Stuart Davis, American Modernist Painter

Stuart Davis, American Modernist Painter Stuart Davis (1892-1964) was a prominent American modernist painter. He began working in the realist Ashcan School style, but exposure to European modernist painters in the Armory Show led to a distinctive personal modernist style that influenced the later development of pop art. Fast Facts: Stuart Davis Occupation: PainterMovement: Abstract art, modernism, cubismBorn: December 7, 1892 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDied: June 24, 1964 in New York, New YorkParents: Helen Stuart Foulke and Edward Wyatt DavisSpouses: Bessie Chosak (died 1932), Roselle SpringerChild: George Earle DavisSelected Works: Lucky Strike (1921), Swing Landscape (1938), Deuce (1954)Notable Quote: I dont want people to copy Matisse or Picasso, although it is entirely proper to admit their influence. I dont make paintings like theirs. I make paintings like mine. Early Life and Education The son of sculptor Helen Stuart Foulke and newspaper art editor Edward Wyatt Davis, Stuart Davis grew up surrounded by visual art. He developed a serious interest in drawing by age sixteen and started illustrating adventure stories for his younger brother, Wyatt. Davis family moved from his childhood home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey, where he got to know a group of his fathers artist colleagues known as the Eight. This group included Robert Henri, George Luks, and Everett Shinn. Bar House, Newark (1913). Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Stuart Davis began his formal art training as a student of Robert Henri, who became the leader of the Ashcan School, an American art movement known for focusing on painting scenes of daily life in New York City. They took much of their inspiration from Walt Whitmans poetry in Leaves of Grass. The Armory Show In 1913, Davis was one of the youngest artists featured in the groundbreaking Armory Show, the first extensive exhibition of modern art in the U.S. First showing at New Yorks 69th Regiment Armory, the exhibition then traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago and Copley Society of Art in Boston. The Mellow Pad (1951). Brooklyn Museum / Wikimedia Commons While Stuart Davis exhibited realist paintings in the Ashcan style, he studied the works of European modernist artists included in the exhibition, from Henri Matisse to Pablo Picasso. After the Armory Show, Davis became a dedicated modernist. He took cues from the cubist movement in Europe to move toward a more abstract style of painting. Colorful Abstraction Stuart Davis mature style of painting began to develop in the 1920s. He became friends with other influential American artists including Charles Demuth and Arshile Gorky as well as poet William Carlos Williams. His work began with realistic elements but he then abstracted them with bright colors and geometrical edges. Davis also painted in series, making his work parallel to musical variations on a theme. Swing Landscape (1938). Robert Alexander / Getty Images In the 1930s, Davis painted murals for the Federal Art Project, a program of the Works Progress Administration. One of those, the monumental painting Swing Landscape shows the style of Stuart Davis in full flower. He began with a depiction of the waterfront of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and then added the energy of the jazz and swing music he loved. The result is a highly personal explosion of color and geometrical forms. By the 1950s, Davis work evolved to a focus on lines and a style influenced by drawing. The painting Deuce is an example of the shift. Gone was the cacophony of bright colors. In its place was a lively set of vibrant lines and shapes still echoing lessons learned from the European cubism of the early 20th century. Later Career After he established himself as a vital member of the New York avant-garde painting scene of the mid-20th century, Stuart Davis began teaching. He worked at the Art Students League, the New School for Social Search, and then Yale University. As an instructor, Davis directly influenced a new generation of American artists. Nightlife (1962). Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons 2.0 Although his late-career work continued to incorporate abstract elements, Stuart Davis never moved completely away from referencing real life. He rejected the abstract expressionism that dominated the American art world of the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Davis health quickly declined until he suffered a stroke in 1964 and passed away. His death came just as art critics saw the influence of his work in a new movement, pop art. Legacy Deuce (1954). Andreas Solaro / Getty Images One of Stuart Davis most lasting contributions was his ability to take lessons learned from European movements in painting and create a distinctly American twist on the ideas. His bold, graphical paintings contain echoes of the work of Fauvists like Henri Matisse and the cubist experiments of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. However, the end product finds inspiration in American life and architecture, a factor that makes Davis work unique. Pop artists Andy Warhol and David Hockney celebrated Stuart Davis blending of content from commercial advertisements with the shapes of everyday objects that he first depicted in the 1920s. Today, many art historians consider Davis work to be proto-pop art. Source Haskell, Barbara. Stuart Davis: In Full Swing. Prestel, 2016.

