MET329 Fluid Power Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MET329 Fluid Power - Research Paper Example The course was inspired by the long time application of fluid power dating back from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia where water was used for irrigation (Hill 143-152). Fluid power course includes various engineering and science modules, which covers topics such as dam design, pipe flow, pumps, hydropower, flow measurements, turbines, erosions, and river channel behaviors (Eckert 20). The accredited person with a fluid power degree can find an opportunity in various industries such as mining to operate mining machineries, in the real estate industries to offer services such as lift maintenance. The experience related to fluid power can also be applied in motor vehicles, agriculture, and in any other engineering projects where power is generated from gas and fluids. In conclusion, the MET329 Fluid Power course is rooted in ancient civilizations where it was used on irrigation, boats, among other applications. It started as technological advancements, but today is studied as a career subject, which can assist one to be employed in various industries such as water supply, irrigations, and hydraulic motors amongst others. The course will shape the world’s technological scope in the future by offering special research algorithms of automating all machineries through fluid

Nervous System Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Nervous System Research Paper Essay As a result of the differences in charges, an electro-chemical difference of about -70 millivolts occurs. The sodium-potassium pump, a system which removes sodium ions from inside the cell and draws potassium ions back in, maintains the electrical balance of the resting cell. Since the cell has to do work to maintain the ion concentration, ATP molecules are used to provide the necessary energy. Once a nerve impulse is generated, the permeability of the cell membrane changes, sodium ions flow into, and potassium ions flow out of, the cell. The flow of ions causes a reversal in charges, with a positive charge now occurring on the interior of the cell and a negative charge on the exterior. The cell is said to be depolarized, resulting in an action potential causing the nerve impulse to move along the axon. As depolarization of the membrane proceeds along the nerve, a series of reactions start with the opening and closing of ion gates, which allow the potassium ions to flow back into the cell and sodium ions to move out of the cell. The nerve becomes polarized again since the charges are restored. Until a nerve becomes repolarized it cannot respond to a new stimulus; the time for recovery is called the refractory period and takes about 0. 0004 of a second. The more intense the stimulus, the more frequent the firing of the neuron. When the impulse reaches the end of the axon, it causes the release of chemicals from small vesicles called neurotransmitters which diffuse across the synaptic gap, the small space between the axon and receptors in the dendrites. There is no physical contact between axons and dendrites (except in electrical transmission, usually found in invertebrates) which takes place through gap junctions. The type of response by the receiving cell may be excitatory or inhibitory depending upon a number of factors including the type of neurotransmitters involved. All nerve impulses are the same whether they originate from the ear, heart, or stomach. How the impulse is interpreted is the job of the central nervous system. A blow to the head near the optic center of the brain produces the same results as though the impulse had originated in the eyes. The neurons are the functional units of the nervous system through which coordination and control in organisms is executed. Resources Books BSCS Revision Team. Biological Science: A Molecular Approach. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath Co. , 1990. Campbell, Neil A. Biology. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin/Cummings, Publishing Company, 1987. Carey, Joseph, ed. Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and the Nervous System. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience, 1993. Curtis, Helena, and N. Sue Barnes. Biology. 5th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, 1989. Holtzman, Eric, and Alex B. Novikoff. Cells and Organelles. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing, 1984. Kuffler, Stephen W. , and John G. Nicholls. From Neuron to Brain. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 1976. Pine, Maya, ed. Seeing, Hearing and Smelling The World. Chevy Chase: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1995. Purves, Dale. Body and Brain: A Trophic Theory of Neural Connections. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988. Raven, Peter H. , and George B. Johnson. Biology. 3rd ed. St. Louis: Mosby Year Book, 1992. Towle, Albert. Modern Biology. Austin, TX: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, 1991. KEY TERMS Action potential —A transient change in the electrical potential across a membrane which results in the generation of a nerve impulse. Axon —The threadlike projection of a neuron that carries an impulse away from the cell body of the neuron. Dendrites —Branched structures of nerve cell bodies which receive impulses from axons and carry them to the nerve cell body. Depolarization —A tendency of a cell membrane when stimulated to allow charged (ionic) chemical particles to enter or leave the cell. This favors the neutralization of excess positive or negative particles within the cell. Ganglion —Cluster of nerve cell bodies. In vertebrates, found outside of the central nervous system and act as relay stations for impulses. In invertebrates, act as a central control. Homeostasis —The internal stability of an organism. Myelin —A multilayered membrane system of a Schwann cell that wraps around an axon. Made up of lipoproteins that act as insulators in speeding up the transmission of nerve impulses. Nerve Bundles of axons in a connective tissue sheath which follow a specific path. Nerve impulse —A transient change in the electro-chemical nature of a neuron. Neuron —Cell specialized to receive and transmit impulses; functional unit of the nervous system. Neurotransmitter —A chemical released at the end of an axon which is picked up by receptors such as dendrites, muscles, or secretory cells. Polarized —Two different charges on either side of a membrane caused by a difference in the distribution of charges; in resting nerve cells maintained by the sodiumpotassium pump. Reflex —A rapid response to a stimulus that involves a sensory and motor neuron and may involve an interneuron. Refractory period —Recovery period for the neuron in which no new impulse can be generated; it cannot respond to a stimulus until it is repolarized. Sodium-potassium pump —A special transport protein in the membrane of cells that moves sodium ions out and potassium ions into the cell against their concentration gradients. Synapse —Junction between cells where the exchange of electrical or chemical information takes place.

ireland Essay -- essays research papers

Ireland Geography, Topography, and a Political Perspective There are four provinces in Ireland: Connacht (western Ireland), Munster (southern Ireland), Leinster (eastern Ireland), and Ulster (Northern Ireland). The Republic of Ireland is comprised of the provinces of Connacht, Munster, and Leinster; the province of Ulster is referred to as Northern Ireland and is under Britain’s jurisdiction. Northern and Southern Ireland are differentiated not only by geographical differences, but also by political and religious views. Approximately 5/6 of the 27,136 square mile island is referred to as the Republic of Ireland and claimed freedom during the year 1922, when it separated from Britain’s rule. This was not an easy transition of political power for the Irish, but rather the beginning of a tumultuous war between Northern Ireland and the Republic. They fought not only because the Republic wanted Britain to relinquish power over Northern Ireland, but also because of a difference in religious values and beliefs (Spencer, 14). Primarily Roman Catholic prior to the mid 16th century, Ireland was influenced by England’s schism from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII. Only a small percentage (about 10%) of the Republic of Ireland is Protestant, including Methodist and Presbyterian, however Northern Ireland is predominately Protestant and thus this religious rivalry has played an integral role in the separation of Northern and Southern Ireland and has been the foundation for many political issues and disputes. Interestingly, this religious division is not apparent within the Republic of Ireland because they do not feel threatened by the minority of Protestants politically or religiously (Spencer, 26). Subsequently, religion plays an important part within the Irish culture, as well as its political history. It was not until The Good Friday Peace Agreement, signed in 1998, that the Protestants and Catholics reached a cease-fire and agreed to stop the fighting and vandalism (Spencer, 14) The importance of religion to the Irish culture is exemplified through the role of religious characters throughout literature and film, as apparent in Sheridan’s The Field. Topographically, there are several features unique to Ireland; the bogs are one of the most significant topographical features that exemplify Ireland’s uniqueness. Ireland’s climate is co... ...an.com/field).† One of the more dramatic scenes in the film, where the wealthy American, Bull, and Bull’s son (Tadgh) confront each other concerning the sale of a sentimental piece of land, is set near the Erriff River, which is located at Aasleagh Falls near the village of Leenane. As our cinematic journey progresses, we are taken to Dublin where young Fiona, the main character of The Secret of Roan Inish, had initially resided with her father until he deemed it in her best interest to return to her grandparents fishing village in Ireland’s County Donegal to live. Fiona is intrigued by the view of the Island of Roan Inish which can be seen from the coast line of this western Irish village (The Secret of Roan Inish). On a journey similar to Fiona’s, the two young boys, Ossie and Tito in Into the West also begin their journey in the urban and metropolitan eastern Ireland city of Dublin. The boys, guided by a magical horse named Tir na nOg, journey into t he western regions of Ireland. Our cinematic journey is an excellent means by which to expose students to the various geographical characteristics of Ireland and the significant differences between the eastern and western regions.

