Is Light a Wave or a Particle?

Is Light a Wave or a Particle? Is light a wave or a collection of particles? The answer is both, Light can be modelled as an electromagnetic wave or a stream of photons Light is an electromagnetic wave as it travels through a vacuum of outer space to transfer its energy from one location to another. ( The physics classroom, 1996-2014) Electromagnetic waves are created by the vibration of an electric charge. This vibration creates a wave which has both an electric and a magnetic component. An electromagnetic wave transports its energy through a vacuum at a speed of 3.00 x 108 m/s (a speed value commonly represented by the symbol c). The Wave theory of was originally developed by Huygens His theory said that light travelled through space by travelling through a medium known as the ether, a mystical weightless substance, which exists as an invisible entity throughout air and space. Huygens believed that ether vibrated in the same direction as light, and formed a wave itself as it carried the light waves. Huygens Principle described how each point on a wave could produce its own wavelets, which then added together to form a wavefront. Light also displays certain properties of waves such as reflection, refraction and diffraction. These occur when a wave reaches the end of the medium. Reflection is when the light bounces off an obstacle. The most common example is the reflection of light waves off mirrored surface results in the formation of an image. Another characteristic of wave reflection is that the angle at which the wave approaches a flat reflecting surface is equal to the angle at which the wave leaves the surface. Reflection is observed in water and sound waves and is also observed in light. (The physics classroom, 1996-2014) Refraction is when a wave passes from one medium to another medium. When the wave crosses the boundary between the two mediums the direction of the wave changes and the path of the wave is essentially bent. The direction of the bend depends on the speed at which the wave is moving through the mediums, if it is moving from a fast medium to a slow medium it will bend one way and going from a slow medium to a fast medium it will bend the opposite way. The angle of the bend will depend on the actual speeds of the two mediums. (The physics classroom, 1996-2014) Refraction occurs in sound and water waves. It can be seen in light in the refraction of light through a glass or a mirage is an optical illusion caused when light waves moving from the sky toward the ground are bent by the heated air Diffraction involves a change in direction of waves as they pass through an opening or around an obstacle in their path. Water and sound waves have the ability to travel around corners, around obstacles and through openings. When light encounters an obstacle in its path, the obstacle blocks the light and tends to cause the formation of a shadow in the region behind the obstacle. Light does not exhibit a very noticeable ability to bend around the obstacle and fill in the region behind it with light. Nonetheless, light does diffract around obstacles. In fact, if you observe a shadow carefully, you will notice that its edges are extremely fuzzy. Interference effects occur due to the diffraction of light around different sides of the object, causing the shadow of the object to be fuzzy. This is often demonstrated with a laser light and penny demonstration. Light diffracting around the right edge of a penny can constructively and destructively interfere with light diffracting around the left edge of the penny. The result is that an interference pattern is created; the pattern consists of alternating rings of light and darkness. As can be seen in this photo. How can we test if light is a wave? An experiment called the double slit experiment was designed by the scientist Thomas Young. It required a light source, a thin card with two holes cut side by side and a screen. To run the experiment, Young allowed a beam of light to pass through a pinhole and strike the card. If light contained particles or simple straight-line rays, he reasoned, light not blocked by the opaque card would pass through the slits and travel in a straight line to the screen, where it would form two bright spots. This isnt what Young observed. Instead, he saw a bar code pattern of alternating light and dark bands on the screen. To explain this unexpected pattern, he imagined light traveling through space like a water wave, with crests and troughs. Thinking this way, he concluded that light waves traveled through each of the slits, creating two separate wave fronts. As these wave fronts arrived at the screen, they interfered with each other. Bright bands formed where two wave crests overlapped and added together. Dark bands formed where crests and troughs lined up and canceled each other out completely. This proves the theory that light is a wave. The particle theory of light This theory was developed by Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Eistein and said that the energy emitted by light travelled as small minimum quantities or packets of electromagnetic energy called photons According to the photon theory of light, photons . . . move at a constant velocity,c= 3 x 108m/s (i.e. the speed of light), in free space have zero mass carry energy and momentum, and The energy of each photon is directly proportional to the frequency of the radiation. can be destroyed/created when radiation is absorbed/emitted. can have particle-like interactions (i.e. collisions) with electrons and other particles. (Jones, 2014) The photoelectric effect supports the particle theory of light The photoelectric effect is the phenomena where a metal releases electrons when exposed to light or electromagnetic radiation of a particular frequency. These emitted electrons are called photoelectrons. So basically this is how it works Every metal has a threshold frequency this is the minimum frequency of light or electromagnetic radiation that will causes the release of electron from the surface of a metal. This is because this frequency will supply the minimum amount of energy needed to overcome the force of attraction between the metal and the electron this is known as the work function of the metal What happens is