If a train is slowing down, is it accelerating?

When a body slows down, its speed decreases. If it is traveling in a straight line, like a train on a straight track, we can also say that its velocity is decreasing. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity or,

Acceleration = dv/dt

where, v is the velocity and t is time. Generally, we use acceleration in reference of increasing velocity. That is, an object is said to be accelerating if its velocity is increasing. For the scenario of decrease in velocity, we often use the term 'deceleration'. 

Thus, in this case, if the train is slowing down, we will refer to it as a case of deceleration or negative acceleration. If the train was accelerating, its velocity would be increasing and it would speed up.

Hope this helps.

Where in Maycomb does Atticus Finch work as a lawyer?

Atticus Finch's work is done at home, in his office, in the courtroom, and out in the community. Atticus has an office with a desk in his home. He meets his clients in a variety of places. For example, Atticus meets Mr. Cunningham in the Finch family living room to discuss the man's entailment. During the Tom Robinson trial, most of the work Atticus does takes place in the courtroom.

His main office is located inside the Maycomb courthouse. It is a simple place, which reflects his personality. Atticus is straightforward with no frills.

Atticus's office in the courthouse contained little more than a hat rack, a spittoon, a checkerboard and an unsullied Code of Alabama (Chapter 1).

Later on, "after several years. . . he moved to quieter quarters in the Maycomb Bank building" (Chapter 15). This office is located at the end of a long hallway. It provides some separation between trial work and other kinds of work.

What did Korean Air do in the book Outliers?

The story of Korean Air comes in Chapter Seven, “The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes.” In the 1990s, this airline experienced a higher number of crashes than any other operating airline. Gladwell begins by providing the details of one particular Korean Air crash in August 1997, and then goes on to look at examples of other crashes. What seemed to be a contributing factor to the tragic pattern was the crew’s use of “mitigated speech.” The Korean Air pilots and crew members weren’t direct enough with one another during emergency situations. This was due to a factor within their cultural legacy. Some cultures tolerate ambiguity in language more than others.

We mitigate when we’re being polite, or when we’re ashamed or embarrassed, or when we’re being deferential to authority. If you want your boss to do you a favor, you don’t say, “I’ll need this by Monday.” You mitigate. You say, “Don’t bother, if it’s too much trouble, but if you have a chance to look at this over the weekend, that would be wonderful.” In a situation like that, mitigation is entirely appropriate. In other situations, however – like a cockpit on a stormy night – it’s a problem.

Korean Air’s solution was to hire an American representative of Delta Air Lines to fix the problem in 2000. He changed the protocol so that all communication among Korean Air crew members would be in English. Employees who didn’t know English well or at all were taught the language. All of their commands in the air and with international air traffic controllers would be exchanged in English from this point on. This way, they could step out from the burdens of cultural legacy found in their own language. They would no longer have to follow their culture’s own rules of politeness. They could be as direct and as honest with one another as they needed to be.  As a result, the airline broke the accident pattern. When Gladwell wrote this book, Korean Air’s record since 1999 was spotless. “Aviation experts will tell you that Korean Air is now as safe as any airline in the world,” he wrote. All because of a change in the language used by the pilots.

What tone does Ponyboy use in The Outsiders, and what are the main themes of the novel?

In the book The Outsiders, Ponyboy, the main character and narrator, has a serious but realistic tone throughout the novel. He does not shy away from telling the facts, or from telling things how they really are, even when he learns information that might change his earlier opinions. An example of this is when he comes to the understanding that the Socs do not have it as easy as it appears. He tells the reader this after he meets with Randy, a Soc who was Bob's friend, when he says, "I remembered Cherry's voice: Things are rough all over. I knew then what she meant" (Hinton 117).

This tone plays into the various themes throughout the novel, such as the theme of class conflict. From the very beginning of the story, when Ponyboy is walking home from the movies and has a run-in with the Socs, to after the rumble, the conflict between the upper-class Socs and the lower-class greasers is always present. What changes throughout the novel is that Ponyboy realizes that although things such as money and prestige within the community are what separate the Socs and the greasers, both groups have problems unique to their situations. Interestingly, Ponyboy never talks about how to resolve this conflict, but only comes to the realization that the best the two groups can do is at least try to come to an understanding to stop the unnecessary fighting, something that both he and others, like Randy, realize.

Intertwined with this theme is Ponyboy's search for himself. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy wonders about himself and if he really fits in with the greaser lifestyle. He comes to realize that he can act tough like a greaser to protect himself, but deep down, he is not a juvenile delinquent like some of the other greasers, and that despite acting tough and everything he has gone through, he is still a good person who tries to do the right thing. This is demonstrated when Ponyboy breaks a bottle to threaten some Socs who bother him at a grocery store. After the whole ordeal, Two-bit warns Ponyboy about getting tough because, Two-bit says, "You're not like the rest of us" (Hinton 171). He is interrupted by Ponyboy cleaning up the glass he broke so no one would "get a flat tire" (Hinton 172), again showing Ponyboy has realized that he can be himself, and try to be a good person who does the right thing, while still fitting in with his friends.

What is the significance of the repeated references to rain throughout the story?

The rain signifies nature's way or function of cleansing itself. And, following this nuclear explosion and the decimation of the human population, there is the sense that nature is cleansing itself of the nuclear fallout and of the presence of humanity itself. In the fourth paragraph, the house mechanically sings, wishing the rain to go away, thus subtly symbolizing the conflict between technology and nature. 

The rain is used in other symbolic ways. At the end of this paragraph, the rain hits the roof and the lonely echoes underscore the absence of the family, "And the rain tapped on the empty house, echoing." 

Following the descriptions of the white silhouettes of the family members, the narrator adds, "The gentle sprinkler rain filled the garden with falling light." Although this "rain" is a product of the house, it still does represent a cleansing. It follows the morbid description of what remains of the family members. And the sprinkler rain is "gentle," which is a clear contrast to the violence of the nuclear explosion. The "falling light" also suggests a peaceful sentiment; this is another contrast to the violence of the explosion. 

The rain in the children's nursery is "fresh," again suggesting something more natural and pure than war. Rain also comes up in Sara Teasdale's poem and in the title of this story. They are "soft" rains. This, again, is to show the contrast between the gentle, natural rain and the violent, synthetic nuclear bomb. In the end, the house even tries to save itself with its own mechanical rain. So, rain is once again used as a way to stop further destruction. It is nature's way of cleansing itself. It is also (usually) gentle and this creates a contrast with the violent result of a flawed humanity. 

`u = 2i - 3j, v = 4i + 3j` Find the angle theta between the vectors.

We want to get the angle,  between vectors u = 2i -3j and v = 4i + 3j. By definition, the angle  between two vectors is defined as follows (u and v are two vectors):

 .Hence,  .

`||u|| = \sqrt(2^2+(-3)^2) = \sqrt(13)` .

`||v|| = \sqrt(4^2)+(3^2) = \sqrt(25) = 5`  .

`u \cdot v = 2*4 + (3*-3) = -1`  .

Hence, `\theta = cos^(-1) (-1)/(\sqrt(13)*5) = -(\sqrt(13))/(65) \approx 1.63`  .

What does the quote "Bob Ewell meant business" mean in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

After Bob Ewell attacked Jem and Scout on their way home from the school pageant, Heck Tate did some investigative work.  He examined Scout's ham costume.  It was made from barbed wire, fabric, and paint.  She had worn it in the pageant that night, and she had also worn it home.  She had been wearing it when she and Jem were attacked by Bob Ewell.  Heck discovered a slice through part of the costume, which had been made with Bob Ewell's knife.  Upon examining it, Heck announced that "Bob Ewell meant business" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 29).  He said this to mean that Bob Ewell had intended to physically harm the children.  He had wanted to kill them to get back at Atticus for defending Tom Robinson.  Atticus expressed his opinion about Bob Ewell, which was that the man was insane.  Heck disagreed.  He thought that Bob Ewell's mean spirit had led him to attempt violence against the children.

What does Abigail claim is the reason she was discharged from the Proctor household in The Crucible?

Abigail claims that Elizabeth Proctor fired her because she would not be her slave.

Abigail was fired for having an affair with John Proctor.  Proctor admits to the affair in court.  His wife knew about it, and obviously did not want Abigail around the house.  However, in court Abigail claimed a very different reason for being fired. 

Abigail: She hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It.’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman! (Act 1)

Abigail’s attempt to discredit Elizabeth Proctor is part of her plan to get John Proctor back, apparently.  It seems that she has been making eyes in him at church for months.  Although Proctor admits that he was seduced by her in a moment of weakness, he tells them that he ended it.

Abigail definitely has some character flaws.  Besides sleeping with another woman’s husband, she takes a vigorous part in the trail, condemning innocent people to make herself look better.  Abigail is a bitter and selfish woman who behaves immaturely and does not seem to care about the consequences of her actions.

When Elizabeth is cross-examined about dismissing Abigail, she cannot bring herself to admit the affair at first.  She just says that the girl dissatisfied them both.  When Danforth presses, she admits what happened.

Elizabeth: I came to think he fancied her. And so one night I lost my wits, I think, and put her out on the highroad. (Act 3)

Interestingly enough, what saves Elizabeth from the noose is telling the court that she is pregnant.  They do not believe her at first, but it soon transpires that she is telling the truth.  They agree not to kill her so she can have the baby.

Abigail's case is a perfect example of what really happened in the Salem Witch Trials.  Anyone with a grudge could get ride of an enemy and get what she or he wanted just by accusing someone.  It is clear that Abigail is a woman of little character, but they believe her anyway and she sends good people to their deaths to serve her petty purposes.

Who does Brutus want to kill?