Travelling: Culture and Travel

Why do people insist in taking their holidays in the same locations year after year? This is always something that puzzled me as surely the whole reason behind travelling is to experience different cultures and their unique lifestyles? Sure, you may have had a great time on your holiday to (insert destination! ) when you first visited five years ago but, does it surely the adrenalin fuelled excitement has started to wane with each passing year when you have visited? Of course you probably still haven't even done half of what is possible at your holiday hotspot but that still doesn't gauge the interest quite like going somewhere unique. Take for example your everyday life. If you have ever moved to a new location it can be an exciting time for some. There are endless possibilities of new things to see, people to meet and, daily excursion. But, over time this excitement erodes although you probably haven't done as much as you really could! There are so many things to learn from visiting new places that it would be a shame to go to the same location. You can see the pyramids of Gaza, the Taj Mahal, or the Great Barrier Reef. Sure, going to Disneyland is probably a great thrill but you're not going to learn about Arabic culture there! Travel is a valuable tool in educating oneself on other cultures and lifestyles. And, what's more, it will sure make the gifts you bring back for people more exciting. Those who like to lie on the beach all day and sunbathe would probably like to do just that. But for those of us interested in learning about other cultures, there's no excuse for not travelling elsewhere! Travel broadens the mind' Travel does broaden the mind. However it is what ‘travel' means to the individual. Is it is the consequence of travel where the true expansion is achieved. Travel opens a doorway for the individual to seek the experiences and be open to the absorption of those experiences. Allowing to take from those to build on and develop. These journeys could be far afield or a walk to the corner shop- Muslims praying to the West or the tired eyes of the lady passed in the street Each experience opening a spectrum of further questions. It is the travellers personal reflection, interpretation and conclusion that ‘broadens the mind'. Travel presents experiences of other lifestyles, cultures, values and convictions. Expansion is gained by personal deliberation reflected in their own lives. Travel teaches diversity. The value of that cannot fail but to broaden the mind. ravelling enables many people to broaden their minds in certain respects. When you travel you gain new ideas and experience new things. However you do not have to travel miles to expand your horizons, and there are many disadvantages associated with travelling. Travelling makes it possible to experience new cultures; for example, observing different religions and customs, even if it just means traipsing round an Indian mosque, or visiting an Egyptian temple. While travelling, you an learn new languages, which may increase your confidence. If you learn a few basic phrases, you are given the chance to interact with the native people. Also you are more likely to experience the friendliness of the locals because language barriers are broken. This may lead to prejudice ideas being destroyed. A new language gives a different outlook on life. Travel also teaches you independence, because it allows you to escape the familiar surroundings of home and stay in a strange or alien place. Just arranging travel and accommodation can give you new responsibilities. Often when people travel they leave everyday commodities behind and have to learn to cope without them. Improvising or making do without them teaches patience and determination, and when you return home you become more grateful for the things you left behind. Not only does travelling allow you to see new cultures, it also often allows you to learn the roots of your own cultures. Travelling enables you to become aware of differences in lifestyle – whether they are regional or national – and to learn how different people interact and generally what they base their ideas on. Travelling lets people explore their own customs and way of life, and appreciate their countries’ history and traditions. Travelling introduces new ideas that can change your opinions on different topics and help you to become more open minded about things you would normally disapprove of. Such as exploring different political situations in countries you visit. By experiencing life in different social systems or under different governments, you can see how successful they are and form intelligent opinions. Travelling an also make you more aware of other traditions and help you understand different views and perceptions that foreign people have. Our neighbours in France, a mere twenty-two miles from our shores live diverse lives from our selves, socially, politically and legally. By visiting new places you are introduced to new etiquette, which you may be expected to abide by. This provokes awareness in many people on the correct rules of behaviour in society and broadens the m ind. The opportunities of travel are expanding. Package holidays are becoming more popular. And travelling to new countries is being made more accessible, and cheaper. In the future there will be orbital hotels in space offering ‘out of this world’ holidays. Ordinary holidaymakers will be able to travel to space and back. How could travelling to a different planet not broaden the mind? Space travel could put a new perspective on life and change the way you think and the way you live your live. However, travelling has many disadvantages and it is possible to take the view that it does not broaden the mind. Travelling can be very expensive and you may have to be inconvenienced by having to get visas or a passport. Why would you want to go to all this bother when you are able to experience new cultures through media, such as television programmes, newspaper articles or the Internet? There are numerous travel programmes on the television and radio, and it is much easier and cheaper to see new places by this method. Also England is very international and there are many foreign people living and studying here. So you do not have to go abroad in order to learn new languages or see different traditions. An example of this is ‘China Town’ in London. Here in this bustling town are many Cantonese and Mandarin speaking people. There are a variety of restaurants offering a taste of the eastern culture. There are also many dangers associated with foreign cultures. There are the hazards of diseases and you may have to go to the trouble of getting injections and taking malaria tablets. You are relatively safe in England as there is no risk of wars or terrorist attacks. Some people could feel going abroad daunting because of the different laws and punishments for crimes. Also some might argue that there is no point in going abroad, as everywhere is becoming the same and homogenised. An example of this is the fact that in many countries there are ‘McDonalds’ restaurants situated everywhere. Moreover many countries’ cultures are modified to suit English tastes. So in fact you are not really experiencing the true way of life in that country. Also when you go travelling you often don’t meet people of new nationalities. As Laurence Sterne expressed it ‘ As an English man does not travel to see English men, I retired to my room’. Guests staying in many resorts are urged to remain in the safety of the complex of the hotel, and urged not to venture out, because of disturbing sights of poverty or fear of the unaltered world outside the hotel. Many tourists are reluctant to venture forth and so seldom see the real country, and its people, which they are visiting. However I feel that it is much easier to broaden the mind by travelling than watching travel programmes. It is also much more enjoyable.

Arguments in Favour of Single-Sex Schools

The subject on individual sex schools has drawn broad and different sentiments in the public sphere for a long clip. Persons, groups, establishments and governments have so far presented different ideas sing the subject. By definition, the phrase, â€Å"single sex school† means a signifier of a school where by male childs and misss attend different schools. To be precise, individual schools implies, misss go toing a school that is specifically for misss while male childs go toing a schools that is specifically for male childs. Therefore, individual school unlike the conventional or instead traditional schools ( assorted schools ) is an political orientation that even though has been in existed for a long clip, some people in the community feels it is a good thought that need to be embraced. Meanwhile, there are some people excessively who feel that misss and male childs should larn together in the same school as it will assist them develop together as one. Regardless of the ma ny ideas that have been presented opposing the position, individual sex schools when implemented, they are good for instruction. One of the grounds why individual sex schools are good for instruction is that ; they create a feeling of safety, encourages pupils to encompass their life style every bit good as detering any signifier of distraction in the class of prosecuting their dreams through instruction. There are a figure of pupils whose instruction has been affected due deficiency of concentration in category. This is because some pupils find it so difficult to concentrate when they are in a conventional category. This is a job that is really common with male childs as opposed to misss. Boys tend to lose focal point in a category of assorted gender because they will be seeking to move different in order to pull their female category couples. Worse still, it is truly difficult for male childs to concentrate on larning while there are a watercourse of cunning ladies to look up to in the same category. However, it is of import to observe besides that, this job does non impact all male childs but so the per cen tum of male childs who get distracted from larning because of beautiful misss in category is higher as opposed to the per centum that does non acquire affected ( The Many Advantages of Single-Sex Schools, n.p ) . Meanwhile, there are a figure of misss who get affected excessively when in a conventional school. This arises on affairs refering safety. Psychologically, immature misss fear being touched physically. This creates fear among them and as such they are non in a place of set abouting their surveies in a normal manner. On the other manus, female pupils will experience free and safe if they are enrolled in a female school where by they are meeting fellow misss. This creates assurance and therefore s encouragements their academic public presentation, a clear indicant that same sex schools are good for instruction. On top of that, it is besides factual that both male childs and misss develop different in the procedure of turning up. This is apparent given the fact that, misss dev elop quicker every bit compared to boys. Furthermore, the believing capacity of ladies grows exponential faster as opposed to that of male childs. This indicates that the demands of misss are to some extent different from that of male childs. Therefore, there is demand to promote individual sex schools that will assist misss and male childs understand the demands of their bodies’ good which finally can be translated to good public presentation ( Single-Gender Classes, n.p ) . Harmonizing to Gilbert ( par. 5 and 6 ) , the instruction system has been stormed by females as opposed to males. Gilbert presents his determination that, the figure of female decision makers in most schools is higher as compared to males in many schools. He besides states that, the figure of female instructors in assorted schools is higher than those of male instructors. Gilbert besides observes that, female pupils have the ability to detect their emotions good as opposed to pupils. On top of that misss are besides known to be better readers as opposed to male childs. Worse still, the current instruction system tend to stress more on cooperation. This leaves male childs stranded in their surveies, because they prefer more physical actions and competition. In fact, Gilbert asserts that, this type of system favours misss who excel while the public presentation of male childs keep on deteriorating. In his decision, Gilbert therefore argues that, assorted schools merely favours misss as opposed to male childs. In his justification, he asserts that, coeducational schools affects male childs in that they lose attending in acquisition, every bit good as stoping up enduring from developmental upsets. Therefore, Gilbert suggests that, the best manner to advance equality in instruction for both male childs and misss is to follow scorch sex schools given that coeducational schools tend to prefer misss as opposed to male childs. Another position as to why individual sex schools are good for instruction as opposed to coeducational schools is from the point of instructors. Given that the behaviour and demands of both male childs and misss are different, teachers’ public presentation is besides affected in the procedure of bringing in category. This sis because, there is no uniformity in footings of nearing different issues in the same category. As such, a instructor must handle a boy different every bit good as a miss in a alone manner excessively. This affects teachers’ preciseness. However, encompassing scorch sex schools, instructors will be able to associate their instructions methodological analysis to the behaviour of their pupils and therefore good for instruction ( The Many Advantages of Single-Sex Schools, n.p ) . Meanwhile, an environment plays a great function in pupil public presentation. A favourable acquisition environment contributes to high public presentation of pupils as opposed to an unfavourable environment. A relaxed environment is good for a acquisition set up as opposed to a helter-skelter environment. This works for both male childs and misss. However, one thing that need to be clear is that in coeducational schools, male childs and misss try every bit much as possible to affect one another. In so making they feel fixed in that they are supposed to move in a mode that attracts one another. In the procedure, a miss or a male child may fear inquiring a inquiry because she/he may believe it will non affect their opposite sex opposite numbers. This affects the pupils in showing themselves openly and if continues for a long clip, it becomes a wont that can non and will ne'er be erased. Actually it becomes portion of their life and accompanies them in the remainder of their unrecorded. In comparing to individual sex schools, pupils have cipher to affect and as such, they fear less in inquiring inquiries, that is an of import component in larning. Furthermo re, the ability to prosecute with others without experiencing intimidated by the gender of the opposite sex flicker arguments and conversation that enhances instruction in a positive mode ( Kennedy, n.p ) . Indeed, instruction is one of import gift to both male childs and misss. It is through instruction that male childs and misss can be able to accomplish their assorted dreams in life. Therefore, there is demand to accommodate a theoretical account that works for both of them. Over clip, there has been a argument as to whether individual sex schools improve pupil public presentation. This argument has drawn a batch of positions from the pupils themselves, parents/guardians, instructors, human support groups every bit good as the legal authorization. Even though there are opposing positions refering the encouragement of individual sex schools on the premiss that ; they tend to divide misss and male childs doing them fear one another and therefore taking to isolation every bit good as lending to high degree of divorce in the long tally, individual sex schools are good for instruction for assorted ground. One of them is that they encourage a feeling of safety, promotes a feeling of safety every bit good as avoiding any signifier of distractions. Another ground is the fact that boys and misss develop otherwise every bit good the undeniable truth that schools are stormed by females as opposed to males, which makes male childs uncomfortable. On top of that, instructors are besides more productive in individual sex schools as opposed to coeducational schools due to uniformity. Furthermore, individual sex schools enables pupils to prosecute in arguments and conversation without any signifier of gender based bullying. Plants Cited Gilbert, Michael. â€Å" Single-sex Schools Help Children Thrive. †The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor. Web. 4 May 2015. Kennedy, Robert. â€Å" What Are the Advantages of Single Sex Education? † Web. 4 May 2015. â€Å" Single-Gender Classs: Are They Better? †Education World:. Web. 4 May 2015. â€Å" The Many Advantages of Single-Sex Schools. †CRC Health Group. Web. 4 May 2015.