when a light photon with energy equal to hf (h being planks constant and f being greater than or equal to the threshold frequency) strikes a metal surface all the energy of the photon is transferred to the electron. (Louw, 2014) Another way to prove the particle theory is the Atomic Spectra Emission spectra are produced when light from a light source such as a filament or a gas discharge tube is observed through a diffraction grating or a prism Continous spectra are produced when light from a glowing solid state material such as a filament passes through a triangular prism. This is because Energy transitions take place this means that in an atom electrons have specific energy levels as you can see An electron is excited to an unstable higher energy level and then falls back to a lower level. Photons with a specific energy and frequency are emitted. In such dense substances, the atoms are so close together that many different transitions of electrons can take place and light photons of any wave length can be radiated. This results in the different colours being emitted. The production of the line emission spectra A glowing gas is obtained by heating it or passing an electric current through it The glowing gas in the discharge tube is then observed through a diffraction grating ( a diffraction creating is a transparent plate on which parallel lines are ruled very closely à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ±600 per mm The electrons in an atom have only specific energy levels When an atom is in a gaseous state, electrons can be excited to a higher energy level through heat or electricity The electrons absorb a discrete amount of energy for a specific jump for example between energy level 3 and 1 The excited state is unstable so the electron falls back almost immediately to a lower level and emits light energy in the form of photons The energy of an emitted photon equals the energy difference between the higher and lower energy levels. The energy is emitted as light with a definite frequency and specific colour. Each element will produce a different line spectra due to the differing energy levels Atomic spectras that are observed can only be explained if light was a stream of particles. It can therefore be stated that light as dual particle-wave nature Pictures (Richard Anderson, 2011) (Top ten thailand , 2014) (Abovetopsecret, 2014) (Atal, 2011) (Britannica, 2014) (HowStuffWorks, 2014) (xsgeo, 1999) (Mastin, 2009) (Greenfield, 2002) (Paley, 2010) (Norton, 2013) (Anon., n.d.) (University of Nebraska Lincoln, 2014) Bibliography The physics classroom, 1996-2014. Propagation of an Electromagnetic Wave. [Online] Available at: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/waves/em.cfm [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Abovetopsecret, 2014. Scalar waves. [Online] Available at: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread986938/pg4 [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Anon., n.d. Tumbler. [Online] Available at: http://onemeonelife.tumblr.com/ [Accessed 1 October 2014]. Atal, A., 2011. Davisson–Germer Experiment. [Online] Available at: http://sciencesummit.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/davisson–germer-experiment/ [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Britannica, 2014. Desert Mirage. [Online] Available at: http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-89417/A-mirage-in-the-desert-of-Namibia-leads-people-to [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Greenfield, D., 2002. Optical networking: fundamentals of light. [Online] Available at: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=27658 [Accessed 1 October 2014]. HowStuffWorks, 2014. How light works. [Online] Available at: http://science.howstuffworks.com/light3.htm [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Jones, A. Z., 2014. What is a photon?. [Online] Available at: http://physics.about.com/od/lightoptics/f/photon.htm [Accessed 1 October 2014]. Louw, R., 2014. Physical Sciences, the Answer Series. 1st ed. Cape Town : The Answer. Mastin, L., 2009. QUANTA AND WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY. [Online] Available at: http://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/topics_quantum_quanta.html [Accessed 1 October 2014]. nightlase, 2014. Theory of Light. [Online] Available at: http://www.nightlase.com.au/education/optics/light.htm [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Norton, J. D., 2013. Origins of Quantum Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/quantum_theory_origins/ [Accessed 1 October 2014]. Paley, N., 2010. Czech myself before I wreck myself. [Online] Available at: http://blog.ninapaley.com/category/philosophy/ [Accessed 1 October 2014]. Richard Anderson, 2011. Santilli IsoRedShift. [Online] Available at: http://www.workshops-hadronic-mechanics.org/isoshifts.html [Accessed 24 September 2014]. school physics, 2013. Theories of light. [Online] Available at: http://www.schoolphysics.co.uk/age16-19/Wave properties/Wave properties/text/Theories_of_light/index.html [Accessed 24 September 2014]. The physics classroom, 1996-2014. Wavelike Behaviors of Light. [Online] Available at: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/light/Lesson-1/Wavelike-Behaviors-of-Light [Accessed 24 September 2014]. Top ten thailand , 2014. 10 Crazy Facts About Mirrors. [Online] Available at: http://www.toptenthailand.com/topten/detail/20140103122902277 [Accessed 24 September 2014]. University of Nebraska Lincoln, 2014. Spectral Classification of Stars. [Online] Available at: http://astro.unl.edu/naap/hr/hr_background1.html [Accessed 1 October 2014]. xsgeo, 1999. WHAT MAKES A WIGGLE ?. [Online] Available at: http://www.xsgeo.com/course/wiggle.htm [Accessed 25 September 2014]. Utilitarian Consequentialist Perspective: Ethics of Cloning Utilitarian Consequentialist Perspective: Ethics of Cloning The emergence of a cloned ewe called Dolly in 1997 was a shock to the entire globe. Since an animal had been successfully cloned, it was only natural for scientists to try to replicate human beings. In 2001, a U.S. Company that deals with Advanced Cell Technology announced their first attempt towards making a human clone.   