Electronic Communication Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Electronic Communication Technology - Essay Example However, because of the additional tubes it used, the receiver did not become common until the 1930’s when the levels of performance it provided became an essential requirement and the technology involved became cheaper too. The super-heterodyne receiver operates on the principle of heterodyning or frequency mixing in a non-linear fashion. Two different signals are mixed using an RF mixer, to produce an output that is the product of the instantaneous levels of the signals at both the inputs. The resulting output will contain signals at a frequency that is different from the two original signals. If f1 and f2 are the two original signals, the resulting new frequencies are expressed as the sum (f1 + f2) and difference (f1 – f2) of the two. If two signals, one at a frequency of 7.0 MHz and the other at a frequency of 8.0 MHz are heterodyned together, two new frequencies of 15 MHz and 1.0 MHz are produced. A suitable antenna is required to receive the radio signals, and they are often built into the receiver itself. The frequencies enter the circuitry from the antenna and then pass through the different stages of the receiver. The RF amplifier is the first stage of the super-het receiver, and it is used to amplify the signals prior to mixing. The level of amplification has to be carefully chosen. The amplifier must enable the signals to be sufficiently amplified with a good signal to noise ratio and must not overload the mixer. The amplified and tuned signals are then fed into a mixer circuit. A local oscillator is connected to the other port of the mixer. This local oscillator consists of a variable frequency oscillator that produces sine waves. The mixer combines the local oscillator signal with the original RF signal, and produces two new frequencies. The local oscillator may also be a frequency synthesiser. The mixer stage is used to enhance the received frequency to an intermediate stage. The signals leaving the mixer enter the IF stage.

Review of the Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Review of the Literature - Essay Example Research Elements: To demonstrate the content of the research, the researcher used quantitative research methodology. The means of the patients undertaking the PD program that had completed 2 to 3 training lessons prior to placement on the catheter. Outcome(s): From the study, it was discovered that out of the 90 patients that were treated for three months, most of them benefited from continuous education (Barone et al., 2011). Significance to Nursing and Patient Care: This study is useful since it explains that in as much the training programs were varied, the outcomes of the patients undergoing PD improved since a good number learn the different aspects of how to change an individual’s treatment program Summary of Article: In this work, Bernardini (2010) explains that Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) was regarded as a common infection for patients in the era of continuous ambulatory PD. However, it was extremely challenging to get the best treatment for peritonitis as well as determine the risk factors for peritonitis and how to prevent the same. Research Elements: Qualitative research methodology was used. To establish the content of the research, author used literature review to assess the level of infection of the patients from the 1970s and 1980s once in 6-12 months in an effort to assess the possibility of infection among these patients (Bernardini, 2010). Through repetitive tasks such as use of the catheter led to the patients adhere to the different connection procedures. Outcome(s): It was found out that the PD nurses can easily train patients on the principles of adult education; thus, inculcate them with skills that allow for evidence based practice and ultimately minimizing the risks of peritonitis through redirecting behavior among the patients. Significance to Nursing and Patient Care: This study is

International and Strategic Marketing Essay Example for Free

International and Strategic Marketing Essay The globalization of business markets from domestic to international has generated a unique competitive advantage for all the organizations whose products and services are being welcomed by the customers all around the world demanding mass marketing efforts. In this regard, marketing research in the international environment is having different methodology and complications with respect to geographical boundaries of a specific country in which penetration and development of a product is required. Therefore, an international market planning with strategic aligned goal, for development in the global world should be the objective of marketers to captivate international market leadership. Introduction The gravity of globalization in today’s modern era in the business world is increasing enormously due to faster means of communication, transportation, technology, and rapid financial streams. The product that is being produced in a specific region does not have limitations of boundaries. A Russian student can be wearing Italian T-shirt, driving in a German car going to meet his friend in a Chinese restaurant. This example is not astonishing because it is a general practice and nowadays everybody can illustrate the true meaning of world global market place. Hence, marketers are required to analyze this gravity of globalization and have to consider international marketing in their strategic goal of marketing plan. Marketing is the well known concept of anticipating customer need or demand then analyzing how marketers are going to fulfill that demand or need and finally satisfying customer need or demand. If the customer is really satisfied by gauging the ultimate benefit from that product or service provided by the marketer than it develops a sense of strong relationship between the customer and the organization, in which the organization give value to the customer and in return customer give value to them by building a strong profitable relationship (Kotler, Armstrong, 2008). International marketing concept is also the same as the general defined concept of marketing but the methodology to enter and penetrate in the international market is not the same as it is in domestic marketing. Indeed the tools and skills to enter in the international market is same but their application differs due the factors which include economy, political and legal system, and most importantly culture and buying behavior of the nation. Hence, the ideology of international marketing can be gauged in this way that the organization which offers its products and services by planning, pricing, promoting, and distributing to more than one nation other than domestic market to earn higher profit   (Cateora et al., 2002). Internationalized Business Operations Many potential organizations tend to bring their operation on global level rather than national level. When the companies move to internationalization the complexity and sophistication of operations change enormously. The basic guidelines for the companies orienting in international market are described by EPRG framework (Wind, Douglas, Perlmutter, 1973). This framework deals with four types of orientation of company going to international market which are: a. Ethnocentrism: In this type of orientation, top management is highly focusing on domestic market as compared to foreign market because its products have already stable and reasonable demand in domestic market. Company considers their foreign sales as surplus to their domestic sales. b. Polycentrism: It is the attitude which arises when the company recognizes that its multi domestic products strategies would not be successful in the host country if the orientation method is same as domestic orientation. Hence, a different marketing program to enter in the international market is required by the company. c. Regiocentrism: In these stages company identifies the similarities of the entire region and enters the regional market by developing integrated strategies of marketing. Such types of orientation capture geographically and economically integrated region such as NAFTA and European Union. d. Geocentrism: In this type of approach company consider the entire global market as its potential market place. This is one of the most important and critical type of approach when companies make single policies for the entire world market. The organizations should have prior focus on going globally because this approach has a great future. Hence, it is proved as well that organizations which are growing globally have gathered tremendous success in the past decades.   International marketing environment An optical company introduced eye glasses in Thailand by running advertizing campaign of cute animals wearing glasses. The advertisement featuring animal was a pathetic choice as in Thailand animals are considered to be the sign of low life and was not respectful for Thais to take that thing which was being used by animal due to which the company had to suffer a loss in spite of modern and unique design of their product (Payne, website). So the main fault was of the company’s marketing research team that they did not gathered   appropriate knowledge of Thai culture and have misjudged the society in which they are going to enter. They did not realize the fact that the marketing environment would be different from the domestic market in which they have achieved the strategic position. When the organization takes the decision of going beyond the domestic market then it needs to cater that there will be significant national differences which will create a different marketing environment than the one it is serving now. This reflects the very fact that the research is need to be conducted in those highlighting factors which will affect its strategic marketing goals. There are many ways by which research can be conducted out of which asking question is the most effective one by which an appropriate answer is obtained (Kumar, 2000). Marketing Research in Saudi Arabia If the analysis is conducted on the differences of factors in the international marketing environment of a country named as Saudi Arabia then it is observed that the main highlighting factors which are to be considered in doing research and which differentiate people of one nation to another are discussed below; a. Culture: Nation with different cultures has different traditional values and demand those products which are not vulnerable to their culture. Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country having Arabs traditional values, they will highly support and promote the product in Saudi market which will either promote their culture or at least accept their culture. b. Economic condition: The economic condition of the nation should be highly considered in marketing research because it defines the purchasing power of the customer which is the main origin of marketing. In Saudi market maximum companies offer luxurious and expensive products because the purchasing power of the nation is high because of rich government having vast amount of natural resources. c. Racial differences: It defines the different physical features of the nation. Like the cosmetic product would be different for the customers of Saudi Arabia as compared to the customers of U.S.A. It is located in such region of Asia in which people have generally different colored skin which is opposite to U.S. nation which do not have the same skin as Saudis’ have. In this regard, the marketing program for the Saudi nation for particularly cosmetic products would be different from that of U.S.A. d. Climate: It defines the different meteorological condition of the country because it has a great impact on the products which have seasonal demands. Saudi Arabia is considered as the hot climate country in which temperature normally rises to 55 0F. For such a hot weather country marketers have taken that as opportunity for them and have introduced such air conditioning system which can sustain the temperature of Saudi Arabia. There would be consider an immature marketing program if the products which are not suitable with the climate of the country are introduced because they are not compatible for that region neither they have market demand in that region. e. Religion: It does reflect in the marketing, in the sense that the product whose ingredients are controversial. In Saudi Arabia the concept of Halal food restricts the entire food manufacturers to penetrate in its markets that violate it and in the same way alcoholic drinks are also not allowed because of their religious jurisdiction. f. Language: In international marketing research, it is one of the most important aspects because it is the effective means of communication and if it is not used in appropriate manner, can cause reverse affect on marketing efforts. Arabic is the native language of Saudi nation and mostly they are unable to understand English, which is a universal language. So, the marketers have analyzed that their all promotion efforts should be translated in Arabic so that the customer really get to know that what the product all about is. Similarly, there are also other factors which marketers have to analyze in the international marketing research mode of environment it has targeted like market facilities and capabilities, political stability of the country, nation psyche etc.

Narrative Criticism of McPhee :: Monopoly New Jersey Essays

Narrative Criticism of McPhee "Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars." We’ve all heard these phrasesfromthe board game Monopoly. Monopoly, however, isn’t merely a game.It wasbased on an actual city. "The Search for Marvin Gardens" tells of Monopoly’s relation to Atlantic City, NJ. In this narrative criticism I will examine several main characteristics of the piece. In doing so, I will try to answer the question, "How has Atlantic City changed due to a greedy, capitalistic attitude?" I believe that this question makes a good connection to thepiece’s description of the changes in the features of the city. "The Search forMarvin Gardens" is a section of the book Pieces of the Frame byJohn McPhee. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux published the piece in 1975. Thecomposition itself is fifteen pages long. It tells of Monopoly’s connectionsto a realworld location, Atlantic City, NJ. In order to write a narrative criticism of McPhee’s "The Search for Marvin Gardens",I firstread and gave a comprehensive examination of the narrative. To dothis,I looked at several characteristics of the piece. I decided that thesetting,the characters, and the theme were the most important characteristicstothis piece. Other characteristics such as the narrator, events, temporalrelations, casual relations, and audience are not quite as important inmycriticism of this piece. To look at the important characteristics, youmustask yourself questions about the piece. How does the setting changethroughoutthe piece? How does the setting relate to the plot and characters?How isthe setting created? Who are the main characters? What are the physicalandmental traits of the characters? What is the major theme of the narrative?There are several other questions you may ask, but they do not prove asrelevantto this piece. The aforementioned questions are significant becausethey helpanswer t he research question. A participant in a game of Monopoly narrates the piece. He not only pictures the game board. He sees the corresponding locations in Atlantic City. The plot line ofthe story follows the narrator in search of Marvin Gardens. Along the wayhe sees the difference between the way things were, and the way they usedto be. In "The Search for Marvin Gardens", there are basically four physical settings: the Monopoly tournament, Marvin Gardens, Atlantic City of the past, and Atlantic Cityin the 1970s. McPhee alternates between the settings with great regularity,and the tempo of the story is constantly changing.

