September 11th Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

September 11th - Essay Example This paper aims to examine the historic yet much-disputed event in a perspective that delves into the purported causes, outcomes, interpretations and analyses by various authorities leading to solve its mystery and to substantiate that it is, in fact, a purposeful act of terrorism. A Day of Terror It was just a typical busy day for Manhattan’s financial district until loud explosions roared and alarms reverberated all at once. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were burning, initial reports said. Succeeding news items revealed that it was a series of airplane crashes that hit the two building buildings due to hijacking operations. Few minutes passed when live broadcasts broke another story that another passenger airline crashed into The Pentagon, and a fourth one plunged into a field in Pennsylvania (a failed attempt to hit the White House of the Capitol); conclusions were drawn that the progression of incidents was actually a terrorist attack by suicide bombers. Author ities reported that there were no survivors from any of the flights and that almost 3, 000 people died due to the incident, including the 19 hijackers. The number accounted for 836 firefighters and police officers who showed up for rescue that doubled after a week. Additionally, it was noted that most of the casualties were American civilians and nationals from almost 100 countries (â€Å"In-depth: September,† 2007). Horrible and piteous scenes documented by videos and photographs of the incident could hardly describe the total magnitude of the catastrophic event during ‘nine eleven.’ The whole scope of damage did not only encompass the targeted structures which were deemed as symbols of American supremacy, it also included several buildings on the site that were destroyed or severely weakened such as related financial and business complexes, media outlets, government offices, a hotel, a church and pedestrian bridges. Furthermore, the attacks generated widespread disorder among news agencies, airline companies and airport facilities, security personnel, law enforcers and political leaders around the globe. For three days, all international civilian flights were prohibited to land on the U.S soil. Aircrafts already in flight were either turned down or rerouted to other airports in nearby countries. Such was the paranoia of the American government and the people during the time. Subsequently, the suspected attackers, of various nationalities, were identified. The Federal Bureau of Investigation determined the personal information of the passengers that boarded the planes and reckoned their identities and capabilities to carry out the despicable assault. It was found out that they formally attended American aviation schools, which qualified them to deliver the attack. On board American Airlines Flight 11 were Mohamed Atta, Satam al-Suqami, Waleed Alshehri, Wail Alshahri and Abdulaziz Alomari. Marwan Al-Shehhi, Ahmed Alghamdi, Hamza Alghamdi, M ohald Alshehri and Fayez Rashid were in United Airlines Flight 175. In American Airline Flight 77 were Khalid Almihdhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaf Alhamzi, Salem Alhamzi and Ani Hanjour. While, Saeed Alghamdi, Ahmed Alnami, Ziad Samir al-Jarrah and Ahmed al-Naznawi were able to pass airport scrutiny by behaving like ordinary passengers and boarded United Airlines F

Learning and Good Manager Essay Example for Free

Learning and Good Manager Essay Good managers are born, not made. Discuss this idea whilst exploring key characteristics of an effective manager. For a long time, many people have questioned whether a good manager is born naturally, or they can learn and train to become a good manager. For people who think that a good manager is born, they believe that an effective manager is born with some specific skills and characteristics that ordinary people do not have. â€Å"Charisma and trait are qualities which are generated from inside a person† (Junaid 2010). However, a stronger believes in nobody born with perfect competence. In fact, it is rarely to find people who just naturally good at anything. Achievement in life requires hard work, experience, and skills (Lash, J. 2007). Everyone can develop by learning and training to become better. They can change their attitude and acquire appropriate capability and attribute that required for a good manager. It is ambiguous in the aspect of good managers are born, not made, because there are many evidences and researches that explain how ordinary people can become a good manager. First and foremost, people who support the first reason that nature select a specific group of people to be a good manager by giving charisma and trait. According to Weber (1947) as cited by Raktabutr (2007), supernatural and particular forces grant charisma which is a precise quality of a personality to extraordinary person. Charisma and trait are the main factors that can make anyone become a well manager. For example, motivation is one of the key characteristic of an effective manager which is generate from inside, this type of characteristic is difficult to learn and understand. In such circumstance a proficient manager can considered as a leader, they have to know how to motivate other people in workplace. As Edward Deci (n. d. ) as cited by Llewellyn and Holt (n. d. ) write in why we do what we do: Understanding self-motivation. A place that feels connected, independent, and authorized is lead people to be self-motivated. Failure is a part of process that managers have to concede, because they have to encourage risk-taking and creativity. Effective managers have to build up the dynamic atmosphere in workplace to ensure that his co-worker and subordinate have passion to complete their task, and then it will make the outcome of their task effective and efficiency. Whereas, people who do not have this key distinctive, they can get in trouble when they have to motivate other people, because it is inconsistent to motivate to different people. Another key determinant that essential is self-confidence. Manager has to show his confidence to make his underling believe and respect to him, because manager cannot do everything they can only manage and assign task to his subordinate. While people who do not born with this ability, they can face the problem about how to act to other people to gain their trust and respect. These key characteristics are come from aptitude that manager can know immediately how to deal with problem. It could be said that other people who do not have charisma and trait cannot be a good manager, because these attributes ingrained with special people since they were born. There was an early psychological research, which were studied inborn characteristics or traits from successful leaders. The ascription is people can be a good manager if they could be found with these traits. Stogdill (1974) determine the following traits and skills as needful to manager, which consist of intelligence, conceptually skilled, imaginative, sagacious, management ability , convincing , interpersonal relations, adjustable to situations ,active to social environment ,commitment and achievement-orientated ,assertive ,cooperative , decided , trustworthy ,dominant, ardent, relentless, self-confident ,and repressive of stress. In the other hand, there are some evidences that explain how normal people who do not born with inherited specialties can learn and practice to become a good manager. Every person has to learn to acquire skills and cognition. â€Å"The most important skill for everyone is the ability to manipulate their learning† (Mcnamara, C. n. d. ). Everyone can gain a lot of benefit from learning, if they have high level of stimulus and self-directed reader. People can be a good manager by using Management development program, which is include both informal and formal method. For informal method, it can help everyone improve some key characteristics that requisite for a good manager by reading some articles, and discussing management with other people. Taking a course, seminar or workshop is another good opportunity for regular people to develop themselves to be a capable manager. There is an executive education program for manager has been provided by Harvard business school, the length of this course is around three months. This course accepts managers from all over the world. This full time course at Harvard business school offer precise learning experiences that allow managers to learn how to use vision to create effective management decision, and how to see organization as a whole picture. It is also cover all areas of management from accounting, finance, technology, operations, strategy, and marketing, international economy and organizational change. This program offers opportunity to participants to understand the key characteristics of a good manager. Almost 12,000 managers who have gone on to top leadership positions in some of the most well known companies in the world, after they graduated from this course. Therefore, it is clear that good manager can be made by training and learning, since there are plenty of ways to develop skills and characteristics by both formal and informal method. In conclusion, although, the people who born with unique skills and knowledge take advantage more than other people, normal people who want to be a good manager can expand their capability to acquire these requirements, if they have high commitment on their goal and work hard enough. Since nowadays, there are many courses and programs that provide for people to improve their abilities such as training class, which can determine and supply special skills that manager needs, and these type of programs are accepted by most organizations in the world. Thus, in my opinion, it is irrational that good manager is born. Every people can make themselves to become an effective manager, because everyone can define their own destiny.