Even though the experiment failed, the developments in biotechnology sparked a lot of interests regarding the morality and ethics of human cloning. This essay explores the bioethical issue of human cloning and how it challenges the absolute worth of the life of a human being from a utilitarian consequentialist perspective. Utilitarianism is a prominent ethical theory that assesses the rightness or wrongness of actions or ideas based on their implications for the mass population. Utilitarians view morality as an opportunity to make life better or to increase the good things on the planet by reducing the bad aspects. They think that what makes ideas and actions justified is their positive contribution to the human race. A person or entity is thus forced to develop calculations that will balance things out to generate the most happiness. Additionally, consequentialism allows morality to generate all forms of overall consequences (Vaughn, 2015). In the issue of human cloning, a utilitarian viewpoint would argue that it is essential to weigh the pleasure and pain that the idea or action will produce. Cloning entails the procedure of acquiring genetic material from one living organism to formulate an identical copy of it artificially. The outward appearance of the clone and organism will appear similar, but they will both have different personalities and attitudes. Human cloning possesses benefits such as the creation of additional living organisms that people need, regenerating an extinct species, providing infertile couples with children, compensating for the loss of a child, elimination of the birth defects, tissue and organ harvesting, amongst others (Vaughn, 2015). According to Vaughn (2015), the adverse implications of human cloning include the possibility of using the clones as slaves, experimentations on human beings, the lack of individuality of a clone, uncertain future outcomes regarding the health of the clone, aggressive genetic illnesses, social divide, etc. Human cloning is considered morally wrong by everyone who comes into contact with the potential dangers of the process. A significant portion of the clones dies after or before they are formed. They also obtain different malformations and abnormalities. Up to now, not even animal clones have successfully been created. It is thus disheartening to even contemplate a human child arising from a similar process. However, human cloning from a utilitarian consequentialist perspective is set to benefit many people on earth. From the standpoint, it is viewed as morally justified. Genetically altering the chromosomal composition of a person so that he or she can be free from defects would be ethically right. However, the uncertainty that arises from cloning makes it difficult to develop a concise analysis of the positive implications of the process. For example, the clone ewe, Dolly, was a remarkable creature who broke the boundaries of human thinking to usher in the prospects of human cloning. However, a few years later, Dolly exhibited signs of premature aging as well as genetic diseases (Vaughn, 2015). It is thus not right for scientists to be provided with the go ahead to dive into genetic engineering due to the uncertain outcomes of human cloning. At this early stage, a utilitarian consequentialist perspective of the bioethical issue is a bit hazy because it appears as if many individuals will not benefit from the scientific procedure. But there is also the aspect of a few mistakes saving millions of lives and ensuring the survival of the human race particularly at a time when the environment is in danger, and they are numerous incurable illnesses. Fortunately, with the introduction of computer simulations, it will be easier to examine the positive implications of human cloning to the general population since they will be no urgency to conduct human and animal experiments. Reference Vaughn, L. (2015). Doing ethics: Moral reasoning and contemporary issues. WW Norton Company.

Using Science to Understand God :: Science and religion

In this day, there continues to be a great deal of hostility promoted from the pulpits, the media, and visible scientists around the world in the area of science and religion. Some preachers suggest to their congregations that science is evil and opposed to morality and belief in God. Some visible scientists suggest that religion is an out-of-date mythological belief system that opposes progress and enslaves people to a lifestyle that brings them harm. The media seems to take delight in vilifying religion and promoting the inconsistencies of those who claim to be religious. Why do so many otherwise good believers in God and otherwise good believers in science get caught up in the science versus religion debate? Science is science, and religion is religion. Creationism is neither. Using bad science to back up bad literal Biblical translations is not scientific and not religious. How religious or scientific are you really when you have to use crap science (lies) to back up your religion? How religious or scientific are you really when you have to deny the facts of good science to support your religion. I don't see how changing the way you think about the Bible when science gives you a good reason to do so makes you any less or any worse of a Christian. In fact, I think it makes you a better Christian. Some scientists will tell you that discovering things about the Earth does not mean that God didn't create it. And some scientist will tell you that discovering things about the nature of the Earth does not prove that God doesn’t exist. A lot of religious scholars can tell you the same thing. Both will tell you that if God loves us as much as the Bible says so, then He doesn't want us to forever remain ignorant. If you find things in the Bible and read them literally to justify your refusal to use the reasoning abilities that God has so graciously provided for you (the same reasoning used in science), then you are the one going against God, not the scientists. Science is a gift from God to help us understand the world around us. Those who seek to unlock the secrets of the natural world around us through science are being led by God. Exploring our natural world to gain a greater understanding of it and to find better uses for the things around us is what God wants us to do.