Technological society Essays

Technological society Essays Technological society Essay Technological society Essay Critically assess the contention that the introduction of new technologies into an organisation inevitably leads to deskilling. Although the deskilling debate only started in 1974, when Harry Bravermans thesis, Labour and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century was published, the causes for the argument had begun many years earlier, in the 1890s with the introduction of F. W Taylors ideas for reorganising work. Braverman (1920-1976) was a sheet metal worker, and a member of the American Communist party. It was his background in skilled trades that allowed him to analyse the changes that were taking place. As it was Braverman that first came up with the theory of deskilling, it is his definition that should be considered. His definition says that: skill represents the central asset possessed by workers, and that modern capitalist systems of work design, like Taylorism, degrade or deskill work, as a means of controlling and cheapening it. (Braverman, 1974). This Marxist analysis was a direct challenge to the long accepted views and implemented methods of Taylor. Braverman also argued that new technologies play a vital role in deskilling, and by working on new technologies workers build for themselves more modern, more scientific, more dehumanised prisons of labour. Taylor was an American engineer, who developed the idea of Scientific Management over 100 years ago. His principles of organising and controlling work recommended to managers that complex tasks needed to be split up into the maximum number of subtasks possible (Fincham Rhodes, 2005). There were other recommendations given by Taylor, namely the divorce of conception from execution. This told managers that All possible brainwork should be removed from the shop and centred in the planning or laying out department (Braverman 1974:113) It was this that Braverman heavily criticised, and so it must be looked at how the introduction of new technologies could cause this to happen. One of the best known and earliest examples of Taylorism in practice in the workplace is at General Motors plants at the start of the last century. By using Taylors methods, and introducing the assembly line, output increased from 8,700 in 1906 to 34,000 in 1911, 300,000 in 1914, rising to 1.9 million in 1923. (Tolliday Zeitlin, 1992) These massive increases in production came without the use of skilled labour, by 1914, over half the workforce were Southern and Eastern European immigrants, many of whom had no relevant experience, and spoke little or no English (Meyer, 1981). It would therefore seem like the introduction of new technology that caused the giant increases in output did not affect all workers in terms of deskilling, the majority of workers would probably have become more skilled due to their employment. However, labour turnover was at 370% and 71% of these workers left within their first week. These workers were probably most likely to be the unskilled immigrant workers that did not have the reliance on their wages that American workers had for their families. Therefore perhaps deskilling was less prominent than it would first seem due to the introduction of new technology and the assembly line. However, we must also consider why labour turnover was so high at Fords production plants in the early 1910s. Assembly line work is notoriously boring, partly due to the removal of creativity and craft from the workers, which much have been demoralising as these workers had initially been employed for having these qualities. Therefore, the high labour turnover experienced may have been due to workers leaving due to the deskilling that was evidently in existence, and them moving to other production industries that had not yet implemented new technologies. There are also recent examples of the introduction of new technologies into an organisation causing deskilling. In the field of law, in the past lawyers were expected to have a broad knowledge of the law, but today this is not possible due to the volume of legal material that is produced (Webb, 1996). Today, IT takes a much bigger role in a lawyers position, due to the changes in legal practice that have happened due to the technology that was not in existence 10 years ago. Due to the increase in IT, jobs that once required highly skilled employees can now be carried out by less qualified workers (Onwusah, 1997). So again we can see that deskilling has been caused due to the introduction of new technologies. It is important to consider the choice of new technology that is brought into an organisation to see whether it will lead to deskilling. As has been seen in the previous examples, the introduction of the assembly line in motor vehicle manufacturing and the introduction of IT into the practice of law and other professional industries, new technology has caused and created deskilling. However, in some circumstances deskilling would not be caused, but reskilling would occur. In order for new technology to be implemented in an organisation, employees need to have the skills in order to use the equipment. Through training, workers can learn new skills, which are more relevant in todays technological world. A clear example of reskilling can be seen in the field of design. In the past the drawing of plans was very time consuming and required great precision, if points were just 1mm wrong then the whole plan would have to be started again. Now, due to the introduction of Computer Aided Design (CAD) these workers have not only become reskilled, they can use their existing skills in addition to learning new techniques. Employees in this field still need their precision skills, for example when using graphics tablets, but will also gain skills in using the relevant software. This evidence would tend to suggest that the contention that the introduction of new technology into organisations leads to deskilling was incorrect, and that it would depend on what type of technology was introduced. If technology completely takes over a persons role in a company, or takes away the employees need to have particular skills then deskilling is likely to happen, on the other hand if the introduction of new technology can work alongside employees in order to assist and aid them in their work then reskilling is more likely to occur. The type of organisation that the new technology is to be brought into is also an important factor in deciding whether deskilling will be caused. As we have already seen, in the production of motor vehicles deskilling is caused by new technologies. This can also be seen in other secondary sector organisations, for example the textile industry. In the past everything would be sewn by hand, requiring much skill, whereas from the middle of the 19th century technology was introduced, reducing the need for skilled workers, and deskilling those already in the industry. However, if we look at tertiary sector organisations reskilling is probably more likely. In the medical profession, workers at all levels in an organisation are likely to have gained more skills due to the introduction of new technologies than becoming deskilled. At the lowest level, for example a receptionist in a GP surgery, records are now stored electronically as well as on paper, increasing the complexity of their work. Looking at a higher level, a GP still has to go through years of training to become fully qualified, and now also has to be computer literate, for example in order to produce prescriptions and use diagnostic software. In addition to this, developments in the technologies available to surgeons have meant that much more skilled operations can be carried out, which in turn has increased the skill requirements required to perform operations. On the other hand, if we look at another service occupation, the field of banking, obvious deskilling has taken place. A bank clerk was once a highly regarded profession, requiring years of training. However, today the banks have reduced their qualification requirements for recruits. This is due to the computer age, as all transactions can now be carried out electronically, removing the skills that were once required. It cannot therefore be said that the introduction of new technology will always lead to deskilling in an organisation, each individual situation would need to be looked at separately in order to decide upon this. As it has so far been difficult to quantify whether new technologies will lead to deskilling or not, it is helpful to look at and consider any research that has been carried out on this subject. Data from the Swedish Level of Living surveys that were carried out between 1968 and 1991 by a group at the Swedish Institute for Social Research is probably one of the most important tools available when looking at deskilling due to the introduction of new technology. The surveys had a sample size of around 3,000 people, who were in employment and of working age. The differences between classes of jobs is shown to be important when looking at whether deskilling takes place. This can be seen from the diagrams on the next page, produced using results from the survey. Diagrams from (Jonsson, 1998:614). As we can see from these charts, there is a mixture of deskilling and upskilling, which can be related to the social class of work. For both sets of data, the two social classes that have obviously been upskilled are W4, which is lower grade white collar workers, including typists and B2, which is unskilled manual workers, including assemblers and cleaners. This is also supported by other works, for example The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, which claims that blue collar work has been upgraded through automation and technical development (Bell, 1973). On the other hand if we take the class of W1, which is the upper service class, including engineers, employees opinions are that this field has been deskilled due to the introduction of new technology, supporting the contention. However, data is only available up to 1991, and if a survey were to be carried out today then I would expect due to the massive increase in information technology over the past 15 years that peoples opinions would have changed to that of upskilling. Bravermans thesis on deskilling suggested that due to the degradation of work from the introduction of new technology, employees became bored in their role. However, the Swedish research seems to oppose this, as can be seen from the table below: (Jonsson, 1998:613) Over the time period, for both men and women, the percentage of monotonous content in jobs has decreased, suggesting again that there has been a general upskilling of jobs, contesting Bravermans views. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that this is a general trend, and that some lower level white collar workers may experience deskilling, due to the impact that the introduction of new technologies has on their roles. Finally the idea that the introduction of new technologies into an organisation will inevitably lead to deskilling must be considered. Few things can ever be certain to happen, and from the evidence that we have seen, deskilling is probably unlikely to occur in todays ever expanding technological society. In conclusion, it would seem that the contention that the introduction of new technologies into an organisation inevitably leads to deskilling is incorrect, and each individual situation needs to be looked at in order to see if the contention can be proved, however it would appear as the world gains a greater reliance on technology, skills are not being decreased, but the type of skills required is changing.