Impact of Technology on Tourism

Impact of Technology on Tourism Technologies are factors that impacts on how any business is operated. Therefore, for each development of new technologies, a business may have to totally change their operating process. The change of technology will affect the way a company carries out business. Through the ages the travel and tourism industry has developed significantly with the development of new technology. On a global scale new technology has changed the way of tourism. In the dark ages travel on land was in litters or chariots and small boats was used to travel on sea. Tourism and pleasure travel was in existence but otr active during this time, but by the middle of the Middle Ages, large numbers took on a new life with the main purpose of traveling to Europe for religious purposes. Travel in the 18th century was by high society people mainly to visit spas a major attraction which also provided social events, games, dancing, gambling and sea-bathing. With the development of railway in the late 1830s, direct contribution of major seaside resorts was established and gave everyone an opportunity to travel as demand for vacation travel grew. The first publicly advertised excursion train developed by Thomas Cook, who was then looked upon as the first travel agent and now own s one of the largest travel agency in the world. As the need for technology grew throughout the years, various inventions took place and increased the travel and tourism industry. Leading into the 20th century where introduction of motorcar and the first twin engine aircraft which allowed for the travel of large number of people in 1958. Tourist discovered increasing access to a growing array of destinations with the great increase of technological advancements in the mid and late 20th century. Communicating technology aid in making airline increasingly accessible from the promotion of destinations to attracting travelers attention to enabling instant reservations and payment collections. Through the significance of communicating technology, modern tourism is fully equipped with the ability to communicate their benefits and to sell themselves to potential visitors. On return those potential visitors can reach points of interest at their chosen destination. In 1953, through the introduction of communication technology airline reservation way slinked directly with travel and booking agents. This brought about a generous increase in the tourism according to the learning and teaching network. this link made the entire booking process more easier and efficient as more airlines capitalized on it. As the improvement on technology increased modern internet allowed tourist quick and easy access to information such as travel destinations, lodging and dining options at the destination, up to the minute wait time and making reservations before departing for their chosen destination. The use of telephones also allowed travelers quick contact without ever experiencing a busy signal or getting out pf bed. It also allowed for the collection of payment from prospective travelers before departing for the destination. According to the journal of information technology and tourism, modern communication technology likewise 21st century developments in mobile telephone technology allows for advertising of attractions at various tourist destinations to target visitors. The impact of technology in the travel and tourism industry is enormous as more and more travelers can compare and look for all kinds of information available on the internet about potential destinations. As stated by China daily, according to John Liu , the executive vice-president and head of greater chins at Google, 85% of travelers do their research on the internet about potential destinations and the average traveler does 55 online searches for bookings, travel guides and visas before a booking. What seemed to be impossible ion the pas like the impact of global positioning  System on how airlines operate, self-check in of luggage, online bookings and so much mire is now at present become acceptable. Though technology has totally transformed the travel and tourism industry, according to the daily observer, it stills requires considerable financial investments and in addition tourist destination must continue to provide innovations in customer service, attractions and economic development to continue producing attractive destination despite the numerous avenues for promoting of the area. Identify the pros and cons of community based tourism A community implies individuals with some kind of collective responsibility and the ability to make decision by representative bodies. Community based tourisms that in which local residents of mainly rural areas invite tourist to visit their community with the provision of overnight accommodation. Although community based tourism has it advantage, there are also disadvantages which will both be outlined. As well as stating how community based tourism has impacted the country. Advantages of community based tourism Allows education and training growth of local people. Integrates the natural beauty and the daily life of rural communities. Allows tourist and locals a chance to experience other cultures. Promotes productive sustainable practices within its tourism offerings. Creation of job and economical development. Each individual in the community learns to work as a team in order to keep the community in welcoming and hospitable manner. Local people become educated in all aspect of managing the business of tourism. Persons no longer have to depend on livestock as a only source of income. Income generated can be used on national and local levels to better educate, improve infrastructure, fund conservation efforts, promote more responsible tourism  and aid in the benefits of tourism projects. Interest to conserve the living environment will be on the increase of local residents. Foreign exchange generated. Development of skills for local people. Local businesses, shops, restaurants, recreational facilities, natural attractions,, infrastructure and transport network all receive benefits from the gains. Wealth creation and access to essential services such as: water, sanitation, transport and telecommunications. Disadvantages of community based tourism Infections and diseased can be brought to a host destination. Inability of local business owners to compete with large corporations. Degrading of local infrastructure set in place due to the overbearing of heavy traffic of cars and tour buses. The host community left behind to pay for repair of damages as most of the profits return to their own countries in situations involving tourist oriented corporations Destruction to the natural habitat and resource in the community. May not be as medically advanced. Lack of respect for local cultures such as: tourist walking through local market in bathing suit. This not only offends but contributes to the undermining of social standards. Loss of potable water, loss of animal populations and the spread of disease and infection resulting from the over production in the form of water and air pollution, litter and frequent overflow of sewage systems. Increase in crime, mostly petty theft and pick pocketing and sometimes sexual assault. Luxuries such as: heated water for bathing that is not available to local residents in communities often cause tension between local population and tourist. Some large resorts take away from the small scale instead of giving to local communities. Impact of community based tourism on the country as a whole While it is important one widespread scale for the future development of the country as it open doors of opportunities for Jamaicans as a a whole. The effect on the developments of community based tourism has contributed positively and negatively on the country. The economic, socio cultural and environmental impacts on the country are as follows. Increase employment and technology Improved quality of life Better health care and education Improvement of the infrastructure Creation and attraction of foreign exchange