The Concept of the Political

As a counterterrorism officer my moral duty is to protect the residents of my state from terrorism attacks and the national security of US. Therefore, I am under no obligation but to ensure I fulfill the role that I have been assigned. I am the senior counterterrorism officer in California State where there is a high percentage of Arab American citizens and immigrants. Thus over the last couple of decades it has been difficult to detect terrorists. Furthermore, infiltrating such a community has proved to be difficult thereby providing a loophole for the increase in terrorist activities.Infiltrating the Arab American Community To curb this demise I will commission FBI agents to act as my spies by posing as Muslim worshippers in the California mosques. This decision may be perceived as a violation of human rights and the freedom of privacy enjoyed by other citizens. However, in the actual fact this initiative is among the criminal responsibilities that are bestowed on counterterrorism officer. Moreover, it is a counterintelligence activity that ensures protection of the US national security by providing important information to the FBI body and the government.The rights to perform counterintelligence activities have been governed by the National security of 1947 which was amended in 2004 by the establishment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. Furthermore, the commissioned FBI agents will not commit any wrong doing offences (Uwe, 2007). I will also employ informant to live amongst the community. The informant will mainly be ex-US military officers whose credentials are remarkable and stimulate the required standards.I prefer using ex-military officers because they are competent, trained to serve the nation thus will thoroughly understand the importance of their assignment and the need for them to keep their identity in discretion. The agents will regularly be monitored to prevent the development of discrepancy behaviors against ethical and mo ral norms. I will also make use of biometric fingerprint procedure for all travelers leaving and entering the California state. It may be argued that this tactic will detain people unnecessarily thereby wasting their time and subjecting them to measures and challenges that are unjustifiable.However, the initiative will enable the California Homeland Security Department to prevent identity theft, use of fraudulent documents and terrorists from gaining access to the state thus enhancing the national security and safety of California residents (Schmitt, 2007). The Status, Rights and Protections offered to Culprits of Terrorism In an attempt of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of counterterrorism an executive order authorizing the interrogation and trial of foreign terrorist suspects and illegal combatants by a special military tribunal was passed in 2001.Therefore, an ex-American citizen captured in the United States in the act of terrorism should be considered as an illegal enemy combatant. Thus I would not hesitate to hand the culprit to the jurisdiction of the military commission of the United States, an act that will be in accordance with the (Military Commissions Act (MCA) of 2006 that was passed by the Congress introducing the concept of illegal combatant into US legislation. Furthermore, the concept of illegal combatant enemies has been accepted by other nations who have willingly handed over their sovereignty in this context to the US (Gill & Sliedregt, 2005).The establishment of the above legislations withdrew all the protections that were accorded to ex-American citizens. The same applies to foreign nationals caught engaging in terrorism in US, American citizens fighting American forces abroad and foreign nationals that are non-military officials fighting American forces abroad. The above are all illegal combatant enemies of the state and thus also deserve to be tried before the jurisdiction of the military commission without the provision of Habeas corpus rights.The Habeas Corpus is a provision given to detained culprits to appeal for their release incase of being detained unlawfully. The above subjects are liable to torture in the event of collecting information that would increase the efficiency of the government and military to provide the US state national security. Therefore, I would fully support the idea of implementing torture as a method of extracting useful information to such culprits in an attempt of protecting the California residents (US Congress Joint Resolution, 2001). Perspectives Concerning Just WarJust war is perpetuated by states in an attempt of protecting themselves from aggressive attack from other nations. However, for just war to be justifiable it should be used as a last resort problem of solving the conflict that exists that is after all non-violent mechanisms of resolving conflicts are exhausted. Just wars should only be perpetuated by bodies that are recognized by the society as legitimate. A just war should be initiated if the presumed end results are beneficial where its success is guaranteed to prevent death and suffering of innocent people in accordance to moral vices.The death of civilians can only be justified if they were accidentally killed by being in the vicinity of the military targets. Therefore, just wars should initiate long lasting peace between the nations that were under conflict. Furthermore, states are not supposed to use force when initiating just wars and in instances where such force must be implemented it should not exceed the injury or suffering caused. The war on terrorism can thus be classified as a just war because it adheres to the above principles.However, it can cease to be a just war if its goal is to spread terror, subject war on a non-state organization and if it aims at killing and hurting civilians (Fotion, 2007). Anti Americanism involves the negative aspect that individuals and state have over the political, economic, social and cu ltural values of US. Anti Americanism has adversely affected the national security of US due to introduction of foreign hostility towards the US state for instance terrorism, thus curbing the effective attainment of stipulated US policy goals.Anti Americanism also affects the ability of US to conduct businesses abroad. This is unethical and thus not justifiable therefore individuals that perpetuate the stimulation of violent acts against the American state should be held accountable for their actions and thus are liable to stand trial before the military commission. The US government has a right to protect the national security of the country by dealing with schools, mosques and charities that indirectly support terrorism while actually not directly engaging in the terrorism activities.The government prosecutes such individuals or organization with the aim of eliminating the terrorism concept and support that the individuals and organizations offer (US Congress Joint Resolution, 200 1). USA PATRIOT Act The enactment of the USA PATRIOTIC ACT after the 9/11 attack has substantially reduced terrorism in United States because the surveillance and investigating powers of the US law enforcement officers was increased especially with respect to internet use.However, if I were in Congress I would vote for the renewal of the Act to amend it. This is because the Act was enacted in haste without being subjected to Congress debate and house report to declare the consent of Senators. This fact resulted to the omission of a balance between civil liberty and stipulated legislations (US Congress Joint Resolution, 2001). Word Count: 1190 Reference List Fotion, N. (2007). War and Ethics: Just War Theory. New York: Continuum. Gill, T. & Sliedregt, E.(2005). Guantanamo Bay: A Reflection on the Legal Status and Rights of Unlawful Enemy Combatants. The Utrecht Law Review, 1 (1). Retrieved on July, 6th, 2009 from http://www. utrechtlawreview. org. Schmitt, C. (2007). The Concept of t he Political. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. U. S. Congress Joint Resolution (2001). Authorization for Use of Military Force. Public Law, 107(40), 115 Stat. 224. Uwe. S. (2007). On the Ethics of War and Terrorism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