Holocaust Death Camp Inhumanity Essay example -- History, Auschwitz

A 40 acre piece of land is attributed for over 2 million deaths, this is more than the total number of British and American soldiers combined that died in World War II. This small acreage was called Auschwitz and to the prisoners who stayed and died there it caused both mental and physical inhumanity to them. Mental inhumanity is an act against someone or a group of people, which is considered immorally wrong, on which affects their thoughts or feelings. Physical inhumanity is an act against a person or people which is considered immorally wrong, on which affects their body and health. Both of these acts of inhumanity were committed not only at Auschwitz but at every death camp established during the Holocaust. Edward Bond a playwright that lived through WW2 says that, â€Å"Humanity's become a product and when humanity is a product, you get Auschwitz† (BrainyQuote 1). This means that when humanity becomes a privilege to some and not a natural right to all then things lik e Auschwitz and in turn the Holocaust happen. The Holocaust death camps were considered both mentally and physically inhumane; the total effect of them shows the true level of inhumanity they installed. The death camps were mentally inhumane on the prisoners; especially during the first few days because most inmates had some to all of their family taken away and killed. The camps tore families apart and people watched as their loved ones left to be killed. Elie Wiesel talks about the last time he saw his mother and sister and how when he left the train he and the others were forced into groups with, â€Å"‘Men to the left! Women to the right’ Eight words spoken quietly in differently, without emotion. Eight simple short words, yet that was the moment when I left my ... ...hat the level of inhumanity in the camps had to of been so large and so deeply implanted in him in order for it to still so majorly affect him some 33 years later that he would take his own life. The total after effects of the holocaust death camps were the levels for both mental and physical inhumanity they placed on the prisoners there. The mental inhumanity was so bad that most prisoners thought of suicide and some even committed it. Along with this was the pain and torture the prisoners felt from the physical inhumanity which resulted in deaths of over 50% of the inmates who stayed there. The total effect of both of the camps is shown throughout inhumanity brought about in there. The fact that inhumanity was able to cause the deaths of just about 6,000,000 people shows how easy it is for it to hurt other humans. The question remains†¦ †¦can it be stopped? Holocaust Death Camp Inhumanity Essay example -- History, Auschwitz A 40 acre piece of land is attributed for over 2 million deaths, this is more than the total number of British and American soldiers combined that died in World War II. This small acreage was called Auschwitz and to the prisoners who stayed and died there it caused both mental and physical inhumanity to them. Mental inhumanity is an act against someone or a group of people, which is considered immorally wrong, on which affects their thoughts or feelings. Physical inhumanity is an act against a person or people which is considered immorally wrong, on which affects their body and health. Both of these acts of inhumanity were committed not only at Auschwitz but at every death camp established during the Holocaust. Edward Bond a playwright that lived through WW2 says that, â€Å"Humanity's become a product and when humanity is a product, you get Auschwitz† (BrainyQuote 1). This means that when humanity becomes a privilege to some and not a natural right to all then things lik e Auschwitz and in turn the Holocaust happen. The Holocaust death camps were considered both mentally and physically inhumane; the total effect of them shows the true level of inhumanity they installed. The death camps were mentally inhumane on the prisoners; especially during the first few days because most inmates had some to all of their family taken away and killed. The camps tore families apart and people watched as their loved ones left to be killed. Elie Wiesel talks about the last time he saw his mother and sister and how when he left the train he and the others were forced into groups with, â€Å"‘Men to the left! Women to the right’ Eight words spoken quietly in differently, without emotion. Eight simple short words, yet that was the moment when I left my ... ...hat the level of inhumanity in the camps had to of been so large and so deeply implanted in him in order for it to still so majorly affect him some 33 years later that he would take his own life. The total after effects of the holocaust death camps were the levels for both mental and physical inhumanity they placed on the prisoners there. The mental inhumanity was so bad that most prisoners thought of suicide and some even committed it. Along with this was the pain and torture the prisoners felt from the physical inhumanity which resulted in deaths of over 50% of the inmates who stayed there. The total effect of both of the camps is shown throughout inhumanity brought about in there. The fact that inhumanity was able to cause the deaths of just about 6,000,000 people shows how easy it is for it to hurt other humans. The question remains†¦ †¦can it be stopped?

Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest Essay -- Oscar Wilde Imp

Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" In the closing lines of the first act of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," Algernon remarks, "I love scrapes. They are the only things that are never serious," to which Jack responds, "Oh, that's nonsense Algy. You never talk about anything but nonsense." Algernon caps off this exchange with a proclamation of the purpose of the whole work: "Nobody ever does" (1642). Wilde never allows anything in the work to conclude on a serious note. While Wilde repeatedly proclaims this direction for the play through his characters, he does not tell us the motivation for this direction. He never explains why there is this avoidance of earnestness. The most apparent answer lies in the veiled criticism of Victorian society contained at each level of the play. The quick paradoxical epigrams that form the core of the conversational comedy are pointed at Victorian society. Wilde also abuses the concept of characterization with paradox to create comical characters that expose Victori an deficiencies. Each of these criticisms relies upon the paradoxes that Wilde sets up on successively larger scales within the play. It is, in fact, this tool of humor, not the object of ridicule that truly defines this work. While each paradox is pointed at Victorian society, the individual paradoxes each take on a different element of Victorian society, thereby diminishing the pointedness of the overall criticism. The use of paradox allows Wilde to take this play beyond its narrow and somewhat scattered critique of Victorian society. The underpinning element then, is not Victorian society, but instead the paradox, the concept of dual, irreconcilable elements. This more lasting topic is, not co... ...man in prudish nineteenth century England Oscar Wilde never felt comfortably assimilated into the strait society that surrounded him. He was forced to assume a double identity to cope with his divergence from the norms of the day. This tax that the society levied upon Wilde undoubtedly engendered an animosity, an animosity that is reflected in his ironic, and sardonic treatment of Victorian society in "The Importance of Being Earnest". However, the multiple and irreconcilable identities that Wilde was forced into are the more significant driving force behind this work. This struggle with identities is seen in the paradoxes that pervade all levels of the work. In the end though, these large themes build upon, rather than overshadow Wilde's greatest genius which lies in his subtle turns of phrases and words that keep even the most earnest reader chuckling throughout. Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest Essay -- Oscar Wilde Imp Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" In the closing lines of the first act of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," Algernon remarks, "I love scrapes. They are the only things that are never serious," to which Jack responds, "Oh, that's nonsense Algy. You never talk about anything but nonsense." Algernon caps off this exchange with a proclamation of the purpose of the whole work: "Nobody ever does" (1642). Wilde never allows anything in the work to conclude on a serious note. While Wilde repeatedly proclaims this direction for the play through his characters, he does not tell us the motivation for this direction. He never explains why there is this avoidance of earnestness. The most apparent answer lies in the veiled criticism of Victorian society contained at each level of the play. The quick paradoxical epigrams that form the core of the conversational comedy are pointed at Victorian society. Wilde also abuses the concept of characterization with paradox to create comical characters that expose Victori an deficiencies. Each of these criticisms relies upon the paradoxes that Wilde sets up on successively larger scales within the play. It is, in fact, this tool of humor, not the object of ridicule that truly defines this work. While each paradox is pointed at Victorian society, the individual paradoxes each take on a different element of Victorian society, thereby diminishing the pointedness of the overall criticism. The use of paradox allows Wilde to take this play beyond its narrow and somewhat scattered critique of Victorian society. The underpinning element then, is not Victorian society, but instead the paradox, the concept of dual, irreconcilable elements. This more lasting topic is, not co... ...man in prudish nineteenth century England Oscar Wilde never felt comfortably assimilated into the strait society that surrounded him. He was forced to assume a double identity to cope with his divergence from the norms of the day. This tax that the society levied upon Wilde undoubtedly engendered an animosity, an animosity that is reflected in his ironic, and sardonic treatment of Victorian society in "The Importance of Being Earnest". However, the multiple and irreconcilable identities that Wilde was forced into are the more significant driving force behind this work. This struggle with identities is seen in the paradoxes that pervade all levels of the work. In the end though, these large themes build upon, rather than overshadow Wilde's greatest genius which lies in his subtle turns of phrases and words that keep even the most earnest reader chuckling throughout.

Analysis of Hamlet Act II.2 Essay

Act 2, Scene 2 is an important scene for the audience’s impressions of Hamlet, as it is the first time we can see the â€Å"antic disposition† of which he has previously spoken. He enters the scene on page 50, and immediately enters into conversation with Polonius. We can see that the act of his madness relies upon rhetoric devices such as puns and double meanings, which are deliberately intended to confuse. On page 51, for example, when Polonius asks him what matter he reads, he replies: HAMLET: Between who? In this, Hamlet is playing on the double meaning of the word â€Å"matter†- although Polonius intends it to mean his reading matter, Hamlet knows it could also mean personal matters, and picks the wrong interpretation, intending Polonius to think that his mental instability is such that he cannot follow the conversation. Although there are these occasions upon which Hamlet seems to be truly mad, the audience can see that he is being rather clever in constructing his act. When Polonius clarifies the meaning of the word â€Å"matter† which he intended, Hamlet responds with a thinly veiled attack on him: HAMLET: The satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, (†¦ ) and that they have a plentiful lack of wit. Here, Hamlet pretends to discuss the â€Å"slanders† of which he reads, but the audience can see that he is commenting on Polonius as an old man. By mentioning the â€Å"plentiful lack of wit†, he recognises how obvious Polonius’ motives are in conversing with him, and attacking his