Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Algal Biomass

In addition to that, access to carbon dioxide and water areessential. Even though microalgae can produce in the presence of saline water,fresh water is needed in a raceway pond system to compensate for the evaporativeloss depending on the wind velocity, air temperature, and humidity level of thelocation. Temperature is an important element in biomass cultivation. Most algaegrow better in warmer climates ranging from 25-40?. Tropical locations with auniformly warm temperature throughout the year (Chisti, 2016), can act as perfectlocations for algaculture as the temperature doesn't have to be monitored at alltimes, and the algae can adapt to local conditions.There are however some drawbacks while using raceway pond systems, thatrender them sometimes ineffective. Since, carbon dioxide is required to acceleratethe production of microalgae, an accumulation of oxygen can act as a hindrance tothe process. There is no known mechanism in a raceway pond, that helps curb thisaccumulation of oxygen. Peak sunlight hours during the day can hamper with thephotosynthesis, as the level of oxygen may increase to up to three times of the levelin saturated water. For this reason, smaller raceway ponds achieve better resultsthan larger ponds with respect to oxygen removal, and in turn better productivity. Another issue with raceways is the contamination due to exposure to rain, dust andother debris. Smaller ponds may be placed inside, but that can't be said for largerponds. Filtration can help inhibit infestations and contamination of the ponds, but thatis an expensive process.The production cost of biomass with raceways is considered to be the leastexpensive option. The cost of a pond depends on the type of facility it is built in,plastic lined earthen raceways are the least expensive alternatives with their totalcost of construction amounting to be approximately $70,000 per hectare, whereasponds enclosed in greenhouses or covered facilities are more expensive as theyprotect from contamination. Raceways require least amount of capital investmentand therefore remain the system of choice, despite their low productivity anddrawbacks.Photo-bioreactors (PBRs)A photo-bioreactor is a closed equipment which provides a controlledenvironment and enables high productivity of algae. PBRs curb all the problems thatare faced in raceways ponds, like carbon dioxide supply, temperature, optimaloxygen levels, pH levels etc. There are two types of photo-bioreactors- flat-plate andand tubular. Both PBRs are made of transparent materials for maximum solar lightenergy absorption. Flat-plate PBRs are suitable for mass cultivation of algae,because high photosynthetic efficiencies can be achieved. Tubular PBRs aresuitable for outdoor cultivation, and are constructed with either glass or plastic tubes. Systems covering large areas outdoors, consist of tubes exposed to sunlight and canbe operated either in batches or continuously. Photo-bioreactors usually have a4water pool as a temperature control system in order to prevent the tubes fromoverheating as they act as solar receptors. They also have built in cleaning systemfor the tubes without stopping production. Fundamentally, using photo-bioreactorsare more advantageous than using raceways for many reasons, like cultivation ofalgae under controlled environments resulting in higher productivity, protection fromcontamination, space-saving and larger surface to volume ratio. However there aresome limitations attached to PBRs; the capital cost is very high which is impedingthe progress of microalgae biofuel production, in spite of larger production levels. Also, data from the past two decades has shown that the productivity in an enclosePBR is not much higher than that achieved in open-pond cultures.3. Environmental Limitations of Microalgae CultivationAs with all large scale productions, wide scale microalgae biofuel productioncould have diverse environmental impacts. Water is a critical element of the biofuelproduction processes, in both raceway-ponds and PBRs. With the current globalwater crisis, using large amounts of fresh water to compensate for evaporation inopen ponds or to cool PBRs, renders the system economically unviable. Seawater orbrackish water may be used in these functions, but have to be filtered in order toprevent infestation of bacteria, and contamination. Recirculating water is onealternative to curb the usage of water, but that has risks of virus infestations, and theresidues of previously destroyed algae cells. Filtration systems are expensive, andfactor in with the lack of cost effectiveness of these systems.Most microalgae production farms have to be located close to the equator inorder to ensure high levels of production due to the uniformity of the climate, andadequate amount of solar radiation. Another factor is the type of land and terrain thefarm is located in, for instance to install a large raceway pond, a relatively flat land isrequired. The addition of nutrients and fertilisers like nitrogen and phosphorus is alsoessential for algaculture. The amount of nutrients and fertilisers to be usedadditionally depends on the soil porosity and permeability of the land. Algalcultivation requires a lot of fertilisers to make up for the compensation for fossil fuels.Researching and budgeting nutrients and fertilisers is a key concern in research anddevelopment of microalgae cultivation. Algal cultivation requires usage of fossil fuels continuously in a plethora ofways, ranging from electricity consumption during cultivation and natural gas used todry the algae for production. In PBRs, the temperature control for cooling the pipesfrom overheating increases the use of fossil fuels. This use of fossil fuels in algaebiofuel production is paradoxical to the cause and a dire need to optimise the systemto minimise the energy usage is established. That being said, microalgae cultivationfaces a variety of environmental challenges, coming from the location to the type of5algae. Energy conservation and water management are two of the main challengesto be conquered to make the system sustainable in the future.4. Cost EffectivenessThe cost of algae biofuel production is essential to establish to know howsustainable this system can be in the future. The cost of biofuel production dependson a variety of factors, such as the the yield of the biomass, geographical location, oilcontent, scale of production systems etc. Presently, microalgae biofuel production isstill more expensive than normal diesel fuels because of the ongoing R&D, and theambiguity of current knowledge. Chisti in 2007 approximated the cost of productionof algal-oils from a PBR with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons per yearand estimated the cost of $2.80 per litre, considering the oil content to be 30% in thealgae used. This estimation is exclusive of the algal oil to biodiesel conversion costs,logistics, marketing costs and taxes. Due to these high costs of algal-fuel, the utmostimportance during research should be given to cost-saving itself, in an attempt tomake biofuel from microalgae affordable enough to be commercialised in the nearfuture.Open pond systems would ideally be the most economically viable way tocultivate microalgae biofuel, but not without it's set of intrinsic disadvantagesdiscussed earlier in this research paper. As the technology gets increasinglyadvanced, the cost factor multiplies as well making the entire process a lot lesseconomical than what was started with first hand. Improved yield of biomass andnutrient oils (or lipids) would make the production costs drop rapidly.Moreover, to reduce the production costs alternative ways to manage energy andwater consumption have to be devised, a simplified design for PBRs is necessary.Substitutes for fresh water like wastewater and flue gases can contribute to lowercosts of production. Biofuel Production The rapid growth of environmental pollution by the usage of conventionalfossil fuels has sparked a lot of concern globally. The research and development foralternative fuels is one of the principal focuses for every country in an attempt for asustainable and promising future on this planet for all generations. Various optionsare available to us to help us make this shift, however to find a sustainable methodwhich is as promising as it is economically viable is a global challenge. Currently,biomass derived fuels seem to be the most optimistic path.Various ways of harvesting algae have been discussed in this paper, the next step istypically to process the algae in a series of steps which differ from species to6species. One of the most important approaches in biomass production isHydrothermal Liquefaction or HTL.5.1 Hydrothermal LiquefactionHydrothermal Liquefaction employes â€Å"a continuous process that subjectsharvested wet algae to high temperatures and pressures† (Elliot, 2013). Convertingsolid biomass to liquid fuels is not a spontaneous process. The liquid fuels derivedfrom fossil fuels on a large scale took thousands of years to convert biomass tocrude oil and gas. In present day, there are many modern conversion technologies toobtain liquefied fuels from various biomasses, these conversion technologies canfundamentally be classified into biochemical and thermochemical conversion.Biochemical mass usually has low energy density, high moisture content and doesnot have a very viscous physical form. Thermochemical conversions in comparisonare much more viscous as they are converted at very high temperatures in highpressures in the presence of catalysts that make the conversions much more rapid.Simply, Hydrothermal Liquefaction is â€Å"the thermochemical conversion of biomassinto liquid fuels by processing in a hot, pressurized environment for sufficient time tobreak down into solid bio polymeric structure to mainly liquid components†(Gollakota, 2017). Microalgae is, amongst all possible biomass sources, the most efficientand reliable source of wet biomass due to its high photosynthetic efficiency,maximum production levels, and its rapid growth in almost all environments. Overthe years, many thermochemical conversions have made their way, and while eachhas their pros and cons, HTL has come a long way as one of the most appropriateprocesses to tackle thermochemical conversion of wet biomass. Many scientists overthe years have done extensive research pertaining to the development ofhydrothermal liquefaction, such as Beckmann and Elliott who studied the propertiesof oil obtained from HTL of biomass, and gave crucial inputs with respect to the kindof catalysts and other parameters are pertinent to the HTL process to ensuresignificant productivity.5.2 Process MechanismCurrently, the knowledge about HTL process mechanisms is qualitative andneeds a lot more space for research. The mechanism comprises of three majorsteps: depolymerisation, decomposition and recombination. The chemistry behind allthese processes is very complex as the biomass is a complex mixture ofcarbohydrates, proteins, oils etc. Each working mechanism of hydrothermalliquefaction is discussed below.5.2.1 Depolymerisation7In this process the macromolecules of the biomass are dissolves through theirphysical and chemical properties. Depolymerisation makes it easier for the biomassto overcome it's natural qualities and start behaving like fossil fuels. It mimics thegeological processes, that are involved in the production of conventional fossil fuels.The process first grounds the feedstock material into small chunks and mixes it withwater, if the feedstock is fry. This mixture is then put into a pressure vessel reactionchamber where it is heated at a constant volume at a temperature of 250?, themixture is held in these conditions for approximately 15 minutes at the end of whichthe pressure is released and most of the water is boiled off. The resultant concoctionconsists of crude hydrocarbons and solid minerals. The minerals are removed andthe hydrocarbons are sent to the second stage.The disadvantage of this process is that it only breaks down long molecularchains into shorter ones, this implies that smaller molecules like carbon dioxide ormethane cannot be broken down further by depolymerisation. Decomposition or Dehydration The second stage of hydrothermal liquefaction involves the loss of the watermolecule, the carbon dioxide molecule and the acid content. Water at high pressuresand temperatures breaks down the hydrogen bonded structure of celluloses and inturn forms glucose monomers. This is how HTL provides an alternative processroute from microalgae biofuels to hydrocarbon liquid fuels.5.2.3 RecombinationThis is the last step in HTL which is reverse of the two previous processesbecause of the absence of the hydrogen compound. The free radicals are largelyavailable which in turn recombine or repolymerise to form high molecular weight charcompounds.5.3 Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Microalgae:The main advantage of using HTL for microalgae is that it doesn'trequire the predrying of feedstock, yet ensuring a relatively high production. Theprocess of HTL applied to microalgae is similar to treating cellulose but with a fewdifferences, the major one being treating wed feedstock as opposed to dryfeedstock. One of the principally researched issues that will ensure high productivityis a high lipid yield, which is necessary to convert microalgae into biodiesel. Theeffect of significant variables, such as temperature, pressure, volume, biomassconcentration and compositions of algae, catalysts et al. is still under research.During hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae, a rational heat management system8must be put in place that ensures energy efficiency and separation of the endproduct. Current Situation ; Future Viability:In present day, pertaining to all the advantages and disadvantages of HTL,there is sufficient proof that HTL has potential to become a commercialisedtechnology in the future.Biofuels produced using hydrothermal liquefaction are absent of carbon, thisimplies that there are no carbon emissions produced when the biofuel is burnt.Materials like algae use photosynthesis to grow, and therefore use the carbondioxide already present in the atmosphere. The carbon imprint produced by biofuelsis exponentially lower than what is already being experienced by conventional fossilfuels. Hydrothermal Liquefaction is a clean process, which doesn't harm theenvironment by producing harmful gases like ammonia or sulphur. If the technologyis mastered, HTL can pave the way for clean algal biofuels globally, although thereare still a number of challenges to be overcome. Conclusion The cultivation and production of microalgae biofuels is swiftly developing andis receiving attention and funding from global leaders. The rapid increase in worldpopulation, and hence the energy demand is a siren call to devise an alternativeenergy source. Microalgae's versatile qualities make it a promising path to tread onwhen it comes to biofuels. There are various ways to derive biofuels from algae aswe saw in this paper, and also many challenges attached with them. Bio-oil obtainedfrom various processes suffers from various drawbacks such as a high oxygencontent, instability etc, therefore an optimal technique to efficiently convert biomassto biofuel should be researched in order to be able to commercialise the use ofbiofuels in the near future. Making biofuels economically viable in the future is a bigchallenge in itself. Even though, photo-bioreactors promise a bright future in terms ofbiofuel cultivation, the overhead costs attached from cultivating the biofuel to makingit market ready and selling it are still quite high. These high costs of biofuels ascompared to conventional fossil fuels are what render them unready forcommercialisation. However, even with theoretical development and research, abright future for microalgae fossil fuels presents itself.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Calculate Density of a Gas

How to Calculate Density of a Gas Density is mass per unit volume. Finding the density of a gas is the same as finding the density of a solid or liquid. You have to know the mass and the volume of the gas. The tricky part with gases is that you are often given pressures and temperatures with no mention of volume. You have to figure it out from the other information. This example problem will show how to calculate density of a gas when given the type of gas, the pressure, and the temperature. Question: What is the density of oxygen gas at 5 atm and 27  °C? First, lets write down what we know: Gas is oxygen gas or O2.Pressure is 5 atmTemperature is 27  °C Lets start with the Ideal Gas Law formula. PV nRT whereP pressureV volumen number of moles of gasR gas constant (0.0821 L ·atm/mol ·K)T absolute temperature If we solve the equation for volume, we get: V (nRT)/P We know everything we need to find the volume now except the number of moles of gas. To find this, remember the relationship between number of moles and mass. n m/MM wheren number of moles of gasm mass of gasMM molecular mass of the gas This is helpful since we needed to find the mass and we know the molecular mass of oxygen gas. If we substitute for n in the first equation, we get: V (mRT)/(MMP) Divide both sides by m: V/m (RT)/(MMP) But density is m/V, so flip the equation over to get: m/V (MMP)/(RT) density of the gas. Now we need to insert the values we know. MM of oxygen gas or O2 is 1616 32 grams/moleP 5 atmT 27  °C, but we need absolute temperature.TK TC 273T 27 273 300 K m/V (32 g/mol  Ã‚ · 5 atm)/(0.0821 L ·atm/mol ·K  · 300 K)m/V 160/24.63 g/Lm/V 6.5 g/L Answer: The density of the oxygen gas is 6.5 g/L.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Choice of Outline and Model Essays

Choice of Outline and Model Essays Choice of Outline and Model Essay Choice of Outline and Model Essay Choice of Outline and Model After a careful analysis of the lessons in the English class, I realized that one of the major decisions that a writer should make before engaging in the writing of an essay is choosing the correct outline. As a writer, I was faced with the choice of using a formal topic outline or formal sentence outline. The two structures are hierarchical although sentence outline is more detailed. In the case of the topic outline, I realized that it gives a brief and quick overview of different topics which will be included in the essay. Whereas in the sentence outline, the author provides topic sentences which support various the author provides topic sentences which support various topics. However, in the document, I choose to use the sentence outline. The reason why I preferred using a sentence outline in the document is because of the possibilities it gives me as a researcher of breaking down the various subtopics that I was to cover under the research topic into some subheadings. It also made it possible for me to investigate many issues and come up with a detailed report regarding the matter being investigated. Besides the topic sentence, I was also tasked with choosing a research model that would enable me to gather credible data for my topic of study. In this case, I choose the qualitative research model for the exercise. I preferred the model due to some various reasons which included: in the qualitative model, it is possible for the research problem to be stated in a specific manner as well as set terms for the research study. Besides, both independent and dependent variables can be specified in a clear and precise manner. Also, the model makes it possible for me to firmly follow my research goals which I had set initially thus helping me reach to a viable conclusion that is more objective. It also helped me to test the hypothesis of my study. In addition, the data collected through this model was more reliable since I had controlled my research observations.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Study for AP Exams 5-Step Plan

How to Study for AP Exams 5-Step Plan SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Preparing for AP exams can feel like a Sisyphean task. On top of keeping up with the demanding coursework and all your other obligations, you have to prepare for a three-hour, multi-part exam? Yes, you do- butmore importantly, you can! If you don’t know how to study for AP exams, this is the guide for you. I’ll cover all the major steps to AP success, including content review, exam skill-building, and prepping for triumph on test day. 5 Essential Steps to AP Test Preparation Once the school year is underway, it can be easy to get caught up in the whirl of classes and clubs, and completely forget about test prep. And even once you do remember, you might not know how to study for AP tests. Never fear- read on for ourfive-step AP prep plan! Step 1: Establish What You Need to Review/Learn About halfway through the school year is when you’ll want to start studying for AP exams. This is the ideal time since you’ll have plenty of time to prep andwill know enough information to really get into reviewing content. A crucial first step to AP prep is to establish what you need to review or learn for the purposes of the exam.There are a few resources you’ll want to gather in order to do this: Syllabus for your AP class Any of your old tests,quizzes, or papers "AP Course and Exam Description" for the course You can find this last document on the main course page for the class, which you can access onthe College Board’s AP Student list of AP courses.Note that for courses that haven’t been revised in a long time, this is just called the "AP Course Description." This document offersa comprehensive description of the skills and content areas that will be tested on the exam. You’ll want to review, at least on a high level, all the major content areas from your AP course. But since it’s not efficient to try to retain every single piece of information your teacher tells you, your AP prep should be specifically focused on reviewing what you need to know for the exam. Once you have all your documents gathered, compare your class’s syllabus with the AP Course and Exam Description. Your class should cover all the major content areas- the syllabus had to get approved by the College Board, after all! That said, teachers do have some discretion on the specifics of what they can cover within the College Board’s broader structures. By comparing the two documents to see whether there are areas your class syllabus focused on in less (or more) detail than is necessary for the exam, you'll get an idea of what you should target in your own studying. Concepts you covered sparsely in class should be reviewed more closely, whilethings you covered more in-depth might not need to be reviewed as much. Your tests and quizzes are also important in establishing areas you should review. You don’t need to spend as much time reviewing material you got high marks on. By contrast, you should be sure to focus on reviewing content areas for which your test and quiz scores were weaker. The AP Course and Exam Description will also clarify for youwhat exam skills you need to build. Are there free-response math questions? Short answers? Essays? You’ll want to make sure you know how to succeed on all parts of the AP test. So plan to practice working on all question types. In sum, this is what you’ll want to review: Content High-level review of all major content areas of your course/test Focus more on areas where your knowledge is weaker, as determined by your AP quiz and test grades and the AP Course and Exam Description whencompared with your class syllabus Exam Skills Be prepared to answer all question types on the AP exam Student diligentlyreviewing the AP Course and Exam Description (artist's representation). Step 2: Make a Study Plan Once you’ve figured out what you need to review, you'll need tocome up with a review schedule. This doesn’t have to be super specific- you don’t have to know exactly what you are going to cover every single day. But you should have a general idea of what content areas you'll be reviewing and what skills you'll be working on every week leading up to the test. This is another time your class syllabus will come in handy, as you’ll be able to plot out your review schedule in a way that makes sense. You’ll want to review all the major content areas you have covered or will cover in class. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense to review something before your teacher has gone over it! So schedule the things you’re going to learn later for later review. You’ll want to weigh your prep plan more toward content review when you begin to prepare, and thenshift it more toward exam prep asyou get closer to test day. Assuming you're preparing over the course of several months, the first few weeks of your prep schedule should be dedicated almost entirely to reviewing content, and the last few weeks should be dedicated mostly to taking practice exams and doing practice questions. Here’s a sample study plan a studentmight make for the few months leading up to her AP Euro exam: Week Learning in Class Content to Review Prep to Complete 1 Turn of the century Make outlines and flash cards for Renaissance (Italian vs Northern), 100 Years’ War, black plague Look over some old free-response questions and a few sample multiple-choice questions 2 WWI Make outlines and flash cards for Reformation, religious wars Write practice DBQ and get Mr. Smith to score 3 WWI Make outlines and flash cards for Columbus, other explorers, 30 Years’ war Write practice FRQ and get Mr. Smith to score 4 Russian Revolution Make outlines and flash cards for absolutist rulers, agricultural revolution Take complete timed multiple-choice section 5 Between the world wars Make outlines and flash cards for slave trade and colonialism, Enlightenment Work on thesis statements and outlining practice for DBQ 6 WWII Make outlines and flash cards for French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Napoleon Work on thesis statements and outlining practice for FRQ 7 WWII Make outlines and flash cards for Nationalism, Marxism, socialism Practice DBQ and FRQ and get Mr. Smith to score 8 The Cold War Make outlines and flash cards for Western imperialism, WWI Take complete timed multiple-choice section 9 The Cold War Make outlines and flash cards for Russian revolution, between the wars, WWII, Cold War Take complete practice test 10 Post Cold War Review outlines and flashcards Final practice FRQ (timed) In-class review Review outlines and flashcards Final practice DBQ (timed) 12 (test week!) Final review and test prep! Final outline review/flashcards Rest up! See, this business suit lady gets the importance of making a study plan. Step 3: Find Content Review Resources A high-quality review book is your best friend in AP prep. We currently have guides to the best review books for AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP US History and AP Chemistry.Beyond that, The Princeton Review and Barron’s generally make reliable review books for AP tests. Supplemental resources beyond areview book can also be helpful. Your textbook for the course, beyond providing explanations of key concepts, likelyincludespractice questions or tests at the end of each chapter. You can also look for podcasts, watch YouTubevideos, and use websites such as Khan Academy for content review purposes. Another option is tomake your own resources.I can’t recommend Quizletenough. With this website, you can make your own flashcards and then quiz yourself using various tools. You have to make an account to be able to use it, but the service itself is free. Once you’ve amassed all your review tools, you’ll be ready to review content. However, you’ll still need to practice AP exam questions! Be sure to really drill down in your search for high-quality AP resources. Step 4: Find Practice Exams and Questions In addition to content review materials, you’ll want to find practice exams and questions to build specific AP test competencies.The best AP practice questions and tests are those created by the College Board- the group that makes the AP exams. As a result, their materials will be most similar to the real AP test you’ll take in the spring. So where can you find College Board AP resources? In three places: In the AP Course and Exam Description booklet. Remember the AP Course and Exam Description booklet I mentioned above for figuring out what you need to review? It also has sample exam questions (of all types!) in the back. Hurrah! Official free-response questions.The College Board has kindly released free-response questions (and sample responses) from previous testing years. You can get these by going to the College Board’s AP exam information page and clicking on your desired exam; scrolling down from that page will take you to the free-response questions. The College Board also sometimes releases complete exams from past years for free. You can usually find these on the College Board exam overview page for your specific test; however,some of these are hard to find even though they're hosted on the College Board website. If you're having trouble finding tests for your exam, Google the name of your test along with "previously released materials college board" or "complete released exams college board" to find the free exams. For your convenience, here are the previously released materials pages for some of the most popular AP exams: AP English Literature and Composition 2012 Exam 1999 Exam 1987 Exam AP Chemistry 1999 Exam 1994 Exam AP US History 2017 Practice Exam AP Psychology 2012 Exam 1999 Exam 1994 Exam AP Biology 2013 Exam 1999 Exam AP Statistics 2012 Exam 1997 Exam AP Environmental Science 1998 Exam AP Calculus AB Sample 2014 Questions 2012 Exam 1998 Exam 1988 Exam AP US Government and Politics 1999 Exam AP Macroeconomics 2012 Exam 1995 Exam We’ve also gathered some practice question and exam materials for you here: AP World History AP Psychology AP Biology AP Chemistry AP US History AP English Language and Composition AP Human Geography AP English Literature and Composition Step 5: Get to Work and Stay on Schedule Once you’ve gathered all your materials- content review as well as practice questions and tests- it’s time to get to work! How many hours you need to spend on studying for AP tests every week is going to depend a lot on how much material you need to review and how comfortable you are with the format of the exam questions.In general, though, you should expect to study for several hours a week split over two to three sessions. Setting specific times and places for your AP studying will help you stay consistent and keep pace with your review schedule! With good content review and a solid approach to practice exams (more on this later), maintaining a consistent studying pace and schedule will catapult you to exam success. The true path to AP success: the trebuchet. AP Review: 3 General Tips As you review course material in preparation for your AP exam, here are some things to keep in mind. #1: Be Aware Of Your Own Learning Style Focus on review methods that work for you and not against you. If you’re a visual learner, don’t force yourself to listen to recorded lectures; draw diagrams or mind maps instead. Or if you’re an auditory learner, find podcasts and audio booksto listen to for concept review. #2: Review Material More Than Once It’s generally accepted that you need to encounter a piece of information several times before you really start to retain it. Therefore, plan to review essential information for the test more than once. The more important it is, the more times you should go over it. #3: Engage With the Material The more you interact with the material you're studying, the better you’ll retain it. If you can do some kind of activity with the information- such as practice problems, outline-writing, flashcard-making, etc.- you'll be able to remember it better. Not this kind of engagement! How to Make the Most Of AP Practice Tests Since College Board AP practice tests and resources are limited, you want to make sure you make the most of them.Here are my top three tips for how to do this effectively: #1: Take an Entire Practice Exam Under AP Test Conditions It will be a huge help for you to take an entire practice test under actual AP-like conditions. So with a timer, in a quiet room, with short breaks- the whole nine yards. If you only have one complete practice test you can use, do this toward the end of your prep time (maybe a few weeks before the test), when you’ve reviewed most of the content already. This will help you get a feel for what the actual test day will be like. And themore comfortable you feel, the better you'll do on the exam! #2: Track Your Progress If you have access to more than one complete practice test, it’s a good idea to also take a practice test toward the beginning of your prep timeso you can figure out what areas you need to work on the most.This will give you a rough benchmark of where you're starting, so then when you take another practice test toward the end of your prep, you’ll be able to see how you’ve improved! #3: Prep for Individual Sections Apart from complete practice tests, practice questions serve as great prep for individual parts of the AP test. Because the College Board has released so many free-response questions, you can practice those over and over again. You don’t necessarily have to do a complete, timed essay every time, although you should practice that. You can also practice outlining your essays or even writing thesis statements for prompts. Work specifically on the skills you need to build. In addition, be sure to look over practice multiple-choice questions closely so you can get a sense of the feel and format of AP multiple-choice questions. Make like an astronaut and prepare for everything! Critical Test-Taking Tips for AP Exam Day When test time arrives, you’ll want to maximize your study time investment with positive test-taking strategies.Here are my top tips to remember for test day: Before Your AP Test Get a good night’s sleep the two nights before the exam.This will help you stay alert and remember everything you’ve studied. Pack your bag for test day the night before. You don’t want to stress yourself out running around looking for your calculator five minutes before the bus comes on exam day. Be sure to also pack a snack and water- you can’t have them during the test, but you’ll appreciate the nourishment during the break! Eat breakfast the morning of your test.Again, you want your brain to be running at full power. Try to stick with a balanced meal that isn't too sugary. Bring lotsand lots of pencils and erasers. The College Board requires #2 pencils on exam day, so don't forget to bring a bunch. Also, bring a good eraser for back-ups and mishaps. During Your AP Test Pace yourself.You’ll be under time pressure for every section, so make sure you knowwhat pace you need to be working at. Periodically check that you're on pace. You can (and should) bring a watch, just so long as it doesn’t beep or have an alarm. Maintain positive self-talk throughout the exam. If there’s something you don’t know, don’t waste time beating yourself up about it. Just keep telling yourself that you are awesome and will crush the rest of the test. Don’t get hung up on a question you’re stuck on. This is true even on the free-response section- move on to the second essay if you’re getting stuck on the first. If you try to break through a mental block full-on, you might end up running out of time. Answer every question- there’s no penalty for guessing! Go through the ones that you know first, and then go back over the test and answer any remaining questions in the time you have left. With all these best test-taking practices, you'll be set up to succeed on your AP test, guaranteed! Don't neglect this critical aspect of test day (bananas optional). How to Prepare for AP Tests: Key Takeaways The AP prep process can be overwhelming. To lend you a hand, though, I'vesummarized how to study AP examsinto digestible steps below. Choose an AP Exam Figure out which classes your school offers and which fit into your schedule. Consider your interests and abilities. Consider how much time you’ll have for studying. Prepare for the Test Establish ways you need to review/learn. Make a study plan. Find content review resources. Find (official) practice questions and tests. Get to work and stay on schedule! AP Content Review Tips Be mindful of your own learning style. Review things more than once. Engage with the material! AP Practice Exam Tips Take at least one complete practice exam under full test-day-like conditions- and do this more than once if there is more than one practice test available to you. Practice individual exam sections, especially free response, to work on skills for those specific sections. Look closely at all sections to ensure you're familiar with the way AP questions are worded! AP Test-Taking Tips Do all the usual best test practices- get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, pack your bag the night before, and bring extra pencils. Pace yourself and stay on track. Think positive! Don’t get hung up on a single question- it you find yourself stuck, skip it and come back. Answer every question- there’s no penalty for guessing! Ultimately, just remember thatbreaking down the AP into little steps will make it manageable for you to scale the whole AP mountain! AP Mountain (artist's rendition). What's Next? Looking for more information about your AP exam? We've got expert guides to AP US History, AP Chemistry, and AP Psychology. If your AP exam has a DBQ, check out my total overview of the DBQandmy how-to DBQ essay guide. Looking for AP exam resources? Check out our guide to finding quality AP practice tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Credit crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Credit crunch - Essay Example The people have started to understand the real issues behind this credit crunch because it has impacted their lives in a very negative way. It has turned the rich into poor very quickly and the poor have no where to hide as well (Author Unknown 2008). In essence, the credit crunch has played absolute havoc with the people of this world and there seems to be no stopping on this premise at all. Much needs to be done and for that to happen, the world’s biggest financial and economic bodies need to sit down together and devise a way for further progress and resilience within these areas. The historic basis of this credit crunch started when some of the world’s leading banks and financial institutions came down crashing some 2 years back. It brought with it a plethora of issues and troubles for the people, be them within the small sized markets or within the big institutions that played with the economic issues of the people. The move destroyed the basis of any economic activity within the world and hence these activities came to a standstill all of a sudden. American and British companies started to see downsizing and job cuts, which meant that more people started to lose their jobs and they had to bear the direct consequences due to this credit crunch. What was worse was the fact that the established companies which were doing pretty well within the global contexts also came down crashing (Anderson 2007). The liquidity basis was therefore hit very badly and the people within the financial groups were blamed for such a situation that had arisen in the first p lace. The historic basis of credit crunch has resulted due to a number of reasons apart from these as well. The dependence of one money regime over the other has also been the root cause behind such debacle in the first place and therefore the blame must be shared amongst all concerned. What is worst is the fact that people have been at the mercy of such financial

3.Can terrorism be risk managed Discuss with reference to old and new Essay

3.Can terrorism be risk managed Discuss with reference to old and new forms of terrorism - Essay Example To actualize this threat, they may decide to harm one who opposes their candidate. The fact is that voting is secret and the bully knows that to increase the chances of his candidate winning, he has to ensure that there is increased pressure and more harm. This is how terrorism activity occurs (Samuels, 2008). To begin the essay, there are many other forms of evil deeds that are often confused with terrorism. These include murder, assassination, assault, battery, destruction of property, theft, robbery, rape, extortion and espionage. All these are not terrorism, but can be utilized by terrorists to conduct terrorism (Melisow, 2008). In these modern times, terrorism is used for political gains. Politics is not an individual game; rather, it involves a group. Most of these political activities are controlled by governments. This forms a soft target by the terrorists, who want to affect government activities and change the way a government performs by scaring people in a country (Melisow, 2008). This sentiment is echoed by Hoffman who states that terrorism is all about power; it’s the pursuit of power, its acquisition, and subsequent use for political change (2013). The old terrorism was practiced during the French revolution. Despite its modern-day use, it had a positive implication. It occurred during the period of 1793-1794 during the transient anarchical period of unrest, as a result of the 1789 uprising (Hoffman, 2013). Although the current world refers to it as terrorism, during the earlier times, it was known as an instrument used by the government of a new revolutionary state. Hoffman points out that â€Å"it was designed to consolidate the new government’s power by intimidating counter revolutionaries† (2013, p.3). It constituted the committee of general security and revolutionary tribunal. They were very powerful and had the ability to arrest and prosecute by form of death, anyone who tried to oppose the revolution. The earlier

Friday, October 18, 2019

Experimental work on the mechanical properties of concrete using Dissertation

Experimental work on the mechanical properties of concrete using recycled aggregates - Dissertation Example This paper illustrates that the main environmental problem in the world today is the disposal of waste material. In order to protect the environment, the consumption of natural energy is reduced while the consumption of waste energy is increased. This minimizes the amount of natural resources that is used which in turn helps in the conservation of natural resources. Every construction activity needs a lot of materials. Some of these materials include; sand, bricks, timber and mud. However amongst these materials, concrete remains the most important of them all. With respect to the environment and adaptability, the concrete that is used in any construction must satisfy all the environmental and economical needs of any given area. When we use recycled aggregate for construction then we are able to construct the environment while at the same time minimize the cost used in the construction process. The waste and by products of cement contain almost 75% of natural aggregates and so it is of greater importance as natural aggregates. When we talk about recycled aggregates here we mean; slag, waste from power plants, used concrete, quarrying and mining wastes, waste glass and many more. There are lots of demolished concrete that is left without use in demolished sites as well as construction sites. These concrete wastes provide are the main source of recycled waste that we will look at their strength. Cement (Portland cement) History Portland cement is the main type of cement that is used in making concrete in construction site. Its fine powder is produced by grinding clinker and some limited amount of calcium sulfate. It was developed in the early 19th century in Britain from natural cement. The name is derived from Portland stone, a building stone that was used during the same time. The origin of Portland cement is believed to be from Aspdin Joseph. He was a brick layer from Britain Leeds. One of his employees Johnson developed a production technique which resulted i n hard and fast drying cement. The cement also had high compressive strength as compared to other concrete. As days passed, people started to prefer the Portland cement to the roman cement which had been in use for many years. In 1843 Aspin’s son William made a version of this cement which was improved. He named it patent Portland cement though it did not have patent in it. He later moved to Germany to improve cement making and came up with Portland cement. In 1878 the German government gave a standard for Portland cement. Hydration When Portland is mixed with water and it reacts with it, a process called hydration, this mixed with sand and some gravel produces a synthetic rock, which we call concrete. This concrete is very essential in today’s world as electricity and water. During the hydration process, four main types of minerals are always present. They include belite, alite, aluminate, and ferrite. The addition of water causes an exothermic reaction to occur, afte r this reaction, (C3A) reacts with water forming aluminum gel. This gel in turn reacts with any sulphates in the mixture to form ettringite. The