United States Coast Guard

The last ten years has seen substantial changes in the ways the oceans are being used. Incidences of smuggling, piracy, illegal immigration and the growth in global terrorism have risen dramatically. This report studies how the role of the United States Coast Guard has been refined to deal with these issues and, in particular, their recently emphasised role in security. We look at the key issues facing this force, which include the recently formed Homeland Security project and evaluate their activities in the fight against terrorism and use in foreign campaigns.Our conclusion is that there has been a significant change in the Coast Guard role but that this is a necessary response to the changing face of crime and terrorism on the oceans. United States Coast Guard Their Role in Border Security What is the role of the U. S. Coast Guard in terms of border security and how does it carry out that role? This is the question that we shall be studying within this report. Having studied and r esearched we the changes to the Coast Guards mission and, in particular the reasons and causes that have led to their current role in and duties with regard to border security.Amongst the oldest government organization, the U. S. Coast Guard was formed originally under the name of â€Å"Revenue Marine†. Its history dates back to 1740. Initially its main task was collecting revenue for the government and to stop smuggling. Over the years its duties and responsibilities have expanded to include assisting in distress and rescue, dealing with incidence of slavery and charting the coastline. Before the U. S. Navy was formed in 1798, it also was the only seabourne-armed force.Over recent years it has become part of the Department of Homeland, were it is responsible for enforcing the nations laws of the sea and ensuring safety of both vessels and persons. However in wartime its line of command transfers responsibility to the Navy Department. (United States Coast Guard, website 2006) . The growing globalization in terms of politics and commercialization has brought with it an international expansion of crime and terrorist groups.In recent times the Coast Guard’s role has changed to meet this, with an increased focus on a number of key security areas including smuggling, illegal immigration and, more importantly, the perceived and actual threat from terrorism. As Admiral Allen (2006) points out in his statement on the Coast Guard website, this change is an ongoing situation and they have to remain flexible in their approach to maintain a positive and effective proactive and reactionary response to the constantly changing demands of the issues within their remit.Within this document we are concentrating upon four key issues, theft and smuggling, illegal immigration, terrorism and a brief look at the services they have provided overseas. Theft and Smuggling Since the first moment human beings invented a form of sea transport, there have been those who have s een and seized the opportunity for ill-gotten gains. Indeed, as previous stated, smuggling was one of the original reasons for the formation of the Coast Guard.Due to the vast coastline enjoyed by the United States, theft, smuggling and the task of its prevention, has always played an important part of the Coast Guard duty. With the increase in globalization smuggling of commercial goods has become a more significant problem. It has been reported that the theft of merchandise cargo in the United States is a staggering $25 billion a year, fifty percent of the world’s total thefts. The lost revenue from smuggled cigarettes alone is estimated to cost the U. S. approaching $2 billion.The problem is exacerbated by the diverse nature of the groups and syndicate behind the thefts. These not only include local geographical groups such as the Los Angeles street gangs, but those from South America, the Orient and, with the democratization of much of the Eastern Bloc countries, Russian Crime gangs as well. (Mario Possamai 2001) In addition to the theft, the Coast Guards also have to deal with the growing problem of counterfeit branded merchandise, among the most popular of which are computer software, fashion goods and cosmetics.With the increase in skills and technology in Asia, the Far East and other nations, there has been a proliferation of the importation of counterfeit products and the modern quality of reproduction is so high that detection is becoming more and more difficult. It is estimated that the cost to United States industry from this source was in the region of $200 million per annum in 2001 and the figure has grown steadily from then. The following (figure 1) shows the total number of intellectual property right seizures for the five years to 2000. Table 1 Mario Possamai (2001)By far the worse incidence of smuggling is that involving drugs, across the whole spectrum of the industry. Globally this is adding to the pressures of addiction and other, i ncluding drug related problem, and in the United States, due to the sheer size of population it is an extremely large and difficult problem to deal with. This is one particular area where the Coast Guard can be particularly pleased with their efforts as there seizures during 2002 accounted for 52% of all government seizures in that year, and took off the streets drugs estimated to have a retail value of nearly $4 billion.Another area of responsibility, which because of their more high profile activities, tends to be somewhat overlooked, is the Coast Guards responsibility for protecting their nations fishery industry. With falling stocks world-wide, illegal fishing and theft of catches is on the increase, and the U. S. has not been immune from this problem. Illegal Immigration Although an integral part of the fight against smuggling, because of it’s human connotations, the part of the trade involving illegal immigrants has taken on a unique significance of it’s own.As a result of its â€Å"super-power† status and the world-wide held perception that the United States is the wealthiest country, it acts as a magnet for people from poorer nations wishing to improve their fortunes and, as a result of this there has followed a growth of crime syndicates who operate in this area, seizing the opportunity for substantial financial rewards. Such gangs have used the income generated to form themselves into extremely well organized, sophisticated and effective organizations.Although the influx of illegal immigrants is a national problem, with the longest border between the world’s richest nation and one of the poorer being the U. S. Mexico divide, by far the largest concentration of activity takes place in this area. The efficiency of the operating gangs and syndicates operating in this business serves to tax the Coast Guards capability to the limit. Many believe that, partially as a result of the demands placed upon it in terms of other securit y duties, the Coast Guard is failing to win this particular struggle.In his book, Peter Andreas (2001) observes that, despite setting up a military type operation in order to concentrate the efforts of border enforcement this 1990’s initiative is not achieving its target, which is to reaffirm control over the area. Terrorism Since the dramatic and catastrophic results of the September â€Å"9/11† attacks, the Coast Guard has been charged with the additional responsibilities of focusing a reasonable amount of resources to the fight against terrorism. Their duties and responsibilities here are to defend the United States against any repetition of the September 11th tragedies.(Carolyn and Kit Bonner 2004) Despite the fact that that particular attack was airborne in nature, a seabourne attack is all too possible. For example it is estimated, although as a result of the problems involved with ascertaining positive evidence, that Al Qaeda has an operating fleet of between 15 and 300 vessels. It is already suspected that this terrorist group have been responsible for at least two major seabourne attacks on other vessels, Dr John Daly (2003), each capable of inflicting massive damage on United States seaways or delivery of weapons of mass destruction through its ports.Following on from the successes of Al Qaeda, the fear is that other international terrorist groups will consider this method as an extension to their armory of effective attacks against the U. S. In John Leaning’s report (2001), the Coast Guard stated that the service was operating on a much higher state of security alert, even to the extent of preventing public access to facilities that, pre 9/11 would have welcomed them. The terrorist threat is not only restricted to groups like Al Qaeda, but can be extended to include those countries with which the United States have serious disputes such as Iran and the insurgents in Iraq.Services overseas Despite being primarily a service dedica ted to the protection of it’s nations own shores and waters, the United States Coast Guard, have ventured further a field when there is a need to and duty calls. In addition it has also worked in collaboration with other nations in the pursuance of its security obligations. With regard to the latter, the recent joint operation with Canada is a case in point. Here the two Coast Guard service worked in unison on a regular basis. This cooperation has extended along both the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines and other mutually important stretches of seaway and lakes.Both of the participating services have said that this operation has been of great value to them and that they have learnt a lot from working together, all of which they hope to put towards their joint and individual security role programs. As a trial operation it was a success in terms of showing how such cooperation could be an effective weapon in the fight against any security incident that arises on the high seas. ( Phil Jenkins 2005) Service in Iraq. In addition to working with neighboring countries the U. S. Coast Guard has also been called into action with security conflicts in other parts of the world.The most important of these, and certainly the one with the highest profile, occurred during the recent Middle East conflicts with the Gulf Wars. Working under the jurisdiction of the Navy department, it was part of the Coast Guards responsibilities to guard and protect the oil terminals from attack, a duty that has also become part of their responsibilities in their homeland. With the United States Navy occupied in more direct action in the Middle East operations of war, it was a huge responsibility for the service. ConclusionAs our research has shown, the United States Coast Guard has an extremely important role to play in the area of security. This responsibility stretches across the whole spectrum of the American way of life. In protecting the countries commercial organizations from the ef fects of mechanized theft and incidences of counterfeiting it is contributing to the safeguard of the economic position. With its actions against smuggling, and in particular the human kind, its job it to protect the social conditions and human rights, not only of its own citizens, but also of many of those who are being smuggled into the country.However, by far the most important role that the service plays at this moment in time relates to its activities in the field of terrorism. The attacks of â€Å"9/11† graphically showed the scale of human lives that can be lost and the significant damage to the nations info structure and the affect on a nations moral that such an incidence can have. This task is taking on every increasing importance as both the growth of terrorist groups, and of unstable nations access to nuclear facilities, grows. The difficulties that face both the Coast Guard service and the U.S. government that operates it, is one of funding, facilities and deploy ment. With terrorists seeming to possess almost unlimited funds just who much of the nations taxes should be committed to this area of operations. Whilst the nation is very conscious of the need for it, there is a limit to the amount that a citizen either can or is willing to invest. Even with the funds available, there comes next the problem of exactly what facilities should those funds be utilized for. Seabourne terrorism is not the only concern.There are other forms of terrorism that need protection and need funds as has been clearly demonstrated. Added to this is the almost impossible task of deployment. The United States has such a large expanse of coastline that it would be impossible to cover that area effectively. With the fiscal restraints, together with the limitations in terms of manpower, equipment and other resources, the United States Coast Guard services perform their remit with a great deal of efficiency and, despite isolated incidences of failure, not inconsiderable success. ReferencesAllen, Admiral Thad. (May 2006). Commandants intent. Retrieved from http://www. uscg. mil/USCG. shtm. Andreas Peter. (2001). Border Games: Policing the U. S. Mexico Divide. Cornell University Press. Collins, T (Forward). Bonner, Carolyn & Kit. (2004) Always Ready: Today’s US Coast Guard. Motorbooks International, Powerpro series. Daly, Dr John, C, Kay. (2003) Al Qaeda and Maritime Terrorism [Part 1], The Jameson Institute, Terrorism Monitor Jenkins, Phil. (2005). U. S. and Canadian Coast Guards working together to strengthen partnerships. CNN News release.

Parenting and Psychology of children Essay

1. Discuss how a person’s beliefs (i.e.: nature vs. nurture; medical vs. behavioral) have a profound impact on our understanding and interactions with children. A belief can be defined as something, which a person is accepting as true whatever may be the situation. All the reactions of a person will be based on these core beliefs (Where Core Beliefs come from, 2008). People fail to see reality in front of them if they are blind in such beliefs. Each and every person in this world will be a bundle of beliefs and superstitions that he or she has gathered from the childhood days onwards. These beliefs may be about oneself and about the environment or surroundings. Negative beliefs about oneself would result in channeling the entire energy, money and everything he has towards moving away from these beliefs and in this effort they will move away from love. Such people will not be able to understand or interact properly with their children.   When people become educated they discard most of these beliefs and view whatever that is happening in their life with an open mind. But less educated people strictly follow these beliefs and would not be able to understand their children properly and interact with them properly. Some people will become strong followers of these superstitions, when they face serious problems in their life. There are beliefs about the time of birth of children and some people in India believe that the star in which he was born will govern the character of a child. This creates a lot of misunderstandings of the behavior of the child. The way of interaction will not be normal when these beliefs are in the mind of the parent. Girls and boys are brought up in different ways in many societies because of these beliefs (People, 2008). 2. Many things contaminate the waters of the earth, including the amniotic waters. What do you see as the greatest threats? The greatest threat of the today’s world is the non-availability of quality drinking water as a result of the unscrupulous contamination of all the water resources by humans. One billion people do not have good quality water to drink. Children die in every second due to diseases caused by waterborne contamination. Most of the aquifers including well are contaminated. Tap water, which is supplied as free purified drinking water in most of the countries, are also contaminated. People are turning towards bottled water and its business is the quickly increasing and developing business of the century. But now even the bottled water cannot be trusted upon. The factors that lead to the water contamination are many. The most important ones are the elimination of toxic wastes including heavy metals into water by industries and sewage pollution, which introduce harmful disease causing organisms into water. The world population is increasing day by day and the availability of water is decreasing day by day. If it continues like this the next generation will have only less water to drink and finally there will be no water at all, not only for drinking but to carry out all the other activities, which require water. We are having a ‘right’ to have good water, but future generations will be deprived of this right. This is one of the greatest crimes that can be done to our children (Wetzel, 2008). 3. Now that we have discussed the issue of consciousness, how would you explain the concept of intelligence and morality? The ability of an organism to process information is called as intelligence. It is actually a biological trait and using this trait one can decide the effectiveness of his actions in achieving his goals. The manner in which information is processed is the measure of one’s intelligence. This trait is there not only in humans, but also in all the living creatures that are having a central nervous system. Although this concept was a matter of study for many researchers for many years a clear-cut definition has not been made. Although people talk about this aspect quite frequently it is very difficult to explain what it is actually. This is because the word is having many technical senses associated with it and so its ordinary sense is indescribable. The concept of intelligence is different from that of competence. For example a person may be competent in math and another may not be. This doesn’t mean that the former is more intelligent. The latter will be competent in other subjects in which the former is less competent. Competence can be acquired quite easily, but intelligence cannot be acquired very easily. So both intelligence and competence have a role to play in a person’s performance. Intelligence is a quality of mind that is present in different degrees in different people. It is actually not known whether this is having a biological or environmental origin. Both nature and nurture can affect the intelligence of a person. There are some features closely associated with intelligence (Nickerson et al., 1985). It can be called as the ability of a person to classify patterns. It is also the ability to adapt one’s behavior through the process of learning, it is the ability of reasoning and it is the ability to understand and use skills that are present. Finally it is the ability to understand everything around. These abilities will enable a person to process information passed on to him in the correct way. Three central aspects of intelligence are adaptation, induction and deduction. Through adaptation one can easily cope with the environment. So adaptation leads to change in behavioral patterns. Deduction is the ability to draw conclusions from whatever that is happening around. Induction is the ability to understand a general law from whatever that is happening around. It is very difficult to acquire these aspects from schools or colleges. It has to come from within, from mind. The concept of morality is also not explained accurately by anyone. Some consider it as a set of rules which one should follow, where are for some others it is their principles in life. For some people whatever parents and society taught them is regarded as morality. Some believe that morality is what they think right and are of the idea that different people have different morality and people should not interfere in each other’s morality. Religion as well as political environment in which one lives also influences the concept of morality by a person. Morality affects the conduct and behavior of a person in the society. It also affects interaction between people. It is morality that actually governing our contacts within the family among friends, in church or any such religious place and also in the work place. A person’s attitude towards everything around him including his parents and children will be determined by his sense of morality. It will also determine his attitude towards life and death, war and peace etc. Thus it plays an important role in every aspect of a person’s life. 4. How can we, as parents, as educational and spiritual models, produce the â€Å"Christ† child (or one who is strong, accepting, capable of unconditional love, humane, and peaceful)? In order to bring up a child who is strong, accepting, capable of unconditional love, humane and peaceful as Jesus Christ, it is necessary that parents should follow Christian parenting. There are many books that provide information on Christian parenting, but the best book is of course The Bible. The parents should represent themselves as spiritual models to their children and educate them on the principles of Christianity. If the parents could make Jesus as a real model for their children, definitely, they will imitate all the characters of Jesus Christ. Such parents should understand that to bring up such a child, the first thing they can do is to pray for the child. This itself brings a lot of difference to the kids (A Christian Parenting Resource†¦..The Word, 2008) During the young age itself children should be attracted towards bible and prayer. Apart from these, the story of Jesus may be told to instill the personality of Jesus. When they enter into teens, intensive teachings on the principles of Christianity should start. The parents should spend quality time with them playing and laughing with them and answering all their embarrassing questions. In this way they can become the trustworthiest person in the child’s life and then it will be easy to guide them according to the principles of Christianity.

