A History of Ancient Greek Physics

A History of Ancient Greek Physics In ancient times, the systematic study of fundamental natural laws was not a huge concern. The concern was staying alive. Science, as it existed at that time, consisted primarily of agriculture and, eventually, engineering to improve the daily lives of the growing societies. The sailing of a ship, for example, utilizes air drag, the same principle that keeps an airplane aloft. The ancients were able to figure out how to construct and operate sailing ships without precise rules for this principle. Looking to the Heavens and the Earth The ancients are known perhaps best for their astronomy, which continues to influence us heavily today. They regularly observed the heavens, which were believed to be a divine realm with the Earth at its center. It was certainly obvious to everyone that the sun, moon, and stars moved across the heaven in a regular pattern, and its unclear whether any documented thinker of the ancient world thought to question this geocentric viewpoint. Regardless, humans began identifying constellations in the heavens and used these signs of the Zodiac to define calendars and seasons. Mathematics developed first in the Middle East, though the precise origins vary depending upon which historian one talks to. It is almost certain that the origin of mathematics was for simple recordkeeping in commerce and government. Egypt made profound progress in the development of basic geometry, because of the need to clearly define farming territory following the annual flooding of the Nile. Geometry quickly found applications in astronomy, as well. Natural Philosophy in Ancient Greece As the Greek civilization arose, however, there came finally enough stability - despite the fact that there still frequent wars - for there to arise an intellectual aristocracy, an intelligentsia, that was able to devote itself to the systematic study of these matters. Euclid and Pythagoras are just a couple of the names that resonate through the ages in the development of mathematics from this period. In the physical sciences, there were also developments. Leucippus (5th century B.C.E.) refused to accept the ancient supernatural explanations of nature and proclaimed categorically that every event had a natural cause. His student, Democritus, went on to continue this concept. The two of them were proponents of a concept that all matter is comprised of tiny particles which were so small that they could not be broken up. These particles were called atoms, from a Greek word for indivisible. It would be two millennia before the atomistic views gained support and even longer before there was evidence to support the speculation. The Natural Philosophy of Aristotle While his mentor Plato (and  his  mentor, Socrates) were far more concerned with moral philosophy, Aristotles (384 - 322 B.C.E.) philosophy had more secular foundations. He promoted the concept that observation of physical phenomena could ultimately lead to the discovery of natural laws governing those phenomena, though unlike Leucippus and Democritus, Aristotle believed that these natural laws were, ultimately, divine in nature. His was a natural philosophy, an observational science based on reason but without experimentation. He has rightly been criticized for a lack of rigor (if not outright carelessness) in his observations. For one egregious example, he states that men have more teeth than women which is certainly not true. Still, it was a step in the right direction. The Motions of Objects One of Aristotles interests was the motion of objects: Why does a rock fall while smoke rises?Why does water flow downward while flames dance into the air?Why do the planets move across the sky? He explained this by saying that all matter is composed of five elements: FireEarthAirWaterAether (divine substance of the heavens) The four elements of this world interchange and relate to each other, while Aether was an entirely different type of substance. These worldly elements each had natural realms. For example, we exist where the Earth realm (the ground beneath our feet) meets the Air realm (the air all around us and up as high as we can see). The natural state of objects, to Aristotle, was at rest, in a location that was in balance with the elements of which they were composed. The motion of objects, therefore, was an attempt by the object to reach its natural state. A rock falls because the Earth realm is down. Water flows downward because its natural realm is beneath the Earth realm. Smoke rises because it is comprised of both Air and Fire, thus it tries to reach the high Fire realm, which is also why flames extend