I'm assuming the Brutus you’re referring to is probably Marcus Junius Brutus, a Roman politician who lived from 85–42 BC. He is most well-known for his role in the assassination of Julius Caesar, which was immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. Around 45-44 BC, Brutus joined a conspiracy of senators who feared Caesar’s growing power and possible dictatorship. The conspirators, including Brutus, attacked Caesar in the Senate on the infamous Ides of March (March 15) in 44 BC, eventually killing him.

The famous line “Et tu, Brute?” actually comes from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, and was famously uttered by Caesar as he recognized Brutus among his attackers. There is no evidence that Caesar ever actually said them, though. Shakespeare also sensationalized the “Ides of March” in the same play, giving us the famous line where the soothsayer warns Caesar to “beware the Ides of March.”

What are the differences between specific heat capacity and thermal capacity?

Specific heat capacity or specific heat is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. Thermal capacity or heat capacity, on the other hand, is the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a given mass of the material. Thus, specific heat is independent of the mass of the substance, while thermal capacity is not. This means that specific heat is an intensive property, while thermal capacity is an extensive property. For example, specific heat capacity of 1 g of water is same as that of 100 g of water. Thermal capacity, on the other hand, will be more for 100 g of water as compared to 1 g of water. The units of specific heat capacity is J/g/degree C, while that of thermal capacity is J/degree C.

Hope this helps.  

How does the police patrol carry out its task?

In 1984, the police patrol uses helicopters to carry out its task. These helicopters can hover in between buildings in order to allow the police to look in through people's windows. Snooping allows the police to keep track of everyone and to maintain control over the populace.

In the story, young spies like Parsons' children work hand in hand with the police patrols. Parsons relates to Winston that his seven year old daughter actually followed a strange man for two hours one afternoon before handing him over to the patrols. When Winston questions why his daughter would do such a thing, Parsons proudly proclaims that his daughter must have found the stranger suspicious in some way. At the very least, he appeared to be a foreigner of some sort, as his daughter claimed that he wore strange shoes. From Parsons' story, we can infer that it really doesn't take very much to turn someone in; even extremely superficial claims can be enough to incriminate someone.

In many areas, the police patrol walk the streets in order to ensure that everyone maintains complete obedience to the dictates of the state. Anyone who appears to be doing anything out of the ordinary, even if it means just taking a different route home, can be stopped by the patrols if they run into them. The police will then demand to see proper identification and will proceed to question the individual extensively if someone has informed on the said individual's change of plans.

Sometimes, the police patrols also wait at railway stations where they will cross-examine Party members and demand to see their identification.

What were Peyton Farquhar's struggles?

First, Peyton Farquhar struggles to support the South in war in which they are losing.  He was "an original secessionist" and "ardently devoted to the Southern cause," meaning that he very much wanted the Confederacy to separate from the Union and would do anything to support this effort.  He feels bound, absolutely, to do whatever is possible to aid the South, and this is a struggle because the South is losing, a fact we know because the Union army has seized control of the railroads and communication lines.

Second, Farquhar struggles to accept his own fate.  He considers attempting to "'free [his] hands'" and "'throw off the noose and spring into the stream'" so that he can swim to shore and try to make his way home.  He does not want to die, and his thoughts turn to his home which is still "outside [enemy] lines" and his wife and children who are safe, for now.  It is this struggle, to accept his impending death, that prompts his mind to begin to race so that he perceives time as slowing down.  

How are limits used in daily life? Please solve limit questions and relate them to daily life.

Hello!

You gave no specific questions, I think I should formulate them myself.

1. Alpha decay. Some types of atoms randomly emit alpha particles with the constant probability. For a large collection of such (identical) atoms a half of atoms will decay after some constant time, called half-life. After two half-life periods, 1/4 of the initial amount of atoms will remain, then 1/8 and so on.

So the number of initial atoms of that collection will decrease up to zero.
`lim 1/2^n = 0.`

2. Atmosphere free falling. Any fixed object which falls in atmosphere asymptotically reaches its terminal velocity. This is an example of a finite nonzero limit in real life. The value of this limit depends on the horizontal surface area of an object and some other factors.

2.1. Warming. A frozen object pulled from a refrigerator slowly reaches the ambient temperature. In other words, the limit of an object's temperature is the ambient temperature.

3. (not from real life but a good limit:)
Imagine that we have a large pie and `n` successive guests, and we give each next guest an `1/n` of the remaining part of a pie. Then the part which remains to you will be `(1-1/n)^n.` Imagine that `n` tends to infinity or simply is large (the total number of guests goes up and the one's part goes down correspondingly).

Then the remaining part will be about `1/e` because

`lim_(n->oo) (1-1/n)^n=1/e.`

Here `e=2.71828...` is the base of natural logarithms.

3.1. Compound interest.

`lim_(n-gtoo) (1+r/n)^n=e^r` occurs when we consider compound interest with the large compounding frequency `n` (`r` is the nominal interest rate).

What literary devices do the sane people in Hamlet use?

Let’s begin by assuming that there are some sane characters in Hamlet.  Loosely considering it, we could probably include all characters except Hamlet and Ophelia.  Shakespeare does employ a number of devices through the characters, from your basic literary techniques to more creative rhetorical devices. 

Polonius sets up a fake coincidence when he has Ophelia just happen to be walking in the very place they know Hamlet walks in the lobby every day, so they can spy on the conversation.  Polonius is also a great source of verbal irony when he frequently insults himself without knowing it. He tells the queen, “brevity is the soul of wit,” meaning that he entirely lacks intelligence, since he is incapable of saying anything briefly.  When the queen asks him to get to the point with fewer artful flourishes of language, Polonius says, “I swear I use no art at all,” meaning that this is not pretentious language for him.  He’s admitting that blathering on and on is his natural way.  He then proceeds to blather on some more about “a foolish figure.”  Ironically, we realize that HE is the foolish figure, but he never gets it.

Claudius frequently lapses into iambic pentameter during his soliloquies.  Considering that a king is supposed to be a very formal person, it makes sense that he would speak in a regimented pattern.  For example, his act 1 scene 2 speech to his court begins, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death,” and continues for 38 lines of near-perfect iambic pentameter.  Claudius also likes to use analogies to explain things, especially when he’s trying to manipulate someone.  In act 4 scene 7 he fibs to Laertes that he didn’t punish the prince because Gertrude loves Hamlet, and “She is so conjunctive to my life and soul / That, as the star moves not but in his sphere, / I could not but by her.”  Another technique Claudius uses, and again usually when he’s manipulating others, is the epithet, or startling adjective, for effect.  In act 4 scene 7 he tells Laertes that a Frenchman previously visited Elsinore who was so good on horseback that he seemed “encorpsed and demi-natured / with the brave beast.”  Such elaborate details distract Laertes from Claudius’ true purpose, to further pit him against Hamlet.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern speak in paronomasias, or puns, in act 2 scene 2 as a way to buddy up to Hamlet.  When the prince says he has no ambitions, just bad dreams, they try to lighten the mood by playing on his words.  Guildenstern adds, “dreams, indeed, are ambition, / for the very substance of the ambitious is / merely the shadow of a dream.”

Even Gertrude employs some rhetoric when she uses metonymy in act 1 scene 2, where she implores Hamlet to “let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.”  By Denmark she really means that Hamlet should be friendly to and accepting of the king of Denmark, his uncle and new step-father, Claudius. 

And the list goes on. In fact, it seems that the only sane character in Hamlet who doesn’t use such literary techniques is the only one not trying to manipulate anyone – Horatio.

What are the two lessons we learn from the story "Once Upon A Time" by Nadine Gordimer?

In "Once Upon A Time" by Nadine Gordimer, Gordimer intends for the reader to learn that danger has many guises and is likely to be misunderstood, and, in this instance, misinterpreted unless families like the one in the "bedtime story" reflect on their own shortcomings and irrational fears rather than only recognizing the faults of others.  Even though "the property owner was not racist," the actions of the parents reveal their fear of "people of another color" and their own enforced isolation represents a danger in itself. 

Life is full of potential dangers and it is better to learn to manage them—such as the narrator does when she hears her floorboards creaking and wonders if there is an intruder—rather than to lay blame. The narrator acknowledges her own fears when she admits that although she has "no gun under the pillow ... I have the same fears as people who do take these precautions" and she wants the reader to learn to be realistic because chasing an ideal, an undefined "happily ever after" indicates that real happiness eludes families like the one in the story. The unknown element of fear, which prevents their image of perfection from ever being reached, creates the wrong impression and this family seek happiness in all the wrong places, mainly in securing their material needs. The reader will hopefully learn from this scenario.      

In the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," was Peyton Farquhar a good person?

Whether you believe Peyton Farquhar was a good person or not may depend to some degree on whether you favor the cause of the Union or the cause of the Confederacy in the American Civil War. In Part II of the story, we learn Farquhar's background. He was a plantation owner, so he probably owned slaves, and he was for secession; he actively worked as a civilian toward the goals of the Confederacy. He basically believed that "all is fair in ... war." The extent of his crime is not clarified, but it seems that he intended to sneak past a "picket post" guard, overcome the sentinel guarding the bridge, and set fire to the bridge, all in an effort to hamper the advance of the Union Army into Southern territory. It also seems that he may have tried to hang, and may have successfully hanged, the sentinel guarding the bridge. This is suggested by his words to the scout, "Suppose a man—a civilian and student of hanging" in describing himself. We might wonder how he became a "student of hanging." Had he hanged other Union soldiers before? We know that the "gray-clad soldier" who tells Farquhar about the bridge is actually a "Federal scout" who is trying to entice Farquhar into a "sting" operation. For the Union Army to have singled Farquhar out in this way suggests that he may have been a formidable foe whom they seriously desired to eliminate.