Preservation of plants, botanical gardens, animal, etc Utilization of natural resources as attractions Creation of tours, hiking, ecotourism. Enjoying the natural environment without taking do exchanging anything Language barriers broken down encourage entrepreneurship Exposure to other cultures and social standards Cultural preservation Exposure with other music forms Black market trading Cultural erosion Exposure to STDs and stis Illegal vending Environmental degradation and depletion Pollution Damage to natural resources, illegal removal of plants, deforestation Uneven distribution of wealth Greater possibility for negative foreign influence on economy Neglect of local recreation facilities Is community based tourism an alternative type that can be used to diversify the Jamaica Tourism Product and provide Jamaica with a competitive advantage? A community is seen as individuals with some kind of collective responsibility and the ability to make decision by representative bodies. Though not having proper management bypass local residence the benefits gains from community tourism. As explained by Alicia Knight community tourism is a type of tourism owned and operated by the people in the community. Thought community tourism needs to work closely with mainstream tourism, it is the right type of tourism needed to provide Jamaica with a competitive advantage. The way forward is to get our own local people educated about their own cultures, heritage, environment and the tourism product. For example, most large resorts use foreigners at top level management post. By doing this the gains are not used in Jamaica as most of their earnings are returned to their host country. But when local people are trained with the requisite skills needed and sure are educated about tourism and its product. The tourism industry no longer have to view locals a sonly capable of doing lower level work such as, bellhops, laundresses, gardeners and waiters just to name a few. The income and gains generated from having employ more locals in the industry improve the infrastructure of the country, enhance the community and improve the quality of life of locals, thus the profits are spread within the country which also means that Jamaica would be facing less depth as there would be a balance in the national reserve. Who is better capable of teaching and introducing visitors to our heritage and culture? Who is best able to help protect the countrys natural habitat and resources? Certainly only Jamaicans can ensure visitor satisfaction in all aspect of offering them the opportunity to explore Jamaica safely and interact with our people through community based tourism. In leading the way for the future development of the country through the importance of sustainable development can only be achieved by diversifying the tourism product to include all the special interest types of tourism through community based tourism. Discuss the importance of delivering quality service in the hospitality industry According to Lazer and Payton 1999, the delivery of quality customer service is one of the major challenges facing hospitality managers and will be an essential condition in the emerging, keenly competitive global hospitality markets. For thru delivery of quality hospitality service, which involves people, management of people and interactions between staff and guest the building blocks of quality service in hospitality must have proper and effective management and maintenance. When quality service is being delivered, hospitality businesses gain in profit rewards that will unimproved the quality of the service been provided, increase the guests perception of them, enhance the market and guest satisfaction and word of mouth advertising. Thus, it is important to continue improving quality service delivery systems and train and empower staff, develop procedures to deliver what guest want, evaluate and modify service delivery systems, consider the guest being served, determine what the guest desires and implement revised systems which should focus on exceeding the guest expectations. For hospitality businesses to more effectively manage and maintain the delivery of quality of service, hospitality managers will need to identify and outline operational and significant strategy and in effect, focusing on the encounters that makes a difference to the experience of each guest. Raise to the point questions that are important to the quality of service such as; Is service limited to a luxury package or does it include budget travelers? Which staff members are involved in providing the service?What skills do they need? What training is been provided? How committed are they to service goals? Is team co-operation or individual empowerment required? What staff members deal with what guest? Are the staff presentations and appearances appropriate? What attitudes is appropriate, friendly, open, helpful, warm service, efficient, unconstructive, uninvolving or unthreatening service? Are the interfaces between different functional areas fully operations? Are the criteria for success clearly defined? Is everyone involved aware of guests needs and concerns? Is the information necessary to respond effectively to guests needs readily available? Is the appropriate technology being fully used? Are the necessary systems to support the encounter in place? Is there adequate spa ce to handle each of the activities such as; waiting, completing forms, storing or handling luggage and assembling tours? Did the dynamics of the exchange proceed smoothly? Have employees been given the training needed? Does the structure of the organization help or hinder performance/ Are the service providers given the facilities and financial and human support needed? Do service providers have the appropriate attitude? Is the right emphasis being place on service quality? Do any languages or cultural barriers exist? Is the management style and marketing orientation appropriate for the task? The importance of the delivery of quality service involves not only being specific of and for a particular thing but also involves giving the strength and encouragement needed to keep business from falling or sinking. It requires knowing exactly where the service encounters will occur and if the space is appropriately designed to facilitate the encounters. There also have to be a watt in which hospitality managers get things done and their ideas organized to work together. Most importantly, since the people who work in the industry are involved in providing quality service. It is of major importance to train and empower staff by providing incentives and reward systems for task performed. As read by Postma and Jenkins 1997 using internal and external measurements to monitor the quality of service in hospitality industry will outline the technical , process, functional and relational, and experienced quality in hospitality industries. For the importance delivery of quality of service in the travel and tourism hospitality businesses, it involves direct and to the point questions that will allow clear decision making by hospitality manager to improve services provided and to meet the challenges faced by hospitality industries. Identify differences between service delivery in hospitality industry and service delivery in other businesses Just as hospitality businesses, other business offers quality service delivery. There are no differences as for the delivering quality customer in any business as one would have to. Be visible as soon as a customer enters Greet the customer in a friendly manner and maintain professionalism Show that you are willing to help and listen carefully if the customer has an enquiry always be cheerful and courteous Make sure to end with a sweet note Recommendations Major players implement ways of using community based tourism as a solution for growth in tourism. Tourism industry fully utilizes all the developments of technology foe economic significance of Jamaica. Hospitality industries continuer the delivery of quality service to exceed their customers expectations which will result in rewards for them.