upward. There was no attempt by Aristotle to mathematically describe the reality that he observed. Though he formalized Logic, he considered mathematics and the natural world to be fundamentally unrelated. Mathematics was, in his view, concerned with unchanging objects that lacked reality, while his natural philosophy focused on changing objects with a reality of their own. More Natural Philosophy In addition to this work on the impetus, or motion, of objects, Aristotle did extensive studies in other areas: created a classification system, dividing animals with similar characteristics into genera.studied, in his work Meteorology, the nature not only of weather patterns but also geology and natural history.formalized the mathematical system called Logic.extensive philosophical work on the nature of mans relation to the divine, as well as ethical considerations Aristotles work was rediscovered by scholars in the Middle Ages and he was proclaimed the greatest thinker of the ancient world. His views became the philosophical foundation of the Catholic Church (in cases where it didnt directly contradict the Bible) and in centuries to come observations that did not conform to Aristotle were denounced as a heretic. It is one of the greatest ironies that such a proponent of observational science would be used to inhibit such work in the future. Archimedes of Syracuse Archimedes (287 - 212 B.C.E.) is best known for the classic story of how he discovered the principles of density and buoyancy while taking a bath, immediately causing him to run through the streets of Syracuse naked screaming Eureka! (which roughly translates to I have found it!). In addition, he is known for many other significant feats: outlined the mathematical principles of the lever, one of the oldest machinescreated elaborate pulley systems, reputedly having been able to move a full-size ship by pulling on a single ropedefined the concept of the center of gravitycreated the field of statics, using Greek geometry to find equilibrium states for objects that would be taxing for modern physicistsreputed to have built many inventions, including a water screw for irrigation and war machines that helped Syracuse against Rome in the First Punic War. He is attributed by some with inventing the odometer during this time, though that has not been proven. Perhaps Archimedes greatest achievement, however, was to reconcile Aristotles great error of separating mathematics and nature. As the first mathematical physicist, he showed that detailed mathematics could be applied with creativity and imagination for both theoretical and practical results. Hipparchus Hipparchus (190 - 120 B.C.E.) was born in Turkey, though he was a Greek. He is considered by many to be the greatest observational astronomer of ancient Greece. With trigonometric tables that he developed, he applied geometry rigorously to the study of astronomy and was able to predict solar eclipses. He also studied the motion of the sun and moon, calculating with greater precision than any before him their distance, size, and parallax. To aid him in this work, he improved many of the tools used in naked-eye observations of the time. The mathematics used indicates that Hipparchus may have studied Babylonian mathematics and been responsible for bringing some of that knowledge to Greece. Hipparchus is reputed to have written fourteen books, but the only direct work that remains was a commentary on a popular astronomical poem. Stories tell of Hipparchus having calculated the circumference of the Earth, but this is in some dispute. Ptolemy The last great astronomer of the ancient world was Claudius Ptolemaeus (known as Ptolemy to posterity). In the second century C.E., he wrote a summary of ancient astronomy (borrowed heavily from Hipparchus - this is our main source for knowledge of Hipparchus) which came to be known throughout Arabia as  Almagest  (the greatest). He formally outlined the geocentric model of the universe, describing a series of concentric circles and spheres upon which other planets moved. The combinations had to be exceedingly complicated to account for the observed motions, but his work was adequate enough that for fourteen centuries it was seen as the comprehensive statement on heavenly motion. With the fall of Rome, however, the stability that supports such innovation died out in the European world. Much of the knowledge obtained by the ancient world was lost during the Dark Ages. For example, of the 150 reputed Aristotelian works, only 30 exist today, and some of those are little more than lecture notes. In that age, the discovery of knowledge would lie to the East: to China and the Middle East.