A few details of the story may help the reader be more sympathetic toward Farquhar. He was dedicated to his side in the war and willing to take personal risks to advance the cause of his homeland. There was "no adventure too perilous for him to undertake" for the Confederacy. The fact that he was deceived and trapped by the Union Army may make some readers take Farquhar's side. During his imaginary escape, his thoughts of his wife and children as he walks toward home and his joy at being reunited with his wife when he sees his house are details that suggest he is a loving father and husband. 

Ambrose Bierce created a character in Peyton Farquhar who could be good or bad, depending on how one reads the story and how one views the Civil War. However, most readers put their feelings about Farquhar's morality behind them while reading of his miraculous, and indeed fantastical, escape. The story impresses upon the reader that life is precious and survival is dear to anyone—Union or Confederate, soldier or civilian, good or bad.

What is gravitation?

Gravity or gravitation is the tendency of any body to move towards a gravitational center or another body. Isaac Newton, the famous physicist, first came up with the idea of a measure of this attraction. His Universal Law of Gravitation states that any two bodies will attract each other with a force proportional to the product of their masses and will be inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically,

F = Gm1m2/d^2

where F is the gravitational force, G is the universal gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses and d is the distance between the two bodies.

Gravitational force is one of the fundamental forces and is the reason fruits fall down from fruit trees and why it is possible for us to walk on Earth (due to Earth's gravitational pull on the fruit and on us).

Hope this helps.  

Compare and contrast Mayan society with that of Teotihuacan. To what extent did each represent a common religious and cultural outlook in...

Historical records confirm that the Mayans have had interactions with Teotihuacan society since the early Classical period (AD 250-450). However, experts disagree as to the basis for interactions between the two cultures. The externalist perspective claims that the Teotihuacans were an ambitious people who overwhelmed Mayan society with impositions of their own cultural heritage. The internalist perspective claims that both cultures demonstrated open dialogue and exchange of ideas.

However, in the perusal of archaeological artifacts, the internalist perspective seems to struggle for preeminence. Evidence points to the gradual but sure Teotihuacan influence in Mayan architecture. If the externalist perspective was true, it would appear that a Teotihuacan military invasion would hasten rather than occasion a gradual incorporation of Teotihuacan architectural elements into Mayan architecture. A case in point is the building of Mayan pyramid temples which incorporated the Teotihuacan talud-tablero structure. Initial mounds of the pyramid temples included a talud (inclined slope) but not the typical tablero (horizontal rise). However, the finished version of the Mayan pyramid temple did include the tablero on all sides. Yet, when we look at the final version, we see a hybrid style temple with elements of both Teotihuacan and Mayan architecture in harmonious symmetry.

During the Middle Classic period (AD 450-600), Teotihuacan society flourished as a result of its trade relationship with Mayan society. Merchants were able to ply Teotihuacan goods in Mayan markets as well as obtain exotic commodities such as stingray spines, cayman skins, and even jaguar pelts.

Sources: The relationship of the Maya and Teotihuacan: A Mesoamerican Mystery.

Archaeology of the Mexican Gulf Lowlands.

Gender roles in both societies during these different periods.

In Teotihuacan society, gender roles were militantly preserved. In fact, gender roles were incorporated into the very fabric of Teotihuacan creation theology. The female spider, with its prolific womb, was viewed as a diligent weaver; this image became associated with any women who must bear the pangs of childbirth to welcome the next generation to life. Additionally, each woman's sons may become future warriors and so, her labor was a transcending experience denoting her personal battle for the good of society. Her likely skills with embroidery (the image of the weaver) was also associated with her ability to produce the robes that warriors must wear.

On the other hand, masculine vitality and potency was symbolized by the unlikely butterfly. Warriors wore cloaks fastened with butterfly pins; the butterfly motif was inscribed on censers and the talud-tablero architecture of Teotihuacan buildings and temples. Everywhere, men were reminded of their obligation to defend and to protect. Both men and women were promised great rewards in the after-world for fulfilling their gender roles to their utmost ability.

In Mayan society, gender roles were equally illuminated in the iconography on stelae (a slab of stone generally used for funereal or commemorative purposes) and other architectural monuments. While most Mayan iconography portrayed powerful male characters in their prime, a surprising number of stelae portrayed Mayan female rulers, of which Lady Kanal-Ikal and Lady Zac-Kuc count among their number.

Various gender-fluid characters were also portrayed such as deities of mixed gender or those with hermaphrodite qualities; depictions of heterosexual attraction between older women and younger men were also uncovered. Indeed, with the discovery of gendered spaces at certain Mayan sites, where areas were partitioned for the activities of men and women, such depictions of non-traditional gender mores raises interesting questions about the unconventional in both cultures.

As with Teotihuacan society, various archaeological digs at Mayan historical sites have produced evidence of ceramics, figurines, and artifacts imbued with images of fertility goddesses amidst weaving and spinning craft. Both cultures strenuously reinforced the role of the domestic arts in the lives of its women.

For more, please refer to:

Sources: The Teotihuacan Trinity

Gender roles in Mayan society

Suppose a gasoline station offers the following promotion on the 4th of July: "TODAY ONLY: FREE GASOLINE FROM NOON UNTIL 3:00 P.M.! HAPPY...

No, the free gasoline offered to consumers is not a free good to the owner of the gas station. This is because the owner had to pay a distributor for the amount of gasoline delivered to his or her station.

The gas is not necessarily a free good to all consumers though. Think of it this way: those consumers who are at the front of the line for free gas may have a very small waiting time. They may not burn much gas at all as they idle in line waiting to get to a pump. When they get to the pump they get free gas and this is certainly an economic benefit to them.

Some drivers may want the free gas and line up, but then find they are idling for an inordinate amount of time and are wasting gas, as well as time that could be spent on more productive activities – even better cost-saving activities –  getting other deals elsewhere. Therefore, it would be better for them to refrain from getting this free gas.

A consumer may line up at 2:45 p.m. to get gas before heading into an afternoon work shift. He or she may get stuck in the line and end up being late for work. He or she may punch in late and end up being docked pay. Therefore, it was a waste of time and effort to attempt to get this free gas.

In addition, the economic benefit of waiting in line for this free gas is dependent upon how much gas the person needs. An individual may wait a long time and then end up just topping up his tank because it is already three-quarters full--but the person could not turn down this offer. His or her long idling time, plus the person’s lost time during which he could have been doing something more productive, may make getting this little bit of gas free a bad decision. On the other hand, if someone is very low on gas and ends up getting a significant amount of free gas then the idling time was worth it to be able to fill up on gas that world normally cost the person approximately $4.00 per gallon.

How should a conclusion be written when someone is writing a paragraph expressing the character traits of a literary character?

If a short essay or paragraph is written on the traits of a literary character, it should begin with a thesis statement similar to: the character X in the book Y shows the traits 1, 2, and 3 (the X represents the character's name, the Y the book title, and the numbers approximately three traits).

The body of the essay would then expand on how the character shows each of the traits and explain using evidence from the text.

Finally, the conclusion should restate that the author shows the traits (traits 1, 2, and 3) in the story.

Essentially, a conclusion is a restatement or overview of what the essay or paragraph talked about in-depth. You may use your thesis or intro as a guide, but do not use the exact same words.

What are three poems from Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats in which responsibility is a theme?

T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is a collection of poems about the ways and personalities of cats. Some cats in this collection are far more responsible than others. For example, Jennyanydots, the cat described in "The Old Gumbie Cat" is a responsible mouser. The second stanza of this poem reads:

"But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,/Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun./ And when all the family's in bed and asleep,/ She tucks up her skirts to the basement to creep. /She is deeply concerned with the ways of the mice--/ Their behaviour's not good and their manners not nice;/ So when she has got them lined up on the matting, /She teachs them music, crocheting and tatting" (lines 5-12).

During the day, Jennyanydots sleeps like any other house cat, but at night, she is hard at work, teaching the mice to behave. In fact, as Eliot says in the poem's last line, the cat is responsible for the entire running of the house. She is "On whom well-ordered households depend, it appears."

The cat in another poem called "Gus: The Theatre Cat" is also a responsible, hard-working feline. While he is now past his prime, in years gone by, he was a famous actor. The second stanza begins, "'I have played,'" so he says, "'every possible part, And I used to know seventy speeches by heart. I'd extemporize back-chat, I knew how to gag, And I knew how to let the cat out of the bag'" (lines 21-24). He was a responsible actor in his youth, able to perform every kind of show and trick to amuse an audience, though he now stands by the theatre door looking shabby.

Many of the cats in Eliot's poems, however, are irresponsible. An example is the Jellicles in "The Song of the Jellicles." They don't do much except dance about and then take baths: "They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig./ Until the Jellicle Moon appears /They make their toilette and take their repose:/ Jellicles wash behind their ears,/ Jellicles dry between their toes" (lines 16-20). In other words, they are dancing all day, and then when the moon comes out, they devote themselves to bathing. In the last stanza, Eliot writes about the cats' lives: "You would say they had nothing to do at all." They are essentially living the life of irresponsible cats. 

What is the one type of person according to Scout?

In Chapter 23, Aunt Alexandra tells Scout that she cannot play with Walter Cunningham Jr. because "he---is---trash" (Lee 301). Scout gets upset, and Jem is quick to comfort her. Scout tells Jem that Aunt Alexandra was wrong for calling Walter trash. Jem comments that he's got it all figured out. He says there are basically four kinds of folks in Maycomb. Jem tells Scout that there are ordinary people like themselves and their neighbors, the Cunninghams out in the woods, the Ewells down in the dump, and the Negroes. Jem and Scout begin to discuss what makes individuals different and "better" than others. Jem maintains that it matters how long one's family has been reading and writing. Scout disagrees and mentions that Walter Cunningham Jr. would be just as smart as them if he was able to attend school instead of helping his father. Scout says, "Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks" (Lee 304). Scout's comment depicts her belief that everybody is equal. Unlike Jem, Scout has not become jaded about humanity and the members of her community after she witnessed injustice during Tom's trial.