I Wanna Be Special: Plath and Nazi Germany

Sylvia Plath is a poet who writes in a confessional style. Her poetry shows her strong opinions towards patriarchy. By examining her works and researching her past, one can see that the two prominent male figures in her past are her father and Ted Hughes, her husband. In her poetry Plath uses Nazi Germany as a metaphor for the oppressive system of patriarchy women live under, while she portrays the victim as Jews. Two examples of poems where this appears are â€Å"Lady Lazarus† and â€Å"Daddy†. Because the Holocaust is such a sensitive subject, there are two schools of thought to Plath's metaphor. One belief is that she belittles the Holocaust. The other belief is that a metaphor is simply a metaphor. Obviously, Plath has no first hand knowledge if she uses the metaphor so trivially. There are aspects of Plath's works that people may find hard to understand if they don't know about her history. To understand Plath's poetry, one has to understand Plath. Sylvia Plath writes confessional poetry. Because she writes in this confessional style, those who study her work must become familiar with her past. Confessional poetry is when poets write about their own experiences; thoughts, feelings, and experiences become the basis of the poetry. Thus the poems become an expression of poet's innermost person. Unlike other forms of poetry, confessional takes its material directly from the life of the poet. The tone of Plath's poetry is decidedly depressing. During her life, Plath became suicidal. As a child, she almost drowned, and later attempted to kill herself before actually succeeding. These experiences become strong influences on Plath's poetry. Anne Sexton was another confessional poet. She met Plath at a poetry workshop and the two became good friends. When writing poems, one would call the other to get input and suggestions, or just to talk about the happenings in their lives. However, there remains a main difference between Plath's poetry and Sexton's poetry: Anne Sexton was not originally a writer, but a housewife. When the stresses became too much for her, she went to therapy. During one of her sessions, her psychiatrist suggested that she begin writing poetry to help her get at the root of her problems. The largest problem that Plath had was with the institution of patriarchy that surrounded her. In her poetry, she expresses her negative emotions towards patriarchy. Plath was a daughter, wife, and mother through her life. These titles also came with roles that were dictated to her by the patriarchal structure. Because she was forced into all of these roles, and expected to fulfil them all, Plath resented those who forced her into these roles, and her displeasure becomes quite evident in her poetry. There are two major male figures in Plath's life; father and husband. Her father, Otto Plath, originally lived in Grabow Poland and spoke German. He moved to the United States when he was 15, and later taught at Boston University (Modern Poetry, p. 1417). Yet he died while Plath was still quite young. His daughter, Silvia Plath, became very resentful towards her father. This resentment is most strongly found in her poem â€Å"Daddy†. Plath's husband, Ted Hughes, was also a writer. However, he did not approve of the writing of his wife. He tried to discourage her from writing, to stay home and raise a family. Many today blame Hughes for the death of Plath, and believe that he is responsible for her committing suicide. Due to the experiences that she has with patriarchy, it is understandable that Plath carried resentments. These feelings were so strong that she used Nazi Germany as a metaphor for patriarchy. However, this brought about many conflicts; while some critics defended her use of the Holocaust imagery, others vehemently defended that she was in fact belittling what the Jewish people suffered through. In the poem â€Å"Daddy†, Plath openly attacks her father. â€Å"Daddy, I have had to kill you. / You died before I had time† (Daddy, 6-7). She verbally demonstrates her need to hurt and to kill him; he is the symbol of patriarchy from her early life. Plath resents the fact that he died before she could remove him from his strong patriarchical role. This resentment grew until she began to see oppression everywhere: I have always been scared of you, Wish your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo. And your neat moustache And your Aryan eye, bright and blue (â€Å"Daddy†, 41-44). Plath associates her fathers' German features to Nazi features. This particular comparison also strongly draws upon a militaristic image. As â€Å"Luftwaffe† means Air Force in German, she is quite obviously comparing patriarchy to military. The idea of someone with power over her terrifies Plath. Since patriarchy is seen as oppressive Nazi Germany, Plath sees herself as an oppressed Jew. A sort of walking miracle, my skin Bright as a Nazi lampshade, My right foot A paperweight, My face a featureless, fine Jew linen (â€Å"Lady Lazarus†, 4-9) A few images from the Holocaust are drawn here. Plath places herself in a situation where she is the victim. She draws on the idea of how Jewish people were skinned for lampshades as how badly men treat women. Because of the metaphor she uses, Plath's poetry has sparked some serious debate. Many critics state that the use of Nazi Germany in that metaphor is very inappropriate. By using Nazi Germany as a metaphor for patriarchy, Plath accomplishes nothing, save to belittle the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the single worst event in the history of human civilization. Its uniqueness is what set it apart from other tragic events in our history. Yet some argue that if it is inappropriate to use Nazi Germany as a metaphor, then other events, such as slavery could be excluded as well. Slavery of blacks is another tragic event that can be used as a metaphor. However, it is this writer's opinion that there is too great a difference between the