The Modern Temper by Lynn Dumenil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Modern Temper by Lynn Dumenil - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in exploring the cultural and socio-political content of the period which has been widely referred to as the ‘roaring twenties’, Lynn Dumenil brings her analytical insights on how the American culture and society in the 1920s was formed upon revolutionary grounds. The present research has identified that by ‘modern temper’, she attributes the prevailing characteristic or temper of the era to the state of transforming the repressive Victorian age. The author has rightly presented that the phrase ‘modern temper’ tends to pertain to the 1920s settings and pervasive styles which comprised in the type of modernity developing between the end of World War I and the severe regression of stock market. This paper illustrates that this stage of history is claimed by the author to have established â€Å"the central motifs that have shaped the modern American temper.† While she acknowledges how importan t the role is of World War I being a tool or process of making the ‘roaring twenties’ happen, Dumenil does not believe in the common knowledge which infers that World War I is hugely responsible for such an outcome on which various aspects of change in American society, politics, economy, and culture are embedded. To her, it seems that the main source points to the major events of the industrial revolution as well as the consequences of a rapidly industrialized culture within a capitalist society. This is to say that World War I serves only to polish the results in the overall image of progressive economy or the idea of prosperity which caused population to shift from rural regions to urban locations believed to possess centers of commerce and adequate employment to support good living standards. Among a number of trends which are quite vivid in her investigation of the 1920s, the expanding bureaucratic form of government is prominent yet somewhat notorious for yielding to excessive power which had stirred general distrust across the nation. By noting how a U.S. representative kept an argument about daylight-savings time in a wartime program, Dumenil demonstrates how federal laws are exercised even in handling petty matters of politics, sarcastically reacting â€Å"we might soon have laws passed attempting to regulate the volume of air a man should breathe, suspend the laws of gravity, or change the colors of the rainbow.† Alongside the increasing state of bureaucracy emerged urban liberalism and pluralism in America’s heterogeneous society. Coupled with a mass-consumer culture, this led to unequal distribution of wealth so that social movements which influenced different religious, ethnic, and cultural groups were put up in protest of living under impoverished conditions. Violent labor disputes were similarly fanned by relative advocates of socialist and communist ideals at the height of brief yet sharp recession of the American economy, resulting to high prices and scarce jobs. As a further consequence, bomb threats forwarded to the state alarmed majority of the Americans who readily got anxious that something equivalent to Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution is bound to erupt in the country. The government and businesses at the time appeared to create a joint action in suppressing both immigrant activists and labor radicals who initiated such event which was registered in history as the ‘Red Scare’. For the first time in the 1920s, according to Dumenil, lobbyists turned out to be politically persuasive while certain commercial establishments as movie studios had been able to profit out of schemes that enabled selling of commodities through national chains which generated the popular culture of mass market. Women of the ‘roaring twenties’ managed to penetrate the workplace and encountered prosperity for themselves. Most probably this is the reason why most of them were observed to demand greater autonomy in identifying their needs in terms of economic, social, political, and even sexual aspects of life. Dumenil points out, however, that â€Å"the new women’s liberation [was the domain of] white, relatively affluent women,

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act - Essay Example This refers to the involvement of the federal government’s computers or prescribed financial bodies in instances where the committed crime is of an interstate nature. To clarify the provisions of the original Act further, trafficking in passwords, rebuffing service attacks and malicious distribution of codes was also criminalized by the CFAA. The Act also underwent several amendments in a bid to eliminate overlaps and fill loopholes between 1989 and 2008. With examples, this paper will question the legitimate effect of the CFAA: Has it been a success or failure in preventing computer fraud and abuse? This question is driven by the vagueness of the law, which has the potential of exposing it to flaws and prosecutorial abuse. By its definition, the Act can be perceived from two angles in terms of the computers it covers (Granville, 2003). The covered computers are referred to as protected computers, and in this sense, theoretically, a protected computer is defined as one meant f or exclusive use by the government of the United States or by a financial institution. It also refers to any other computer which uses the government or financial institution is injuriously affected by conduct that constitutes an offense. This includes computers not within the United States, which affect foreign or interstate communication and commerce of the United States. ... Since Congress did not describe clearly what was meant by that, it raises questions as to whether prosecutors will be of the opinion that a violator of terms of service of a website deserves time in jail or not (Jarrett & Bailie, 2010). Would such an opinion be reasonable or excessively harsh? Further, does the law need to separate the way it treats criminal intentions on the Internet that result in grave harm to the security of social, civic, and financial institutions from what is considered everyday Internet activity? In the light of the current scramble for the Internet, lawmakers need to quantify the effectiveness of the CFAA and decide on how to respond to various stakeholders and interested parties. For instance, some foreign countries are seeking control over the Internet; powerful individuals and corporate organizations want it shaped in ways beneficial to them while undermining national interests; military regimes are spying, attacking and oppressing both private and public institutions; and intelligence and law enforcing agencies are seeking to monitor and mine it (Jarrett & Bailie, 2010). An analysis of these areas will enable lawmakers to determine the success or failure of the CFAA so far, and whether or not reforms are required. In the widespread example of the Aaron law, it is open to argument whether Aaron Swartz committed a federal crime by downloading content from JSTOR, a well-known archive for academic documents, on which he had an account. After JSTOR administrators became aware of the downloads in 2011, they blocked them and did not pursue criminal charges.  

Write 1000 word professional speech on (Saddam Hussain last minute Essay

Write 1000 word professional speech on (Saddam Hussain last minute speech to his people before executed, regretting what bad he did to them ,Kuwait, Iran and - Essay Example These assumptions seem more real. The language is kept simple. It is assumed that he speaks in Arabic, as he speaks to his countrymen. For our understanding, we may assume that it has been translated into English subsequently. The scenario is imaginary, and Saddam is shown as repenting for many of the atrocities that he has committed. An attempt is made to keep things realistic. So although he asks forgiveness from his countrymen, he is critical of the US and Western leaders, though not of Western people. Faced by death, even hardened people are known to relent. So Hussein's volte face under the circumstances need not be considered unusual. Although the speech itself is 'imaginary', and highly unlikely, it retains an aura of probability by referring to actual events in his life. I speak to you here, in the final hours of my life. I have been allowed to leave behind this message for you, which I believe that my brothers, Faisal and Hassan here, will safely deliver to you. I am not afraid. I am glad be able to leave now, as I know I leave because it is the will of Allah. I forgive all those who have harmed me; I know I have harmed many too. I hope you will forgive me for that. I have made several mistakes in my life, and if I had a chance to live it over again, I would not do the same. I now understand that violence does not lead anywhere. ... united against the American initial insidious attempts, and later on, more blatant ones to exploit us, to siphon away our wealth in the form of oil, we would not be where we are today. I regret that the Ba'athist Party murdered King Feisal in the way it did. Or that I helped out the CIA in the plot to murder Abdul Karim, the Prime Minister. We could have settled our internal struggles in a cordial manner. This was like inviting a tiger to enter our home to settle disputes between brother and brother. I was too involved in public activities, and did not give enough attention to my family. I accept full responsibility for the way my sons, Uday and Qusay ran wild, and terrorized all of you. I am also sorry that my sons-in-law, Hussain and Saddam Kamel met their death at my hands. I destroyed them, and my daughters' lives. I should have settled differences with the Ayatollah in Iran firmly but tactfully. Our countries have spent years in warfare, wasting our resources, and killing our young men, and even civilians. I have wronged my fellow men by using chemical weapons against them. I beg of Allah to forgive me-these deeds of mine. Allah is merciful! So many of my Kurd brethren have been killed; so many of my Kurd sisters are widowed because of me; so many have been orphaned at my behest. Please forgive me for this. The long war with Kuwait could have been avoided. Yes, they did not help us when we asked for help. But our need for help itself arose only because Ayatollah Khomeini and I had spent fruitless years in warfare, destroying our countries economically. I believe today that people of different faiths can and must live peacefully together. For this, we need unity among Muslim brethren. To start this, first let us have peace between the Shias and us. You are