Music Censorship Essays -- essays research papers fc

Things are heating up in America. People are protesting outside of the movie theaters, concerts, and book and record stores of this great nation everywhere. What is all the fuss about? Censorship, Government officials, and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive creativity in everything from rap music to Mark Twain. Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. In Paul Blanshard’s book The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship, he speaks of censorship as a negative boundary on society. Blanshard argues that people have been given the right to express themselves fully and censorship is incorrect on the basis of the first constitutional right. Martha Bayles, in her article â€Å" The Perverse in the Popular,† discusses a characteristic of society that she calls ‘perverse modernism’, which refers to the public’s attraction to the evils or negatives of society. ‘Perverse modernism’ will cause censorship of controversial music to be unsuccessful. There are several concerns and issues with artistic expression through music, however censorship of the controversial music will not resolve any problems and it will only create more problems. The current state of society would not allow music censorship to be successful. ‘Perverse modernism’, which refers to the public’s attraction to the evils or negatives of society, is a characteristic that has become a standard of today’s society. This characteristic is not something that emerged recently but it has grown slowly through time. For hundreds of years, society has been exposed to negative material through literature, television, or music. People have developed an interest in material that is forbidden. There is a need for people to fulfill their curiosity with knowledge of all material, good or bad. Jeffery Goldstein explains, Violent entertainment did not suddenly arrive on the scene, and it is not likely to depart it any time soon. People become acclimated to the arousal generated by violent images, but they have a continuing need for excitement. Does this mean that we shall have to accept ever-increasing violence and terror for entertainment purposes? It would appear to be... ... Works Cited Anderson, Craig A. et al. â€Å" The Influence of Media on the Youth † Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 4.3 (1999): 81-110 Bayles, Martha. â€Å" The Perverse in the Popular.† Wilson Quarterly 25 (Summer 2001): 40-47.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanshard, Paul. The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Boston: The Beacon Press, 1955   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goldstein, Jeffrey. â€Å" The Attractions of Violent Entertainment.† Media Psychology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3 (1999): 271. Huff, Darrell. Homepage. 2004. http://www.effectivemeetings.com/productivity/communication/statmanipulation.asp Levendosky, Charles. â€Å" President Bush: Make Those Protestors Disappear. † Humanist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  64.1 (Jan/Feb2004): 4 Shemitz, Jon. Homepage. June 30, 1994 - June 1, 1997 http://www.midnightbeach.com/jon/US-Constitution.htm Smith, Valerie. Home page. April 19, 2004. http://www.fradical.com/Canadian_copycat_incidents.htm Music Censorship 201:U5 Research in the Disciplines Final Draft Word count: 3,253 F. Nika Hedges Spring 2004

Enthalpy of formation of calcium carbonate Essay

Objective To determine the enthalpy of formation of calcium carbonate Procedures A. Reaction of calcium with dilute hydrochloric acid 1. 1. 0909 g of calcium metal was weighed out accurately. 2. 100 cm3 of approximately 1 M hydrochloric acid was pipetted. and placed in a plastic beaker. 3. The initial temperature of the acid was determined 4. The weighed calcium was added into the acid and stirred thoroughly with the thermometer until all the metal had reacted. 5. The maximum temperature attained by the solution was recorded. 6. The experiment was repeated with 1. 0538g calcium metal. Results: Experiment no. 1 2. Mass of Ca used/ g 1. 0909 1. 0538 Initial temp. of solution/ ? 27 26 final temp. of solution/ ? 55 52 Temperature change/ ? 28 26 Calculations and Discussion: 1. What does the term â€Å"heat of formation† of a substance mean? Heat of formation refers to the heat change when one mole of a substance is formed from its constituent elements is their standard states under standard conditions. 2. What are â€Å"standard conditions† for thermochemical calculations? Standard conditions is defined as elements or compounds appear in their normal physical states at a pressure of 1 atm (101325 Nm-2/760mmHg) and at temperature of 25 oC (298 K). Moreover, the solution should have unit activity(1mol dm-3 ). 3. Write the equation for the formation of calcium carbonate under standard conditions. (Call this Equation 1) Ca(s) + C(s) + 3/2 O2(g) –> CaCO3(s) 4. Write an ionic equation for the reaction taken place. (Call this Equation 2) Ca(s) + 2H+(aq. ) ? Ca2+(aq. ) + H2(g) 5. Assuming (a) the solution in the plastic beaker has the same specific heat capacity as water, i. e. , 4. 2 kJg-1K-1 and (b) density of the acid is the same as that of water, i. e. , 1. 0 g cm-3. Calculate, in each experiment, the heat change in the reaction between the calcium and the acid per gram of calcium. For the first experiment: ?Energy evolved by the reaction= Energy absorbed by the acid ?By E = mc? T, ?H per gram of calcium = [(100/1000)(4200)(28)]/ 1. 0909 = -10780J g-1 = -10. 780kJ g-1 For the second experiment: ?Energy evolved by the reaction= Energy absorbed by the acid ?By E = mc? T, ?H per gram of calcium = [(100/1000)(4200)(26)]/ 1. 0538 = -10362J g-1 = -10. 362kJ g-1 6. Calculate the average heat evolved by one mole of calcium. For the first experiment:?H per one mole of calcium =[(100/1000)(4200)(28)]/ [1. 0909/40. 08] =-432066 J mol-1 =-432. 066 kJ mol-1 For the second experiment: ?H per one mole of calcium =[(100/1000)(4200)(26)]/ [1. 0538/40. 08] =-415329 J mol-1 =-415. 329 kJ mol-1 Average ? H per one mole of calcium (? Hx) =(432. 066 +415. 329)/2 =-423. 698 kJ mol-1 7. Why is the exact concentration of the hydrochloric acid unimportant? Approximate concentration of hydrochloric acid is not considered as one of the errors. In the reactions, limiting agents, i. e. calcium and calcium carbonate, must be reacted completely. Only these matter in the reaction but not the amount of H+(aq) provided in hydrochloric acid. Indeed, the concentration of the hydrochloric acid just affects the rate of the reaction. Therefore the exact concentration of hydrochloric acid is unimportant provided that there is enough H+(aq) to react with limiting agents completely. 