Abolition of Slavery essays

Abolition of Slavery essays The conflicting and different perspectives adopted by the North and South in discussing the issue of black American slavery is founded mainly on economic, rather than political differences. It is important to note that the two regions have different economic and political orientations when the early British settlers inhabited the then-called Americas. The Southern region inhabitants inhabited the part of the territory that has sparse fertile land, low and often scarce water resource, and a generally unfriendly environment, which resulted to numerous deaths due to illnesses obtained while inhabiting the Southern region lands. The Northern region, meanwhile, enjoyed relatively better environmental resources than their Southern counterpart. The Northern region inhabitants easily established its own agricultural society and grew in number/ population, as compared to the Southerners. Thus, when black slaves were shipped to America, the Southerners took advantage of the slavery system in order to convert their misfortunes into an economic success, eventually becoming well-known for their cotton plantations. However, the Northerners, with a rich economic disposition and growing cultural heritage, learned to recognize the rights of the black American slaves. Since they were not too dependent on the slavery system to maintain their healthy economic disposition, they were the first ones who sought for a social reform in terms of how slavery is recognized and supported in America. The Southerners, completely dependent on the slaves to maintain their plantations and keep their economic resources available in the region, argued against the call for a social reform, arguing for the maintenance of the slavery system as a necessary measure to help America, as a nation, survive economically and politically. The Amistad case is considered a landmark case that helped develop the abolitionist movement against the practice of black...