Reverse logistics acceptance into the world Research Paper

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An Investigation of the Gender Gap of Boys Underachieving in Literacy Essay The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender gap, especially of boys’ underachievement in literacy, and discover if there are particular strategies that schools can implement in order to raise the attainment levels of boys. As the issue of the gender gap is so wide I selected literature to review which covered a wide range of theorists and existing studies. Specifically I wanted to identify some of the suggested causes for the underachievement of boys and any already proposed effective strategies which I could execute in my own study. The data I collected from the study was both qualitative and quantitative in order to give a more valid outcome; these included an open-ended, semi-structured interview, which I felt would enable the respondent to provide a wider range of ideas; questionnaires, observation and existing data. The results showed that there is in fact a close correlation between boys who do not read for pleasure/enjoyment and boys who underachieve. However it also showed that there are specific strategies that can be applied to meet the learning needs of boys in order to raise their achievements. However due to the scale of the topic this small study cannot provide a definitive outcome for the causes and solutions of boys literacy, it has merely suggested some probable reasons for and some possible remedies. HYPOTHESIS During the past twenty years there have been rising concerns over the achievement gap between boys and girls, particularly with boys underachieving in literacy. The aim of this investigation is to identify if reading is the main factor for the achievements of boys in literacy, or if there are other strategies that can be implemented to raise the attainment levels of boys and therefore close the gap. To complete this study, I will undertake the investigation at an all boys’ school (for ethical reasons of anonymity, the school will be known as School A) located in a leafy suburban area in the North West of England. School A is a high achieving school compared to other mixed and same sex schools in the Local Area. The current Head of English (HoD) is driven, ambitious and highly motivated towards pupils’ achieving the best results possible. During the research I expect outcomes to show that there is a correlation between high achieving boys and enjoyment of reading for pleasure. I also expect to find that particular classroom strategies can effectively impact the attainment levels of boys, particularly in those who do not read for pleasure. LITERATURE REVIEW In 1993 Ofsted reported that boys do not perform as well in English as girls (cited in Bearne, 2004), and more recently the National Assessment of Education Progress (2009) has found that ‘female students consistently score higher than boys on average in both reading and writing’ (Watson et al., 2010: 356). However this concept is not a new one; researchers for the Gender and Education Association noted that in the 1950s and 1960s the pass rate for the eleven plus examinations, taken by almost all eleven year olds at this time, were different for boys and girls; Epstein et al. (1998 cited in Watson et al., 2010) claims that the pass rate for boys was lower than girls because girls supposedly matured earlier than boys. Gareth Malone, writing for the Telegraph in September 2010 stated that nationally ‘boys lag behind girls in reading by 6 percentage points and in writing by 15 percentage points’ (Malone, 2010). Despite this, Gorard (2001, cited in Malacova, 20 07) believes that, the panic about the gender achievement gap is exaggerated; he blames the concept on lack of sufficient data, which until recently had not been available, and believes that a lot of the assumptions regarding boys underachievement is based on statistical misinterpretation. Gorard (2001, cited in Malacova, 2007) conducted the first UK analysis of national data set over a six year period; he found that the gap only appeared amongst high-ability pupils and that the number of boys and girls failing exams was similar. His conclusions found that the gender gap was, if anything, decreasing. Regardless of Gorard’s (2001) analysis, there are many who still feel that the performance gap is a concern. In 1993 the Ofsted report offered some insight into differing perspectives and explanations for boys’ underachievement, including the lack of male literacy role models, classroom strategies, curriculum literacy content, perceptions of behaviour, social class and ethnicity (cited in Bearne, 2004). Solsken (1995, cited in Bearne, 2004) added to this list claiming that literacy is associated more with females and femininity and believes that this possibly has a negative effect on boys and their attitudes towards reading. Solken’s (1995) argument links very closely with Watson et al.(2007) who proposed that popular explanations often focus on boys’ ‘biological make-up’. They claim that evidence shows that ‘hegemonic masculinity is central to the struggles boys face as literacy learners’ (Watson et al. 2010: 357). Rowan et al (2002) also believes that ‘boys are biologically different to girls and that this biologically difference is the cause of behavioural differences’ (Rowan et al. 2002, cited in Watson et al. 2010:357). He believes that due to these biological differences, boys and girls are defined by inherent masculinity and femininity characteristics and in order for educational success this must be acknowledged and accommodated for. This is an important assertion to consider for this particular case study; due to the domination of boys in School A it is important to understand how masculine characteristics are catered for in an all boysâ€⠄¢ school. One of the suggestions to improve literacy for boys is to make education more ‘boy friendly’ by including more reading materials that boys enjoy, such as action and graphic novels, which will motivate boys to read. Hornton (2005) believes that adolescent boys could rediscover the magic of books by using texts that appeal to their interests. Young and Brozo (2000, cited in Brozo, 2010) deem that encouraging boys and actively helping them to find access points into literacy and reading should be made priority by teachers. During this particular study the idea and notion of actively promoting literacy through any route possible is addressed by School A’s English department head in the interview, and shows that it is essential for boys be aware that reading does not have to be confined to specific genres and authors. Furthermore Cole Hall (2001, cited in Taylor, 2004) claim that boys read less fiction than girls, preferring to opt for texts that contain more facts and less narrative, such as magazines or texts that are analytical. Similarly Millard (1997) claims that boys tend to opt for genres such as action and science fiction whilst reading as little as possible in school that they think they can get away with. Due to these preferences, boys’ are at a disadvantage in academic literacy as their motivation towards school texts and curriculum texts is affected. Probst (2003, cited in Taylor, 2004) believes that if boys are to engage with reading, the texts that they are asked to study need to be significant to them. In other words it seems that in current literacy education, there is not enough stimulating material which addresses the needs or interests of boys. Millard (1997) relates the findings of boys’ apparent lack of interest in reading as significant to low achievement in English, while Holland (1998) attributes lesson style and strategies as some of the other causes for underachievement. Both of these arguments are valid for this particular study and will be investigated further by studying the reading habits and the predicted GCSE grades of boys in a high set and a low set, and by exploring particular teaching styles implemented in School A. Holland’s study (1998) showed that boys can spend any amount of the day, stemming from 25 percent up to 75 percent, passively listening to the teacher rather than actively engaging. When trying to reason why boys had a tendency for this she found that the boys preferred lessons which were practical, had a range of different activities (such as personal research, groups work or discussions), or involved competition. If boys are passive during English lessons they are not learning the essential literacy skills required to help them achieve results. Taking this into consideration it seems then that pedagogical practice needs to be addressed. Taylor (2004) suggests that teachers contemplating their own practice could reflect on whether they are meeting the individual learning needs for each boy through learning pace and style, and innovative strategies which build on boys’ existing interests to maximise their potential, development and emotional needs. Pollack (1998, cited in Taylor, 2004) agrees with this theory suggesting that numerous opportunities should be presented to boys for hands on, interactive learning. METHODOLOGY My approach to research was identified by the nature and context of the question. After considering the purpose and desired outcomes for the investigation I decided that the research would take the form of a case study, incorporating a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data to ensure validity and reliability; ‘qualitative methods may supplement the findings by identifying gaps from the quantitative study’ (Bryman Bell 2007:650). The decision was made to collect evidence using a multi-method approach including interviews, questionnaires and analysis of existing recorded data. According to Gillham (2000) ‘different methods have different strengths and different weaknesses’ (Gillham 2002:13), and so ‘triangulation to strengthen your findings’ (Greetham 2009:184) was implemented to strengthen the validity of the study. To form part of the qualitative data I arranged an interview with the head of the English department. The purpose of the interview was to gain a deeper understanding of the context of the department and of the strategies which have raised attainment and achievement within the subject. Jones (1985) claims that ‘In order to understand other persons’ constructions of reality, we would do well to ask them and to ask them in such a way that they can tell us in their terms (rather than those imposed rigidly and a priori by ourselves)’ (Jones cited in Punch 2009:144). Taking this into consideration I decided that the interview should be open-ended and semi-structured for flexibility; Cohen et al. (2007) claim that semi-structured interviews gather ‘more intangible aspects of the school’s culture, e.g. values, assumptions, beliefs, wishes, problems.’ (Cohen et al., 2007:97). A semi-structured interview then would enable me to gather more in-depth information regarding the Head of Department’s ideas and beliefs surrounding School A’s succe sses. To understand boys and literacy, and whether reading habits have an impact on GCSE results, a questionnaire was compiled to collect primary data and distributed to a top set and a bottom set year 11 English class. According to Gillham (2002), questionnaires are not typical of case study research; however they can be used to obtain simple, factual information. For the purpose of this part of the study I felt that a questionnaire was a practicable way to acquire important facts regarding the reading habits of a group of high ability boys and a group of low ability boys. These would then be compared to analyse and identify any correlation between reading habits and English predicted exam results using samples from the furthest range on the ability spectrum. During the research I also decided to collect additional data through participant observation. The aim of this was to gain an ontological perspective of the pupils enabling me to observe interaction, relationship and actions performe d by pupils. I felt that this would help me to make sense of the data collected in both the interview and the questionnaire. In regards to validity and obtaining accurate results from my observations, I first needed to develop a relationship with the classes I intended to observe to ensure that my presence was unobtrusive and did not affect their normal behaviours and create a bias observation. To achieve this I regularly participated in classroom observation at the back of the room in attempt to become a participant in the classroom context. Trochim (2001) claims that ‘the researcher needs to become accepted as a natural part of the culture to ensure that the observations are of the natural phenomenon’ (Trochim, 2001: 161), therefore I attended certain classes as an observer over a series of months to ensure that the pupils were comfortable with my presence and so acted within normal behaviours. The final set of data collected was secondary data compiled of the school’s GCSE results since the Head of English was appointed, including results form 2008, 2009 and 2010. The data also provided average GCSE results for the rest of the Local Authority enabling me to compare the school’s results against average achievements in the LA. The purpose of this data was to compare the information obtained from the interview with the head of department, about strategies implemented to raise attainment, against the GCSE results. ANALYSIS The Interview: The aim of the interview with the English Head of Department (HoD) was to discover if GCSE results had improved since being appointed Head of English at School A, and if so to discuss the strategies and provisions which had been implemented to raise the achievement levels in literacy at School A. The current HoD had taken over the English department in April 2008; the English GCSE in the Local Authority that year was 64.5 percent of students achieving A*- C; School A achieved 58 percent, more than 6 percent less than the LA average and 2.1 percent less than the national average. However in 2009 the following year, after just one year as the department head, School A had improved their results by 20.7 percent. The LA’s average results in English in 2009 was 66.7 percent achieving A*-C, the national average was 62.7 percent, while School A’s results were up to 78.7 percent. In 2010 the GCSE results at school A dipped slightly to 76.8 percent due to the school’s wea ker cohort for that particular year; however the results were still higher than the Local Authority’s average of 70.4 percent and the national average of 64.8 percent. Due to the weaker cohort that year the HoD considered this result to be an excellent achievement. Strategies implemented in the department were a crucial factor for the improved attainment levels across the Key Stages at School A. In September 2009 a centralised, uniformed English curriculum was introduced to Key Stage 3 aiming to â€Å"drip-feed† appropriate skills and assessments to pupils that prepares them with relevant GCSE experience before they enter Key Stage 4. Pupils in Key Stage 3 are assessed each half term (part of Assessing Pupils’ Progress) and are assessed in relatively the same way as the new Specification GCSE, ensuring the identification of weakness areas for improvement. Despite the success of raised attainment across the Key Stages, these strategies cannot be considered as part of School A’s GCSE progression; the first year group from Key Stage 3 in September 2009 are due to sit their GCSE exams in the summer of 2011, only then will it be pos sible to determine if this strategy attributes to the departments achievements. There are, however, specific strategies in place which can be measured against the department’s raised achievement results. These are those that have already been applied at Key Stage 4, including a uniformed teaching curriculum incorporating, for example, all of the same poets and clusters in the GCSE specification; personalised revision packages which identify individual’s weakest areas combined with personalised intervention to improve these weaker areas and ensure pupils’ achieve highest marks possible; ceased timetables for year 11 pupils close to exams and new timetables put in place to prioritise learning for the nearest exam. The Head of Department believes that all of these are essential contributing factors for the departments improved results. Other elements, which the Head of English believes help pupils at School A to maximise their achievements, are more innovative and practical activities for example the employment of production companies to perfor m GCSE texts such as Of Mice and Men; and school trips to events such as Poetry Live, an event hosted by poets from the GCSE anthology. Pollack (1998) argues that ‘we need to develop and implement innovative teaching approaches this may mean providing numerous opportunities for hands-on as well as interactive teaching’ (cited in Taylor, 2004:294). The English Head felt that these opportunities expanded the boys learning and understanding by developing them outside of the classroom context. Bearne (2003) claims that ‘There is a tendency for boys to draw on visual sources for their writing’ (Bearne, 2003:3) and so visual performances such as Of Mice and Men help the pupils to draw on their experiences through vision and memory. In addition to those already mentioned, the Head of Department also felt that the ethos created in the department combined with class room methods were an essential factor in the development and attainment of the pupils at School A. The department has a strong focus on literacy which is promoted broadly amongst all pupils, including reading groups and book clubs, as wel l as spelling and reading lessons delivered to pupils on a weekly basis. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly, regardless of material, to ensure positive enjoyment of reading. In contrast, Brozo (2002, cited in Taylor, 2004) felt that teachers were more likely to choose texts with narratives that did not appeal to boys. The HoD however regularly promoted the reading of any materials, whether it was comics, newspapers, information books or autobiographies; she felt that if pupils were to enjoy reading and increase their confidence with literacy, they should feel that any text that they enjoy to be suitably considered. In terms of classroom strategies the department endorses well paced positive learning in an environment of mutual respect between pupil and teacher; clear personal targets which are monitored explicitly; strong Assessment for Learning to test and extend pupils’ understanding and learning through challenge, feedback and routes to improve; short, sharp activities; a strong focus on reading; regular homework; and clear learning objectives which are reviewed during the plenary to ensure all pupils know the direction of learning. These techniques are consistent to that of a survey which was conducted of fourteen schools in 1997. The survey was performed by former HMI Graham Frater; he concluded that the most successful schools in regards to boys and literacy were the ones that paid a lot of focus towards teaching methods. Particular methods that he felt where important for success included: prompt starts to lessons with clear learning objectives shared; a challenging pace sustained throughout the lesson; lesson endings which reflected on the learning objectives and achievements within the lesson; a variety of activities; high expectations of the pupils combined with a non-confrontational attitude towards discipline; and effective modelling. It seems quite clear then that pupils’ achievements at School A can be attributed to the methods and strategies implemented consistently across the department. The pupils are suitably challenged with pace and activities, they know what the aims of their lessons are and how they have achieved these aims, they regularly assess their strengths and weaknesses and so understand what they need to do in order to raise their achievement levels. On the contrary, however, it is difficult to determine whether classroom and reading strategies are the most influential factor for raising attainment in boys and literacy. From observation of quiet reading lessons I discovered that many of the high ability pupils in the top set classes within Key Stage 3 welcomed the lesson as a chance to read an engaging book; however the lower ability groups were often much more difficult to set on task. Indecision over which books to read, reluctance to read quietly, and regular disruption amongst the pupils seemed a frequent occurrence in the low ability classes. When addressing reading, the HoD spoke about the issues regarding boys and reading, specifically in respect of boys’ loss of motivation of reading in their teenage years. She believed that possible causes in lack of motivation in boys and reading was due to their increased socialisation as they grew older, the introduction of more complex reading materials in preparation for GCSE, peer pressure from others that could overshadow pupils’ personal preferences, and she also felt that a lot of teenage boys only read to obtain information and not for pleasure. Taking these factors in to consideration she claimed that it is important to understand the reasons why boys do not enjoy reading but it is more productive to motivate and encourage them to read. The HoD considers the best way to encourage reluctant readers is by getting to know individual pupils and then gauge their interest levels and preferences as a starting point. Some of the suggested strategies, she felt were particularly useful, are to provide a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction with appropriate reading levels; to keep in touch with boys current interests and provide books that reflect them; respect reading interests of young people and don’t expect them to only enjoy books suggested by the teacher; allow pupils to self-select their own books; encourage an interest in short stories, graphic novels and magazines, working up to full-length books; and to give academic recognition and credit for books read. These ideas meet the suggestions put forth by Hornton (2005), who stated that boys’ motivation should be encouraged with texts that appeal to their interests, and Young and Brozo (2000, cited in Brozo, 2010) who find it important to aid boys to seek access points into literacy and reading. The Questionnaire: The questionnaire was distributed to a high ability top-set year 11class and a low ability bottom set year 11 class. There were 32 pupils in the high set and 13 in the low set. The aim of the questionnaire was to compare the reading habits and attitude towards reading from a range of pupils of different abilities. According to Hornton (2005) there is a correlation between individuals with low level literacy skills and those who dislike reading for pleasure, and so I predicted that an individual’s attitude toward reading would correlate with their predicted GCSE grade; the more pupils enjoy reading and feel that it is important, the higher I expected their grade to be. The predicted GCSE grades in the set one class ranged from A* C while the set five classes’ grades ranged from B – G. The questionnaires revealed that in the top set group 84.38 percent of pupils enjoyed reading and 90.63 percent felt that reading was important for reasons such as expanding vocabul ary, increasing knowledge and learning new things. There was a vast difference in comparison with the lower set where only 23.8 percent of pupils enjoyed reading and just 53.85 percent felt that reading was important. It appears then that there is indeed a correlation between literacy skills with enjoyment of reading, however other elements surveyed in the questionnaire aimed to establish whether boys and literacy could have a direct link to their parents’ relationship with reading. The survey asked pupils if their parents enjoyed reading and if they had been encouraged to read as a child. Sadowski (2010) analysed the literacy gap between working and upper class boys, he found that the gap for more affluent boys was not as large as those from working class backgrounds and attributed this to richer boys growing up with father’s who were readers. This suggests that pupils whose parents enjoy reading and encouraged them to read from a young age would achieve higher results than those whose parents either did not enjoy reading or did not encourage them. Surprisingly the results did not reflect this to an extent that one would have expected. In regards to pupils’ parents who enjoy reading, 76.92 percent of pupils in the lower ability set agreed that their parents enjoyed to read while 81.25 percent of pupils’ in the high ability group confirmed the same. Of parents who encouraged their sons to read as a child, 61.54 percent from the low ability agreed and 78.31 from the higher ability group. Despite a difference between the percentages for both groups’ parents who read and encouraged them to read when they were younger, the gap is not a remarkable one and does not qualify a distinct correlation between pupils’ ability in literacy and the relationship their own parents have with reading. The questionnaires revealed that in spite of 76.92 percent of their parents having an enjoyment of reading, only 23.08 percent of pupils in that class enjoy reading, which suggests that perhaps even if a higher percentage of parents had encouraged their son to read this would not necessarily have affected their attitude towards reading for pleasure and therefore would not affect their achievements in literacy. EVALUATION The outcomes and findings from this case study have, to some extent, complemented a lot of the existing research addressed in the literature review. For example Holland (1998) discovered that boys tend to spend a lot of time listening passively to teachers because they prefer lessons that are practical and involve a range of activities. From my observations in the classroom and confirmation from the Head of