8. Should we measure the volume of acid with a measuring cylinder? Why? The measuring cylinder should not be used to measure the volume of acid. This is because the heat absorbed by the acid must be counted when calculating the heat change of the reaction. As the acid has very high specific heat capacity, the errors in calculating the heat change of the reaction will be very significant if the heat absorbed by acid is not taken into account. Thus, the volume of acid should be obtained accurately to apply into E=mc? T in order to calculate the heat absorbed by the acid accurately. As the scale of the measuring cylinder is far from accurate, the pipette should be used instead. B. Reaction of calcium carbonate with dilute hydrochloric acid 1. 3. 0940g of dry powdered calcium carbonate was weighed out accurately and placed directly into a clean dry plastics cup. 2. 100 cm3 of approximately 1 M hydrochloric acid was pipetted into another beaker. 3. The acid was poured on the carbonate in the plastic beaker. 4. The solution was stirred briskly with the thermometer and the maximum temperature reached by the solution. was recorded. 5. The experiment was repeated with 2. 7400g of dry powdered calcium carbonate. Results: Experiment no. 1 2 Mass of CaCO3 used/ g 3. 0940 2. 7400 Initial temp. of solution/ ? 26 25 final temp. of solution/ ? 28 27 Temperature change/ ? 2 2 Calculations and Discussion: 1. Write an ionic equation for the reaction taken place. (Call this Equation 3) CO32-(aq. ) + 2 H+(aq. ) ? CO2(g) + H2O(l) 2. Calculate the average heat evolved by one mole of calcium carbonate. (Making the same assumptions as in Part A) For the first experiment: ?Energy evolved by the reaction= Energy absorbed by the acid ?By E = mc? T, ?H per mole of calcium carbonate = [(100/1000)(4200)(2)]/[(3. 0940/(40. 08+12. 01+16Ãâ€"3)] =840 /[(3. 0940)/(100. 09)] =-27174 J mol-1 =-27. 174 kJmol-1 For the second experiment: ?Energy evolved by the reaction= Energy absorbed by the acid ? By E = mc? T, ?H per mole of calcium carbonate = [(100/1000)(4200)(2)]/[(2.7400/(40. 08+12. 01+16Ãâ€"3)] =840 /[(2. 7400)/(100. 09)] =-30685 J mol-1 =-30. 685 kJmol-1 Average ? H per one mole of calcium (? Hy) =(27. 174 +30. 685)/2 =-29. 080kJ mol-1 3. Draw an energy-cycle linking Equations 1, 2 and 3 together, you must include reactions that had not been performed in the experiment. 2H+(aq. ) +Ca(s) + C(s) + 3/2 O2(g) CaCO3(s) + 2H+(aq. ) ?Hx ? Hy Ca2+(aq. ) + H2(g) + C(s) + 3/2 O2(g) Ca2+(aq. ) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) 4.. Besides your experimental results, what other information do you need to enable you to calculate the heat of formation of calcium carbonate? Look up these necessary data from any suitable source. The enthalpy change of formation of water: -286 kJ mol-1 The enthalpy change of formation of carbon dioxide: -393 kJ mol-1 5. Calculate the heat of formation of calcium carbonate. ?H? f [CaCO3(s) ] =? Hx +? H? f [CO2(g)] +? H? f [H2O(l) ] -? Hy =-423. 698-393-286+29. 080 =-1073. 6 kJ mol-1 6. As far as you can, list out the major sources of inaccuracy in the experiment and suggest ways to improve them whenever possible. Sources of error: – Heat loss to surrounding by evaporation, conduction and radiation. -The thermometer absorbed some energy. – The specific heat capacity and the density of the solution are not actually the same as those of the water. -Some of the samples failed to dissolve completely? – The reading of the thermometer is not accurate enough. -The experiment was not exactly carried out under standard conditions. -Some heat was gained by the gases, a considerable amount of heat is loss to surroundings when the gases are releasing. -The lid covering the plastic cups cannot prevent heat loss efficiently. -Heat capacities of plastic cups and thermometer were ignored. -The samples were not pure calcium and pure calcium carbonate due to air oxidation and reaction with moisture in air. Improvements -Use the vacuum flask calorimeter with a cork stopper instead of the polystyrene foam cup -Use a more accurate reading thermometer (e. g. Beckmann thermometer) – Find out the specific heat capacity of other materials other than water. -Use sand paper to remove the oxide layer on calcium metal. -Use powdered calcium instead of the granules in order to increase the rate of reaction ,so that the heat loss to the surroundings can be reduced 7. State the law which you have used in order to answer Question (5). The heat of formation of calcium carbonate cannot be determined directly by calorimetric experiments as there are several experimental difficulties : -The extent of the reaction cannot be controlled -Heat evolved cannot be separated into appropriate terms -Direct combustion of calcium can be violent -Side reactions may arise, for example, 2Ca(s) + O2(g) 2CaO(s) C(s) + O2(g) CO2(g) Then ,Hess’s Law is applied to calculate the heat of formation of calcium carbonate. Hess’s law states that the energy change for any chemical or physical process is independent of the pathway or number of steps required to complete the process provided that the final and initial reaction conditions are the same. In other words, an energy change is path independent, only the initial and final states being of importance. This path independence is true for all state functions 8. State the law which you have used in order to answer Question (7) depends? Why is this principle useful? The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can be changed from one form to another. In order to achieve the answer, Hess’s law is used. Hess’s law states that the total enthalpy change of a reaction is independent of the route by which the reaction takes place. In other words, the standard enthalpy change of a reaction depends on the differences in standard enthalpy between the reactants and the products. It means that the enthalpy of the reaction system is conserved. As the absolute enthalpy of a substance is not possible to be determined and only the difference between reactants and products can be measured experimentally. This law helps us to define the standard enthalpy change of a reaction. Conclusion The enthalpy of formation of calcium carbonate is -1073. 6kJ mol-1. Reference http://hk. knowledge. yahoo. com/question/? qid=7006100200879 http://hk. knowledge. yahoo. com/question/question? qid=7007111800043 http://www. answers. com/8. %09Should+we+measure+the+volume+of+acid+with+a+measuring+cylinder%3F+Why%3F http://hk. search. yahoo. com/search/kp? ei=UTF-8&p=word%E6%89%93%E5%88%86%E7%B7%9A&rd=r1&fr2=tab-web&fr=FP-tab-web-t F. 6 Chemistry Notes Section III by Ms Sin W L.

