a high number of alarm is activated simultaneously in a short time period. The Alarm Similarity Color Map (ASCM) is software for graph plotting. There are several steps in plotting the ASCM graph [7]. The steps are follows under the assumption that the co-occurrence of two events follow a homogeneous Poison process and calculate the probability that the number of o verlaps is less than the maximum overlaps calculated for various lag. In most of the industrial system, the aim of the factory is to ensure that operation is run fluidly and without any abrupt interruption. Most modern industries use latest technology to ensure that the work is done correctly and effectively. The latest technologies consist of using sensors to gather information. Sensors are used to communicate the physical and environmental conditions under which the plant is running [8]. Different sensors are installed at various places in the factory to capture the information required. Under normal conditions, the plant shall operate smoothly. On the other hand, when a sensor captures a change in any one of the variables, operators are notified trough an alarm system. An activated alarm system indicates an abnormality in the plant processing [8]. In order to minimize the risk of injury or even death of people inside the plant, the fault should be identified rapidly and remedy actions shall be taken as soon as possible. Using sensors to gather information of the different variable, the running conditions of the factory are monitored thoroughly minimizing the risk that an abnormal behavior goes undetected. In contrast, with small changes in variables being monitored, sensors are prone to capture unimportant events. The slight changes in variables activate the alarm unnecessarily; this is known as nuisance alarm. Nuisance alarm conveys false impression of the true nature of the problem [8]. False alarm contributes to a more stressful working environment thus reducing the performance of operator to response to true alarm. In 1994, 11 minutes prior to explosion in the Texaco Milford Haven Refinery the two operators present at that time had to distinguish, acknowledge and act on 275 alarms [9]. We can conclude that for the proper operation of a factory, it is important to manage the alarm system effectively. There are different approaches to detect faults. Fault detection can be globally classified into two groups, namely model-based and signal processing based. Model based fault detection is more present in areas such as control theory and engineering [10]. Since it is very ambitious to reach precisely a mathematical model in practical situation, the use of model-based scheme is limited. Moreover, it is a tedious task and it is not always sure that the mode will be accurate enough to reflect the practical situation. The most popular fault detection system used nowadays in factories is simple limit checking of a directly measured variable [10]. This system is easy and simple to implement. In spite of its simplicity, the threshold level should be selected properly which directly affects the number of false and missed alarm. A false alarm is one that is raise without the presence of any abnormality in the process [8]. Missed alarm is an alarm that is not raised in the presence of fault [8]. When a wrong threshold level is chosen in the simple limit checking method, it results in greater number of false and missed alarm. When a fault occurs, the alarm systems may not be activated instantaneously. This occurs due to different delays of the system. There are different reasons causing this delay to a system. The different types of delay are network delay, bad implementation delay, sensor failure and data loss delay among others [8]. Moreover, the way the parameters of the alarm system are set can cause also rise the delay time of the system to response to a change in variables. To construct a trustworthy and effective alarm system three performance specifications should be taken into consideration namely false alarm rate, missed alarm rate and detection delay. 1.6 Summary From the information gathered so far, we can deduce that there is a need to research on new types of effective fire alarm system. Since the actual fire alarm systems are not effective as they shall be, an intelligent and practical system will be developed to serve for this purpose. The developed system will be controlled by a Matrix Automotive Multimedia Controller. The proposed system shall successfully deal with fire outbreak and also regulate the temperature of the room.

Essay on Juvenile Crime and Punishment -- Argumentative Persuasive Top

Juvenile Crime and Punishment       The punishment of juvenile criminals, specifically those between the ages of 13 and 18, in the event that they commit crimes of murder, is not severe enough. Minors between these critical ages in the teenage life who commit crimes of murder should be prosecuted as adults in all situations and locations.    Teenagers in this age group do kill others, old and young alike. The rate at which juveniles were arrested for murder rose 177 percent between 1978 and 1993 (NBER.org). This shows that there is a need for stopping or at least slowing this trend in homicidal acts. Statistics clearly show that juviniles between the ages of 14 and 17 during the years of 1976 to 1994 are increasing in numbers in the amount of murders they commit. The event in Littleton, Colorado is another example of the fact that teenagers are killing others. Carrying several weapons and setting off homemade bombs, teen-agers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded about 26 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 at 11:21 a.m. (usatoday.com/182). These two young men had hatred in their hearts that no person will be able to explain. They knew what they were doing and wanted to do it well. They did what they were trying to do: kill others. If these two young men had not committed suicide, would they have been prosecuted as adults? We will never know because of the choice they made to take their own lives, but I certainly hope that they would have received the correction they deserved. In this situation, that due punishment would have been a trial as though they were adults who killed other human beings.    What happens when teenagers kill ... ...with his/her threat.    The next step in solving this problem is to contact state governments and let them know that juveniles who commit crimes of murder should be tried as adults in all situations. Politicians should become aware that this is a problem in the society of America and shouldn't be reminded only by tragedies like that which happened in Littleton, Colorado. Call or write state governments and let them know that juveniles should be prosecuted as adults when committing crimes of murder.    Works Cited 1. http://www.nber.org/digest/feb98/w6191.html 2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/colo/colo182.htm 3. http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/colo/colo96.htm 4. http://www.tjpc.state.tx.us/reviews/98-1-09.htm (Texas Juvenile Probation Commission) 5. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/nathaniel991021.html#top   