slavery of blacks and the Holocaust. If one looks at statistics for the death of slaves and compare it to statistics for the death of Jewish people, one will see that the numbers are relatively similar. The difference lies in the fact that the slave totals come from many years, while Jewish total are only from five years. While slavery was still common, it was possible for a slave to escape relative harm; He (or she) could follow all the rules and be treated as well as other livestock. During the Holocaust there were no rules for Jewish people to follow. There was no such thing as a good Jew, and they were all treated worse than animals. Given the evidence of Plath's poetry, it is quite evident that she did not fully understand the atrocities of the Holocaust. Her knowledge only extended to that which most people already knew. And therefore she was not fully informed of the subject of which she trivialized. However, other critics defend Plath's use of the metaphor by reinforcing that fact that it is simply a metaphor, and is doing what it should. It is a common argument that sometimes a metaphor is simply a metaphor. The purpose of a metaphor is to compare two completely unrelated ideas, to shock the audience into looking at the intended subject in a new light. Rose, a critic of Plath, says that she uses the shocking imagery of comparing the Holocaust to patriarchy to entice strong reactions from the reader, and if one dismissed her comparison, then one can be expected to dismiss the very idea of a metaphor. To dictate what ideas can and can't be used in metaphor negates all metaphors. The Holocaust is not alone in the history of tragic events. If one argues that the Holocaust was horrible, one should also accept that there are other horrific occurrences. Mass slaughters are not an uncommon part of ancient history. During the time of Nero Caesar, Christians who would not bow down to the likeness of the Caesar were thrown into lion pits to be killed. African slaves, who did not obey every order of their masters, were beaten. European explorers who first explored the Americas, killed countless natives, and brought more over seas to become slaves. If one wishes to look at statistics, the number of people killed in the Holocaust, is almost the same as the number of women killed through patriarchal society. Sylvia Plath was a poet who wrote her poems for others to read. Her metaphor of comparing patriarchy to Nazi Germany is used to shock audiences into seeing the severity of oppression that women face. However, to achieve this shock, she lessens the impact of the Holocaust. Many defend that Plath is simply using a metaphor the way it should be used. In this writer's opinion, because Plath used the Holocaust just to shock readers, is why she is belittling it. If she wrote the way Anne Sexton did before being published – that is, for personal reasons – this writer would not have a problem. As it is, the comparison was written for all to see. By being so public in her trivialization of that happened to the Jewish people, Plath's only accomplishment is to embarrass herself with writing that isn't poor, but shows a decided lack of judgement.

Internationalisation and the European Nation State Essay

Question 1 It is undeniable that the state of world affairs has dramatically evolved since the end of the Second World War. More specifically, the surge of development in IT has been the chief reason that our world has become less a mosaic of nation-states and more a melting pot of societies, cultures, and associations whereby nation-states are inevitably bound to trans-national phenomena. As Cox notes, â€Å"globalization [generates] a more complex multi-level world political system, which implicitly challenges the old Westphalian assumption that ‘a state is a state is a state'† (Cox, in Pierson, p.181). This work shall support this notion of globalization by highlighting two problems from Pierson, namely decreased anarchy in the global political arena, and the influence of the global economy on nation-states. These issues will be defined and then discussed in relation to Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s conceptions of Realist democracy and Communitarian democracy respectively. Decreased anarchy refers to the marginalization of the autonomy of nation-states in the international order. The growing interdependence between nations across the globe has resulted in a redirection of respective national interests towards the sphere of global rather than domestic (Pierson 174). What this means for realist democracy is a skewed orientation of political candidates; they become no longer dedicated to domestic issues but those of an international nature instead. The problem with this lies in the fact that the success of the Realist democratic concept (in Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s view) is dependent upon the competition of political leaders to win approval (via votes) from the citizens. There is a problem if politicians win a seat in office with a platform claiming to be ‘for the people,’ and then redirect their interests after election to the international sphere. The welfare of the citizens is left on the sidelines in place of external issues, and the fruits of Realist democracy are not enjoyed by the people who voted for it, thus the legitimacy of the democratic process diminishes. This is especially a danger in realist democracy since representation by political actors replaces active participation by the citizens; â€Å"[Realist democracy] thus does not entail, cannot entail, governance by the people in a real sense. It can only entail the people having the possibility to accept or reject pretenders, i.e. elect those that govern† (Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 3). These elected representatives, are in turn subjected to a political framework where, â€Å"†¦international institutions, conventions and regimes moderate the extent to which inter-state relations can be conceived as genuinely and ‘actively’ anarchic† (Pierson 175). Thus, the validity of Realist democracy is compromised seeing as though anarchy is its cornerstone. Similarly, Communitarian democracy is also restricted by the over-arching nature of the international order. Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s conception of Communitarian democracy requires nations to be able to pursue interests in a collective manner, with its citizens as an intrinsic part of the democracy (Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 11). There is a great emphasis placed on compromise – a sort of give and take to realize the maximum of individual ideals in a collective manner. This sort of idyllic outlook on forming a democratic community would be difficult to practice even in the small, cohesive communities of Ancient Greece. The decreased anarchy of the international order today magnifies the difficulty of assimilating different people, groups, and ideas under a collective banner. To imagine what Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ refers to as a ‘homelike community’ seems like a far stretch seeing that an increasingly interdependent world melds such a sheer mass of different people, outlooks, and traditions. The scale of interdependency in today’s world most certainly underpins the ‘homelike’ values necessary for effective Communitarian democracy especially where individuals’ interests are drawn outside the domestic sphere. Perhaps the most influential factor working against the Westphalian concept of global politics is the nature of modern global markets. Today, domestic economies cannot escape the forces of the international economy (Pierson 171). As Cox notes, â€Å"†¦economic globalization has placed constraints upon the autonomy of states and, increasingly, states must become the instruments for adjusting national economic activities to the exigencies of the global economy† (Cox, in Pierson 179). This excerpt makes a direct reference to a lessening of state autonomy due to global economies. For this reason, it is clear that Realist democracy is challenged by the world’s economy and market forces that compromise autonomy. The economic implications of globalization mirror those associated with decreased anarchy; for example, if economic reforms are made to comply with the international system, this results in states focusing on international economic policies over domestic ones. The working class will most certainly lose out to those who hold political positions – the elites, who will mold economic reforms around the international order and, more often than not, their own interests. For Communitarian democracies, global economics impedes the possibility of creating cohesive and collective communities. With economic concerns subjected to the influences of global markets, Communitarian democracies cannot set there own economic agenda. Moreover, the Communitarian ideal of setting a collective goal as to what the ‘good life’ should be is nearly impossible since the international economic order infiltrates domestic affairs. As Pierson notes, â€Å"In practice, state organizations have multiple points of interaction with both domestic and trans-national actors and these interactions are very far from disclosing a single and unified will† (Pierson 185). By imposing an influence on states, global market forces combat the Communitarian ideal of forming a collective vision of the ‘good life.’ Chapter 8 of Holden, entitled The United Nations as an agency of global democracy (Falk) and Chapter 10, Global civil society and the democratic prospect (Archibugi, Balduini, Donati) both focus on the idea of strengthening and broadening the influence of civil society to combat (what Falk refers to as) globalization-from-above. The Archibugi, Balduini, and Donati text focuses on the Agenda proposed by Boutros Boutros-Ghali, which in turn places a large focus on the democratization of the international community as the key to better international relations. The Realist conception of democracy would embrace this sort of change. With a system that provides â€Å"a relevant representation of society† and de-monopolizes intergovernmental relations as the sole means of international relations, the citizenry of the world will realize a new possibility to voice concerns on an international level (Archibugi et al, in Holden 137). For people in Realist democracies this means that political involvement that was once only a mere ‘handing-over of power’ to a representative is now a legitimate voice to be heard beyond the confines of the state. An important feature of Ghali’s vision was the creation of UN Regional Organizations that would cater to civil society and make civil interests a higher priority. Falk’s concept of stronger social activism (globalization-from-below) to combat global market forces (globalization-from-above) would assist the Communitarian goal of correcting the growing imbalance between private and public goods (Falk, in Holden 163,173). Communitarians would support the equalizing aspects of this arrangement since it would contribute better to the philosophy of allowing a community to form its objectives without external influences. For Falk, the reformation of states to find a better balance, â€Å"†¦between the logic of capital and priorities of its peoples† is paramount in the effort to promote more effective democracy. In both the Communitarian and Realist views, a reform of the international political order in this manner would be a step in the right direction. BIBLIOGRAPHY Goldmann, Kjell, 2001. Transforming the European Nation-State. London: Sage Publications. Holden, Barry (ed.), 2000. Global Democracy. London: Routledge. Pierson, Christopher, 1996. The Modern State. London: Routledge. Stevenson, Nick, 1999. The Transformation of the Media: Globalization, Morality, and Ethics. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Swedish Government, 2002. The Swedish Government’s EU Policy Goals for 2002.