How to Come Up With Great College Essay Ideas

How to Come Up With Great College Essay Ideas SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Writing the college application essay is a tough gig. You’ve got to be charming, personal, memorable, and insightfulall in under two pages! But I’m going to tell you a secret: half of a great personal essay is a great topic idea. Ifyou’re passionate about what you’re writing, and if you’re truly documenting something meaningful and serious about yourself and your life, then that passion and meaning will come alive on the page and in the mind of your reader. So how do you come up with an essay idea? The best way is to brainstorm your way to an event from your life that reveals a core truth about you. In this article, I will help you do just that. Keep reading to find 35 jumping off points that touch on every possible memory you could harness, as well as advice on how to use your brainstorming session to fully realize your idea for an essay topic. What Makes an Essay Topic Great? What does your application tell admissions officers about you? Mostly it's just numbers and facts: your name, your high school, your grades and SAT scores. These stats would be enough if colleges were looking to build a robot army, but they aren't. So how do they get to see a slice of the real you? How can they get a feel for the personality, character, and feelings that make you the person that you are? It's through your college essay.The essay is a way to introduce yourself to collegesin a way that displays your maturity. This is important because admissions officers want to make sure that you will thrive in the independence of college life and work. This is why finding a great college essay topic is so hugely important: because it will allow you to demonstrate the maturity level admissions teams are looking for. This is best expressed through the ability to have insight about what has made you into you, through the ability to share some vulnerabilities or defining experiences, and through the ability to be a creative thinker and problem solver. In other words, a great topic is an event from your past that you can narrate, draw conclusions from, explain the effect of. Most importantly, you should be able todescribe how it haschanged you from the kind of person you were to the better person that you are now. If you can do all that,you are well ahead of the essay game. How Do You Know If Your College Essay Topic Is Great? Eric Maloof, the Director of International Admission atTrinity UniversityinSan Antonio, Texas hasa great checklist for figuring out whether you're on the right track with your essay topic. He says, if you can answer "yes" to these two questions, then you've got the makings of a great essay: Is the topic of my essay important to me? Am I the only person who could have written this essay? So how do you translate this checklist into essay topic action items? Make it personal.Write about something personal, deeply felt, and authentic to the real you (but which isnot an overshare). Take a narrow slice of your life: one event, one influential person, one meaningful experience – and then you expand out from that slice into a broader explanation of yourself. Always think about your reader. In this case, your reader is an admission officer who is slogging through hundreds of college essays. You don’t want to bore that person, and you don’t want to offend that person. Instead, you want to come across as likable and memorable. Put the reader in the experience with you by making your narrow slice of life feel alive. This means that your writing needs to be chock-full of specific details, sensory descriptions, words that describe emotions, and maybe even dialog.This is why it’s very important to make the essay topic personal and deeply felt. Readers can tell when a writer isn’t really connected to whatever he is writing about. And the reverse is true as well:deep emotionshows through your writing. Writing with deep emotion: because you can't just stick smileys all over your college essay. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Coming Up With Great College Essay Ideas Some people know right off the bat that theyhave to write about that one specific defining moment of their lives. But if you're reading this, chances are you aren't one of these people. Don't worry - I wasn't one of them either! What this means is that you - like me - will have to put in a little work to come up with the perfect idea by first doing some brainstorming. I've come up with about 35 different brainstorming jumping off points that ask questions about your life and your experiences. The idea hereis to jog your memory about the key life events that have shaped you and affected you deeply. I recommend you spend at least two minutes on each question, coming up with and writing down at least one answer - or as many answers as you can think of. Seriously - time yourself. Two minutes is longer than you think! I would also recommend doing this over several sittings to get your maximum memory retrieval going - even if it takes a couple of days, it'll be worth it. Then, we will use this list of experiences and thoughtsto narrow your choices down to the one topic idea that you will use for your college essay. Brainstorming Technique 1: Think About Defining Moments in Your Life What is your happiest memory? Why? What was good about it? Who and what was around you then? What did it mean to you? What is your saddest memory? Would you change the thing that happened or did you learn something crucial from the experience? What is the most important decision you’ve had to make? What was hard about the choice? What was easy? Were the consequences of your decision what you had imagined before making it? Did you plan and game out your choices, or did you follow gut instinct? What decision did you not have any say in, but would have wanted to? Why were you powerless to participate in this decision? How did the choice made affect you? What do you think would have happened if a different choice had been made? What the most dangerous or scary thing that you’ve lived through? What was threatened? What were the stakes? How did you survive/overcome it? How did you cope emotionally with the fallout? When did you first feel like you were no longer a child? Who and what was around you then? What had you just done or seen? What was the difference between your childhood self and your more adult self? What are you most