Why is snow the first memory The Giver gives to Jonas in The Giver?

The Giver gives Jonas snow because it does not exist anywhere in the community.

For his first memory, The Giver wants to share something with Jonas that he has never experienced before.  In one memory, Jonas sees hills, snow, and a sled.  These are completely new concepts for Jonas.  The Giver also uses this same memory to give Jonas pain, and to help him experience color.

The sled is a metaphor for the memories.  The Giver tries to explain to Jonas the burden of the memories, and he says it is like a ride on a sled.  Since Jonas has no idea what he is talking about, sharing the memory of the sled ride seems like a good place to start.

"It's like going downhill through deep snow on a sled," he said, finally. "At first it's exhilarating: the speed; the sharp, clear air; but then the snow accumulates, builds up on the runners, and you slow, you have to push hard to keep going, and--" (Ch. 10)

 Jonas is thrilled by the memory.  Everything in it is new to him.  His community has eliminated all weather, and they also got rid of the hills.  The memory of sledding down a hill during the snow is wondrous to him.  It shows him how beautiful and different the world used to be.

It was very startling; but he was not at all frightened, now. He was filled with energy, and he breathed again, feeling the sharp intake of frigid air. Now, too, he could feel cold air swirling around his entire body. (Ch. 11)

As they continue the training, Jonas experiences many things that used to exist.  He notices that the sled was red, the first color he is able to see.  (Color was eliminated also).  The Giver also uses the same memory to give him pain.  Jonas experiences a sunburn, and a broken bone from crashing the sled.  The memory that gave him so much pleasure also caused him to suffer.  The Giver is showing Jonas that the world used to be more nuanced.

Trying to make things perfect has advantages and drawbacks.  You can transport goods more easily without hills, and you can grow more food and keep people more comfortable with climate control.  Yet for each thing you gain control over, you are losing something wonderful.  This is the lesson we learn through the memories.  Some things are worth keeping, even if they are imperfect.

What is algae?

Algae is the term commonly used to describe a large collection of organisms (including both prokaryotes and eukaryotes) that are capable of photosynthesis. These organisms are present in a variety of habitats, including salt water freshwater, deserts, boiling water, snow, etc. These range from very small organisms (single-celled organisms) to very large organisms, such as Giant Kelp (which can be as large as 50 meters).

There are both pros and cons of algae. Because of their ability to carry out photosynthesis, they are the primary producers and provide food and oxygen for other life forms. They are also being studied for generating bio-fuels. Algae are also known to cause algal blooms in surface water bodies, which is detrimental to other life forms in the water and also results in coloration of the water body.

Hope this helps. 

Do you agree with Friedman’s characterization of today’s globalization, in particular his assertion that “individuals from every corner of...

The title of Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat has a two-fold implication. First, it is a reference to a long held but outmoded belief that the world is a flat surface (this notion was dismissed once the ancient Greeks introduced the idea of the earth as a sphere, and other theories followed, including those of circumnavigation). But more importantly, Friedman is referring to his idea that globalization has in effect "leveled the playing field" (a sports metaphor that means conditions for competition are made fair and equal) for all countries. One main reason for this is the use of digital technology and media for commerce and education (in other words, the Internet).

In a piece for NPR, excerpting his book, Friedman describes a trip he makes to India and the many ways in which the world has changed since the time of Columbus (the explorer who, in 1492, sailed from Europe to find India but instead, due to his poor understanding of navigation, found America): 

Columbus was searching for hardware — precious metals, silk, and spices — the sources of wealth in his day. I was searching for software, brainpower, complex algorithms, knowledge workers, call centers, transmission protocols, breakthroughs in optical engineering — the sources of wealth in our day.

In referring to the components of Internet commerce and information sharing as "sources of wealth," Friedman acknowledges the increased opportunities available to traditionally poor nations as a result of the globalization of technology (such as India, which still faces poverty as a major problem but which is also now a major international center of the tech industry), creating, as Friedman puts it, "the newfound power for individuals to collaborate and compete globally."

I think it is easy to agree with Friedman's assertion that opportunities for wealth and economic betterment have resulted from globalization. But it can also be said that these changes have made life worse in some developing countries. The rare minerals used in the making of electronics must be mined, mostly in China, and the workers who do this work suffer health problems and economic exploitation. Also in rural China, once a land of farming and agriculture, cities devoted to the production of technological products such as smartphones have created cultures of manufacturing previously unknown in those areas. This industry in China is characterized by harsh working conditions that result in personal problems for workers such as depression and suicide, as well as causing environmental damage to the landscape. 

What are the elements of literature as related to Romeo and Juliet?

The elements of literature are a set of standard elements that authors use to make their writing more interesting or easier to relate to.

At the secondary school level students are often required to analyze literature using these literary elements. You've probably been talking about them in class all along, and just didn't realize they were the elements of literature. Things such as setting, plot, conflict, metaphor, and climax are often used during discussion of a novel.

Specifically, in Romeo and Juliet, you will find many of these elements are deeply explored.

It is first important to understand the genre of the story is drama. This helps us to also be able to more readily understand the plot pattern. Since Romeo and Juliet is a 5 Act play, we know that the exposition occurs in Act 1, rising action and conflict follow, generally the climax occurs close to Act 3 and the falling action and resolution follow that.

Shakespeare utilizes multiple instances of Allusion in his plays. This is no different in Romeo and Juliet. You will frequently find references to the names of people or creatures from the Bible and from the mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome. Whenever an author references another popular work of literature or culture we call this an allusion. Allusions are typically added to make a comparison to something that readers would already understand.

For example:

"Well, in that hit you miss; she'll not be hit
with Cupid's arrow; she has Dian's wit..."

Shakespeare references both Cupid and Diana in this explanation of love in Act 1, Scene 1.

In addition, one could talk at length about Shakespeare's use of Oxymoron. Shakespeare really liked to play with words, so his plays are full of all kinds of figurative language and Romeo and Juliet is no exception. An Oxymoron is simply when successive words seem to contradict one another to make an impression on the reader. In Act 1, Scene 1, Romeo gives us a great example of this.

"...O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything, of nothing first create!

O heavy lightness, serious vanity!
...Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep..."

Shakespeare also relies on imagery to help paint a picture in the minds of readers. In Romeo and Juliet we are constantly presented with the concepts of dark vs light, which we are meant to relate to the themes of love vs. hate.

For example:

Capulet: At my poor house loot to behold this night,
earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light.

The image we are presented with here are bright stars against a dark sky.

Other great ideas of the elements of literature which are exemplified well in this story:

• 
  Irony: the feud does not end until the death of the children


• 
  Tragedy: elements of Greek tragedy adapted by Shakespeare


• 
  Metaphor/Simile: Eloquent use of figurative language throughout


• 
  Pun: Another one of the ways Shakespeare plays with words

`a_3 = 19, a_15 = -1.7` Write the first 5 terms of the arithmetic sequence.

`a_3=19`

`a_15=-1.7`

Let `a_1`  be the first term and d be the common difference of the sequence.

`a_15=a_1+14d`

`a_1+14d=-1.7`   ---------- (1)

`a_3=a_1+2d`

`a_1+2d=19`         ----------- (2)

Now let's solve the equations 1 and 2 to get the `a_1` and d,

Subtract equation 2 from equation 1,

`14d-2d=-1.7-19`

`12d=-20.7`

`d=-20.7/12`

`d=-1.725`

Plug the value of d in equation 2,

`a_1+2(-1.725)=19`

`a_1-3.45=19`

`a_1=19+3.45`

`a_1=22.45` 

`a_2=a_1+d`

`a_2=22.45+(-1.725)`

`a_2=20.725` 

`a_3=a_2+d`

`a_3=20.725+(-1.725)` 

`a_3=19`

`a_4=a_3+d`

`a_4=19+(-1.725)`

`a_4=17.275`

`a_5=a_4+d`

`a_5=17.275+(-1.725)`

`a_5=15.55`

So the first five terms of the sequence are 22.45,20.725,19,17.275 and 15.55

Provide a quote from Lord of the Flies showing how Jack puts fear into people or how people are afraid of Jack.

In chapter 5, after the meeting has broken up into chaos and Jack has led most of the boys down to the beach in a "random scatter," Ralph, Piggy, and Simon remain in the meeting place and discuss Ralph's leadership—or lack thereof. Both Simon and Piggy encourage Ralph to go on being chief. For Piggy's part, speaking of Jack, he says, "I'm scared of him... and that's why I know him... When you see him... it's like asthma an' you can't breathe." He goes on, telling Ralph, "He can't hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he'd hurt the next thing. And that's me." 

In chapter 8, Jack has become the chief of his own band and has killed a sow. Before the feast, as Piggy and Ralph are talking about why things have deteriorated so severely, this conversation and commentary show how fear of Jack is growing:

"I dunno, Ralph. I expect it's him."

"Jack?"

"Jack." A taboo was evolving around that word too.

In chapter 11, when Piggy, Ralph, and Samneric make plans to go to Jack at Castle Rock to demand Piggy's glasses back, Samneric say that they should all take spears "because we may need them." Piggy says he won't take a spear, but that he will simply take the conch and tell Jack Merridew what he wants. Sam or Eric warns him, "You'll get hurt." Ralph insists that they go as they are, without paint. Eric protests that the others, including Jack, will be painted. In response, "The others nodded. They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought." They are afraid of how Jack and the boys act when they are painted. Jack was the first one to paint himself, and he demanded that the others also wear paint.