The 13 Hardest SAT Math Questions Ever

The 13 Hardest SAT Math Questions Ever SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Want to test yourself against the most difficult SAT math questions? Want to know what makes these questions so difficult and how best to solve them? If you’re ready to really sink your teeth into the SAT math section and have your sights set on that perfect score, then this is the guide for you. We’ve put together what we believe to be the 13 most difficult questions for the new 2016 SAT, with strategies and answer explanations for each. These are all hard SAT Math questions from College Board SAT practice tests, which means understanding them is one of the best ways to study for those of you aiming for perfection. Image: Sonia Sevilla/Wikimedia Brief Overview of SAT Math The third and fourth sections of the SAT will always be math sections. The first math subsection (labeled "3") does not allow you to use a calculator, while the second math subsection (labeled as "4") does allow the use of a calculator. Don't worry too much about the no-calculator section, though: if you're not allowed to use a calculator on a question, it means you don’t need a calculator to answer it. Each math subsection is arranged in order of ascending difficulty (where the longer it takes to solve a problem and the fewer people who answer it correctly, the more difficult it is). On each subsection, question 1 will be â€Å"easy† and question 15 will be considered â€Å"difficult.† However, the ascending difficulty resets from easy to hard on the grid-ins. Hence, multiple choice questions are arranged in increasing difficulty (questions 1 and 2 will be the easiest, questions 14 and 15 will be the hardest), but the difficulty level resets for the grid-in section (meaning questions 16 and 17 will again be â€Å"easy† and questions 19 and 20 will be very difficult). With very few exceptions, then, the most difficult SAT math problems will be clustered at the end of the multiple choice segments or the second half of the grid-in questions. In addition to their placement on the test, though, these questions also share a few other commonalities. In a minute, we'll look at example questions and how to solve them, then analyze them to figure out what these types of questions have in common. But First: Should You Be Focusing on the Hardest Math Questions Right Now? If you’re just getting started in your study prep (or if you’ve simply skipped this first, crucial step), definitely stop and take a full practice test to gauge your current scoring level. Check out our guide to all the free SAT practice tests available online and then sit down to take a test all at once. The absolute best way to assess your current level is to simply take the SAT practice test as if it were real, keeping strict timing and working straight through with only the allowed breaks (we know- probably not your favorite way to spend a Saturday). Once you’ve got a good idea of your current level and percentile ranking, you can set milestones and goals for your ultimate SAT Math score. If you’re currently scoring in the 200-400 or the 400-600 range on SAT Math, your best bet is first to check out our guide to improving your math score to be consistently at or over a 600 before you start in trying to tackle the most difficult math problems on the test. If, however, you're already scoring above a 600 on the Math section and want to test your mettle for the real SAT, then definitely proceed to the rest of this guide. If you’re aiming for perfect (or close to), then you’ll need to know what the most difficult SAT math questions look like and how to solve them. And luckily, that’s exactly what we’ll do. WARNING: Since there are a limited number of official SAT practice tests, you may want to wait to read this article until you've attempted all or most of the first four official practice tests (since the questions below were taken from those tests). If you're worried about spoiling those tests, stop reading this guide now; come back and read it when you've completed them. Now let's get to our list of questions (whoo)! Image: Niytx/DeviantArt The 13 Hardest SAT Math Questions Now that you’re sure you should be attempting these questions, let’s dive right in! We've curated 13 of the most difficult SAT Math questions for you to try below, along with walkthroughs of how to get the answer (if you're stumped). No Calculator SAT Math Questions Question 1 $$C=5/9(F-32)$$ The equation above shows how temperature $F$, measured in degrees Fahrenheit, relates to a temperature $C$, measured in degrees Celsius. Based on the equation, which of the following must be true? A temperature increase of 1 degree Fahrenheit is equivalent to a temperature increase of $5/9$ degree Celsius. A temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius is equivalent to a temperature increase of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature increase of $5/9$ degree Fahrenheit is equivalent to a temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius. A) I onlyB) II onlyC) III onlyD) I and II only ANSWER EXPLANATION:Think of the equation as an equation for a line $$y=mx+b$$ where in this case $$C= {5}/{9} (F−32)$$ or $$C={5}/{9}F −{5}/{9}(32)$$ You can see the slope of the graph is ${5}/{9}$, which means that for an increase of 1 degree Fahrenheit, the increase is ${5}/{9}$ of 1 degree Celsius. $$C= {5}/{9} (F)$$ $$C= {5}/{9} (1)= {5}/{9}$$ Therefore, statement I is true. This is the equivalent to saying that an increase of 1 degree Celsius is equal to an increase of ${9}/{5}$ degrees Fahrenheit. $$C= {5}/{9} (F)$$ $$1= {5}/{9} (F)$$ $$(F)={9}/{5}$$ Since ${9}/{5}$ = 1.8, statement II is true. The only answer that has both statement I and statement II as true is D, but if you have time and want to be absolutely thorough, you can also check to see if statement III (an increase of ${5}/{9}$ degree Fahrenheit is equal to a temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius) is true: $$C= {5}/{9} (F)$$ $$C= {5}/{9} ({5}/{9})$$ $$C= {25} /{81} (\which \is ≠  1)$$ An increase of $5/9$ degree Fahrenheit leads to an increase of ${25}/{81}$, not 1 degree, Celsius, and so Statement III is not true. The final answer is D. Question 2 The equation ${24x^2 + 25x -47}/{ax-2} = -8x-3-{53/{ax-2}}$ is true for all values of $x≠ 2/a$, where $a$ is a constant. What is the value of $a$? A) -16B) -3C) 3D) 16 ANSWER EXPLANATION: There are two ways to solve this question. The faster way is to multiply each side of the given equation by $ax-2$ (so you can get rid of the fraction). When you multiply each side by $ax-2$, you should have: $$24x^2 + 25x - 47 = (-8x-3)(ax-2) - 53$$ You should then multiply $(-8x-3)$ and $(ax-2)$ using FOIL. $$24x^2 + 25x - 47 = -8ax^2 - 3ax +16x + 6 - 53$$ Then, reduce on the right side of the equation $$24x^2 + 25x - 47 = -8ax^2 - 3ax +16x - 47$$ Since the coefficients of the $x^2$-term have to be equal on both sides of the equation, $−8a = 24$, or $a = −3$. The other option which is longer and more tedious is to attempt to plug in all of the answer choices for a and see which answer choice makes both sides of the equation equal. Again, this is the longer option, and I do not recommend it for the actual SAT as it will waste too much time. The final answer is B. Question 3 If $3x-y = 12$, what is the value of ${8^x}/{2^y}$? A) $2^{12}$B) $4^4$C) $8^2$D) The value cannot be determined from the information given. ANSWER EXPLANATION: One approach is to express $${8^x}/{2^y}$$ so that the numerator and denominator are expressed with the same base. Since 2 and 8 are both powers of 2, substituting $2^3$ for 8 in the numerator of ${8^x}/{2^y}$ gives $${(2^3)^x}/{2^y}$$ which can be rewritten $${2^3x}/{2^y}$$ Since the numerator and denominator of have a common base, this expression can be rewritten as $2^(3x−y)$. In the question, it states that $3x − y = 12$, so one can substitute 12 for the exponent, $3x − y$, which means that $${8^x}/{2^y}= 2^12$$ The final answer is A. Question 4 $${8-i}/{3-2i}$$ If the expression above is rewritten in the form $a+bi$, where $a$ and $b$ are real numbers, what is the value of $a$? (Note: $i=√{-1}$) ANSWER EXPLANATION: To rewrite ${8-i}/{3-2i}$ in the standard form $a + bi$, you need to multiply the numerator and denominator of ${8-i}/{3-2i}$ by the conjugate, $3 + 2i$. This equals $$({8-i}/{3-2i})({3+2i}/{3+2i})={24+16i-3+(-i)(2i)}/{(3^2)-(2i)^2}$$ Since $i^2=-1$, this last fraction can be reduced simplified to $$ {24+16i-3i+2}/{9-(-4)}={26+13i}/{13}$$ which simplifies further to $2 + i$. Therefore, when${8-i}/{3-2i}$ is rewritten in the standard form a + bi, the value of a is 2. The final answer is A. Question 5 In triangle $ABC$, the measure of $∠ B$ is 90 °, $BC=16$, and $AC$=20. Triangle $DEF$ is similar to triangle $ABC$, where vertices $D$, $E$, and $F$ correspond to vertices $A$, $B$, and $C$, respectively, and each side of triangle $DEF$ is $1/3$ the length of the corresponding side of triangle $ABC$. What is the value of $sinF$? ANSWER EXPLANATION: Triangle ABC is a right triangle with its right angle at B. Therefore, $\ov {AC}$ is the hypotenuse of right triangle ABC, and $\ov {AB}$ and $\ov {BC}$ are the legs of right triangle ABC. According to the Pythagorean theorem, $$AB =√{20^2-16^2}=√{400-256}=√{144}=12$$ Since triangle DEF is similar to triangle ABC, with vertex F corresponding to vertex C, the measure of $\angle ∠  {F}$ equals the measure of $\angle ∠  {C}$. Therefore, $sin F = sin C$. From the side lengths of triangle ABC, $$sinF ={\opposite \side}/{\hypotenuse}={AB}/{AC}={12}/{20}={3}/{5}$$ Therefore, $sinF ={3}/{5}$. The final answer is ${3}/{5}$ or 0.6. Calculator-Allowed SAT Math Questions Question 6 The incomplete table above summarizes the number of left-handed students and right-handed students by gender for the eighth grade students at Keisel Middle School. There are 5 times as many right-handed female students as there are left-handed female students, and there are 9 times as many right-handed male students as there are left-handed male students. if there is a total of 18 left-handed students and 122 right-handed students in the school, which of the following is closest to the probability that a right-handed student selected at random is female? (Note: Assume that none of the eighth-grade students are both right-handed and left-handed.) A) 0.410B) 0.357C) 0.333D) 0.250 ANSWER EXPLANATION: In order to solve this problem, you should create two equations using two variables ($x$ and $y$) and the information you’re given. Let $x$ be the number of left-handed female students and let $y$ be the number of left-handed male students. Using the information given in the problem, the number of right-handed female students will be $5x$ and the number of right-handed male students will be $9y$. Since the total number of left-handed students is 18 and the total number of right-handed students is 122, the system of equations below must be true: $$x + y = 18$$ $$5x + 9y = 122$$ When you solve this system of equations, you get $x = 10$ and $y = 8$. Thus, 5*10, or 50, of the 122 right-handed students are female. Therefore, the probability that a right-handed student selected at random is female is ${50}/{122}$, which to the nearest thousandth is 0.410. The final answer is A. Questions 7 8 Use the following information for both question 7 and question 8. If shoppers enter a store at an average rate of $r$ shoppers per minute and each stays in the store for average time of $T$ minutes, the average number of shoppers in the store, $N$, at any one time is given by the formula $N=rT$. This relationship is known as Little's law. The owner of the Good Deals Store estimates that during business hours, an average of 3 shoppers per minute enter the store and that each of them stays an average of 15 minutes. The store owner uses Little's law to estimate that there are 45 shoppers in the store at any time. Question 7 Little's law can be applied to any part of the store, such as a particular department or the checkout lines. The store owner determines that, during business hours, approximately 84 shoppers per hour make a purchase and each of these shoppers spend an average of 5 minutes in the checkout line. At any time during business hours, about how many shoppers, on average, are waiting in the checkout line to make a purchase at the Good Deals Store? ANSWER EXPLANATION: Since the question states that Little’s law can be applied to any single part of the store (for example, just the checkout line), then the average number of shoppers, $N$, in the checkout line at any time is $N = rT$, where $r$ is the number of shoppers entering the checkout line per minute and $T$ is the average number of minutes each shopper spends in the checkout line. Since 84 shoppers per hour make a purchase, 84 shoppers per hour enter the checkout line. However, this needs to be converted to the number of shoppers per minute (in order to be used with $T = 5$). Since there are 60 minutes in one hour, the rate is ${84 \shoppers \per \hour}/{60 \minutes} = 1.4$ shoppers per minute. Using the given formula with $r = 1.4$ and $T = 5$ yields $$N = rt = (1.4)(5) = 7$$ Therefore, the average number of shoppers, $N$, in the checkout line at any time during business hours is 7. The final answer is 7. Question 8 The owner of the Good Deals Store opens a new store across town. For the new store, the owner estimates that, during business hours, an average of 90 shoppers per hour enter the store and each of them stays an average of 12 minutes. The average number of shoppers in the new store at any time is what percent less than the average number of shoppers in the original store at any time? (Note: Ignore the percent symbol when entering your answer. For example, if the answer is 42.1%, enter 42.1) ANSWER EXPLANATION: According to the original information given, the estimated average number of shoppers in the original store at any time (N) is 45. In the question, it states that, in the new store, the manager estimates that an average of 90 shoppers per hour (60 minutes) enter the store, which is equivalent to 1.5 shoppers per minute (r). The manager also estimates that each shopper stays in the store for an average of 12 minutes (T). Thus, by Little’s law, there are, on average, $N = rT = (1.5)(12) = 18$ shoppers in the new store at any time. This is $${45-18}/{45} x 100 = 60$$ percent less than the average number of shoppers in the original store at any time. The final answer is 60. Question 9 A grain silo is built from two right circular cones and a right circular cylinder with internal measurements represented by the figure above. Of the following, which is closest to the volume of the grain silo, in cubic feet? A) 261.8B) 785.4C) 916.3D) 1047.2 ANSWER EXPLANATION: The volume of the grain silo can be found by adding the volumes of all the solids of which it is composed (a cylinder and two cones). The silo is made up of a cylinder (with height 10 feet and base radius 5 feet) and two cones (each with height 5 ft and base radius 5 ft). The formulas given at the beginning of the SAT Math section: Volume of a Cone $$V={1}/{3}Ï€r^2h$$ Volume of a Cylinder $$V=Ï€r^2h$$ can be used to determine the total volume of the silo. Since the two cones have identical dimensions, the total volume, in cubic feet, of the silo is given by $$V_{silo}=Ï€(5^2)(10)+(2)({1}/{3})Ï€(5^2)(5)=({4}/{3})(250)Ï€$$ which is approximately equal to 1,047.2 cubic feet. The final answer is D. Question 10 If $x$ is the average (arithmetic mean) of $m$ and $9$, $y$ is the average of $2m$ and $15$, and $z$ is the average of $3m$ and $18$, what is the average of $x$, $y$, and $z$ in terms of $m$? A) $m+6$B) $m+7$C) $2m+14$D) $3m + 21$ ANSWER EXPLANATION: Since the average (arithmetic mean) of two numbers is equal to the sum of the two numbers divided by 2, the equations $x={m+9}/{2}$, $y={2m+15}/{2}$, $z={3m+18}/{2}$are true. The average of $x$, $y$, and $z$ is given by ${x + y + z}/{3}$. Substituting the expressions in m for each variable ($x$, $y$, $z$) gives $$[{m+9}/{2}+{2m+15}/{2}+{3m+18}/{2}]/3$$ This fraction can be simplified to $m + 7$. The final answer is B. Question 11 The function $f(x)=x^3-x^2-x-{11/4}$ is graphed in the $xy$-plane above. If $k$ is a constant such that the equation $f(x)=k$ has three real solutions, which of the following could be the value of $k$? ANSWER EXPLANATION: The equation $f(x) = k$ gives the solutions to the system of equations $$y = f(x) = x^3-x^2-x-{11}/{4}$$ and $$y = k$$ A real solution of a system of two equations corresponds to a point of intersection of the graphs of the two equations in the $xy$-plane. The graph of $y = k$ is a horizontal line that contains the point $(0, k)$ and intersects the graph of the cubic equation three times (since it has three real solutions). Given the graph, the only horizontal line that would intersect the cubic equation three times is the line with the equation $y = −3$, or $f(x) = −3$. Therefore, $k$ is $-3$. The final answer is D. Question 12 $$q={1/2}nv^2$$ The dynamic pressure $q$ generated by a fluid moving with velocity $v$ can be found using the formula above, where $n$ is the constant density of the fluid. An aeronautical engineer users the formula to find the dynamic pressure of a fluid moving with velocity $v$ and the same fluid moving with velocity 1.5$v$. What is the ratio of the dynamic pressure of the faster fluid to the dynamic pressure of the slower fluid? ANSWER EXPLANATION: To solve this problem, you need to set up to equations with variables. Let $q_1$ be the dynamic pressure of the slower fluid moving with velocity $v_1$, and let $q_2$ be the dynamic pressure of the faster fluid moving with velocity $v_2$. Then $$v_2 =1.5v_1$$ Given the equation $q = {1}/{2}nv^2$, substituting the dynamic pressure and velocity of the faster fluid gives $q_2 = {1}/{2}n(v_2)^2$. Since $v_2 =1.5v_1$, the expression $1.5v_1$ can be substituted for $v_2$ in this equation, giving $q_2 = {1}/{2}n(1.5v_1)^2$. By squaring $1.5$, you can rewrite the previous equation as $$q_2 = (2.25)({1}/{2})n(v_1)^2 = (2.25)q_1$$ Therefore, the ratio of the dynamic pressure of the faster fluid is $${q2}/{q1} = {2.25 q_1}/{q_1}= 2.25$$ The final answer is 2.25 or 9/4. Question 13 For a polynomial $p(x)$, the value of $p(3)$ is $-2$. Which of the following must be true about $p(x)$? A) $x-5$ is a factor of $p(x)$.B) $x-2$ is a factor of $p(x)$.C) $x+2$ is a factor of $p(x)$.D) The remainder when $p(x)$ is divided by $x-3$ is $-2$. ANSWER EXPLANATION: If the polynomial $p(x)$ is divided by a polynomial of the form $x+k$ (which accounts for all of the possible answer choices in this question), the result can be written as $${p(x)}/{x+k}=q(x)+{r}/{x+k}$$ where $q(x)$ is a polynomial and $r$ is the remainder. Since $x + k$ is a degree-1 polynomial (meaning it only includes $x^1$ and no higher exponents), the remainder is a real number. Therefore, $p(x)$ can be rewritten as $p(x) = (x + k)q(x) + r$, where $r$ is a real number. The question states that $p(3) = -2$, so it must be true that $$-2 = p(3) = (3 + k)q(3) + r$$ Now we can plug in all the possible answers. If the answer is A, B, or C, $r$ will be $0$, while if the answer is D, $r$ will be $-2$. A. $-2 = p(3) = (3 + (-5))q(3) + 0$$-2=(3-5)q(3)$$-2=(-2)q(3)$ This could be true, but only if $q(3)=1$ B. $-2 = p(3) = (3 + (-2))q(3) + 0$$-2 = (3-2)q(3)$$-2 = (-1)q(3)$ This could be true, but only if $q(3)=2) C. $-2 = p(3) = (3 + 2)q(3) + 0$$-2 = (5)q(3)$ This could be true, but only if $q(3)={-2}/{5}$ D. $-2 = p(3) = (3 + (-3))q(3) + (-2)$$-2 = (3 - 3)q(3) + (-2)$$-2 = (0)q(3) + (-2)$ This will always be true no matter what $q(3)$ is. Of the answer choices, the only one that must be true about $p(x)$ is D, that the remainder when $p(x)$ is divided by $x-3$ is -2. The final answer is D. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: You deserve all the naps after running through those questions. What Do the Hardest SAT Math Questions Have in Common? It’s important to understand what makes these hard questions â€Å"hard.† By doing so, you’ll be able to both understand and solve similar questions when you see them on test day, as well as have a better strategy for identifying and correcting your previous SAT math errors. In this section, we’ll look at what these questions have in common and give examples of each type. Some of the reasons why the hardest math questions are the hardest math questions is because they: #1: Test Several Mathematical Concepts at Once Here, we must deal with imaginary numbers and fractions all at once. Secret to success: Think of what applicable math you could use to solve the problem, do one step at a time, and try each technique until you find one that works! #2: Involve a Lot of Steps Remember: the more steps you need to take, the easier to mess up somewhere along the line! We must solve this problem in steps (doing several averages) to unlock the rest of the answers in a domino effect. This can get confusing, especially if you're stressed or running out of time. Secret to success: Take it slow, take it step by step, and double-check your work so you don't make mistakes! #3: Test Concepts That You Have Limited Familiarity With For example, many students are less familiar with functions than they are with fractions and percentages, so most function questions are considered â€Å"high difficulty† problems. If you don't know your way around functions, this would be a tricky problem. Secret to success: Review math concepts that you don't have as much familiarity with such as functions. We suggest using our great free SAT Math review guides. #4: Are Worded in Unusual or Convoluted Ways It can be difficult to figure out exactly what some questions are asking, much less figure out how to solve them. This is especially true when the question is located at the end of the section, and you are running out of time. Because this question provides so much information without a diagram, it can be difficult to puzzle through in the limited time allowed. Secret to success: Take your time, analyze what is being asked of you, and draw a diagram if it's helpful to you. #5: Use Many Different Variables With so many different variables in play, it is quite easy to get confused. Secret to success: Take your time, analyze what is being asked of you, and consider if plugging in numbers is a good strategy to solve the problem (it wouldn't be for the question above, but would be for many other SAT variable questions). The Take-Aways The SAT is a marathon and the better prepared you are for it, the better you'll feel on test day. Knowing how to handle the hardest questions the test can throw at you will make taking the real SAT seem a lot less daunting. If you felt that these questions were easy, make sure not underestimate the effect of adrenaline and fatigue on your ability to solve problems. As you continue to study, always adhere to the proper timing guidelines and try to take full tests whenever possible. This is the best way to recreate the actual testing environment so that you can prepare for the real deal. If you felt these questions were challenging, be sure to strengthen your math knowledge by checking out our individual math topic guides for the SAT. There, you'll see more detailed explanations of the topics in question as well as more detailed answer breakdowns. What’s Next? Felt that these questions were harder than you were expecting? Take a look at all the topics covered in the SAT math section and then note which sections were particular difficulty for you. Next, take a gander at our individual math guides to help you shore up any of those weak areas. Running out of time on the SAT math section? Our guide will help you beat the clock and maximize your score. Aiming for a perfect score? Check out our guide on how to get a perfect 800 on the SAT math section, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Prologue What Is It, Do You Really Need One How to Write a Prologue