Investigate peoples judgement of measurements Essays

Investigate peoples judgement of measurements Essays Investigate peoples judgement of measurements Essay Investigate peoples judgement of measurements Essay I have decided to investigate peoples judgement of measurements as the subject for my Statistics Coursework. Before starting this experiment I needed to define guidelines that would establish the fairness of the tests method of assessment. The method I chose to fulfil this requirement was to: 1. Place the test candidates at one end of a table with their eyes level with the table-top 2. Ask the candidates to look horizontally across the table at a pin located at a fixed position in the middle of a sheet of graph-paper [see diagram 1]. 3. Require the candidate to mark (on the graph-paper) that distance where they thought the pin was located (firstly marking using their right hand, and then their left). Viewing, per hand, is firstly using both eyes followed by each eye individually, right first. The difference between the estimated and the actual position of the target pin is measured for each of the eye conditions. These 3 results are added together to give the final result. This method creates two problems: 1. How the candidate should mark the point which they feel is in line with the pin. I have chosen to use a pin as a marker since I feel it both represents the object they were viewing and gives a greater degree of accuracy than a pencil mark. 2. How far to the side from the target pin should the candidate mark the graph-paper. The closer to the pin they are allowed to get, the less individual judgement is involved and the more likely cheating will occur. To combat these effects I have elected to enforce a minimum of 100mm between the target pin and the candidates mark. 3. Candidates must keep their eyes at the level of the tabletop The experimental set up is shown in Figure 1. The results of the individual estimates will be recorded and compiled into a computer database. Figure 1 : Experimental Set up Hypothesis To predict outcomes in an investigation such as this is very difficult as individuals vary markedly in their ability to judge distances. However a few predictions are possible albeit rather sketchy and basic. I predict: 1. whether the individual is right or left handed will have no effect on judgement of distance 2. individuals who wear spectacles, other than for reading, will have better judgement when wearing those spectacles than without 3. on average girls will be more accurate than boys because girls tend to be more precise, thoughtful and careful There will be individual anomalies to the above predictions as peoples judgement is a personal attribute and also luck will be a random factor. Sample 1 Data: Right or Left handedness I have calculated from the database that there are 25 left handed and 150 right handed people. As this is a ratio of 1:6 then to have equal sample populations I have sampled every sixth right handed person. Each candidates three results, using both eyes individually and together, when using both their right and left hand have been recorded, and the sums of results are displayed in this table. Table 1 Distance estimates in mm (sum of estimates from left, right and both eyes) Right handed people Left handed people Right hand Left hand Right hand Left hand 22.5 44 98 35 63 31 21 17 43 42 45 26 83 73 36 48 81 50 25.5 46 38 115 4 9 7 7 42 54 46 24 13 30 82 59 24 22 43 9 23 21 0 2 53 100 10.5 20 34 30 15 12 31 11 50 34 34.5 5 34 18.5 40 33 21 28 25 22 32 31 56 61 78 22 10 30 13 47 18 12 22 24 16 36 39 22 42 53 40 29 28 7 29 36 3 3.5 38 17 94 75 17 23 36 53 TOTAL: 947 819.5 852 839.5 MEAN: 37.88 32.78 34.08 33.58 My initial inspection of Table 1 results suggested that the average results in each column supported my first prediction that there would be no significant difference between right or left handed people. However inspection of the component results reveals such a wide spread of values that such a conclusion is unsafe. I have therefore decided to display my results in a stem and leaf diagram. From this presentation I can calculate inter-quartile ranges and transfer the data into a box and whisker'(see Fig 2 and Fig 3) Table 2 Stem and Leaf diagram for Right handed people Right hand estimates Left hand estimates 7,0 0 2,7,9 7,5,3,0.5 1 2,7,8.5 9,2.5,2,1 2 0,2,2,3,4,4,8,9 9,8,8,4,2 3 1,1,4,6 6,3,3,0 4 2,4,7 0 5 0,9 3 6 8 7 3 3,2,1 8 9 10 11 5 1QR: (25 + 1) = 6.5 4 1QR: (25 + 1) = 6.5 4 Therefore 48 19 = 29 Therefore 43 19.25 = 23.75 Median = 38 Median = 28 Mean = 37.88 Mean = 32.78 Table 3 Stem and Leaf diagram for Left handed people Right hand estimates Left hand estimates 4,3 0 3.5,5,7,9 8,6,3,0 1 1,2,7 8,5.5,5,4,3,1 2 1,2,2,6 6,6,4.5,4,1 3 0,0,0,3,5,6 5,2,2,0 4 6,8 6,3 5 3,4 6 1 7 5 8 8,4 9 10 0 1QR: (25 + 1) = 6.5 4 1QR: (25 + 1) = 6.5 4 Therefore 42 19.5 = 22.5 Therefore 47 14.5 = 32.5 Median = 31 Median = 30 Mean = 34.08 Mean = 33.58 Sample 2 Data: Effect of wearing spectacles To test my second prediction that those who wear spectacles, other than for reading, will better judge distance whilst wearing their glasses than when not, I will take every candidate who wears spectacles, 30 in total, and compare their data measured both with and without their spectacles on. Again this test used three estimates ie when using both and individual eyes (right first) but using their favoured hand only for marking. The summed results are displayed in table 4. I will then transfer this data into a scatter graph, plotting data with glasses on against data without. This transfer is to demonstrate whether my prediction is valid. If it is correct there will be a positive correlation and the line of best fit will have a gradient less than 45à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. The prediction will not have been validated if there is no correlation or a line of best fit is above 45à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Table 