After Samneric have been captured by Jack, Ralph manages to speak to them while they are on watch. They fearfully tell Ralph to leave. They explain that Roger is a terror. Then they add: "And the chief—they're both—" "—terrors—" They have actually been kidnapped by Jack and have been physically forced to comply with Jack's wishes, so they have reason to fear him.

These passages reveal how fear of Jack begins relatively early in the book and grows significantly by the final chapter. 

Your manufacturing business has net assets of $100 million, $25 million of equity and $5 million of long term debt. Current liabilities are $70...

There are three basic ways for a business to finance new expenses:

1. Spend cash on hand
2. Sell assets (including things like stock issues)
3. Take out loans

Since this company does not appear to have any cash on hand, that's not an option.

Selling assets is a promising option, since we have $90 million in current assets (remember that current assets by definition can be liquidated at market value within one year).

Taking out loans is less promising, as we have $70 million in current liabilities. Taking on even more liabilities might be unwise, depending on what our debt service looks like.

The right choice depends on a lot of different factors, but ultimately it all comes down to a simple question:
Which will end up costing more?

If interest rates on debt are very low, it might make sense to take on more loans. If interest rates are high, debt service will be more expensive and more debt might not be a good idea.

If we expect our current assets to appreciate soon, we may not want to sell them. If we expect them to depreciate or remain at constant value, selling them might be a good idea.

We'd also want to think about what those assets are being used for; in a manufacturing company, those assets might be factories that are being used to produce things, and could actually have real value to us far in excess of their market value. In that case, we should not sell them. On the other hand, if they are not producing anything, they may not be worth any more to us than we could get from selling them.

`C = 95.20^@, a = 35, c = 50` Use the law of sines to solve the triangle. (Find missing sides/angles) Round answers to 2 decimal places.

Given: `C=95.20^@, a=35, c=50`

Law of Sines  `a/sin(A)=b/sin(B)=c/sin(C)`

`35/sin(A)=b/sin(B)=50/sin(95.20)`

`35/sin(A)=50/sin(95.20)`

`sin(A)=[35sin(95.20)]/50`

`sin(A)=.6971`

`A=arcsin(.6971)`

`A=44.20^@`

`B=180-95.20-44.20`

`B=40.60^@`

`b/sin(40.60)=50/sin(95.20)`

`b=[50sin(40.60)]/sin(95.20)`

`b=32.67` 

lim(sqx^2+2 - sqx^2-6x) for x->infinity

Hello!

I think you mean `sqrt(x^2+2)-sqrt(x^2-6x).`

To remove the radicals, let us multiply the top and the bottom of this expression by the sum of the square roots. This will remove the square roots from the numerator.

`sqrt(x^2+2)-sqrt(x^2-6x)=((sqrt(x^2+2)-sqrt(x^2-6x))*(sqrt(x^2+2)+sqrt(x^2-6x)))/(sqrt(x^2+2)+sqrt(x^2-6x)).`

This is equal to

`((x^2+2)-(x^2-6x))/(sqrt(x^2+2)+sqrt(x^2-6x))=(6x+2)/(sqrt(x^2+2)+sqrt(x^2-6x)).`

Now if we multiply the top and the bottom by 1/x we can simplify this into something we can take the limit of.

`(6x+2)/(sqrt(x^2+2)+sqrt(x^2-6x))=(1/x(6x+2))/(1/x (sqrt(x^2+2)+sqrt(x^2-6x)))=(6+2/x)/(sqrt((x^2+2)/x^2)+sqrt((x^2-6x)/x^2))`

It is in turn equal to  `(6+2/x)/(sqrt(1+2/x^2)+sqrt(1-6/x))`

and here all terms have limits:

`(6+0)/(sqrt(1+0)+sqrt(1-0))=3` when `x->+oo,` and `-(6+0)/(sqrt(1+0)+sqrt(1-0))=-3` when `x->-oo.`

What is the moral of Animal Farm?

There are a few key morals in the book, but the one that stands out the most is Lord Acton's famous notion that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The fuller quote is even more insightful.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.”

We see that these words are true increasingly in Animal Farm. At first, the pigs start off just like the other animals;  they want freedom and tout equality. The concept of animalism is fair.  As the story progresses, the pigs, especially Napoleon and Squealer, become more corrupt, as they grow in influence.  They use the animals for their own gain.  The most prominent example of corruption and self-serving is what they do to Boxer.  They sell off Boxer to the knackers, when he can no longer work.  They consume his labor, and now they consume what remains of him, his body, for their own purposes and gain.

Finally, the story ends when the pigs turn into men, which shows the corruption is complete.  Within the internal logic of the story, man is the epitome of corruption. 

Why did Jem destroy Mrs. Dubose's flower garden? Was Jem's punishment fair and appropriate?

Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose’s flowers because he is angry that she called his father names and he was punished by having to read to her.

When Jem attacked Mrs. Dubose’s flowers, he was reacting to her racism and the town’s.  Most people did not approve of his father defending a black man.  Jem had been able to keep his head for the most part, but he just lost it with Mrs. Dubose.

Scout gets upset when Mrs. Dubose begins to yell at them.  She insults them for being on the street when they should be in school, even though it’s Saturday.  She also scolds Scout for wearing overalls. Finally, she turns on their father.  Most of the town disapproves of his defending Tom Robinson because he is a black man accused of raping a white woman.  Some of them take it out on his children.

“Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising?

I’ll tell you!” She put her hand to her mouth. When she drew it away, it trailed a long silver thread of saliva. “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” (Ch. 11)

Jem told Scout to keep her head, but this was too much for him.  He took her baton and attacked Mrs. Dubose’s flowers.  They are the one pretty thing about her, and their presence seems to contradict her words.  Basically, he just wants something to lash out at, and the flowers are there and defenseless.

He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves. He bent my baton against his knee, snapped it in two and threw it down. (Ch. 11)

Scout panics because her brother usually keeps his head.  She worries about what Atticus will say or do.  His solution is to send Jem and Scout over to read to Mrs. Dubose every day for a period of time.  She sets an alarm and he reads to her until it goes off.

It is not until later that Jem learns why he was sent there.

I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. (Ch. 11)

Atticus wanted them to understand that there is more to people than there may first seem to be.  The punishment may seem harsh, but it was intended to help Jem get a more nuanced understanding of Mrs. Dubose and why she was acting the way she was.  She was addicted to morphine, and that made her more vicious. 

Atticus wanted Jem and Scout to understand that sometimes people have to fight for what they believe in, because that is what he is doing with Tom Robinson.  It is not always easy, but it is necessary and worth it in the end.  It is a lesson in the complexity of human nature that young Jem needs to learn.

What reassures the boy that he is destined to travel east?

While John is on the journey he feels he is destined to take, he gets several “signs” that he is doing the right thing. These signs are based on superstitions believed by the primitive Hill society in which John lives. John is apprehensive as he takes off on his journey; however, when he sees an eagle flying east, he knows that he is going in the right direction to fulfill his dream of finding the Place of the Gods.  John also sees three deer with a white fawn heading east during his time of meditation and fasting, and he realizes that it is a “holy” sign.  The final sign that John gets is when he kills a panther that attacks the white fawn.  He kills it in one shot and roasts the meat of the panther for his dinner. John also finds a knife and avoids a hunting party of the Forest people.  At this point in the story, John says, “So I knew my magic was strong and my journey clean, in spite of the law.” The gods seem to have provided a way for John to be successful on each step of his journey, and John sees all of these signs as positive for what he wishes to accomplish.

Why did the first colonists come to Virginia?

Virginia was the first permanent English colony in the New World. The English established this colony to pursue financial gain. England was experiencing financial difficulties following many years of war with Spain, and they had used most of their local timber and thus needed fresh lumber. They hoped that establishing a colony in Virginia would provide them with lumber. They also believed they would find vast amounts of gold in the New World, because Spain had been so successful at mining precious metals in South America.

Unfortunately for England, Virginia offered little in the way of precious metals, and many settlers died while searching for gold rather than ensuring the colony's survival. However, the Virginia colonists were eventually successful at planting tobacco, a crop which was in high demand in Europe and thus proved very lucrative for the fledgling colony.

What is Holmes' reaction to the physical description of Vincent Spaulding?

When Sherlock Holmes is listening to Jabez Wilson's complaint, Holmes' keen mind is making assumptions and deductions that never would have occurred to the "not over-bright  pawnbroker." As Holmes tells Watson at the very end of the tale, after the bank-looting has been foiled and the culprits have been taken away:

“...it was perfectly obvious from the first that the only possible object of this rather fantastic business of the advertisement of the League, and the copying of the Encyclopaedia, must be to get this not over-bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number of hours every day."

So Holmes suspects the new assistant of being responsible for the hoax. This is why he asks:

“What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?”

Jabez Wilson describes the assistant as follows:

“Small, stout-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his face, though he's not short of thirty. Has a white splash of acid upon his forehead.”

Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement. “I thought as much,” said he. “Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for ear-rings?”

“Yes, sir. He told me that a gipsy had done it for him when he was a lad.”

One of the characteristics that Arthur Conan Doyle attributes to Sherlock Holmes is that he has a broad knowledge of the criminal class in England. Holmes is not only a genius, but he is an avid collector of information that will be useful to him in his profession as a consulting detective. He depends on his factual knowledge and his extensive files as well as on his great mental powers. He already suspects that such a complicated and ingenious scheme as the Red-Headed League must be the invention of a notorious criminal named John Clay. Wilson's description of his assistant confirms Holmes' suspicion--although Holmes does not divulge this conclusion either to Wilson or to his friend Watson at that time.