Writers of Term Papers

Writers of Term Papers Writers of Term Papers Writers of Term PapersA term paper is rather a complicated research project that requires sufficient experience in analyzing, writing, and presenting the project. That is why writers of term papers should develop a certain set of qualities and abilities. Do you want to know which ones? Then go ahead reading. Do not forget to read article on The Stolen Party term paper writing, how to write term papers, as well as guide on college entrance essay outline writing and how to write a good college essay .Writers of term papers should practice building sentences logically. One of the possible and rather effective methods to do it is to tape-record what you have written and then listen to the record made. You can also ask someone to read your paper to check whether your writing is consecutive and logical enough. Writers of term papers should be well informed on their research area. That is why it is important for writers of term papers to read as much information relevant to their research topic as possible. So, if for example, you are to write a term paper on hurricane Katrina, read all the possible information about hurricanes, watch videos and documentaries, listen to CNN reports, etc. Your professor will certainly appreciate your awareness of the subject, thus, you will have more chances to get an A+ grade.Writers of term papers should learn to be persuasive. The art of persuasiveness is not easy to learn, still, possible. To sound persuasively, it is important for term paper writers to avoid emotions while writing. Besides, emotions are inadmissible in academic writing, and if you want to master in the use of scientific language, you have to keep it in mind. The best and the most important tool that all writers of term papers should use to sound persuasively is argumentation. Make your argumentation reasonable and logical. Provide the reader with enough evidence to prove that your point of view is the only right.Writers of term papers should be able to develop strong and catchy thesis statements. Some writers of term papers confuse a thesis statement with a well known fact. The main difference between a generally known fact and a thesis statement is that a thesis statement is something that you personally consider to be truth while a commonly known fact is something that does not leave grounds for debates. This mistake can make a paper sound unskillfully and become the cause of a low grade. That is why it is of a great importance for writers of term papers to understand the difference between these two notions.Striving at self-perfection is the best way to success. That is why writers of term papers should strive at it.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 12

Philosophy - Essay Example However, it’s just as important for those expectations to be clearly stated and reinforced. I know now that behavior expecations and academic goals should be stated at the beginning of each activity and children should be praised when they meet those goals and expectations. Every child can learn when he is provided with the means to succeed. These means include providing different learning style options for the classroom, reinforcing previously taught materials in new lessons and allowing the child to start on his or her own level. Some children learn best through seeing, some learn best through listening, and some learn best through doing. I will combine all of these learning styles in my lessons. I will also keep all of my lessons connected by connecting previously taught material with new material. Allowing a child to start on his own level is also important. Children will come to me with varying degrees of skill. Children who are less skilled will become frustrated if asked to do a task that is beyond them. Children who are very skilled will become bored if asked to do a task that is too easy. It is important to offer differing difficulty levels within an activity. A teacher must not only teach students academic skills, but social skills as well. This process involves discussions with students, modeling of those skills and reinforcing students who are using these skills appropriately. Discussions will take place during morning meetings or when an event has happened that warrants discussion. I will model appropriate academic and social skills to my students each day, but I will also do a weekly skit with students, modeling an academic or social skill. It is also important to praise students when they are using the skills appropriately. It is important for a classroom to be built on respect and responsibility. However, it’s not enough to simply discuss respect and responsibility with the class. I must model these concepts

International politics, Movie Analysis Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International politics, Analysis - Movie Review Example They should have known that for monistic states, the international law that protects humanity is directly translated and incorporated into the national law and should be applicable (Bradley 1). Moreover, the truth is that the judges should have known better and understood international law since they were already educated adults by the time Hitler was rising into power (Bradley 1). These judges during the Hitler’s regime were bounded by the love for their country. This is shown in the movie when Hitler announced that all Jews would be destroyed, they as judges who knew the law also stood down (Bradley 1). The truth of the fact is that the outcome of this military tribunal was very important. It was a test case to show that national and international law against humanity is powerful and applicable to anyone. It will send a strong message to all government officials whose work is to enforce the law to do so with international law appealing before making final verdict against the accused (Bradley 1). There was need to value for human life as a judge (Bradley 1). According to the movie, the judges had sentenced 99 people to life imprisonment and there was not a single one who was serving the trial. This calls for the pardon granted to them by the military tribunal that had been formed to explore the crimes committed against humanity during the Hitler regime. The military tribunal was specifically formed to try top war criminals, political and military leaders of the third Reich (Bradley 1). The tribunal operated under the Control Council Law No.10 at the US Nuremberg Military tribunals (Bradley 1). In summary at the end of the movie, judge Janning confessed after being found guilty that as Judges of the time they had no idea that mass execution would erupt as a result of their ruling (Bradley 1). He also confessed to have realized for the