Prologue What Is It, Do You Really Need One How to Write a Prologue Prologue: What is it Do You Really Need a Prologue? Should you write a prologue, or should you throw the reader right into the story?This choice will either serve your readers or take away from their experience if you dont know the intricacies of prologues- like if you even need one (and well cover this below).This is one of the most important for aspiring fiction authors writing a novel! Let’s talk about what a prologue is, when to use them, and how to use them well.Heres everything you need to know about prologues:What is a prologue?How to make a prologue stand outHow to know if its a prologueHow to know if your book needs a prologueHow to write a good prologueNOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereWhat is a prologue?A prologue is like a short story- a small glimpse, set in your story’s world, written in the same style as the rest of your book but with clear separation from the sta rt of your story.Maybe it’s an entire literary device, like a flashforward of your protagonist that gives the reader a taste of the world, some crucial information for the plot, and will make sense later.Maybe it’s an event from thousands of years ago that sets the wheels in motion for your story’s inciting incident. Maybe it’s a background prologue your reader needs to settle into a fantasy or sci-fi universe (but not an info dump).Maybe it’s a snippet of your story from a different perspective- for example, this could be used if your story needs information from when your perspective character was a child who couldn’t understand what was happening, or if they simply weren’t present for the event.If you’re struggling to connect the reader to your story with enough necessary information to understand what’s happening, maybe you need a prologue.  A prologue should read exactly as if you were writing a short story withou t a true ending- your prologue should leave the reader questioning and curious.Note: Any questions you create in the prologue must be resolved by the end of your story.How to Make a Prologue Stand OutThe prologue should stand out from the rest of the book in a significant way.If it fits seamlessly into your story and the reader can’t tell it’s a prologue without a label, that isn’t a prologue.While it should be written in the same style as the rest of the book, here are examples of how it can stand out:Time difference. Your prologue could be set in the past to reveal an important event. It could jump into the future and the rest of the story becomes a sort of flashback up to that point. Oftentimes, you won’t even see the future-set prologue in the book, because the story will end before it reaches that point, but the book should show a logical progression to your future-set prologue.Different perspective. Maybe your story is in first-person and your prolo gue is an event from a third-person omniscient perspective. Maybe we get a view of the main character from the perspective of a friend or parent. Maybe we see a character’s perspective who never actually shows up in the story.Your reader should see a distinct difference between the prologue and the rest of your novel, else why is it a prologue instead of the first chapter?You also don’t hop back into this perspective at any other point in the book- if you can, then why did you need the prologue in the first place?If you go back to that perspective, you likely could include the information in the story itself instead of separating it into a prologue.How to Know if its a PrologueThere are many ways to start a book besides jumping into the story. Let’s look at a few options to establish the differences between them.Preface or forewordA preface is basically the author explaining something to the reader about how the book came to be, who was involved in creating it, and other information about the book’s creation. A preface is not a part of the story, and it can be skipped without damaging the reader’s understanding.A foreword is similar, but written by someone who is not the author- a foreword is typically a reflection of how the book relates to society and readers.IntroductionA book introduction is typically used only in nonfiction.It gives the reader supplemental information, and it usually isn’t crucial for the reader’s understanding of the rest of the book.PrologueA prologue is typically used only in fiction. It gives the reader information about the story, in the same form of the story.So the prose of a prologue will have the same writing style and vibe of the rest of the book, even if it’s in a different timeline or perspective. If a reader skips reading the prologue, it will affect their understanding of the book.How to determine if your book needs a prologueNot every book needs a prologue and if yours truly doesnt, the actual prologue can then take away from the book, giving away too much or being irrelevant in general.So lets figure out if your book actually needs a prologue or not.Why should you write a prologue?If something happened far out of the context of your story that is CRUCIAL to understanding it. If you have the information you must convey to the reader that can’t be worked into the main novel, you may need a prologue.If the story doesn’t make sense without the prologue. If you can remove the prologue (or a reader can skip it), and their understanding is not damaged, a prologue is not necessary.If you can’t weave the prologue’s information into the story without muddling your plot. If working the prologue content into your story is unnatural or confusing, you may need a prologue.Why shouldn’t you write a prologue?If your story makes sense without it.If the content could be included in the main story.If it’s a copout to writin g an interesting opener.If you’re just writing it because you think you’re supposed to have one.If it’s just an exposition dump.If it’s just for world-building.If it’s just to set mood or atmosphere.If it’s to supplement a boring first chapter opening.Note: prologues can certainly be used for mood, atmosphere, world-building, and clever exposition, but these shouldn’t be the sole purpose.So clearly, there are more reasons not to write a prologue than there are reasons to write one. Be very critical of your prologue to be sure you should include it.But if you decide your story does need a prologue, here are five tips to write a great one.How to Write a Good Prologue for Your BookNot every prologue is created equal.Just as a great prologue can make a book, a bad one can ruin it completely. Here are some tips to keep it fresh, exciting, and influential to your books story.#1 Keep it briefYour prologue shouldn’t be longer than you r average chapter length.It should be one event (maybe two), it shouldn’t bother with developing characters, and it should only include the crucial information.#2 Keep it interestingIf your prologue is boring, readers will skip it. We all know that the first pages of your first chapter are extremely important.This is where the reader will either be hooked to finish the book, or where they lose interest.If you include a prologue, it should be just as gripping as your first chapter. However, this doesn’t mean you can slack in the first chapter. The two should work together to be as intriguing as possible to yank the reader in and not let them go.An author who exemplifies this greatly is Jenna Moreci in her novel The Saviors Champion. The prologue is vital to the story, is written in another perspective, and is just as (I would argue its even more) gripping as the first chapter.#3 Focus on crisp, original proseEven if your prologue is historical or in a book genre thats less exciting, or if its a document of some sort, keep your prose on par with the rest of your book.Put special effort into the quality of writing- this is your reader’s first taste of what’s to come!#4 End with a burning questionAfter your prologue, your reader should be so intrigued that they immediately jump into the first chapter.You want them to say â€Å"What the **** is going on?!† so loud it freaks their cat out.This is what pushes readers to buy more books, increasing your overall book sales and hooking fans.George R.R. Martin did a great job with this in his infamous series Game of Thrones. The series opens with a prologue of men venturing beyond the wall to investigate certain occurrences.At the end, youre left wondering what the heck just happened.#5 Make it an event, not an exposition dumpThis is where most writers go wrongThey use their prologue as a tool to spoon-feed readers information about a world the reader hasn’t developed an inter est for yet.This will often make them skim the prologue, skip the prologue, or skip the book entirely.Prologues are a great story-telling tool when used properly. Make sure you need a prologue before you include one, keep it brief, keep it interesting, and keep it Absolutely Necessary.#6 Give your prologue a purpose by finishing the whole bookA great prologue means nothing if it only ever sees a folder in your computer that you only open every seven months.If you really want to finish writing your book and even self-publishing your book someday, a kick in the butt to get it done will help.Weve got just that for you.