Arthur Conan Doyle created his characters to suit his plots. Wilson is described as old, overweight, addicted to tobacco in the form of snuff, apparently suffering from high blood pressure, and slow-witted. These characteristics explain why he fell for the Red-Headed League scam so easily and why he would never venture down the dark, steep stairs into his own cellar to see what Vincent Spaulding was doing. If he had ever done so he could have been murdered and buried in his own cellar.

As far as the description of Vincent Spaulding is concerned, it is useful for him to be "small" because he can dig a narrow tunnel. Being "stout" does not mean fat in his case, but muscular. Being "very quick in his ways" shows he will be able to scramble around easily while digging his tunnel and while he is dragging out the French gold. He is also capable of getting up and down the cellar stairs very quickly whenever the doorbell announces the entrance of a customer.

Holmes already knew a lot about John Clay. He had been trying to apprehend him for years, but Clay had always managed to elude him because he is such an ingenious criminal. Holmes even knew that Clay had his ears pierced for ear-rings. According to Wilson, Clay had had it done when he was "a lad." Clay would never make such a mistake when he was older. The little holes in both ears are identification marks he can't get rid of.

So Holmes displays "considerable excitement" when he realizes that he has been given a golden opportunity to get his hands on the notorious John Clay. He gladly takes on Jabez Wilson as a client, not with any hope of getting him reinstated in the Red-Headed League, but with the intention of getting his hands on Clay at last and preventing him from committing whatever kind of crime he is planning to perpetrate.

How can I find out information about books (plot, conflict, climax, etc.) that my son is reading in 6th grade? He is reading NERDS: M is for Mama's...

There are a number of ways to inform oneself of the contents of a book, in addition to going to a library or book store and perusing it for yourself. In the case of Michael Buckley's young adult novel NERDS: M is for Mama's Boy, researching details of this book is quite easy. As noted, the most obvious way to get information about a book is by picking up a copy. Most book stores include "young adult" sections, where books like those by J.K. Rowling, Robert Kirkman, and many others can be found. In the case of Buckley's book, however, the children's section is where his NERDS series can be located, as these novels are written for younger children than those categorized as "young adults," in effect, teenagers. 

Short of going to a library or book store, one can also research a book online, through websites and retailers like Amazon and goodreads.com. Amazon, in particular, provides professionally-written summaries and reviews as well as reader-provided reviews of the book in question. The link to Amazon's page dedicated to M is for Mama's Boy is provided below. In addition, the Wikipedia entry for Buckley's series of N.E.R.D.S. novels is provided below, and you can read brief "plot synopses" for each of the volumes in the series, and also read the descriptions of each character who appears in the novels. 

Finally, a link is provided below to the federal Library of Congress's National Book Festival discussion of Michael Buckley, who was a featured author during the 2015 event. This website provides a useful interview with Buckley that should help to put your mind at ease with respect to his validity.

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus is too old to participate in which events?

Compared to the other fathers in the neighborhood, Atticus, in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, is old. He is nearly fifty, and his children feel that he is “feeble.” 

“When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness.” (pg 89)

Atticus would play games with the children, but when Jem, who loved football, wanted to play football with him, Atticus would back off and say that he was too old for that. They felt that he didn’t do anything that would lead children to admire him as a father.

“Atticus did not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone.” (pg 89)

He did not do the things that other fathers did.  He did not go hunting or fishing.  He also did not drink or smoke.   He just read a lot.  Even when they got their air guns, their uncle had to teach them how to use them.  Atticus would not. 

When the children tell Miss Maudie how disappointed they are that their father cannot do a lot of things, she tells them that Atticus is very good at certain things. He can write a good will, play a great game of checkers, and play the Jew ’s Harp.  The children are not impressed.  They beat Atticus all the time at checkers.  That is why they are so impressed when Atticus kills the mad dog, and they learn that he has a reputation in the town as “One Shot Finch.” Miss Maudie tells them,

“Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jew’s Harp, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time.” (pg98)

What are some examples of deceptive appearances in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The character who most illustrates that he is really something different from what people think is Boo Radley.  Boo’s existence is surrounded by rumors and myths that Scout and Jem have heard their entire lives.  Supposedly, Boo sneaks around town peering in windows, he eats cats and squirrels, stabs his mother with a pair of scissors, and his breath will freeze flowers.  His reputation is of epic proportions, and, at first, Scout and Jem believe the terrifying stories and rumors about his life.  However, we learn through Boo’s actions that appearances can be deceiving.  He leaves presents for Scout and Jem in the knothole of the tree, he covers Scout with a blanket during Miss Maudie’s fire, and, of course, he saves Jem and Scout’s life at the end of the novel.  He is kind, caring, and loves the children.  He is not the monster the children imagined but a man with problems and issues that we as readers don’t quite understand.

Other examples of how appearances can be deceiving are seen through Mrs. Dubose.  Mrs. Dubose is a symbol of the old, racist South, and her addiction to morphine represents the South’s “addiction” to racism.  Before she dies, she wants to kick her habit.  When we first meet Mrs. Dubose, she calls Atticus a derogatory word for defending Tom Robinson.  Jem is so angry that he destroys her camellia bush with Scout’s baton.  Atticus makes Jem read to Mrs. Dubose as she slowly goes through withdrawals from the effects of her morphine addiction.  In the end, we realize Mrs. Dubose’s strength to change her life before she dies, and her attempts to thank Jem by sending him a camellia flower.  The original characterization of Mrs. Dubose by Harper Lee is different from what the reader ends up believing about her.

Other characters you could put on the list of how appearances can be deceiving are Dolphus Raymond who people think is an alcoholic but isn’t, and Mr. Underwood whose original racist attitudes change when he protects Atticus from the lynch mob and when he writes an editorial supporting Tom Robinson’s innocence.

In Freak the Mighty, why are Grim and Gram so afraid of Max doing something bad?

In chapter one of Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, Maxwell describes his past in daycare and his current pubescent life with Grim and Gram. Back in daycare, when he was about four years old, Max had issues with people trying to hug him. Max's solution to this problem was to kick everyone. With humor, Max says the following:

"I invented games like kick-boxing and kick-knees and kick-faces and kick-teachers and kick-the-other-little-day-care-critters" (1-2).

That might be somewhat normal for young kids as they are going through phases and learning how to get along with others, but because Max's dad is "Killer Kane," Grim and Gram wondered if he would turn out like his father.

Now that he is twelve and physically large compared to kids his age, he is also starting to look more like his father, which scares Grim a little bit. Max even overhears Grim talking to Gram about him and his father in the kitchen one night.

"Grim says that night in the kitchen, the boy is like him, we'd better watch out, you never know what he might do while we're sleeping. Like his father did. And Gram right away shushes him and says don't ever say that. . ." (3-4).

Therefore, Grim and Gram are nervous that Max might do something bad because he was a holy terror in daycare, and now that he's bigger and looking more like his father, they worry that he will do bad things like his father did. This is a perfect example of stereotyping, and worst of all, it's about their own grandson who hasn't grown up with his father to even learn his ways. But, as a literary device, this helps to create mystery and suspense in an effort to build the setting and characterization of the story.

In Call of the Wild, what was the amount of food that was given to the sled dogs?

The incompetent humans do not know that they have too many dogs, so they overfeed and then underfeed them.

Charles and Hal have no idea what they are doing.  To them, it makes sense to have as many dogs as possible tied to the sled so that it can go faster.  Unfortunately, they do not realize that the more dogs you have, the more food you have to have.

In the nature of Arctic travel there was a reason why fourteen dogs should not drag one sled, and that was that one sled could not carry the food for fourteen dogs. But Charles and Hal did not know this. (Ch. 5)

Mercedes feels for the dogs, and wants to give them extra food.  Unfortunately, the combination of feeding the dogs too much and not having enough food to begin with leads the hapless humans to go from overfeeding the dogs to underfeeding them.

Then came the underfeeding. Hal awoke one day to the fact that his dog-food was half gone and the distance only quarter covered; further, that for love or money no additional dog-food was to be obtained. So he cut down even the orthodox ration and tried to increase the day's travel. (Ch. 5)

Thus, while the underfeeding was inevitable, it came much more quickly because they fed the dogs too much at first.  Underfeeding is very dangerous when dogs are running all day and it is freezing cold.

As a sled dog, Buck finds himself facing a long line of cruelty by humans.  It is ironic that Mercedes tries to help the dogs and ends up making things very uncomfortable for them.  Since the humans do not know how much food to pack (or that it is impossible to pack enough food for fourteen dogs), they run out.  Some people always think they know better than the experts.  Charles, Hal and Mercedes just did not take anyone’s advice.

What could be a possible title for Chapter Six in Bud, Not Buddy?

A possible title for Chapter Six in Christopher Paul Curtis' Bud, Not Buddy would be "A Boy Named Clarence." 

In this chapter, Bud wakes up late and has to run all the way to the mission; unfortunately, by the time he gets there the food line has already stretched around two corners and across the street. Bud tries to get in line, but is informed that there will be no more people served food. Bud tries to argue with the man in charge of the food line, but the man pulls a large strap from his pocket, threatening to whip Bud. Bud is saved by a family who pulls Bud towards them by the neck. The tall man who has grabbed him leans over asks him, "Clarence, what took you so long?" He then orders Bud to, "get back in line with your momma." 

These strangers manage to get Bud breakfast by pretending that he's their "son," Clarence. Bud plays along with the role and even manages to get some brown sugar with his oatmeal. It is through their kindness and selflessness that he is able to be fed when he otherwise would have gone hungry. Thus, the title, "A Boy Named Clarence," would refer to the identity that Bud assumes in order to eat. 

What were the top three events that caused the secession of the southern states in 1860?

There were several events that led to the secession of some of the southern states in 1860. One event was the existence of slavery. The southern states wanted slavery to continue to exist. The northern states were becoming more focused on ending slavery. The South believed they had to secede if they wanted slavery to continue.