Free Cornell Admissions Essay :: College Admissions Essays

Cornell Admissions Essay By unlocking the door to (name) past, one sees his thoughts and actions when they first took hold of his persona. This essay serves as a key to that door and to my current personality. The first beloved books in my life were the Sesame Street Encyclopedia volumes. At three, I wasn't old enough to read them, but I always wanted to have them read to me. In fact, I memorized the ten volume set so when my parents would skip some pages I would ask them to read what they skipped. After learning to read on my own, my favorite book became the anatomy volume in the Charlie Brown Encyclopedia. Courtesy of a supermarket book offer, I was the only kindergartner who knew about fertilized egg cells. As I grew older, I continued to read largely because reading taught me so much outside of what we learned in school. Since kindergarten, my extensive reading also originated my various interests, especially in science. Living within walking distance of the library, I went there every day, enabling me to dabble in a different subject during each visit. By the fourth grade, I had read all the chemistry books containing fewer than 200 pages, by the fifth grade I was reading about Einstein's Theory of Relativity. During that time period, I became so interested in astronomy through Odyssey Magazine that I sold holiday cards door-to-door in order to buy a telescope. Reading also helped me in school. A little ingenuity didn't hurt, either. For example, as part of my third grade reading grade, I needed to do some independent reading. Every sixty pages in a book counted for one star of credit and in order to get an "A, " I needed fifteen stars. I was greedy and saw this as an opportunity to shine far above the rest of my classmates. Instead of reading many short books, I devoured 300-page sagas by Laura Ingalls Wilder. When everyone else got eighteen stars, the little banana with my name on it had 45. This inner drive and competition still motivates my work today, but unfortunately, no one gives out stars anymore. Despite this desire to do my best, I was quite normal, except for a slight perfectionist's twist to everything. I too owned a cabbage patch doll, but it was taken away because I cared for it excessively.

Impluwensya

Manuel, Arjay G. B-17 IV-St. Francis Of Sales What is your definition of a ‘good’  teacher? In a recent article published in the journal Active Learning in Higher Education (2009, 10: 172-184) Bantram and Bailey explored the responses of students to this very question at a university in the UK. Four predominant themes were noted (in relative order of importance): 1.Teaching Skills: Students felt that an effective teacher explained ideas and concepts well; motivated and sustained student interest; used active-learning techniques; and acted as a facilitator to encourage and guide learning. 2. Personal Qualities: Students valued personal qualities such as, â€Å"†¦being kind, helpful, patient, enthusiastic and having a sense of humor. † 3. Relationships with Students: Students appreciated instructors who were friendly, approachable, and took the time to â€Å"get to know† them. . Teacher Knowledge: Subject-matter expertise and knowledge emerged as the l owest ranked theme. They summarized that, â€Å"†¦students appear to define good teaching largely on the basis of a range of skills and attributes that emphasize empathy and aspects of interpersonal relationships. † These findings support Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) classic Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, where an effective teacher is described to: 1. Encourage contact between students and faculty; 2.Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students; 3. Encourage active learning; 4. Give prompt feedback; 5. Emphasize time on task; 6. Communicate high expectations; and, 7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning. The reality is that effective teaching goes much beyond developing subject matter expertise. From my experiences in higher education great teachers share two common characteristics: an extraordinary sense of humility; and, a strong commitment to continual improvement, based upon a fundamental motivation to inspire st udent success.