Singapore Healthcare vs. Us healthcare Research Paper

Singapore Healthcare vs. Us healthcare - Research Paper Example ow that people of Singapore are healthier than Americans although the government of Singapore pays only 20 percent of what the US government spends on the healthcare system. For instance, United States’ life expectancy of 78 years in comparison with Singapore’s 82 years enforce this fact. Again the mortality rate of the former amounts to around 6.4 for every 1000 births of living babies while in case of Singapore it is 2.3 deaths for the same size of group. When the number of caregivers of United States is compared with Singapore one tends to get a ratio of 9.4 to 4.2 nurses, 2.6 to 1.4 doctors, six to one dentists and 3 to one pharmacists respectively. When the healthcare spending is taken into account it leaves one with further shock because US incurs an expenditure of 15.4 percent of GDP while Singapore allots only 3.7 percent of their GDP to healthcare activities. The idea is to let people take care of their health. Singapore follows strictly policy with respect to public smoking, throwing around wastes, chewing gums and all of these activities result in fines. (Callick, 2008) However these policies have helped in enforcing the health consciousness within people. More than anything, the state funds merely 25 percent of the total health related costs incurred by the people of Singapore. Again while Singapore ends up undergoing a public expense of $381 per capita, US spend seven times of the same. The state’s strategy is so devised that finally the individuals and the employers end up incurring rest of the expenses. The Singaporean Health Ministry can be quotes saying, â€Å"Patients are expected to co-pay part of their medical expenses and to pay more when they demand a higher level of service. At the same time, government subsidies help to keep basic healthcare affordable† (Callick, 2008) The Singapore model works because the responsibility is not in the hands of the profit making insurers or the generosity of the government. It rather rests in the hand

Why we should send a Manned Mission to Mars Essay

Why we should send a Manned Mission to Mars - Essay Example The researcher states that President Barack Obama has told NASA scientists to broaden their horizons and look to send humans to Mars. He thinks that a likely time scale for this is the mid-2030s. The President is looking to decrease missions to Mars in the hope of reaching a planet that could prove vital for our future. The focus is now on exploring new planets and not revisiting the same places that we as humans have already conquered. I concur with this assessment because it has now been over 40 years since the first moon landing was achieved but nothing has really happened since. The 1960s was a great decade for space travel but this has never really been built upon. Manned missions to Mars can recreate the achievements of that decade and even surpass them. However, if manned missions are to be achieved, then there will be many environmental, political, and ethical challenges to face first. If astronauts were able to make it to Mars, then they would need supplies from Earth every once and awhile in order to sustain themselves. The reason why I think that it makes sense that humans next try to conquer Mars is that Mars have plenty of water to maintain life. Even though Mars would have a sufficient quantity of water, it would still be difficult to live there. The temperatures can fall below freezing in some places, and the atmosphere is typically made up of carbon dioxide, which means that extra oxygen would need to be supplied.

Myplate assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Myplate assignment - Essay Example The areas of unhealthy foods that were revealed in this research are not surprising to me. I have always had a weakness for some types of food, and this exercise helped to confirm that. The first part of my diet that I examined in this exercise was the amount of grains I take in. The suggestion from Myplate said I should eat about 7 oz. of grain each day. The footnote said that I should try to make at least half of these grains whole grains. I did meet my target total of 7 oz. of grain each day for the two days that I tracked my diet. I eat rice with almost every meal other than breakfast. Other sources of grain were pita wraps and a baguette. The only problem that I had with getting enough grains was the whole grain aspect of the recommendation. I dislike while grain rice and a good French baguette is never made with whole grain flour. As a result, I learned that I get enough grain, but it is not whole grain. The second group of food I needed to analyze is my vegetable intake. Again, I learned that I eat plenty of vegetables. I eat vegetables raw in salads and stir-fried every day. I needed to eat three cups of vegetables each day but found that I am exceeding this total for the two days by two full cups. I was raised eating mostly vegetables and rice, so I guess this habit has just stayed with me. My favorite vegetables are snow peas and broccoli, both of which I learned are very healthy. I next analyzed my fruit intake and found that I was deficient in this area. I do not really have any fresh fruits that I enjoy eating. The texture of the fruit in my mouth is not pleasant. I do occasionally drink fruit juice if it is fresh, but that is not always available this time of the year. I was deficient one cup of fruit. I should have two each day but I only had three cups for the two day total. Finally, I needed to look at my fats and protein foods. This is

WRITE-UP ON CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY AWARDS Essay

WRITE-UP ON CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY AWARDS - Essay Example As our organization has grown, we've thought about it not like a challenge but as just another thing to plan and construct. Most companies worry about growth: Idealistic founders are afraid that, as the company grows, their influence will decline or their values will be forgotten or that they will become the new Enron. But we at TeamBuild think that this is an engineering problem just like building a house. A solid foundation is one that can endure building across all sorts of sizes, and our business and organizational model makes us capable of that challenge. TeamBuild prioritizes teamwork and camaraderie at every stage of its processes and every part of its internal culture. This is the most important way we enhance productivity: By making sure that every single one of our members is providing their own unique skill set, we guarantee that the whole is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. Our corporate social responsibility initiatives are a source of great pride, and we also think that they're just good business. Our team-building philosophies are integrity, teamwork, environmental care, commitment and quality. Our recent changes to our business model demonstrate this ability to change, adapt and create new options for growth. In 2006, we formed a High Performance Team or HPT with senior management and top members. The idea was to expand our organizational house by dividing into three teams and embrace three initiatives: Strategic alliances, people and in-house subcontractors. Top management set the stage by putting down the vision, the mission to complete it, the goals to complete that mission and to provide benchmarks to measure that success, and a model (attached as the figure, 'Teambuild House'). Our vision is to become a leading integrated service provider through process innovation and strategic alliances. For the communities we serve, the customers who seek out our assistance, and the people who will end up living in or working in the buildings we provide, we feel that we owe being as integrated as possible and providing as many different services as possible: A one-stop-shop. Our work on projects like Cerelia Vista, the Canadian International School and the Marina Bay Golf Course show that appeal of that mission. By being integrated service providers, we were able to create architecturally appealing designs. We were able to make sure that each of our customers got the exact solution for their needs and organization. Productivity is guaranteed when the producer is capable of handling every element of a project in-house. We avoid the â€Å"mythical man-hour† this way too: All of our team members are up to date on all of our projects. We are proud that we were able to design complex buildings for complex needs without needing to bring in excessive outside help. By aiming to be the best integrated service provider, we guarantee long-term productivity and profitability. Why hire many companies when you can hire one? Why risk worrying about each new contractor and sub-contractor being qualified, bonded, and ready for the task? If one company can handle the task, how much easier is that for the customer? We feel that, when the customer only needs to worry about one thing, providing us with the information to complete their goals, we serve their needs to the utmost. Our mission is threefold. First: We aim to deliver quality products and services to our customers. Many people think of construction and project design as a â€Å"hard† task, with very little need for interpersonal skills. We instead think that the process of providing products, the completed building, is inextricable from and intertwined with the process of providing services. We provide our customer many services. We give them ease of mind. People don't just want a good