methods. Although Polonius does not pick up on this, he does see that there is more to the â€Å"madness† of Hamlet than is seen, commenting â€Å"there is method in’t. † While Hamlet’s act here seems rather convincing, as soon as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter his madness begins to slip. His conversation with the two is coherent, as he directly questions them to see how honest they are. For example, on pages 53-54: HAMLET:Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? This short, direct questioning shows his cynicism of the two- he knows that they did not come of their own free will, and is simply testing them to prove their honesty. When they are hesitant to answer, he decides they have not passed his test, and afterwards treats them with a contempt or disregard. This wariness in his personality will become important later in the scene when he contrives a means of testing Claudius. Furthermore, the coherency with which he asks these questions show the sanity underlying his act of madness. Hamlet himself recognises this, when on page 57 he comments â€Å"I am but mad north-north-west. â€Å", implying that although there are times when he acts with seeming insanity, he is also capable of coherent conversation. This also emphasises to the audience that what they see is simply an act, and underneath the madness there is a young man obsessed with avenging the death of his father. Although his mood during this first part of the conversation is that of anger and mistrust towards his two friends, there is an abrupt change in his speech and actions when the players are mentioned to him. In fact, his speech becomes uplifted and he appears to be genuinely excited about the upcoming play. For example, on page 55: HAMLET: He that plays the king shall be welcome- his majesty shall have tribute of me. This is rather ironic- while he shall welcome the actor who plays the king, in reality it is a king who is the source of all his problems. This shows Hamlet’s love for actors in that while very few people in his life are trustworthy and it is hard to distinguish their actions from the meanings behind them, one can be certain that the actors will be acting. After this, he then goes on to list the many characters who appear in a play, explaining what they shall do and how he shall enjoy it- â€Å"the lover shall not sigh gratis†. This also shows that he is knowledgable on the matter of the theatre, as he is acquainted with the many parts which are played. It also shows his excitement, as he speaks more a long time on the matter. His speech is not organised into short, direct questioning as before, but instead he speaks in longer, freer sentences. This change in syntax clearly shows his mood- whereas before his short sentences showed doubt and mistrustfulness, these longer sentences show that he is what he is saying is exactly what he thinks- in contrast to the earlier part of the conversation, he now clearly seems to be relishing and enjoying the words as he says them. This is the first time that the audience is made aware of Hamlet’s love of drama, which is an important part of his personality and will become vital later on in the scene, when the audience is made aware of his plans. It also explains how, when faced with the dilemma of how he should react to the news of the ghost, his immediate reaction is to put on an act. At the end of the scene, Hamlet is left alone and speaks his second soliloquy of the play. As is typical of Shakespearean dramas, soliloquies are used to give the audience an insight into the character’s innermost thoughts and feelings without worrying about the opinions and reactions of other characters towards them. The speech is organised into three main parts: the first, a comment on the player he has just seen perform, followed by a self-critical analysis, before he goes on to explain his plan of action. He begins by speaking about the player, who has put such great emotion into his performances that he weeps during them. Hamlet contrasts this with the state of emotional turmoil in which he resides, although he is not allowed to show it externally. During the soloiloquy, Shakepeare uses several rhetoric devices to communicate this distress to the audience- for example, the frequent use of exclamation marks, which suggest a passion behind his speech. By line 568, he uses a great deal of rhetorical questions: HAMLET: Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? Breaks my pate across? These questions serve to increase his anger, and as he says them his speech becomes increasingly passionate. At this point, he is talking about himself- by saying â€Å"Who calls me villain? † he is opening up to criticism from others, but then swiftly moves on to speak about himself. HAMLET: But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall During this section of the soliloquy, Hamlet reveals his attitude to the revenge which he has sworn to take. He shows the audience his conflicting feelings- on one hand, we can see that he feels he is cowardly for not having acted sooner. This shows a contrast between what he feels he should be and what he actually is, which is further reinforced when he explains â€Å"ere this/I should ha’ fatted all the region kites/ With this slave’s offal. † This shows that he feels that he should have taken revenge by now in order to remain true to his dead father, and yet he is reluctant to act too quickly. To add to this feeling, he has just ben watching the players speak of Pyrrhus, who was a man of revenge and action- what Hamlet feels he should be. He is also clearly filled with loathing towards his uncle- at one point referring to him as: HAMLET: Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! This list of negative adjectives very clearly show the audience how passionate he is upon this issue. By this point, his extreme hatred of Claudius is obvious, and by describing him in this way Hamlet is only working himself into greater fits of passion and determination to act upon the situation. However, Hamlet is not, like his father, a man of war and fighting, but instead rather more cunning in his revenge- in this respect, he could almost be described as like Claudius. He realises that passion is not the way to solve his problems, saying on page 63: HAMLET: About, my brains. This signifies a change in his thoughts- whereas before he was speaking with passion and anger, he has now regained some control over his emotions and can speak with a greater coherency. It shows his belief that, in order to exact his vengance most effectively, he will need to remain calm and collected while thinking about it. As revenge is clearly the most urgent matter on his mind at this tiime, then, there is a need for him to think carefully, and by saying â€Å"About, my brains. † he is recognising this. It is at this point in the scene that the cynical facet of Hamlet’s personality comes back into importance- we can see that he needs evidence before he