English in the interview, the boys at School A also learned best when lessons involved a series of different activities such as discussions, group work or practical tasks such as drama-based role plays. This outcome also corresponded with Malone (2010) who, in a venture to discover why boys where underperforming in literature, stated that he aimed to perform short, achievable tasks with the boys, he also suggested that giving explicit time frames focused the boys into completing their work. During the interview the HoD explained that by giving the boys at School A short time frame s to complete specific task, it kept the pace of the lessons challenging and rigorous and therefore engaged them in learning more effectively. However the problematic outcome for this particular study is that only one school has been investigated and so it is difficult to determine whether the observations, questionnaires and interview conclusions, pertaining to strategies and the improved GCSE literacy results for School A, are a true reflection of causes and solutions of underachievement. The English GCSE results were really poor at School A in 2008, just as the current Head of Department took over, and from the interview questions and answers it would seem that the department and classroom strategies implemented since then have helped to improve the pupils’ achievements. Nevertheless it is certainly impossible to verify whether these are the sole reason for improvement; one particular reason is that it was never established what mode of departmental and classroom strategies were in place before the current HoD took over from the previous. Another reason is that School A’s GCSE results prior to 2008 were not obtained for this study and so results before this year have simply been generalised based on the last available statistics. It could be assumed that the 2008 result may have been an isolated case and so accessing results prior to 2008 would have endorsed whether or not the results had improved substantially. Gorard et al (2001, cited in Malacova, 2007) believes that the gender gap is exaggerated and to some extent it is possible from this research to argue in favour of this. Over the past three years School A has achieved excellent GCSE results, especially in English and particularly in comparison to local and national results. School A is an all boys’ school and so advocates that boys in this particular context are not underachieving as are others in other contexts. This suggests that if School A can produce results above the average mark, particularly in a year when the cohort was extremely weak, i t should be possible for other schools to raise the achievement levels of literacy in boys just the same. However it would be possible to prove or disprove Gorard’s theory of the gender gap, if the strategies implemented at School A could be put into action in a school of a different context. If successful this would validate the outcomes from this case study, it would also give rise to further research based on boys and literacy and whether these strategies could be used in a co-educational school or if they are too specific to the needs of boys’ learning and therefore not beneficial to girls’ learning. I felt that the findings made regarding boys reading habits and their attainment levels were significant. From the sample of questionnaires taken there seemed to be a direct correlation between predicted grades A*-C and boys who enjoyed reading or felt that it was important; 100 percent of the boys in the high ability group were predicted a grade A*-C (although three pupils were unaware what their predicted grade is, the school setting procedures ensured that only bo ys predicted A*-C would be allocated to set one). Of this a high 90.63 percent felt that reading was important and 84.38 percent enjoyed reading for pleasure. There were however exceptions to this; one pupil in the higher ability group stated that he did not think reading was important because ‘I do not read and I am predicted A’s at GCSE’. Another boy from the high ability group, who has been predicted a C grade, also felt that reading was not important because it ‘doesn’t do anything’, however this boy also claimed that he enjoyed reading and so regardless of whether he felt that it was important or not, reading is part of his literacy development. Despite the boys who did not feel that reading was important, the majority of the boys in the class felt that reading was important; this suggests that the highest achieving literacy pupils in School A were ones that enjoyed reading and so this would also be an essential contributing factor to the success of their achievements. It is difficult here to state whether the reasons for the boys’ enjoyment of reading is owing to the strategies for motivating reading encouraged by the HoD and so part of the questions on the questionnaire should have been more open ended to allow pupils to explain perhaps what motivates their enjoyment of reading. The lower ability results from the questionnaire were also significant for showing a correlation between literacy achievements and reading habits. Only 23.08 percent read for pleasure and only half the class felt that reading was important, this suggests that the reason for low ability achievers is possibly due to the lack of enjoyment in reading. Once again the problematic issue with these results is that the number of pupils in the low ability class was considerably less than the number of pupils in the high ability class. To gain a perhaps more informed result from the questionnaires a larger sample from low ability classes should have been obtained to match the number of pupils in the high ability class. This may or may not have produced different results, but, whatever the outcome, they certainly would have been more valid. One final evaluation to consider, in regards to the low ability group, is how effective the suggested motivation strategies have been in engaging boys in reading. With only 23.08 percent of pupils in this class finding an enjoyment in reading it would seem that the strategies have been ineffective in increasing motivation and achievement in these particular pupils. What would have been an interesting study if had been possible, would be to assess pupils attitude towards reading and predicted grades before the HoD had taken over and implemented strategies, and then to compare them to the results that have been found during in this study. CONCLUSION Returning to the hypothesis, my aim was to find out if reading for pleasure impacted on boys’ attainment levels; whether the achievement of boys who did not enjoy reading was affected. I also wanted to identify successful teaching strategies and whether these would raise the levels of those boys who again did not enjoy reading. The study has shown that there is a correlation between boys reading habits and their achievement levels’; it has also identified some strategies that can be used to raise their attainment levels. However from this study alone it is difficult to say if those strategies implemented in an all boys’ classroom would be equally effective in a mixed sex classroom. Due to this it would be interesting to expand the research on a larger scale to investigate the impact of those strategies, which are effective for boys learning, on a) girls learning in a mixed classroom and b) boys learning in a mixed classroom. The gender gap issue is such a broad topic that research can be extended to a greater degree of investigation. For example I have covered some possible causes of boys’ underachievement in this study; however on a wider scale other possible causes could be explored such as masculinity and identity, class or ethnicity. I feel that the most important route to take continuing from this particular investigation would be a focus on masculinity stereotypes in the single sex classroom and the mixed classroom. Holland (1998) states that: Boys do appear to be locked inside a stereotype which appears to make them succumb to peer pressure and which inevitably impacts on their attitude to work’ (Holland, 1998: 177). Therefore researching ways that can reduce or even prevent these macho stereotypes in the classroom would be an important factor for understanding boys and underachievement. Despite that there is no definitive outcome from this study; I feel that it is something that I will take forward into my professional development; whether it is through consideration of differentiation in boys learning style in a mixed classroom, or through a focus of raising attainment levels in my classes. Whichever way I incorporate consideration of gender into my teaching, it is certainly something that needs to be addressed. Gorard (2001) believes that concern over the gender gap is exaggerated; however it is clear through GCSE tables that boys tend to achieve lower than girls. In relation to this then, it is important for both newly qualified teachers and established teachers to consistently strive to meet the learning needs of their pupils. It seems the most important way is by adapting their style and approach to learning styles to ensure that both girls and boys have equal opportunities to work and achieve their highest potential. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Bleach, K. (1998). Raising Boys Achievement in Schools. Staffordshire: Trentham Books Ltd. Brozo, W. G. (2002). To Be A Boy, To Be A Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys In Active Literacy. US: International Reading Association. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007) Business Research Methods 2nd Ed. Oxford University Press Cohen, L. , Manion, L. Morrison, K (2007). Research Methods In Education. London and New York: Routledge. Cox, T. (2000). Combating Educational Disadvantage: Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Children. London and New York: Falmer Press. Frances, B. (2000). Boys, Girls and Achievement: Addressing the Classroom Issues. London and New York: Routledge. Frater, G. (1997). Improving Boys Literacy. London: The Basic Skills Agency. Gillham, B. (2000). Case Study Research Methods. London and New York: Continuum. Greetham, B. (2009) How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation. Palgrave Macmillan. Mason, J. (1996). Qualitative Researching. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: Sage. M illard, E. (1997). Differently Literate. London, Washington DC: The Falmer press. Punch, K. F. (2009). Introduction to Research Methods in Education. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC: Sage. Rae, T., Pederson, L. (2007). Developing Emotional Literacy With Teenage Boys. London, California and New Delhi: Paul Chapman Publishing. Trochim, W. M. (2001). The Research Mothods Knowledge Base. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog Publishing. Weeks, A. (1999). The Underachievement of Boys. Northants: First and Best Education. JOURNALS Holland, V. (1998). Underachieving Boys: Problems and Solutions. Support for Learning , 13(04), pp.174-178. Hornton, R. (2005). ‘Boys Are People Too: Boys and Reading, Truth and Misconceptions’. Teacher Librarian ,.33(2), pp 30-32. Malacova, E. (2004). ‘Effects of Single-sex Education on Progress in GCSE’. Cambridge Assessments UK , 33, pp233-259. Mills M. Keddie, A. (2007). ‘Teaching Boys and Gender Justice’. International Journal of Inclusive Education ,11 (03), pp.335-354. Myhill, D. (2002). ‘Bad Boys and Good Girls? Patterns of Interaction and Response in Whole School Teaching’. British Education Research Journal , 28 (03), pp.339-352. Reichert, M. Hawley, R.(2010). ‘Reaching Boys An International Study of Effective Teaching Practices’. Phi Delta Kappan ,91 (04), pp35-40. Sadowski, M. (2010, August). ‘Putting The Boy Crisis in Context’. Education Digest , pp 4-6. Taylor, D. L. (2004, December). Ã¢â‚¬Ë œNot Just Boring Stories: Reconsidering the Gender Gap for Boys’. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy , pp290-298. Watson, A., Kehler, M. Martino, W. (2010, February). ‘The Problem of Boys Literacy Underachievement: Raising Some Questions’. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 53(5) , pp356-361. WEBSITES Bearne, E. (2004, September). Raising Boys Achievement in Literacy. Retrieved March 2011, from RBA: www-rba.educ.com.ac.uk/PaperEB.Paf Boys Underachievement. (2005, November). Retrieved December 2010, from Teaching Expertise: www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/boys-underachievements-101 Gender and Achievement. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2010, from National Strategies: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/46121?uc%20=%20force_uj Malone, G. (2010, September 2nd). Extraordinary School For Boys: helping boys love literacy. Retrieved April 11th, 2011, from Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/education/7976044/Extraordinary-School-for-Boys-helping-boys-love-literacy.html Mendick, H. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2011, from Gender and Education:

Current Research in Astronomy Essay Example for Free

Current Research in Astronomy Essay For many astronomers, Adaptive Optics is something like a dream coming true. Since 1609 and the first observations of celestial bodies performed with the help of an optical telescope, astronomers have always fought to improve the resolving power of their instruments. For a long time, engineers have trimmed the optical quality of the telescopes, until they finally reached the barrier set by the atmospheric turbulence. At that point, the intrinsic quality of the site became a major issue to establish new observatories with modern telescopes, and astronomers started to desert the urban skies and to migrate toward mountains and deserts (Alloin and Mariotti 2004 9). The recent emergence Adaptive optics aims at providing diffraction limited long exposure images at large telescopes, which is greatly considered as one of astronomy’s breakthrough (Alloin and Mariotti 2004 9; Espinosa 1997 12). By far, the largest limitation to the application of adaptive optics to astronomy is very limited sky coverage when using natural guide stars for wavefront sensing. Similar limitations existed for many military applications of adaptive optics (Espinosa 1997 12). Adaptive optics systems provide a real time correction of the distorted wavefronts; they restore all the properties of light prior to the final part of its travel through the atmosphere (Alloin and Mariotti 2004 9). Discussion Adaptive Optics: Wavefront and Laser Guide Star (LGS) Adaptive optic systems for atmospheric turbulence compensation require a reference star for correcting wavefront distortion. The sodium LGS relies on resonant backscattering of a laser tuned into the D2 sodium absorption line to provide a reference, but LGS must sufficiently bright to correct high order wavefront aberration (Zamorano, Gorgas and Gallego 2001 317). The key concept in adaptive optics is the wave front, which is found by tracing out an equal optical path (distance x refractive index) from a source to the region of interest. For a point source and free space, wavefronts are spherical, and for starlight, the distance is so large that for all practical purposes the wavefronts entering the Earth’s atmosphere are plane. After propagating through the random refractive index of the atmosphere, the wavefront entering the telescope pupil is random, and its statistics determine the image quality, and govern how an adaptive optical system might be used to compensate for the distortion (Agerorges 2000 4). Such effect greatly depends on the laser lunch power, polarization’s beam, atmospheric transmission and the sodium column density, which, if obtained appropriately, might even enhance the imagery, increase the scope of telescopic observatory, and improve the image details of pictures obtained from astronomical studies (Zamorano, Gorgas and Gallego 2001 317). The use of LGS AO has caught on quickly within the astronomical community in large part because, equipped with adaptive optics operating at the diffraction limit in the near-infrared, the new 6- to 10-m telescopes possess the capability to match the angular resolution in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the visible and to exceed its resolution in the near infrared (Rodier 256). Laser Guide Star LGS, basically, is a technology that utilizes AO imaging in order to enhance graphical imagery of telescopes and view astronomical images with additional quality. The technology uses an artificial star in order to act as a wavefront reference source, which consequently corrects light distortion (Zamorano, Gorgas and Gallego 2001 317). The need for a bright stellar was always a concern for astronomical applications of adaptive optics. To operate, a wavefront sensor must have sufficient light to overcome photon noise and background noise with enough light left over to form the image. In astronomy, few stars of scientific interest are sufficiently bright. For imaging uncooperative satellites, reflected light is often too dim or nonexistent. In 1985, French astronomers Foy and Labeyrie published work detailing how one might use backscatter from a laser focused to a point in the atmosphere as an artificial beacon (a guide star) for astronomical adaptive optics. As work progressed in the astronomy community to build and test a laser powerful enough to have sufficient backscatter for the Foy-Labeyrie method (Tyson 2000 5). Since the beginning of the 1980s, classified U. S military work was addressing the problems of projecting high-energy laser beams from the ground to space for missile defense and secure communications. The research from 1982 at the U. S Air Force Starfire Optical Range (USAFSOR) directed by Robert Fugate advanced the laser guide star concept and produced a wealth information about laser performance requirements, adaptive optics system operation, atmospheric physics, and closed loop image of space borne objects. By 1991, the bulk of military work on laser guide starts was declassified and made available to astronomers around the world (Tyson 2000 5). Currently, LGS is being developed by various nations, setting up their own laser beacon and extensively enhancing research through the said technology. The use of a laser beacon as the reference source enables faint objects to be compensated by adaptive optics, at the expense of greater hardware complexity. The laser beacon must be directed within the isoplanatic angle of the science object at the observation wavelength; although, this procedure provide only short-exposure correction. On the other hand, a fixed natural guide star possesses the ability to further stabilized the image during long exposures so that sky coverage depends on the distribution of stars, which consequently enhances the space imagery (Hardy 1998 309). There are many cases where the object itself, such as a sunlit satellite, is insufficient for wavefront sensing. In astronomy, there are billions of stellar objects too dim for sensing and not near enough in the sky to bright objects. For high-energy laser propagation to uncooperative targets or satellite tracking and imaging, an artificial source must be placed above the atmosphere to provide photons for the wavefront sensor and subsequent compensation. Lasers actually provide only partial correction, because a natural star still is required and opposite tilt upon traveling up into the atmosphere and returning (Tyson 2000 6-7). Particularly exciting development is the use of adaptive telescope mirrors to compensate for the distortion of stellar images produced by atmospheric turbulence. Using adaptive optics, ground-based telescopes are now demonstrating diffraction-limited performance, albeit over relatively small fields of view. It can be expected that large ground-based telescopes will have higher resolution and light-gathering power than space-based telescopes, since both of these performance metrics depend on aperture size. Moreover, ground-based telescopes can be larger than those space-based ones; hence, enabling higher development and scope for stellar imagery. The adaptive optical system of LGS displays 0. 07-arcsecond resolution, which is almost a hundred times better than past ground-based telescope systems but uses a telescope built approximately 80 years ago (national Research Council 1998 137-138). Conclusion LGS AO is one of the breakthroughs of current astronomical imagery, which provides enhanced images and display features that are usually not present in the space-based telescopes, such as HCT. The mechanism involved utilizes a guide star or an artificial star that facilitates the graphical imagery. LGS works as distortion corrector enabling enhanced imaging through AO ground-based telescopes. Conclusion Ageorges, N. Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics for Astronomy. Springer, 2000. Alloin, Danielle M. , and Jean-Marie Mariotti. Adaptive Optics for Astronomy. Springer, 2004. Espinosa, Jose. Instrumentation for Large Telescopes. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Flectcher, L. Solid State Laser for Subaru Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics. Subaru Telescope. 6 July 2005. 8 Jan. 2008 www. nao. ac. jp/E/Outreach/pr-rl/2005/index. html. Flectcher, L. Observational Methods. 14 Feb. 2005. 8 Jan. 2008 http://www. astro. gla. ac. uk/users/lyndsay/TEACHING/A1OBSMETH/VIEWGRAPHS/starlight-figure1. jpg. Hardy, John W. Adaptive Optics for Astronomical Telescopes. Oxford University Press, 1998. National Research Council (U. S. ), . Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century. National Academies Press, 1998. Roddier, Francois . Adaptive Optics in Astronomy. Cambridge University Press, 1999. Tyson, Robert K. Adaptive Optics Engineering Handbook. CRC Press, 2000. Zamorano, Jaime, Javier Gorgas, and Jesus Gallego. Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics II. Springer, 2001.