Consequences of Migration in the UK Labor Market Term Paper

Consequences of Migration in the UK Labor Market - Term Paper Example It has been determined that people have the tendency of shifting in other places, where growth or economic development can be seen. Due to a lack of work opportunity or unemployment people have over the years preferred to move in developed cities or places for working opportunity. In this regard, it has been also observed that in developed countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and the United State of America (USA) the effect of migration can be viewed highly in labor market. It can be evidently asserted that in the modern era, it will be very difficult to identify such examples, where people rather preferred to be born, live and die under the same roof significantly.In this concerned discussion, the main aim is to highlight how migration has led to changes in the labor market of the United Kingdom. In addition, the study with a focus on reviewing pertinent literature will also emphasize how migration can affect human resource management (HRM) in an international setting.         In accordance with Bauer & Zimmermann (1999), unemployed workers’ from central and Eastern Europe (within the EU) have moved towards the UK for job opportunities. According to a report, it has been observed that the wages of the UK labor market have been higher than that of central Europe and EU labor market indeed (Bauer & Zimmermann, 1999). Over the years, it has been observed that the pressure of migration has increased significantly. At the same time, it has been also determined that the migration has not only happened in central Europe and EU but also it has been seen in different territories such as America, Africa, and Asian countries. The impact of high-level immigrants has been also seen in the political environment and economy of the United Kingdom. Due to the high amount of immigrants the UK market has been affected in a number of ways. Consequently, the labor market has become more congested and as an effect, the wages of labors have been reduced specifically. Sim ultaneously, the availability of migrant labors has led towards unemployment issues in the United Kingdom.

WRITE-UP ON CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY AWARDS Essay

WRITE-UP ON CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY AWARDS - Essay Example As our organization has grown, we've thought about it not like a challenge but as just another thing to plan and construct. Most companies worry about growth: Idealistic founders are afraid that, as the company grows, their influence will decline or their values will be forgotten or that they will become the new Enron. But we at TeamBuild think that this is an engineering problem just like building a house. A solid foundation is one that can endure building across all sorts of sizes, and our business and organizational model makes us capable of that challenge. TeamBuild prioritizes teamwork and camaraderie at every stage of its processes and every part of its internal culture. This is the most important way we enhance productivity: By making sure that every single one of our members is providing their own unique skill set, we guarantee that the whole is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. Our corporate social responsibility initiatives are a source of great pride, and we also think that they're just good business. Our team-building philosophies are integrity, teamwork, environmental care, commitment and quality. Our recent changes to our business model demonstrate this ability to change, adapt and create new options for growth. In 2006, we formed a High Performance Team or HPT with senior management and top members. The idea was to expand our organizational house by dividing into three teams and embrace three initiatives: Strategic alliances, people and in-house subcontractors. Top management set the stage by putting down the vision, the mission to complete it, the goals to complete that mission and to provide benchmarks to measure that success, and a model (attached as the figure, 'Teambuild House'). Our vision is to become a leading integrated service provider through process innovation and strategic alliances. For the communities we serve, the customers who seek out our assistance, and the people who will end up living in or working in the buildings we provide, we feel that we owe being as integrated as possible and providing as many different services as possible: A one-stop-shop. Our work on projects like Cerelia Vista, the Canadian International School and the Marina Bay Golf Course show that appeal of that mission. By being integrated service providers, we were able to create architecturally appealing designs. We were able to make sure that each of our customers got the exact solution for their needs and organization. Productivity is guaranteed when the producer is capable of handling every element of a project in-house. We avoid the â€Å"mythical man-hour† this way too: All of our team members are up to date on all of our projects. We are proud that we were able to design complex buildings for complex needs without needing to bring in excessive outside help. By aiming to be the best integrated service provider, we guarantee long-term productivity and profitability. Why hire many companies when you can hire one? Why risk worrying about each new contractor and sub-contractor being qualified, bonded, and ready for the task? If one company can handle the task, how much easier is that for the customer? We feel that, when the customer only needs to worry about one thing, providing us with the information to complete their goals, we serve their needs to the utmost. Our mission is threefold. First: We aim to deliver quality products and services to our customers. Many people think of construction and project design as a â€Å"hard† task, with very little need for interpersonal skills. We instead think that the process of providing products, the completed building, is inextricable from and intertwined with the process of providing services. We provide our customer many services. We give them ease of mind. People don't just want a good

Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Report - Coursework Example The methods are used in economics, physics, and chemistry, geology, in statistics, in operational research and in other disciplines. The ride has 100 metres of fencing to make a rectangular enclosure as shown. It will use existing walls for two sides of the enclosure, and leave an opening of 2 metres for a gate as shown below we are to show that the area of the enclosure is given by: A = 102x – x2 further we are to calculate the maximum possible area. The snacks will be provided in a box with a lid made by removing squares from each corner of a rectangular piece of card and then folding up the sides as shown in below figure. The box is made with a piece of cardboard that is 40 cm by 40 cm. To arrive at the many conclusions, the particular mathematical modeling techniques used was differentiation. It mostly involved finding the maxima and minima of the various mathematical expressions that were already given or else arrived at. The results show that the maximum and minimum heights for feel the fear roller coaster are 36 meters and -14. 1815 meters respectively. The difference between the two was found to amount to 50.815 meters. On the other hand, The Giant roller coaster is 36. 434 at its maximum and -96.434 at its minimum this roller coaster starts at the ground level. For the case of the enclosure the maximum possible area was found to be the2601 square meters where the width is 51. Finally the dimensions of the snack box that yield maximum volume are as follows 6.67 cm x 13.33 cm x 26.67 cm. in this case the maximum volume is 2370.37 cubic

Beyond Bourgeois Gentrification Essay Example for Free

Beyond Bourgeois Gentrification Essay We’ve all seen those new work-live artist loft spaces in the remodeled industrial complexes next to the new galleries, cafes and office buildings that used to be factories, low-income housing tenements or warehouses. They look chic and modern while still trying to maintain their urban appeal. However, what does gentrification mean in our post-industrial urban society and how should we address its contradictory standing? According to the PBS special Flag Wars: What is Gentrification, it is the â€Å"general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the districts character and culture (Grant). In this vein, we can read gentrification from two perspectives. The first would be from the point of view of the newly arrived ‘wealthier people’ who see this process as an investment in urban renewal that brings down crime rates and increases the economic cultural capital of what was once a neglected and impoverished neighborhood. On the other hand, gentrification as seen from the perspective of the original community is thought of as another form of economic and geographic discrimination and exclusion due to the increase in rent and property values as well as the overall cost of living. The issue of urban displacement results in an unbalanced benefit for the already economically advantaged. UNESCO recently published an article concerning this contradiction: â€Å"Building projects become the centre piece of the city’s economy, justified by job creation, taxes, tourism and the building of large cultural complexes† (Smith). What makes this such a divisive issue and halts community building is that much of the new investment comes from the social class that fled to the suburbs during the white-flight era of urbanization. After fleeing to the suburbs due to a discomfort of having to live so close to other racial and ethnic populations, there is now a distrust of the new inhabitants by the pre-existing urban population who are being forced out of their own neighborhoods. So we must ask ourselves how we can overcome this contradictory social movement in a way that will be mutually beneficial to all involved parties. The best way to accomplish this would be to invite community dialogue in an effort to address all sides of the issue. An interesting study put out by the Urban Institute echoes this sentiment. They emphasize the need for â€Å"strategies used by nonprofit organizations, for-profit developers, and city agencies to ensure low- to-moderate-income residents can live in revitalizing and gentrifying neighborhoods† (Levy). This is essential in order make sure that all voices can be heard so that more than just money talks. If this can be done, urban renewal can be embraced and cultural diversity can flourish in a vibrant new community based on shared principles and the exchange of different ideas. We must abandon the notion that gentrification is either positive or negative, as many people have argued in the past. Gentrification is a social process that affects us all differently depending on our own cultural context. That being the case, let us open the discussion to the public at large so that everyone has an equal say in how their community will develop. Urban transformation is a constant presence that we need to shape into a vision of the future that we would all like to live in. References Grant, Benjamin. (2003). What is Gentrification?. PBS Flag Wars. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www. pbs. org/pov/pov2003/flagwars/special Levy, Diane, Comey, Jennifer, Padilla, Sandra. (2006). In the Face of Gentrification. Urban Institute. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www. urban. org/publications/411294. html Smith, Neil. (2007). From Gentrification to Forced Eviction – how should economic competitiveness be reconciled with social sustainability in historical districts?. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://portal. unesco. org/shs/en/ev. php