4 Distance judgement of spectacle wearers (sum of 3 estimates in mm) With Glasses on Without Glasses on 14 7 17 38 41 23 20 23 10 8 23.5 33.5 41 42 20 6 9.5 19 4 3 7 7 12 9 3 2 17 8 12 6 15 10.5 13 15 26 15 12 6 11 22 * Denotes anomalous results which have been disregarded for the purposes of the graph, table totals and averages. This was thought a result of seeing the target between tests with and without glasses on. 22 23 21 8 131* 8* 13.5 18.5 44 14 3 9 3 9 20 9 16 20 5 5 TOTAL: 344.5 410.5 MEAN: 11.9 14.2 Sample 3 Data: Girls judgement compared with that of Boys To test whether girls are better judges of distance than boys I will compare every fifth boy and girl results when using their favoured hand. Candidates must not be spectacle wearers, as we would then be introducing another variable. The data shown is the total score of the candidates three estimates using their preferred hand. Table5 Distance judgement by Girls compared with Boys (Sum of estimates mm) Boys Girls 52 81 21 44 13 14 29 6 33 9 19 5 19 20 16 4 22 12 18 50 11 19 20 5 39.5 40 6.5 14 27 6.5 20 16 40 16 20 11 0 11 53 5 1 4 6 12 4 17 76 40 18 3 5 12 59 13 4 11 28 8 27 20 TOTAL: 707 528.5 MEAN: 23.6 17.6 The data from table 5 has been grouped here into a second table 6. The reason for me doing this is so that I am able to then transfer the data in table 6, firstly into a frequency density graph, and then cumulative frequency graphs from table 7. Table 6 Boys vs Girls grouped into 10mm increments Mm Boys(f) Girls(f) x (midpoint) Boys(fx) Girls(fx) 0 10 7 10 5 35 50 -20 10 15 15 150 225 -30 6 0 25 150 0 -40 3 2 35 105 70 -50 0 2 45 0 90 -60 3 0 55 165 0 -70 0 0 65 0 0 -80 1 0 75 75 0 -90 0 1 85 0 85 Sum fx 30 30 ? fx 680 520 Table 7 Cumulative frequency mm Boys Cf Girls Cf 0 10 7 10 0 20 17 25 0 30 23 25 0 40 26 27 0 50 26 29 0 60 29 29 0 70 29 29 0 80 30 29 0 90 30 30 Cf Cumulative frequency Conclusions for Sample 1 1. Whether the individual is right or left handed For this sample I predicted that handedness will have no effect on judgement of distance. I made this prediction because the hands have nothing to do with a candidates judgement of distance, it is their eyes. As you can see from my results this apparently is the case. There is no conclusive difference between Left or Right handed people. There is more variation between the hand being used to estimate than there is between Left or Right handedness. The Right handed sample shows both the best and worst results. Another point that my data sample shows is that in both cases the mean result is less with the left hand (whether that is the candidates preferred hand or not). However this could be explained by the fact that the trial with the candidates left hands was made after that of their right. Because it is after I can put this down to the fact that they have realised if they are aiming too far or falling too short and therefore they adjust using common sense so they improve their score. This is not true in all cases and in future trial the candidates should: a) Not be allowed to stand up between estimates (or potentially view the table). This could be prevented by screening the table top and only having eye holes in the screen at the viewing level. b) Not be told what their previous Right hand result was. This should combat the problem and make the way for a fairer test. To help verify my original prediction, I shall take a different sample of right handed candidates (I can not do this for the left handed people as there arent enough) and repeat the comparison with the original Left Handed results. In this sample, instead of taking every sixth persons results I shall sample every fifth right handed candidates data. The results have been tabulated in Table 8 in the same way as table 1 and the data displayed in the same Stem and Leaf format in Table 9. From the two sets of data I will be able to confirm these conclusions by comparing the data samples. Table 8 2nd Test: Sample 1 Right handed people Left handed people Right hand Left hand Right hand Left hand 6 8 98 35 81 69 21 17 21 23 45 26 22 30 36 48 76 18 25.5 46 11 12 4 9 46 10 42 54 14 2 13 30 10 3 24 22 13 7 23 21 12 12 53 100 16 40 34 30 6 8 31 11 29 32 34.5 5 14 25 40 33 11 49.5 25 22 11 5 56 61 27 17 10 30 5 6 18 12 31 22 16 36 11 25 42 53 4 3 28 7 24 8 3 3.5 60.5 45.5 94 75 42 17 36 53 TOTAL 603.5 497 852 839.5 AVERAGE 24.14 19.88 34.08 33.58 Table 9 2nd Test. Sample 1: Stem and Leaf diagram for Right handed people Right eye Left eye 6,6,5,4 0 2,3,3,5,6,7,8,8,8 6,4,4,3,2,1,1,1,1,0 1 0,2,2,7,7,8 9,7,4,2,1 2 2,3,5,5 1 3 0,2 6,2 4 0,5.5,9.5 5 0.5 6 9 6 7 1 8 1QR: (25 + 1) = 6.5 4 1QR: (25 + 1) = 6.5 4 Therefore 30 11 = 19 Therefore 27.5 7.5 = 20 Median = 14 Median = 17 Mean = 24.14 Mean = 19.88 The Stem and Leaf formats clearly show the shape of the distributions and, because I was comparing the distance from the target point with both the left and right hand I felt it was more explanatory to display the comparison in this way. The data that was displayed in the Stem and Leaf diagrams can be transferred into Box and whisker diagrams to display the spread of data and how it is distributed across the range. The 1st test of sample 1 is shown in Fig 2 for Right handed candidates and Fig 3 for the Left handed. The 2nd test of sample 1 is shown in Fig 4 for Right handed candidates only. These confirm the spread of results is such that any effect of handedness affecting judgement of distance is inconclusive. Conclusions for Sample 2 2. Whether the candidate wears glasses For this example I predicted individuals who wear spectacles, other than for reading, will have better judgement when wearing those spectacles From the table alone it is clear to see that my prediction has been proved correct, this is evident from both the total, and the mean result: With Glasses On Without Glasses On TOTAL: 344.5 410.5 MEAN: 11.9 14.2 It is shown by this that on average spectacle wearers estimates