Experiment to Prove Hookes Law

Experiment to Prove Hookes Law Hooke’s Law Aim: -To prove Hooke’s law i.e. the extension of the force is directly proportional to the force applied. To find the spring constant of the spring. Apparatus: Clamp Stand Helical Spring Mass Hanger Pointer Meter Ruler Measuring Balance Method: -Hang a helical spring from a clamp stand. -Attach a mass directly to the bottom of the helical spring and record the position of the bottom of the mass hanger relative to a meter ruler. -Add masses to the spring and record the position of the bottom of the mass hanger. Safety Precautions: Wear safety goggles to prevent any accidents that could occur due to the weights bouncing off the spring. Keep a distance from the apparatus. Be sure that the spring is tightly attached to the clamp. Do not play around with the masses or springs. Data Collection and Processing Uncertainty in a measuring balance =  ±0.1g To covert to kg = 0.1à ·1000 =  ±0.0001kg Uncertainty in a meter ruler =  ±0.05cm To convert to meters = 0.05 à · 100 =  ±0.0005m †¢Formulas Absolute Uncertainty= Limit of readingà ·2 Relative Uncertainty= Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value % Uncertainty = Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value Ãâ€" 100 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (Kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) Average Extension (cm) = Extension while loading (m) + Extension while unloading (m) à · 2 Spring Constant, k (Nm- ¹) = Force (Newton’s) à · Extension (m) Elastic Potential Energy (Joules) = 0.5 Ãâ€" Spring Constant Ãâ€" Extension ² Range Of Extension = Extension while loading – Extension while unloading Random Error = Range of extension à · 2 Table 1 Raw Data Table: Trial No. Mass (grams)  ±0.1 Mass (kilograms)  ±0.0001 Force Applied (Newton’s) F=MÃâ€"g  ±0.0001 Extension While Loading(meters)  ±0.0005 Extension While Unloading(meters)  ±0.0005 Average Extension =E1+E2à ·2 (meters)  ±0.001 1 10.2 ±0.1 0.0102 ±0.0001 0.100062 ±0.0001 0.036 ±0.0005 0.037 ±0.0005 0.0365 ±0.001 2 20.4 ±0.1 0.0204 ±0.0001 0.200124 ±0.0001 0.040 ±0.0005 0.039 ±0.0005 0.0395 ±0.001 3 30.6 ±0.1 0.0306 ±0.0001 0.300186 ±0.0001 0.043 ±0.0005 0.042 ±0.0005 0.0425 ±0.001 4 40.8 ±0.1 0.0408 ±0.0001 0.400248 ±0.0001 0.048 ±0.0005 0.046 ±0.0005 0.0470 ±0.001 5 51.0 ±0.1 0.0510 ±0.0001 0.500310 ±0.0001 0.051 ±0.0005 0.050 ±0.0005 0.0505 ±0.001 6 61.2 ±0.1 0.0612 ±0.0001 0.600372 ±0.0001 0.056 ±0.0005 0.057 ±0.0005 0.0565 ±0.001 7 71.4 ±0.1 0.0714 ±0.0001 0.700434 ±0.0001 0.061 ±0.0005 0.060 ±0.0005 0.0605 ±0.001 8 81.6 ±0.1 0.0816 ±0.0001 0.800496 ±0.0001 0.067 ±0.0005 0.067 ±0.0005 0.0670 ±0.001 †¢ Calculations for trial 1 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) = 10.2 ±0.1 (g) Ãâ€" 9.81 (ms- ²) = 100.062 ±0.1 (g) Covert the g to kg: 100.062 à · 1000 = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (kg) Average Extension = Extension while loading (cm) + Extension while unloading (cm) à · 2 = 3.6 ±0.05 (cm) + 3.7 ±0.05 (cm) = 3.65 ±0.1cm In meters = 3.65 ±0.1cm à · 100 = 0.0365 ±0.001m Table 2 The range of extension and the random error of the experiment: Trial No. Extension While Loading(meters)  ±0.0005 Extension While Unloading(meters)  ±0.0005 Average Extension =E1+E2à ·2 (meters)  ±0.001 Force Applied (Newton’s) F=MÃâ€"g  ±0.0001 Range of Extension (meters)  ±0.0005 Random Error (meters)  ±0.0005 1 0.036 ±0.0005 0.037 ±0.0005 0.0365 ±0.001 0.100062 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 2 0.040 ±0.0005 0.039 ±0.0005 0.0395 ±0.001 0.200124 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 3 0.043 ±0.0005 0.042 ±0.0005 0.0425 ±0.001 0.300186 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 4 0.048 ±0.0005 0.046 ±0.0005 0.0470 ±0.001 0.400248 ±0.0001 0.002 ±0.0005 0.001 ±0.0005 5 0.051 ±0.0005 0.050 ±0.0005 0.0505 ±0.001 0.500310 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 6 0.056 ±0.0005 0.057 ±0.0005 0.0565 ±0.001 0.600372 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 7 0.061 ±0.0005 0.060 ±0.0005 0.0605 ±0.001 0.700434 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 8 0.067 ±0.0005 0.067 ±0.0005 0.0670 ±0.001 0.800496 ±0.0001 0.000 ±0.0005 0.0000 ±0.0005 †¢Calculations for trial 1 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) = 10.2 ±0.1 (g) Ãâ€" 9.81 (ms- ²) = 100.062 ±0.1 (g) Covert the g to kg: 100.062 à · 1000 = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (kg) Average Extension = Extension while loading (cm) + Extension while unloading (cm) à · 2 = 3.6 ±0.05 (cm) + 3.7 ±0.05 (cm) = 3.65 ±0.1cm In meters = 3.65 ±0.1cm à · 100 = 0.0365 ±0.001m Range Of Extension = Maximum Value – Minimum Value = 0.037 ±0.0005 – 0.036 ±0.0005 = 0.001 ±0.005 (m) Random Error = Range of extension à · 2 = 0.001 ±0.005 à · 2 = 0.0005 ±0.0005 (m) Table 3 Processed Data Table: Trial No. Force Applied (Newton’s) F=MÃâ€"g  ±0.0001 Average Extension =E1+E2à ·2 (meters)  ±0.001 Spring Constant, k (Nm) % Uncertainty Elastic Potential Energy (Joules) % Uncertainty 1 0.100062 ±0.0001 0.0365 ±0.001 2.74 ±2.8% 0.0018251825 ±8.3% 2 0.200124 ±0.0001 0.0395 ±0.001 5.01 ±2.6% 0.0039084263 ±7.7% 3 0.300186 ±0.0001 0.0425 ±0.001 7.06 ±2.4% 0.0063760625 ±7.1% 4 0.400248 ±0.0001 0.0470 ±0.001 8.52 ±2.1% 0.0094103410 ±6.4% 5 0.500310 ±0.0001 0.0505 ±0.001 9.91 ±2.0% 0.0126364880 ±6.0% 6 0.600372 ±0.0001 0.0565 ±0.001 10.6 ±1.8% 0.01721974 ±5.3% 7 0.700434 ±0.0001 0.0605 ±0.001 11.6 ±1.7% 0.02122945 ±5.0% 8 0.800496 ±0.0001 0.0670 ±0.001 11.9 ±1.5% 0.02670955 ±4.5% †¢Calculations for trial 1 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) = 10.2 ±0.1 (g) Ãâ€" 9.81 (ms- ²) = 100.062 ±0.1 (g) Covert the g to kg: 100.062 à · 1000 = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (kg) Average Extension = Extension while loading (cm) + Extension while unloading (cm) à · 2 = 3.6 ±0.05 (cm) + 3.7 ±0.05 (cm) = 3.65 ±0.1cm In meters = 3.65 ±0.1cm à · 100 = 0.0365 ±0.001m Spring Constant = Force (Newton’s) à · Extension (m) = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (N) à · 0.0365 ±0.001 (m) % Uncertainty for Force = Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value Ãâ€" 100 = 0.0001 à · 0.100062 Ãâ€" 100 = 0.1% % Uncertainty for Extension = Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value Ãâ€" 100 = 0.001 à · 0.0365 Ãâ€" 100 = 2.7% Spring Constant = 0.100062 ±0.1% (N) à · 0.0365 ±2.7% (m) = 2.74 ±2.8% Nm- ¹ Elastic Potential Energy = 0.5 Ãâ€" Spring Constant Ãâ€" Extension ² = 0.5 Ãâ€" 2.74 ±2.8% Ãâ€" (0.0365 ±0.001)  ² = 0.5 Ãâ€" 2.74 ±2.8% Ãâ€" (0.001332255 ±5.5%) = 0.00183 ±8.3% Conclusion Evaluation Conclusion: In this experiment, I have been quite successful by proving the aim of the experiment which is Hooke’s Law. The results obtained are slightly incorrect due to any errors as part of the experiment. My calculations were all shown for trial one which whereas follows. In relation to the graph, the line does not pass through the origin as there were uncertainties. The line therefore starts a few cm from the origin on the y axis. The slope in the graph indicates the spring constant. It can be seen that the spring constant value in the graph does not match my result for trial no.1 as I have taken the spring constant value in N/cm. If I take the values in N/m and average all the values of the spring constant from my calculations I will end with a result equal to the gradient or slope of the graph that is 0.227. The units taken for every other value is standard and therefore is correct. My results are reliable as they do result in the Force being proportional to the Extension. I feel t hat my data is reliable and the graph does show that the extension of the spring directly proportional to the force that is applied to it. We also found that the spring constant and the elastic potential energy increases due to the extension of the spring being proportional to the force. Evaluation: I have found that the experiment did have many errors which could have been improved. There were both systematic and random errors involved in the experiment. The meter ruler (uncertainty of  ±0.05cm) and the digital balance (uncertainty of  ±0.1g) had uncertainty’s which could have altered the accuracy of the results. The experiment also had a parallax error due to the carelessness of me not observing the pointer and the length in the straight path. My equipment was not very accurate as I was given a meter ruler and not an attached ruler. This could have made it very inaccurate as the ruler was leaning over a wall. I could only take one reading per mass, as time management was an issue, which is not reliable as taking more than two readings and averaging the answer will give a more accurate result. The next time I perform this experiment, I will need to make sure that I have at least three readings per mass and should take the average of the three readings to minimize the errors. I should also make sure that the meter ruler is not leaning on a wall and that it is held on by a clamp or that I have the ruler stuck behind the clamp stand. While repeating the experiment one should also put a pointer on the hook to avoid parallax error and get the measurements even more accurate. Wasif Haque