Background of steganography

Background of steganography Steganography has been derived from Greek word â€Å"Stego† which means â€Å"Covered† and â€Å"Graphia† which means â€Å"writing†. Steganography is an ancient technique of covert communication. The earliest form of Steganography has been reported by the Chinese. The secret message was written in very fine silk or paper, and then it was rolled into a ball and covered with wax. The messenger would either swallow the ball or hide it in his nether parts. Herodotus has mentioned in one of his seminal works of history, Histories during the 400B.C about the tradition of secret writing. In his writings he has mentioned about the conflicts between Greece and Persia. A king named Histiaeus encouraged the Aristagoras of Miletus to revolt against the Persian king. He used to tonsure the head of his most trusted servants and tattooed the scalps with secret message and waited for the hair to grow. The servant used to travel between the borders without carrying anythi ng contentious freely. At the reception end his head would be tonsured again and the message will be conveyed. Similarly during the World War II, the Germans invented the use of microdots. Image containing great details were scaled down to the size of microdots. The German usage of secret sharing is regarded as the recent evolution of Steganography. Another example of Steganography is during the Vietman War were the captured US armed force showed hand gestures during a photo sessions to convey some military secrets. The field of Steganography is limitless and any kind of cover media can be used for carrying secret messages. Cover medias can be text, images (grey, binary, color), audio, video etc. An example is illustrated as follows. Siva and Adam dined happily. The following message is not simply a plain text but it carries a secret message within it. By extracting every second letter from each word we derive a secret message as follows. â€Å"India† Other methods of non technical Steganography is using lime and other citrus liquids to write secret data. The message will be imperceptible to the eye. When it is shown over a flame the writings will become perceptible. Steganography is method of information hiding. Steganography can be considered as an art as well as science for secret communication. The best way to explain the purpose of using Steganography is the Prisoner Problem. Now let us consider two prisoners Alice and Bob, and Wendy to be the warden. Now if Alice and Bob want to devise a plan for escaping then they got to communicate with each other. If Wendy is a passive warden then he wont interfere in there communication but if he is an active warden then he will interfere and extract the secret message sent. Hence Alice and Bob got to communicate in such a way that Wendy is not able to decipher there plan. This can be done by the technique of Steganography. Steganography is been used in order to enable secret communication. It is also being used by terrorist for covert communication which is potential for endangering our national as well as world security. Despite the ill effect there are positive sides of Steganography. For example a photographer can store the aperture size, future references etc while taking a picture. Steganography has a wide application in medical imaging were the details of the patients are embedded within the medical image. Similarly Steganography can be used for different friendly applications. It is also used for copy right protection using it along with Watermarking. The use of Steganography also has an important role in strengthening national security. Steganography is defined as secret hiding. It can also be regarded as secret sharing since messages can be shared secretly without being hacked or corrupted. COMPARISON BETWEEN CRYPTOGRAPHY, STEGANOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKING The other forms of data hiding are cryptography and watermarking. Cryptography is a technique in which the secret message is encrypted and sent in an unintelligent format. The basic difference between Steganography and cryptography is that Cryptography scrambles the data whereas Steganography just hides the data. Cryptography scrambles the secret data in such a way that it appears to be gibberish to any unintended user. The secret data to be communicated is a mixture of permutation and substitution and hence any unintended user cant receive the message. Steganography is different from Cryptography. Steganography rather hides the data whereas Cryptography encrypts the data. Steganography provides much more security when compared to cryptography because there is no chance of any unintended user to know that a message is being sent whereas in Cryptography there will always be a suspicion that a message is being sent. Hence these are more prone to be hacked or suppressed. Watermarking is generally used for authentication and copyrights protection. Watermarking can be used for creating a image in order that it is recognizable. It can also be used to mark a digital file so that it is intended to be visible (visible watermarking) or visible to its creator (invisible marking). The main purpose of watermarking is to prevent the illegal copying or claim of ownership of digital media. CHARACTERISTICS OF STEGANOGRAPHY, CRYPTOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKING The common characteristic between Steganography, Cryptography and Watermarking is that they transmit the secret information in such a way that only the receiver is able to decrypt the data. These techniques had been prevalent during the ancient times have been transported to the digital world. It has become nearly impossible to extract or detect the secret messages. In digital domain Steganography and watermarking have a tie and it is majorly used in digital images. These have other uses as well. Both cannot exist by themselves and hence they require cover objects. Steganography requires a cover media to carry the secret information and watermarking requires a carrier object which it is intended to protect. These similarities create a link within them and hence some modifications can lead the transportation from one technique to another. Due the similarities present between these it is difficult to distinguish between the both but actually there is a remarkable difference between the m. Cryptography encrypts data in two methods secure or unbreakable (e.g. One-time pad) systems and breakable (e.g. RSA) systems. Through both the systems communication carried out is known to all. But it is time consuming and often fruitless to crack a code. The robustness of the code lies upon the difficulties faced while reversing the code in different permutations and combinations. Due to its robustness it is used for security purposes. For example Cryptography is used for online shopping, banking etc. The credit card number, expiration etc and other crucial informations are encrypted and sent so that an unintended user cant access the details. Steganography offers high carrier capacity keeping embedded message invisible and maintaining the fidelity of the cover media. The efficiency of the Steganographic method is that one shouldnt know that a media file has been altered in order for embedding. If the malicious user knows if there is some alteration the Steganographic method is defeated and less efficient. The embedded message is very fragile and hence if any modification is done to the stego image the whole secret message is corrupted. The effectiveness lies on the ability to fool an unintended user. The layers of communication can be more than one layer. A secret message can be embedded with a digital image which in turn can be embedded within another digital media or video clippings. Watermarking is required in order for authentication and copyright protection of digital files. The embedded watermarking is required in an object to make it impossible to remove completely. If the embedded watermarking is removed, then the marked object is either distorted or destroyed making it useless for anyone. This is the reason why watermarking is more robust when compared to the other image processing techniques, such as compression, cropping, rotation etc. hence even if a tiny bit of information is extracted by modification and tempering the rightful owner can still claim ownership. If the owners name is embedded in the digital image and the particular image then the original information is tampered and destroyed. Unlike Steganography, it is acceptable for everyone one to see the watermark embedded in it including the invisible ones. COMBINED EFFORTS OF STEGANOGRAPHY, CRYPTOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKING Cryptography is used as a paisano of the other two data hiding techniques. Data is encrypted in both the techniques in order to increase the randomness of the Steganography to avoid the statistics-based attacks and to protect the hidden data in watermarking. Commonly it is a practice to first encrypt the data and then use any one of the embedded techniques. The importance of watermarking can be stated as follows. Suppose Rs 100 bill is introduced in December 2009 then watermarking is required in order to prevent illegal copies. If the bill is shown in light a small image will appear within the large image. The watermarking is actually a part of the large paper and is visible on both sides. Hence it becomes difficult to produce a paper with such features. In addition to these features some tiny writings which are invisible to the human eyes are present in the paper. A banker having the necessary equipments (magnifying glass) can tell the difference between the original bill and the fake bill. Steganography makes its play here. The tiny printing done on the bill represents Steganography. It is implemented in order to achieve high security. The tiny printing done in the paper cannot be copied since any commercial printer is incapable to print such a fine and thin print leading to black spots. These are the reasons why Steganography is used for high security. Cryptography is actually implemented in the bill. A serial number is been printed in the bill which may contain information about the location and date of bill is printed or any other confidential information. The unique serial number for each bill can be used for tracking purposes. Using Steganography, Cryptography and Watermarking it becomes impossible to reproduce Rs100 bill. It must be kept in mind that all three are different and have different functionality. REQUIREMENTS OF STEGANOGRAPHYc Any digital media can be used as a cover media. The cover media can be a text, image (color, gray), audio or video etc. Cover media is required in order to hide and carry the information. Usually digital images are required in order to hide secret messages. The secret message is hidden within the digital image. After the message is embedded within the cover media An innocuous image consisting of scenery, people and other objects are the nominees for cover media. The availability of natural images is not a problem due to the affordable price of digital cameras nowadays. Natural images are the best candidates for cover image since they have higher resolution providing flexibility and other necessary need. Images are selected because the cover media is selected depending upon how the human visual system works. The gray image consists of pixels with intensity value from 0 to 255. The human eye cannot differentiate between a pixel intensity of 244 and 245. It will appear both the pixel intensities to be same. Also natural image s contains lots of noise and hence there is lots of pixel value intensity difference especially in the edges. This variation in the pixel intensity is known as randomness and can be exploited to embed the data without providing any suspicion to human eye. The human visual system wont be able to distinguish between the image before modulation and the image after modulation. The secret data is embedded within the cover image. The resulting image is called a stego-image. The stego-image will appear to be the same as the original image. The human eye cannot usually distinguish between the stego-image and the original image except there is a significant change between the images. In that case the Steganographic method employed is ineffective. Hence there are certain Stego-system criteria which we have to follow while doing a Stegagraphic implementation. They are stated as follows. The major criteria of Steganography that the cover media shouldnt be significantly altered or modified. The embedded data should be directly encoded in the cover and not in the header or wrapper. The embedded data should be immune to modifications of the cover. That is if the cover media under goes any change then data embedded within it should be unaltered. During transmission there are chances of noise to occur and hence distortion due to noise cannot be eliminated. Due to this issue error coding algorithms should be included where ever it is required. It is advisable to avoid the suspicious portions while embedding the message in the cover. This because after embedding in these regions they become open to suspicion. For example by embedding in smooth portions of the image, the resultant image becomes distorted and open to suspicion. Hence such portions are often avoided and portions where there is variation in the pixel intensity are preferred. The embedding efficiency must be improved. Efficiency of the embedding capacity depends upon the number of pixels in the image used for embedding purposes. The stego-image should be robust to steganalysis. Steganalysis is a method of identifying the difference between the original image and stego-image. Using steganalysis one can derive the information about the secret message. The stego-image should reassemble the original image and there should be any suspicion. The cover image should have high carrier capacity. That is the embedding capacity should be large. The amount of information present in the image should be resistant to distortion and should be comparable to the number of pixels present in the image. The three basic requirements of Steganography are robustness, capacity and imperceptibility. All these requirements should be satisfied for having an effective Steganographic method.