The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was a key event. The southern states were convinced that Abraham Lincoln was going to end slavery. Even though Abraham Lincoln said he would allow slavery to exist where it already existed if it meant keeping the country unified, the people of the South didn’t believe he would keep that promise. Thus, several states seceded in December 1860 after he won the election.

The reaction of many northerners to John Brown’s failed raid also alarmed the South. Many northerners viewed John Brown as a martyr. The southerners couldn’t believe that a man who broke the law and encouraged a slave revolt would be viewed so positively. This led many southerners to believe they could no longer remain in the Union.

There were many factors that led the southern states to secede from the Union.

In Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," is General Zaroff racist?

General Zaroff is classist and racist.

A racist is a person who considers those of other races inferior.   Zaroff is a racist because he considers people of other races fodder for hunting. A classist is a person who considers people of other classes inferior.  General Zarroff is also a classist because he thinks it is okay to kill poor people, especially sailors.  He feels that they are less valuable than others.

General Zaroff definitely considers himself superior to just about everyone else.  He is rich, and he is smart.  As far as he is concerned, that gives him godlike rights over others.  If he catches you, he can kill you. 

When Rainsford lands on Zaroff’s island, he is surprised to find out that others have been trapped there before.  Zaroff repeatedly captures sailors to use as bait for hunting.  Zaroff explains to Rainsford that he is strong, and they are weak.

“… If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them."

His answer definitely appears racist, and it would be easy to dismiss him as such. However, he also has no qualms about killing Rainsford, who is white.  Zaroff does not mind killing anyone he has in his clutches.

Race is important to Zaroff.  He introduces himself to Rainsford by race.

"Oh, you can trust me," said the Cossack. "I will give you my word as a gentleman and a sportsman. Of course you, in turn, must agree to say nothing of your visit here."

I guess you could say that Zaroff is a killer.  He seems to kill indiscriminately.  He collects and kills sailors, but he also has no problem killing Rainsford. He is a terrible person and a psychopath.  

What are some contrasts between Atticus Finch and Mr. Gilmer in To Kill A Mockingbird?

There are some very sharp contrasts between the two attorneys, Mr. Gilmer and Mr. Atticus Finch, contrasts involving the ethics and the comportment of the two men.

• While both men do their jobs, Mr. Gilmer is not as professional as is Mr. Finch. For instance, after Mr. Gilmer finishes his questioning of Mayella, he says,

"That's all...but you stay there. I expect big bad Mr. Finch has some questions to ask you."

Judge Taylor has to correct Mr. Gilmer to not try to prejudice the witness against counsel for the defense. There is never such a correction made toward Atticus.

• 
  Atticus is more clever than Mr. Gilmer. He asks Mayella questions, but they are not sufficiently irrelevant or immaterial for Mr. Gilmer to object to them. But, subtly Atticus constructs a picture for the jury of the home life of the Ewells in order that they will understand what type of people are accusing the defendant.


• 
  Atticus is always polite to the witnesses, despite how he may be treated by the witnesses, but Mr. Gilmer does not treat Tom Robinson with courtesy when he testifies truthfully. When, for instance, Tom testifies, Mr. Gilmer tries to twist Tom's meanings. For example, when Tom testifies that he "[T]ried to help her...." Mr. Gilmer faces the jury and "smiled grimly" as he says "You're a mighty good fellow, it seems--did all this for not one penny?" Then, when Tom replies ingenuously that he felt sorry for Mayella, Mr. Gilmer exploits this moment by acting as though Tom has felt himself superior to the white Mayella Ewell:"You felt sorry for her?" Further, he taunts Tom who says he ran from the Ewell house after Bob arrived, "Were you so scared that she'd hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you?" Often he call Tom "boy," as well.  

In Fahrenheit 451, what page was Christ described as being only used for commercial purposes?

In Part Two: "The Sieve and the Sand," on page 77 of the Simon & Schuster edition of Fahrenheit 451, Christ is described as being only used for commercial purposes. During a conversation between Montag and Faber, Faber notices that Montag is holding a copy of the Holy Bible. Faber looks at in wonder and asks to hold it. While Faber is holding the Bible, he mentions that it has been a long time since he's seen or held one. Faber comments that they've changed Christianity in the parlors, and he says that Christ is "one of the 'family' now" (Bradbury 77). Faber wonders if God even recognizes his Son because of the way the media has portrayed Jesus Christ. He tells Montag that the media portrays Christ to be a caricature, covered in sugar and candy, that advertises various commercial products. In Bradbury's dystopian society, the media has taken Christianity's Savior and used his image to market products to the public.

What might be a good title for a paper on food stylists or food photography?

Food is having a cultural moment. Of course, food has always been integral and essential to living, but American culture has recently become extensively interested in food as a hobby and artistic pursuit. Consequently, professions like food photography and food styling have become a popular and viable career choice. Yet, what does the proliferation of "foodie" culture suggest about American culture? Think about how these professions represent changes in culture. These thoughts will develop into an argument that can help you set up a lengthy and thoughtful paper. While I do not want to write your title for you, here are some good questions to get you started in a helpful direction:

• How does food photography resemble other forms of photography that are more traditional?


• Does food styling relate to other forms of styling, such as model styling and hair styling?


• Why is America obsessed with foodie culture?


• Is it irresponsible to fetishize food during climate change and farming droughts?

Good luck!

How was Reconstruction a failure?

Some historians would argue that, by some measures, Reconstruction was a success. The most famous historian of Reconstruction, Eric Foner, has called it an "unfinished revolution" in a book by that title. Where Reconstruction failed was in establishing a permanent foundation for black political, social, and especially economic equality in the South. On the last point, even most of Reconstruction's most radical boosters did not envision that black families would be the beneficiaries of land reform in the post-Civil War South. Most thought that freedmen would become "free labor," and work for white people for wages or in some other arrangement. What happened is that most African-Americans, for lack of other options, entered into sharecropping or tenant arrangements with white landowners. This trapped them in a cycle of debt and rural poverty that lasted more than a century in many regions. 

Politically, serious efforts were made to establish and maintain voting rights for black men, but these efforts faltered in the face of organized white resistance. White "redeemer" governments began to retake control of Southern states as early as 1870, and the governments they established (with some notable exceptions) were for and by white men. Over time, enthusiasm for enforcing Reconstruction's mandates for equality faded. White organizations like the Ku Klux Klan made it possible for "Bourbon" Democrats to reestablish white supremacy in the South just a few years after the war that had fought to end slavery. "Race riots" and lynchings throughout the South terrorized black men, who found going to the polls to vote a "radical" ticket a dangerous proposition.

Many of the black institutions--churches, schools, associations, etc.--born during Reconstruction would survive, but they represented the only real outlets for African-American public life as Reconstruction came to an end. In less than two decades after Reconstruction, Southern states established Jim Crow laws, cementing in place a rigid form of segregation and white supremacy that made a mockery of the idealism of Reconstruction.

Describe each of the five characters Mitty daydreams himself to be.

As the story begins, Walter is in the middle of a daydream. He is the commander of a hydroplane. His lieutenant warns him that the conditions are too harsh but Walter (Commander) shows daring and bravery and orders them to go ahead. His wife wakes him out of this daydream by scolding him for driving too fast.

In his next daydream, Walter is a famous surgeon. Two specialists are working on a millionaire banker who happens to be friends with Roosevelt. They are apprehensive about operating so they turn it over to Walter. He is brought out of this daydream by the parking lot attendant.

In the next dream, he is an overconfident defendant in a murder trial.

Next, he is a supremely brave pilot who downs a lot of brandy before he takes off to fly "forty kilometers through hell."

Finally, after some more scolding from his wife, Walter stands against he wall of the drug store. He dreams of facing a firing squad. Again, he exhibits unshakable confidence in the face of danger. He is "inscrutable to the last." This means that he is mysterious, hard to read, and certainly hard to comprehend how he could be so brave (in his dreams).

What is a good topic sentence related to the human condition and based on Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

When looking for evidence of the human condition, look for themes that permeate the story. Themes help to shed light on what is being learned or experienced by the characters. Since To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story (or bildungsroman) look for themes centered around Scout or Jem maturing, losing or building their faith in humanity, or discovering something new that they hadn't noticed before. There are so many different episodes in the novel, that many of these themes happen again and again until a resolution is found. For example, Scout is an overalls-wearing, fighting tomboy at the beginning of the book, but she is a practicing little lady in a dress by the end of it. The events in between both images of Scout help her to learn, grow, and develop just like most people go through in life. This is a human condition that most girls can relate to--often called a rite of passage. 

Topic sentences are usually found at the beginning of a paragraph. It is the sentence that guides the paragraph's thought. An essay, though, is led by a thesis statement which every paragraph thereafter must discuss in detail and with examples. If you are writing an essay on the human condition in To Kill a Mockingbird, first discover your thesis statement and then the topic sentences for the following paragraphs should follow in a systematic and organized way. Examples are provided below:

Thesis:  Scout Finch develops from an overall-wearing, fighting tomboy to a well-mannered dress-wearing lady in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

Topic Sentence P1: Scout wears overalls in the summer because they are comfortable and they are easier to wear while playing with boys in the neighborhood.

Topic Sentence P2: Aunt Alexandra later comes to live with Scout's family and she pressures her to wear more dresses and act like a lady.

Topic Sentence P3: By the end of the book, Scout shows how she has matured by serving ladies at Aunt Alexandra's tea-parties while wearing a pretty dress.

The rest of these paragraphs would provide details, insights and textual evidence to support the topic sentences. 

`u = -6i - 3j, v = -8i + 4j` Find the angle theta between the vectors.

The angle between two vectors u and v is given by;

`costheta = (u.v)/(|u||v|)`

u.v represent the vector dot product and |u| and |v| represents the magnitude of vectors.

We know that in unit vectors;

`ixxi = jxxj = 1 and ixxj = jxxi = 0`

`u = -6i-3j`

`v = -8i+4j`

`u.v = (-6)xx(-8)+(-3)xx4 = 36`

`|u| = sqrt((-6)^2+(-3)^2) = sqrt(45)`

`|v| = sqrt((-8)^2+4^2) = sqrt80`

The angle between vectors is given by;

`costheta = 36/((sqrt45)(sqrt80))`

`theta = cos^(-1)(36/sqrt(3600))`

`theta = 53.13 deg`

So the angle between two vectors is 53.13 deg

Why didn't the conspirators want Cicero to join them?

The conspirators do not want to let Cicero in on their plot to assassinate Julius Caesar because Cicero apparently is a poor follower. In Act II, Scene 1, Cassius suggests that Cicero be included. Casca, Cinna, and Metellus support that idea. They believe that he and his "silver hairs / Will purchase us a good / opinion." His positive reputation with the people of Rome will help to support the decision to murder Caesar. The conspirators recognize the inevitable backlash that will follow their killing of such a celebrated man, and they need all of the help they can get to combat the uproar they will cause. However, Brutus protests the inclusion of Cicero in their scheme. He states:

O, name him not; let us not break with him,
For he will never follow anything
That other men begin.

This means that Cicero is bad at following the orders of other men. "He will never follow anything / That other men begin" is another way of saying that Cicero wants to be in charge of everything that he is a part of. His inability to be a follower instead of a leader will make him a bad part of their plan and might cause unnecessary problems in the execution. 

What is the tone of Langston Hughes's poem "Dreams"?

The term tone is defined as the author's attitude "toward a subject or an audience" ("Tone," Literary Devices). We can detect multiple tones in Langston Hughes's short poem "Dream."

Since Hughes opens with a command for his audience, as we see in the phrase "[h]old fast," we can say that the first attitude he takes toward his audience is didactic, meaning instructive. He is very serious about teaching his audience his wisdom concerning holding on to their dreams thereby encouraging his audience.

Hughes's poem is also filled with images of death such as the "broken-winged bird" that will surely die because it cannot survive without the ability to fly and the "barren field" that is not producing crops because it is dead, suffocated beneath the freezing cold snow. Since an underlying subject of his poem is civil injustices, his use of death images show he fully understands the pain his audience has endured at the hands of civil injustices due to racial prejudices. Therefore, his words also express a sorrowful tone felt concerning the subject of civil injustices. Yet, at the same time, since he speaks of the ability to "[h]old fast to dreams," he also expresses a vaguely optimistic tone that further expresses his earnest desire for African Americans to not let their dreams of freedom die.

In Lois Lowry's The Giver, from whose point of view is the story narrated?

Lois Lowry's The Giver is written in the 3rd person Limited Omniscient point of view. This means that the narrator sees the story unfold through the eyes of the protagonist. However, if a story is written without this limitation, it is called 3rd person Omniscient point of view, which gives the narrator more freedom to tell the story from multiple characters' perspectives. In the limited version, though, the narrator can only tell the story from one perspective, unless of course the author decides to cheat a little and expands to other characters. Additionally, the limited omniscient view is closely related to the 1st person point of view where the protagonist narrates the story using words such as "I" and "we". In fact, many might think at first that The Giver is written in 1st person because of how well Lowry sticks to Jonas's perspective throughout the novel and provides wonderful 1st person-type descriptions of his experiences. The following is an example of colorful descriptions as written in the 3rd person Limited Omniscient view:

"Jonas learned, through the memories, the names of colors; and now he began to see them all, in his ordinary life (thought he knew it was ordinary no longer, and would never be again). But they didn't last. There would be a glimpse of green--the landscaped lawn around the Central Plaza; a bush on the riverbank. The bright orange of pumpkins being trucked in from the agricultural fields beyond the community boundaries--seen in an instant, the flash of brilliant color, but gone again, returning to their flat and hueless shade" (97).

I need to write a speech on the following topic: Your village improvement society has raised a large sum of money to bring either electricity or a...

Obviously, both of these projects would be extremely beneficial for your community. Your first step in writing your speech would be to do some research on which of the two projects has the most merit.

On the one hand, we can live without electricity, but we cannot live without our health. On the other hand, electricity has immediate local benefits, while it may be possible to access health care in a neighboring village. If transportation to a neighboring village is frequent, affordable, and convenient, electricity seems to be the better choice, but if most villagers would need to travel for more than a few hours to access health care, then the health center seems the better choice.

Whichever project you choose, you should start out by capturing the goodwill of your audience by praising their money raising efforts and thanking the people who have contributed. Your next section should acknowledge that both projects have merits and that the real goal of the community is to pick one to complete first with the hope that eventually the village will have both.

Next, you should outline the major benefits of the project you favor, giving a list of both the benefits it will bring and the problems it will solve.  After that, you should give some evidence why the village needs your first choice now but can wait for the other. 

You should conclude with a call to action, suggesting that it is now time to honor the hard work of fundraising by making the dream of one of these benefits a reality. 

In the poem, "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now" what is the present age of the poet and what is the earlier one?

In A. E. Housman’s poem “Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now,” the narrator is 20 years old at the time of narration.  There is no earlier age given.

There are three numbers mentioned in this poem, but only one of them is actually an age that the narrator is or has been.  The three numbers are 70 (also stated as threescore and ten), 20, and 50.  The narrator says

Now, of my threescore years and ten, / Twenty will not come again,

Please note, however, that this does not mean that the narrator is now 70 years old.  When he (presumably, though there is nothing to indicate the sex of the narrator other than that Housman was male) says this, he is alluding to the biblical saying that human beings are given 70 years of life.  So “my threescore years and ten” refers to the 70 years that he is expected to live.  Of those 70 years, “twenty will not come again,” meaning that he has lived 20 years.

The poem then refers to 50 springs.  If the narrator has 70 years of life and has lived 20 of them, he has 50 years left.  All of this goes to show that the narrator’s “present age” is 20 years old and there is no “earlier one.”

Your total payment on a 4 year loan, which charged 10.1 % simple interest, amounted to $ 46200. How much did you originally borrow?

The total amount paid is $46,200; the interest rate is 10.1%; the time is 4 years. We are asked to find the original loan amount.

The original loan amount we will designate as P (for principal). The interest rate, R, is 10.1% or .101. The length of the loan is 4 years. We are told that we are charged simple interest -- we assume the interest rate is a yearly rate and the interest is applied yearly.

Then the total amount paid is the principle plus the intereste. The interest is calculated as I=PRT where P is the principal, R is the interest rate per period, and T is the number of periods. (Usually the rate is an annual rate, and T is the number of years.)

Thus 46200=P+PRT
46200=P(1+RT) Now substitute R=.101 and T=4 to get:

46200=P(1.404)
`P~~32905.98 `

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The original loan amount was $32905.98

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are possible complications: we assumed no payments. (Some loans are structured this way; no payments or reduced payments are made for some period of time when the balance becomes due. This is called a balloon payment.)

Do plants remove waste?

Any living organism must be able to excrete wastes or the build up of those materials could be harmful or deadly. Wastes form as a result of metabolic activities--the sum total of all chemical reactions that occur in the body of an organism. Plants are alive and must remove metabolic wastes or they would die.

Plants produce the wastes carbon dioxide and water due to aerobic cellular respiration. Their leaves contain stomates which allow the diffusion of wastes out of the plant and into the environment. Some of the water vapor is excreted by the stomates in a process called transpiration. Some of the water can be reused as a reactant during the light reaction of photosynthesis. Also, the carbon dioxide can be reused as a starting material for the light independent reaction (Calvin Cycle) during photosynthesis to be fixed as an organic compound--ultimately a sugar called G3P. This sugar can be used to build more complex carbohydrates or other organic compounds needed by the plant.

During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water combine within the leaf cells, and with the addition of light, produce the products sugar, oxygen and ATP. The oxygen is a waste product. The G3P plants produce during photosynthesis can be used in the synthesis of glucose. The glucose can later be used as a fuel by the plant during respiration as a chemical energy source used to generate ATP. However, the waste product oxygen will be released and excreted into the environment as it exits the plant's stomates. 

Plants can also use their root systems to remove metabolic wastes and excrete these into the soil. Some waste products can be stored in vacuoles, or in special cells in stems, leaves or barks. Plants also have lenticels which can allow the removal of wastes through tiny openings in the stem by the process of diffusion. In a cross section of a woody stem, some parts contain older, dead cells which is another area for waste storage known as the heart wood. Saps containing wastes can sometimes be released through various parts of the plant including its leaves.

I have included a link to a power point illustrating methods of waste removal in plants.

What is the evidence of Bud never giving up in Bud, Not Buddy?

One theme running through the novel is that of never giving up. This theme became Bud's mantra partly because of a saying his mother told him. The author writes that Bud's mother always said that when one door closes, another door opens. This saying reflects the attitude of his mother and it was instilled in Bud.

Throughout the story, Bud never gives up the quest to locate the man he believes is his father. With each obstacle placed in his way, Bud lives the quote he heard repeated by his mother, and moved on looking for the next open door.

When Bud was placed in a new foster home where he was mistreated, he managed to get away and find a familiar resource, the library. Once he realized the librarian had moved, he followed a friend to a new location, a shanty town where he attempted to get on a train out of town to find his father. This did not work out, so Bud set out walking. However, a man picked him up, fed him and eventually got Bud to the place where the man he believed was his father, Calloway, was playing with his band. Bud never gave up believing that Calloway would accept him as his own. Through Bud's persistence in getting to know Calloway, he finds that he is his grandson, not his son. Bud finds a new home with his grandfather.