Marijuana Essay -- Agriculture Illegal Drugs Essays

Marijuana The third largest agricultural good in the nation and a ten billion-dollar industry has nothing to do with the agriculture we are use to. This good is Marijuana, an illegal drug. It is "the most widely used illicit drug in America" n(Gold v). In Florida alone, marijuana sales are greater than all businesses except tourism (Gold v). What is marijuana? Marijuana, a plant, known as Cannabis Sativa, labeled that by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753 (Grinspoon 1), is "one of nature's hardiest specimens" (Abel ix). It can survive in any climatic condition possible, and flourishes like weeds do. Marijuana acts like a weed, stealing all the sunlight and nutrients around it. The soil needed for growing marijuana for its intoxicant, is dry thin soil, along with horse or cow manure (Grinspoon 40). It can grow to be from three to twenty feet at maturity (Abel ix), and grows at a rapid speed. Germination of the plants occurs simultaneously. Life shows six days after planting, and after two weeks, strong h ealthy leaves should have grown (Grinspoon 40). The marijuana plant is dioecious, which means that it grows separate male and female plants. The male plant is usually taller than the female plant, and dies after its flowering cycle (Abel 4). The female plant is bushier and "secretes a resin that covers the flowering tops and nearby leaves" (Abel 5). This resin is secreted by glandular hairs that are found on the leaves and is used to protect the marijuana plant from water loss (Gol...

Criminal Thinking Patterns Essay

Loyalty can be defined by anyone but there’s only one definition of loyalty. Google’s definition of loyalty is the quality of being loyal to someone or something. The second definition for loyalty is a strong feeling of support or allegiance; fights with in-laws cause divided loyalties. My definition of loyalty relates to the first definition; however, it consists of more than just that. Loyalty means respect and competence pertaining to a certain degree of trust and allegiance to an organization or personal lifestyles one might be involved in. Emotions and stereotypical thoughts have a major role in the play called loyalty. Loyalty and emotions have similarities just because of the fact an individual has to have some form of feeling towards a person or they will never be able to be loyal. What is the meaning of being loyal? Loyalty is defined by the person giving the meaning of its definition. Google definition of loyalty is true to a certain extent, but there is still something missing. The quality of being loyal should exist in everyone. Everyone or a particular breed has the quality of being loyal. Definitions seem to captivate everyone’s minds into believing the term or definition is true just because it has a reliable source. Sources are undoubtedly opinions from scholars; opinions arouse from person’s experience to inform people about such terms. If the term loyalty is true as it is supposed to be it might as well be self-explanatory. Loyalty is a word that consists of trust, faith, allegiance, and love. Without those four terms loyalty doesn’t exists. The quality of being loyal all depends on the people that may think of these terms. Imagine two couples that have undeniable trust for each other with stipulations which are to be loyal forever, one runs off to meet another individual she might have attractions for, the other partner finds out about it so the partner feels like she is not being loyal. The reason for that is because he feels like she is only upposed to be attracted to him, but she feels differently because she feels that she hasn’t cheated on him. These are two couples with two different definitions pertaining to loyalty. Emotions and stereotypical thought has everything to do with loyalty. Emotions give an individual trust and fear which are needed so one can attain the ability to be loyal. Without trust for an individual, people will never be able to give their complete trust and loyalty especially when the individual wants the same respect. Stereotypical thoughts pertaining to the term loyalty will give an individual a lesser understanding of the term loyalty mainly because stereotypical people tend to have their own opinions about everything which isn’t wrong but it justifies the statement. Everyone has their own definition of loyalty. Furthermore, what is the meaning of loyalty which is one of the questions everyone tends to asked themselves? Loyalties are moreover something genuine and sacred people or an organization tends to have. Loyalty consists of trust, love, and respect. Everyone has the ability to be loyal as long as it has true meaning.

Millenium Goals and Png

Millennium Development Goals 1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger * Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income, which is less than one dollar a day. * Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people * Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. 2. Achieve Universal Primary Education * Ensure that by 2015, all children everywhere will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. . Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women * Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferable by 2005, and in all level of education by no later than 2015. 4. Reduce Child Mortality: * Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. 5. Improve Maternal Health * Reduce by 3 quarters, between 1090 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio * Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health 6. Combat HIV/AIDs, Malaria and Other Diseas es Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDs * Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it * Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases 7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability * Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss * Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources. Halve, by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation * By 2020, to have achieved significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers. 8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development * Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system * Address the special needs of the least eveloped countries * Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly) * Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term * In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries * In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications Is PNG on track to achieving the goals? Papua New Guinea is not on track to achieving any of the goals so far. Current status in accordance with national Government reporting says that the country is off track in achieving all of the goals, with goal number 8 having insufficient information to even make a judgment.