acts, as he declares towards the end of page 63: HAMLET: I’ll have grounds more relative than this. To the audience, this is further reinforcement of his suspicious nature- rather than simply take revenge without thought, he must first devise a plan to test the truth of the ghost’s words. This in in keeping with what we have been told of his past- namely, that he is a scholar from Wittenberg, which at the time was one of the most prestigious universities in Europe. Therefore, his questioning nature is in keeping with this- for, being educated, he is less likely simply to accept what others tell him wthout proof. We see this during his â€Å"testing† of the motives of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern earlier on in the scene, but only now does it begin to relate directly to the central plot. This concludes Act 2:2, during which Hamlet as a character has greatly developed. We see his plans begin to come together, as he feigns the â€Å"antic disposition† which was spoken of in previous scenes. The audience also begins to see his character develop, as we are introduced to such elements of his personality as his love for drama and his cynicism, all of which fashion the style which revenge will take, and ultimately guide the play to its inevitable ending.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 1

Gillian Lennox didn't mean to die that day. She was mad, though. Mad because she had missed her ride home from school, and because she was cold, and because it was two weeks before Christmas and she was very, very lonely. She walked by the side of the empty road, which was about as winding and hilly as every other country road in south-western Pennsylvania, and viciously kicked offending clumps of snow out of her way. It was a rotten day. The sky was dull and the snow looked tired. And Amy Nowick, who should have been waiting after Gillian cleaned up her studio art project, had already driven away-with her new boyfriend. Sure, it must have been an honest mistake. And she wasn't jealous of Amy, she wasn't, even though one week ago they had both been sixteen and never been kissed. Gillian just wanted to get home. That was when she heard the crying. She stopped, looked around. It sounded like a baby-or maybe a cat. It seemed to be coming from the woods. Her first thought was, Paula Belizer. But that was ridiculous. The little girl who'd disappeared somewhere at the end of this road had been gone for over a year now. The crying came again. It was thin and far away-as if it were coming from the depths of the woods. This time it sounded more human. â€Å"Hello? Hey, is somebody in there?† There was no answer. Gillian stared into the dense stand of oak and hickory, trying to see between the gnarled bare trees. It looked uninviting. Scary. Then she looked up and down the road. Nobody. Hardly surprising-not many cars passed by here. I am not going in there alone, Gillian thought. She was exactly the opposite of the â€Å"Oh, it's such a nice day; let's go tramping through the woods† type. Not to mention exactly the opposite of the brave type. But who else was there? And what else was there to do? Somebody was in trouble. She slipped her left arm through her backpack strap, settling it on the center of her back and leaving her hands free. Then she cautiously began to climb the snow-covered ridge that fell away on the other side to the woods. â€Å"Hello?† She felt stupid shouting and not getting any answer. â€Å"Hi! Hello!† Only the crying sound, faint but continuous, somewhere in front of her. Gillian began to flounder down the ridge. She didn't weigh much, but the crust on the snow was very thin and every step took her ankle deep. Great, and I'm wearing sneakers. She could feel cold seeping into her feet. The snow wasn't so deep once she got into the woods. It was white and unbroken beneath the trees-and it gave her an eerie sense of isolation. As if she were in the wilderness. And it was so quiet. The farther Gillian went in, the deeper the silence became. She had to stop and not breathe to hear the crying. Bear left, she told herself. Keep walking. There's nothing to be scared of! But she couldn't make herself yell again. There is something weird about this place†¦ Deeper and deeper into the woods. The road was far behind her now. She crossed fox tracks and bird scratches in the snow-no sign of any-l thing human. But the crying was right ahead now, and louder. She could hear it clearly. Okay, up this big ridge. Yes, you can do it. Up, up. Never mind if your feet are cold. As she struggled over the uneven ground, she tried to think comforting thoughts. Maybe I can write an article about it for the Viking News and everyone will admire me†¦ Wait. Is it cool or uncool to rescue somebody? Is saving people too nice to be cool? It was an important question, since Gillian currently had only two ambitions: 1) David Blackburn, and, 2) To be invited to the parties the popular kids were invited to. And both of these depended, in a large part, on being cool. If she were only popular, if she only felt good about herself, then everything else would follow. It would be so much easier to be a really wonderful person and do something for the world and make something important of her life if she just felt loved and accepted. If she weren't shy and short and immature looking†¦ She reached the top of the ridge and grabbed at a branch to keep her balance. Then, still hanging on, she let out her breath and looked around. Nothing to see. Quiet woods leading down to a creek just below. And nothing to hear, either. The crying had stopped. Oh, don't do this to me! Frustration warmed Gillian up and chased away her fear. She yelled, â€Å"Hey-hey, are you still out there? Can you hear me? I'm coming to help you!† Silence. And then, very faintly, a sound. Directly ahead. Oh, my God, Gillian thought. The creek. The kid was in the creek, hanging on to something, getting weaker and weaker†¦ Gillian was scrambling down the other side of the ridge, slithering, the wet snow adhering to her like lumpy frosting. Heart pounding, out of breath, she stood on the bank of the creek. Below her, at the edge, she could see fragile ice ledges reaching out like petals over the rushing water. Spray had frozen like diamond drops on overhanging grasses. But nothing living. Gillian frantically scanned the surface of the dark water. â€Å"Are you there?† she shouted. â€Å"Can you hear me?† Nothing. Rocks in the water. Branches caught against the rocks. The sound of the rushing creek. â€Å"Where are you?† She couldn't hear the crying anymore. The water was too loud. Maybe the kid had gone under. Gillian leaned out, looking for a wet head, a shape beneath the surface. She leaned out farther. And then-a mistake. Some subtle change of balance. Ice under her feet. Her arms were wind-milling, but she couldn't get her balance back†¦ She was flying. Nothing solid anywhere. Too surprised to be frightened. She hit the water with an icy shock.

Local substance abuse: Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia Council on Abuse impact study states that 50% of all homicides and 62% of assaults is associated with substance abuse. Georgia’s population of 369,393 in 2003 statistics showed that 32.1% was composed by White and 59.3% by Black African American. In 2004 Atlanta was reported to have 151 homicides. 18% of aids in Atlanta were also found to be related to injection users. Substance abuse is defined to be the excessive use of a substance such as drugs, tobacco or cigarettes and alcohol for mood altering purposes. The profile of substance abuse in Atlanta seems to scare the national strategy on drug control. The third principle referring to disrupting the market may not be able to effectively invade the already ongoing drug war in the vicinity. I think there is a cross country need to look into the problem of intergenerational healing of families in Atlanta than just mean policies and intervention. Users of drug Methamphetamine (Meth), being readily available in Atlanta nightclubs, ranges from ages 13-30, White. Atlanta is defined to be the drug smuggling corridor of the east coast being the largest city in the South. Being the center for all East-West and North-South travel, it became a haven for most Mexican-based traffickers. Atlanta’s strategic location made it Georgia’s largest source of supply of Meth coming from Mexico, California, or Texas, from the lairs of Europe in transit for distribution to other states market. (ONDCP 2005). The Meth epidemic in Atlanta poses significant effect to socio cultural factors, state policy and programs for intervention. Atlanta is presently a major distribution hub for the crystal rock form of Meth commonly called as Mexican ice. The impact of the substance abuse epidemic on tobacco, alcohol, cocaine and other illegal drugs among infants delivered by users has significantly impede the quality of life in Georgia’s future generation being a recourse for open-air drug markets. Their quality of life is pretty disturbing to note that first use of drugs was reported to start as young as 12 years old due to parental permissiveness on drug use. Studies showed that parents were even underwriting keg parties for teenagers. This was their unique experimentation and response to providing safe drug alternatives among teenagers. This will also lessen potential dangers brought by drinking and driving. Somehow Georgia legislature in 1997 implementing stiffer penalties to teenagers driving while impaired by alcohol consumption has even increased the population for substance abusers in an unknowingly different way and at an unknowingly different rate. It was seen that parents who initiated such keg parties are the ones who grew up from a generation of high drug used. To illustrate more on the problem of substance abuse, the University of Georgia is now even planning to send creepy emails to all of its college students regarding the effects of Meth. The intensity of substance abuse and the insensitivity of the parents with diverse ethnic origins to adopt a new life from the neighborhood they knew were quite amazing and does coexist with the rampant drug trafficking Atlanta scenario. Interventions come in diverse approaches according to the needs of the individual and the situation of the state itself. Since 2000 Atlanta has been delving on the aid of local television advertisements regarding the harmful effects of drugs. A centralized phone number is then provided where calls were then referred to the appropriate centers or programs the caller needs according to the intensity of the abuse. The selection of drug rehab treatment and facility is ultimately based and tailor made depending on the choice of the patient. Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) were the ones collecting data on different States for monitoring. TEDS provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics based on annual admissions while N-SSATS provides data based on the location, characteristics and use of treatment facilities and services. TEDS is admission based and does not have the appropriate technology to monitor such admission based on the individual. It can count on an individual twice if it will be admitted twice in a row at that period of study. Knowing that substance abuse patient’s characteristics come and go from admissions to outpatients, the population generated by its study does not represent the true value of the population and is thereby misleading. TEDS is not capable of following an individual in their treatment episodes due to the confidentiality of assigning a unique ID identifier at State level. There is one big probability that the number of admissions population that was gathered by TEDS could mean the number of treatments an individual had not to mention cases of subsequent transfers done to different service types for a single treatment program. Promptness of reports also matters since late reports for that period will be integrated with the next period’s report. States continually review TEDS data and revisions may occur at any given time during the review even for a period of five years. N-SSATS on the other hand collects data from all known treatment facilities in voluntary form. The term voluntary itself would mean incomplete information.   (SAMHSA 2005). The local and national reports could well differ in terms of the population. Statistics is vital for use in the treatment and intervention programs that will be created by ONCDP for Atlanta. The unique ID identifier made by the State is good enough to track the substance abuse patient’s admissions and transfers. The report system of the facilities and the government is not integrated and does not support each other. The structure of their IT must be studied and immediately remedied to achieve appropriate data to be able to create appropriate measures for substance abuse control. References ONDCP. (2005). Atlanta, Georgia: Profile of drug indicators February 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2007 SAMHSA. (2005). Treatment Episode Data Sets (TEDS) and National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS). Quick statistics from the drug and alcohol services information system. Retrieved April 14, 2007 Website: http://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/tedsweb/tab_year.choose_year?t_state=GA