A Vicious Cycle Of Malawi - 897 Words

A vicious cycle, if one were to describe poverty in Malawi, it would be just that. Malawi is a country in Africa full of vibrant culture and equally wholehearted people. Though the lack of education, environmental knowledge, and negligent politics have left Malawi’s citizens in the dirt poor and at times fighting for their lives. These elements are shown through the (growing?) eyes of a boy named William, the protagonist of the biography â€Å"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind†. Though most Malawians mean well, they have yet to notice how destructive their actions can be. Deforestation has ravaged the plains of Malawi. Like William s father, many farmers income depends on tobacco. Small time farmers and tobacco corporations share a blame on the nation s deforestation. Tobacco Farmers have chopped most of Malawi s trees to build drying shelters for their leafs, these huts rarely last due to Malawi’s termite problem. Citizens also tend to use wood to cook because of t he country s lack of electricity. This is the beginning of Malawi’s vicious cycle. As William points out in the book(Necessary?) â€Å"Without the trees the rain turns to floods and wash away the soil and its minerals. The soil along with loads of garbage runs into the Shire river, clogging up the dams with slits and trash and shutting down the turbine. Then the power plant has to stop all operations and dredge the river, which in turn causes power cuts. And because this process is so expensive the power company hasShow MoreRelatedHiv / Aids And Aids948 Words   |  4 Pageswere found between parental deaths and children s progress through school. In Tanzania, households that have experienced an adult death have been found to delay the enrolment of younger children in school, but try to keep older children enrolled. In Malawi, it has been shown that the death of an adult encourages children to marry earlier, drop out of school to help support the family, and take on informa l labour schemes. In Zambia, it is estimated that more than 7 per cent of approximately two millionRead MorePoverty Between Rich And Poor Countries1536 Words   |  7 Pagescommerce that take place in most of these developing countries. With that being said, these rich countries do not owe these poor developing countries anything, but should aid in their development. With the gap widening between rich and poor nations, this cycle will continue until the gap is too wide to be fixed. These established countries must take more responsibility into assisting these developing countries and bridging the gap between rich and poor. Wealthy countries have an obligation to maintain andRead MoreIncome Inequality Among Developing Countries Essay1892 Words   |  8 PagesNorway, Japan, the United States, Iceland, Switzerland, Qatar and Hong Kong enjoy an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita between 106,466 and 37,925 US dollars. In contrast, the world’s poorest countries: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Niger, Burundi, Eritrea, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Tajikistan and Central African Republic generate an average GDP per capita between 94 and 231 US dollars. It is worth noting that measuring global income inequality by GDP per capita hasRead MoreEducational Wastage: a Case Study of Upper Primary School Girl Dropouts in Otonglo Zone, Kisumu Municipality10149 Words   |  41 Pagesyears of primary schooling are especially vulnerable to dropping out of school than any other population group. This is more so in developing world countries where a multiplicity of socio-cultural, economic and structural factors combine to form a vicious cycle that forces girls out of school and to a life of dearth, squalor and ill health. While a host of studies have been carried out the world over in a bid to stem the tide of girl school dropouts, a vast majority of these have tended to addressRead MoreInflation Cause, Effects and Remedies11309 Words   |  46 Pagesexpectations, and is often linked to the price/wage spiral. It involves workers trying to keep their wages up with prices (above the rate of inflation), and firms passing these higher labor co sts on to their customers as higher prices, leading to a vicious circle. Built-in inflation reflects events in the past, and so might be seen as hangover inflation. Demand-pull theory states that the rate of inflation accelerates whenever aggregate demand is increased beyond the ability of the economy to produceRead MoreInflation Cause, Effects and Remedies11320 Words   |  46 Pagesexpectations, and is often linked to the price/wage spiral. It involves workers trying to keep their wages up with prices (above the rate of inflation), and firms passing these higher labor costs on to their customers as higher prices, leading to a vicious circle. Built-in inflation reflects events in the past, and so might be seen as hangover inflation. Demand-pull theory states that the rate of inflation accelerates whenever aggregate demand is increased beyond the ability of the economy to produceRead MoreThesis on Infant Mortality15647 Words   |  63 Pagesfood, shelter and recreational that adversely affects health of family members. Above all, the cost of the medical care may put a family under a heavy burden of debt, which may further deteriorate their living conditions. 14 Thus it may prove a vicious circle specifically for people with poor resources. The significance of phenomena of infant mortality is hardly irrevocable for its socio- economic and demographic implications. As infant mortality, in general is considered to explanative of overall