are over 2mm closer with their spectacles on. Despite my predictions being proved correct I am a bit surprised to see that the effect of spectacles is only (on average) 2mm better. I would expect them to have a greater influence. Maybe glasses influence the clearness of objects more the further they are away. Alternatively it may be influenced by the individuals optical deficiency being either long, short or asymmetric. However, as I do not wear spectacles I can not be sure of this effect. As an extension to this I could see who was most greatly influenced on the judgement of distance, long sighted people or short sighted people. Unfortunately the occurrence of suitable sighted candidates from this database would be too small to draw any significant conclusions. The data from Table 4 was plotted as a scatter graph as Figure 5. To transfer the data from table to graph I did not need to draw any other tables or charts. The reason I chose to plot a scatter graph is because I wanted to show whether glasses influenced a persons judgement of measurement. I knew that if the line of best fit was of less than 45à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ gradient my prediction would be proved correct. This proved to be the case although considerable scatter (variability of results) was evident. Conclusions for Sample 3 3. Girls are more accurate than boys For this sample I predicted that on average girls will be more accurate than boys because girls tend to be more precise and careful From the table 5 it is evident once more that my prediction has been proved correct as shown by both the total, and the mean: Boys Girls TOTAL: 707 528.5 MEAN: 23.6 17.6 The results show that girls are (from the mean result) 6mm better than boys. From the table I have plotted the following graphs: Fig 6 Frequency density diagrams, showing the spread of data across the range for both male and female candidates, this also made a comparison possible. Figs 7 Cumulative frequency diagram, displaying how the frequency changes as the data values increase. I could also use this to get a closer value for the median. From Fig 6 it is evident that there is a higher frequency density of closer estimates for girls than boys. This is followed by a lower frequency density for the girls than boys, further away from the target. This is more apparent from Fig 7 where the girls cumulative frequency is well separated from the boys I am able, in this case, to take another sample (as there are enough boy and girl candidates) and confirm or disprove my prediction and first set of results. If this second sample agreed with my first I could conclude that my prediction is true. On the other hand if this second sample went against my prediction I could investigate this further, possibly by creating a different database. The results of this second test are shown in Table 10. 2nd Test: Sample 3 Table 10 Distance judgement by Girls compared with Boys (Sum of estimates mm) Boys Girls 6 8 4 20 13 13 29 6 33 8 19 13 19 23 16 12 22 50 4 4 3 34 63 5 20 10 42 6.5 24 16 13 16 13 11 12 11 3 31 53 12 1 5 34 20 44 19 15 5 46 40 10 14 35 3 39 10 14 12 7 14 TOTAL: 656 451.5 MEAN: 21.8667 15.05 Boys(fx) Girls(fx) Sum Boys (fx) Sum Girls (fx) 0 10 8 11 8 11 -20 10 14 18 25 -30 3 1 21 26 -40 4 3 25 29 -50 3 1 28 30 -60 1 0 29 30 -70 1 0 30 30 -80 0 0 30 30 -90 0 0 30 30 Sum fx 30 30 The cumulative frequency for this data has been plotted in Fig 8 with a similar result to that shown in Fig 7. The results appear so consistent I have compared both sets of girls data in Fig 9 and of boys in Fig 10. As can be seen, the respective lines of best fit agree very well between the tests. This would indicate also that the investigation on the whole was a success, due to the consistency shown throughout the data. Overall Conclusions I have carried out three tests of candidates Judgement of Distance. By summing the three estimates, using both eyes together and the eyes individually, I have eliminated any preference candidates may have for a favoured viewing technique. Usually both eyes together by focusing on a single target from two sides should give a better estimate than each of the eyes used individually. This would enable an extension to the work by comparing estimates using each of the three viewing conditions. The tests I applied examined: * Firstly, the effect of an individuals handedness. My measurements, including a repeat second test, when analysed by tables of comparison, stem and leaf and box and whisker diagrams confirmed my prediction 1. There is no conclusive difference dependant on handedness. There was however considerable individual variability between candidates confirming my hypothesis that estimation of distance is an individual attribute. * Secondly, estimates of distance by candidates requiring spectacles would be better when wearing their spectacles than when not. My measurements did indicate estimation of distance was better when wearing their spectacles. A line of best fit from a scatter graph supported this conclusion although again there was considerable variation of estimates. * Thirdly, that girls would be better than boys at estimating distances. My measurements, including a second test, clearly supported this conclusion. The results were probably the most conclusive of all the tests. Superimposed graphs of the two tests for the Boys and Girls showed very good reproducibility of these results although individual estimates varied widely in both groups. However the Boys showed the greatest variation further supporting the conclusion that, on average, girls are better at estimating distance. Whilst the indications are all my predictions have been shown to be apparently correct, the degree of variability from individual results makes absolute conclusions difficult. In any extension of the work I would try and increase the size of the test population database. This would increase the confidence in the conclusions.