proud of about yourself? Is it a talent or skill? A personality trait or quality? An accomplishment? Why is this the thing that makes you proud? Kevin was inordinatelyproud of his full and luxuriant head of feathers. He hatedbeing called a bald eagle, always posting on his Facebook that the "bald" is short for "piebald," or multicolored. Brainstorming Technique 2: Remember Influential People Which of your parents (or parental figures) are you most like in personality and character? Which of their traits do you see in yourself? Which do you not? Do you wish you were more like this parent or less? Which of your grandparents, great-grandparents, or other older relatives has had the most influence on your life? Is it a positive influence, where you want to follow in their footsteps in some way? A negative influence, where you want to avoid becoming like them in some way? How is the world they come from like your world? How is it different? Which teacher has challenged you the most? What has that challenge been? How did you respond? What is something that someone once said to you that has stuck with you? When and where did they say it? Why do you think it’s lodged in your memory? Which of your friends would you trade places with for a day? Why? If you could intern for a week or a month with anyone – living or dead, historical or fictional – who would it be? What would you want that person to teach you? How did you first encounter this person or character? How do you think this person would react to you? Of the people you know personally, whose life is harder than yours? What makes it that way – their external circumstances? Their inner state? Have you ever tried to help this person? If yes, did it work? If no, how would you help them if you could? Of the people you know personally, whose life is easier than yours? Are you jealous? Why or why not? Svetlana was always jealous of climbers whose mountaineering careers weren't limited to flowers and small shrubbery. Brainstorming Technique 3: Recreate Important Times or Places When is the last time you felt so immersed in what you were doing that you lost all track of time or anything else from the outside world? What were you doing? Why do you think this activity got you into this near-zen state? Where do you most often tend to daydream? Why do you think this place has this effect on you? Do you seek it out? Avoid it? Why? What is the best time of day? The worst? Why? What is your favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? What do you like about it? When do you go there, and what do you use it for? What is your least favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? Why do you dislike it? What do you associate it with? If you had to repeat a day over and over, like the movie Groundhog Day, what day would it be? If you'd pick a day from your life that has already happened, why would you want to be stuck it in? To relive something great? To fix mistakes? If you'd pick a day that hasn't yet occurred, what would the day you were stuck in be like? If you could go back in time to give yourself advice, when would you go back to? What advice would you give? Why? What effect would you want your advice to have? For Matilda, the main challenge of time travel was packing. Just how do you fit one of those giant Elizabethan ruffle collars into a carry-on? Brainstorming Technique 4: Answer Thought-Provoking Questions If you could take a Mulligan and do over one thing in your life, what would it be? Would you change what you did the first time around? Why? Or, if you could take another crack at doing something again, what would you pick? Something positive – having another shot at repeating a good experience? Something negative – getting the chance to try another tactic to avoid a bad experience? Which piece of yourself could you never change while remaining the same person? Your race? Ethnicity? Intellect? Height? Freckles? Loyalty? Sense of humor? Why is that the thing that you’d cling to as the thing that makes you who you are? Which of your beliefs, ideas, or tastes puts you in the minority? Why do you think/believe/like this thing when no one else seems to? What are you most frightened of? What are you not frightened enough of? Why? What is your most treasured possession? What would you grab before running out of the house during a fire? What is this object’s story and why is it so valuable to you? What skill or talent that you don’t have now would you most like to have? Is it an extension of something you already do? Something you’ve never had the guts to try doing? Something you plan on learning in the future? Which traditions that you grew up with will you pass on? Which will you ignore? Why? Finnigan couldn't wait to introduce his future children to his family's birthday tradition - lemons. Brainstorming Technique 5: Find a Trait or Characteristic and Trace It Back What are three adjectives you’d use to describe yourself? Why these three? Which of these is the one you’re most proud of? Least proud of? When did you last exhibit this trait? What were you doing? How would your best friend describe you? What about your parents? How are the adjectives they’d come up with different from the ones you’d use? When have they seenthis quality or trait inyou? What everyday thing are you the world’s greatest at? Who taught you how to do it? What memories do you have associated with this activity? Which aspects of it have you perfected? Imagine that it’s the future and that you’ve become well known. What will you become famous for? Is it for something creative or a performance? For the way you will have helped others? For your business accomplishments? For your athletic prowess? When you make a speech about this fame, whom willyou thank for putting you where you are? What do you most like about yourself? This is different from the thing you’re most proud of – this is the thing that you know about yourself that makes you smile. Can you describe a time when this thing was useful or effective in some way? Thinking about her punk crewcut always made Esme smile. That hair was made to rock. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. How to TurnYour Brainstorming List Into an Essay Topic Now that you have a cornucopia of daydreams, memories, thoughts, and ambitions, it's time to thin the herd, prune the dead branches, and whatever other mixed metaphors about separating the wheat from the chaff you can think of. So how do you narrow down your many ideas into one? Use the magic power of time. One of the best things you can do with your stack of college essaytopics is to forget about them. Put them away for a couple of days so that you create a little mental space. When you come back to everything you wrote after a day or two, you will get the chance to read it with fresh eyes. Let the cream rise to the top. When you rereadyour topics after having let them sit, do two things: Cross out any ideas that don't speak to you in some way. If something doesn't ring true, if it doesn't spark your interest, or if it doesn't connect with an emotion, then consider reject it. Circle or highlight any topics that pop out at you. If it feels engaging, if you get excited at the prospect of talking about it, if it resonates with afeeling, then put it at the top of the idea pile. Rinse and repeat. Go through the process of letting a few days pass and then rereading your ideas at least one more time. This time, don't bother looking at the topics you've already rejected. Instead, concentrate on those you highlighted earlier and maybe some of the ones that were neither circled nor thrown away. Trust your gut instinct (but verify). Now that you've gone through and culled your ideas several times based on whether or not they really truly appeal to you, you should have a list of your top choices - all the ones you've circled or highlighted along the way. Now is the moment of truth. Imagine yourself telling the story of each of these experiences to someone who wants to get to know you. Rank your possible topics in order of how excited you are to share this story. Really listen to your intuition here. If you're squeamish, shy, unexcited, or otherwise not happy at the thought of having to tell someone about the experience, it will make a terrible essay topic. Develop your top two to four choices to see which is best.Unless you feel very strongly about one of your top choices, the only way to really know which of your best ideas is the perfect one is to try actually making theminto essays. For each one, go through the steps listed in the next section of the article under "Find Your Idea's Narrative." Then, use your best judgment (and maybe that of your parents, teachers, or school counselor) to figure out which one to draft into your personal statement. Handing out trophies toyour top three ideas is entirely optional. How to Make Your Idea Into a College Essay Now, let's talk about what to do in order to flesh out your topic concept into a great college essay. First, I'll give you some pointers on expanding your idea into an essay-worthy story, and then talk a bit about how to draft and polish your personal statement. Find Your Topic'sNarrative All great college essays have the same foundation as good short stories or enjoyable movies – an involving story. Let's go throughwhat features make for a story that you don’t want to put down: A compelling character with an arc. Think about the experience that you want to write about. What were you like before it happened? What did you learn, feel, or think about during it? What happened afterwards? What do you now know about yourself that you didn’t before? Sensory details that create a â€Å"you are there!† experience for the reader. When you’re writing about your experience, focus on trying to really make the situation come alive. Where were you? Who else was there? What did it look like? What did it sound like? Were there memorable textures, smells, tastes? Does it compare to anything else? When you’re writing about the people you interacted with, give them a small snippet of dialog to say so the reader can â€Å"hear† that person’s voice. When you are writing about yourself, make sure to include words that explain the emotions you are feeling at different parts of the story. An insightful ending. Your essay should end with an uplifting, personal, and interesting revelation about the kind of person you are today, and how the story you have just described has made and shaped you. Draft and Revise The key to great writing is rewriting. So work out a draft, and then put it aside and give yourself a few days to forget what you’ve written.When you come back to look at it again look for places where you slow down your reading, where something seems out of place or awkward. Can you fix this by changing around the order of your essay? By explaining further? By adding details?Experiment. Get advice. Colleges expect your essay to be your work, but most recommend having someone else cast a fresh eye over it. A good way to get a teacher or a parent involved is to ask them whether your story is clear and specific, and whether your insight about yourself flows logically from the story you tell. Execute flawlessly. Dot every i, cross every t, delicately place every comma where it needs to go. Grammar mistakes, misspellings, and awkward sentence structure don’t just make your writing look bad – they take the reader out of the story you’re telling. And that makes you memorable, but in a bad way. Hint: writing that's flawless definitely did not wake up like this. The Bottom Line Your college essay topicneeds to come from the fact that essays are a way for colleges to get to know the real you, ayou that is separate from your grades and scores. A great way to come up with topics is to wholeheartedly dive into abrainstorming exercise. The more ideas about your life that tumble out of your memory and onto the page, the better chance you have of finding the perfect college essay topic. Answer mybrainstorming questions without editing yourselfat first. Instead, simply write down as many things that pop into your head as you can – even if you end up going off topic. After you've generated a list of possible topics, leave it alone for a few days and then come back to pick out the ones that seem the most promising. Flesh out your top few ideas into full-blown narratives, to understand which reveals the most interesting thing about you as a person. Don’t shy away from asking for help. At each stage of the writing process get a parent or teacher to look over what you’re working on, not to do your work for you but to hopefully gently steer you in a better direction if you’re running into trouble. What’s Next? Ready to start working on your essay? Check outour explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications. For more detailed advice on writing a great college essay, readour guide to the Common Application essay prompts and get advice onhow to pick the Common App prompt that’s right for you. Thinking of taking the SAT again before submitting your applications? We have put together the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs ofthe best ways to study. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: