Aristarchus of Samos Biography

Aristarchus of Samos Biography Much of what we know about the science of astronomy and celestial observations is based on observations and theories first proposed by ancient observers in Greece and what is now the Middle East. These astronomers were also accomplished mathematicians and observers. One of them was a deep thinker named Aristarchus of Samos.   He lived from about 310 B.C.E. through approximately 250 B.C.E. and his work is still honored today. Although Aristarchus was occasionally written about by early scientists and philosophers, especially Archimedes (who was a mathematician, engineer, and astronomer), very little is known about his life. He was a student of Strato of Lampsacus, head of Aristotles Lyceum. The Lyceum was a place of learning built before Aristotles time but is most often connected to his teachings. It existed in both Athens and Alexandria. Aristotles studies apparently did not take place in Athens, but rather during the time when Strato was head of the Lyceum at Alexandria. This was probably shortly after he took over in 287 B.C.E. Aristarchus came along as a young man to study under the best minds of his time. What Aristarchus Achieved Aristarchus is best known for two things: his belief that Earth orbits (revolves) around the Sun and his work attempting to determine the sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon relative to each other.   He was one of the first to consider the Sun as a central fire just as the other stars were, and was an early proponent of the idea that stars were other suns.   Although Aristarchus wrote many volumes of commentary and analyses, his only surviving work, On the Dimensions and Distances of the Sun and Moon, does not provide any further insight into his heliocentric view of the universe. While the method he describes in it for obtaining the sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon is basically correct, his final estimates were wrong. This was moore due to a lack of accurate instruments and an inadequate knowledge of mathematics than to the method he used to come up with his numbers. Aristarchuss interest wasnt limited to our own planet. He suspected that, beyond the solar system, the stars were similar to the Sun. This idea, along with his work on the heliocentric model putting the Earth in rotation around the Sun, held for many centuries. Eventually, the ideas of later astronomer Claudius Ptolemy - that the cosmos essentially orbits Earth (also known as geocentrism) - came into vogue, and held sway until Nicolaus Copernicus brought back the heliocentric theory in his writings centuries later.   It is said that Nicolaus Copernicus  credited Aristarchus in his treatise, De revolutionibus caelestibus.  In it he wrote, Philolaus believed in the mobility of the earth, and some even say that Aristarchus of Samos was of that opinion. This line was crossed out prior to its publication, for reasons that are unknown. But clearly, Copernicus recognized that someone else had correctly deduced the correct position of the Sun and Earth in the cosmos. He felt it was important enough to put into his work. Whether he crossed it out or someone else did is open to debate. Aristarchus vs. Aristotle and Ptolemy There is some evidence that Aristarchuss ideas were not respected by other philosophers of his time. Some advocated that he be tried before a set of judges for putting forth ideas against the natural order of things as they were understood at the time. Many of his ideas were directly in contradiction with the accepted wisdom of the philosopher   Aristotle and the Greek-Egyptian nobleman and astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. Those two philosophers held that Earth was the center of the universe, an idea we now know is wrong.   Nothing in the surviving records of his life suggest that Aristarchus was censured for his contrary visions of how the cosmos worked. However, so very little of his work exists today that historians are left with fragments of knowledge about him. Still, he was one of the first to try and mathematically determine distances in space.   As with his birth and life, little is known of Aristarchuss death. A crater on the moon is named for him, in its center is a peak which is the brightest formation on the Moon. The crater itself is located on the edge of the Aristarchus Plateau, which is a volcanic region on the lunar surface. The crater was named in Aristarchuss honor by the 17th-century astronomer Giovanni Riccioli.   Edited and expanded by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Writing argument using Zeitoun by Dave Eggers Essay

Writing argument using Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - Essay Example Every man who dares to answer the call of the unknown knows very well the dangers lurking ahead and he alone has to face them with courage and determination. Initially he may hesitate to respond to the call but then he is assured of supernatural assistance. This gives him the courage to begin his journey and face the challenges ahead. In his journey the Hero may get tempted to move away from his mission and surrender to unjust provocations. It is upon the mental strength of the hero that he will overcome all temptations and remain true to his mission. Once he attains his mission, he becomes hero in the true sense as he triumphs in the test of bravery and tolerance. David Eggers, in his book Zeitoun, has written about the real life events of Zietoun’s family in New Orleans. The protagonist is Abdulrahman Zeitoun who is a Syrian-American. He and his family experienced the Hurricane storm called Katrina in 2005. The book describes Zietoun’s deeds and how his life shaped up after the storm. He passed through difficult times and emerged like a true hero. The experiences of Zietoun after the Katrina can be viewed through the different stages that a hero has to experience. We can see his struggles to survive and help others in distress post the hurricane. The way Zeitoun managed his days through all the crisis he faced is a true characteristic of a Hero. Zeitoun along with his wife opened their own company in New Orleans – Zeitoun Painting Contractors LLC. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, Kathy with the children took shelter in Balton Rouge which was her homeland. Zeiton could not go with his family and h e stayed back in New Orleans to take care of their home, work sites and their rental properties. Thus he showed bravery and a sense of duty to his fellowmen as he remained back and just like a hero is prepared to overcome all kinds of difficulties, Zeitoun too stayed back

Health Campaign Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Health Campaign - Research Paper Example food safety and physical activity, though according to the overview results they mainly impact academic achievements of students from the target groups. Harris County Hospital District, official authorities, HCPHES, school administrations and volunteers from the target communities certainly try to change the situation for better. Nevertheless, their efforts are uncoordinated and not widely-advertised, that’s why local Hispanic and African-American communities are not involved in it properly. Thus, to improve current situation in Harris County an efficient Health Campaign is required. To establish this Health Campaign detailed statists is required, because organizes should be well-aware of quantity of the target groups, its basic needs, socio-economic status, health-related problems etc. In 2009 Harris County population included circa 4,070,000 residents; absolute majority (98%) lives in urban zone. Thus, large distances and transportation will not hamper arrangement of the health campaign. Both African-American (18.5%) and Hispanic (32.9%) communities make 50% of total population, that’s why the campaign must be large-scale and involve all abovementioned interested parties. (Appendix A) â€Å"According to the US 2005 American Community Survey, both the HA (14%) and the AA (12%) populations are represented as minorities.† (Talpade, 2008) Using CDC BRFSS, the campaign organizers can make a brief comparative analysis of general health status in the county with Healthy People 2010 objectives. As for improvement of daily ration and weight management, average weight of men makes 190 pounds, for women – 159 pounds. (CDC BRFSS, 2004) It means that obesity rate in the county is above average US obesity rate. 57% of residents drink alcohol more than twice per month and 40% smoke quite regularly. Thus, majority of members of African-American and Hispanic communities do not follow healthy diet and prefer fast-food or semi-finished products from the supermarkets.

Information Technology Stakeholders Research Paper

Information Technology Stakeholders - Research Paper Example Computer based software however exist that facilitate accurate recording of the subject data and computations in developing financial statements and in analysis of such statements for informed decision making by relevant stakeholders. The technology would be applied through integrating appropriate accounting based software into accounting computer devices. Once installed, data will be fed into the software application and managed in accordance with the software’s commands. This would however require personnel’s training on application of the selected software (Vijay, p. 394). Computerized accounting has a number of benefits as compared to manual accounting approach. It is for example fast because computations are automatic through in built software tools. This means that any required accounting information can be generated on demand to meet an immediate need. Application of computerized accounting also ensures a high level of accuracy in the generated accounting information to ensure reliability and validity of prepared and communicated accounting information. This further means that decisions that are made from computerized accounting systems are more accurate. Another advantage of the computerized accounting system is its high level of efficiency in handling large volume of data with respect to time and accuracy. It also makes automatic update of information in all relevant files upon a single entry, an application that eliminates accounting errors from multiple entries (Vijay, p. 394). The process has a number of stakeholders. The most significant is the college, the owner of information that will be accounted for by the applied technology. Another group of stakeholder to the process is the students, their parents, or their guardians who will be interacting with the accounting process in remitting payments of payment related documents. External auditors and professional

Benefits and technical challenges for using self compacting concrete Essay

Benefits and technical challenges for using self compacting concrete - Essay Example By regulating the mix proportioning, the concrete is so formed such that it doesn’t require compaction. There is no particular code available for SCC so far even though it has started to catch wide application in modern days and again there is no definite mix proportioning procedure established (Zhu et al., 2001). In order to learn comprehensively about the feasibility of using the concepts of SCC with the available materials around, this research essay is basically grounded on the factual findings on the benefits and the critical challenges cropping up as a result of using the modern developed self-compacting concrete. According to Loughran (2007) the basis at which SCC is highly gaining recognition, wide acceptability and increased adoption in terms of usage in modern constructions are inevitable and are essential as further illustrated in this essay. On highlights, it is of note that when large quantity of substantial reinforcement is to be positioned on a reinforced concrete (RC) member, it is never easy to certify that the formwork gets wholly filled with concrete; that is, fully compacted without honeycombs or voids. Compaction by mechanical vibrators or by manual is very difficult in this situation. The method used of compaction, vibration, causes additional cost and delays in the projects. For underwater concreting it is always required that you use fresh concrete, which could be placed without the necessity of compaction; in such conditions vibration had been merely impossible. This challenge can now be resolved with self-compacting concrete (Persson, 2003: 374-379). The SCC flows easily a round the reinforcement and into every corner of the formwork. The SCC is very fluid and passes around obstructions to fill all the corners and nooks without the risk of either mortar or any other ingredients of concrete detaching out, and simultaneously ensuring that there are no

HIV Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIV Testing - Essay Example On the one hand the need for prevention of HIV transmission clearly rectifies the need for antenatal scanning. On the other hand the choice of conduction of the test is in the hands of the patient and not the hospital or healthcare providers. To do so with out the patient's consent would be illegal and undesirable. The psychological and social disadvantages are one of the major concerns for the patients. (Mercey, 1998) Therefore in order to encourage patients, the testing must in these cases ensure protection against "discrimination, stigmatism and violence."(HIV in pregnancy, 1998) The guidelines put forward by the UK government state that by the 31December 2000, all women are to be offered an HIV test as part of their integral care. The guidelines also insist upon increasing antenatal HIV testing to 50% or more. Further, the guidelines state that these percentages must be increased to 90% so that 80% of the women can be identified for HIV during antenatal testing. (DoH,1999) the policy although well made fails to mention issues of HIV related to immigration, asylum, care for children living in the UK with the disease or parents with disease, and support for mothers who are HIV positive.(Kawonza, 2002) There is no doubt that the identification of the disease in a ... There is no doubt that the identification of the disease in a woman beforehand is better than discovering it late. The chances of reducing the baby's risk of getting HIV can be halved through avoiding breast feeding. (Dunn et al, 1992) These chances can be further reduced via the administration of Zidovudine. (Conner et al, 1994) The policy of universal testing has been introduces, so as encourage women in to taking the test. In this way patients living in area of high risk will be more willing to take the test, as oppose to targeting some part of the total population. (Kawonza, 2002) However, despite efforts, Nicoll et al reports antenatal detection rates of only 7%, with no signs of improvement over time.(Nicoll, 1996p 253). This could be due to patient's fear of breach of confidentiality, especially when the patient herself has just recently found our about her HIV status or when she has not informed anyone of her condition. The introduction of cesarean in cases of HIV positive mothers is currently one of the most recommended techniques to reduce the chances of the baby getting infected. This technique has gained much popularity and approval among the health care workers, and is now currently used in conjunction with antiretroviral drug therapy and avoidance of breast feeding. Clayden (2005) in reference to the renewed guidelines set by the UK relating to pregnancy states that the mode of delivery recommended in such cases is elective caesarean at 38 weeks. Although she does emphasizes on the maternal consent in this regard. (Clayden, 2005) Note that the risk of getting HIV is high at 34 weeks of gestation. (European study, 1992) Although the benefits of choosing caesarean as the mode of delivery does have its merits,

A definition of capitalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A definition of capitalism - Assignment Example , the two authors argue that the social factors which affect the business should also be put into consideration while determining the capital needed for a business venture. These factors are fundamental in the operation of a business if returns are to be made. The assertion by the two is true. If any factor affects production, for instance, it should be incorporated in the economic postulations of the business. This is because if the factor has a negative effect on the business, then it would offset the returns of the same. Likewise, if the factor contributes positively to the business, then it would be like an asset to the same. Consequently, this makes it important to consider such factors as the social relations which would affect the business. Some of these factors include the environmental attributes within which the business is operating in. For instance, they can be factors such as investors’ confidence or even political stability. A good environmental boosts the busine ss while a contrary one will be detrimental to the business. Bearing this in mind, it is true that social relations are the unseen part of a business’