The 21 Hardest ACT Math Questions Ever

The 21 Hardest ACT Math Questions Ever SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve studied and now you’re geared up for the ACT math section (whoo!). But are you ready to take on the most challenging math questions the ACT has to offer? Do you want to know exactly why these questions are so hard and how best to go about solving them? If you’ve got your heart set on that perfect score (or you’re just really curious to see what the most difficult questions will be), then this is the guide for you. We’ve put together what we believe to be the most 21 most difficult questions the ACT has given to students in the past 10 years, with strategies and answer explanations for each. These are all real ACT math questions, so understanding and studying them is one of the best ways to improve your current ACT score and knock it out of the park on test day. Brief Overview of the ACT Math Section Like all topic sections on the ACT, the ACT math section is one complete section that you will take all at once. It will always be the second section on the test and you will have 60 minutes to completed 60 questions. The ACT arranges its questions in order of ascending difficulty.As a general rule of thumb, questions 1-20 will be considered â€Å"easy,† questions 21-40 will be considered â€Å"medium-difficulty,† and questions 41-60 will be considered â€Å"difficult.† The way the ACT classifies â€Å"easy† and â€Å"difficult† is by how long it takes the average student to solve a problem as well as the percentage of students who answer the question correctly. The faster and more accurately the average student solves a problem, the â€Å"easier† it is. The longer it takes to solve a problem and the fewer people who answer it correctly, the more â€Å"difficult† the problem. (Note: we put the words â€Å"easy† and â€Å"difficult† in quotes for a reason- everyone has different areas of math strength and weakness, so not everyone will consider an â€Å"easy† question easy or a â€Å"difficult† question difficult. These categories are averaged across many students for a reason and not every student will fit into this exact mold.) All that being said, with very few exceptions, the most difficult ACT math problems will be clustered in the far end of the test. Besides just their placement on the test, these questions share a few other commonalities. We'll take a look at example questions and how to solve them and at what these types of questions have in common, in just a moment. But First: Should YouBe Focusing on the Hardest Math Questions Right Now? If you’re just getting started in your study prep, definitely stop and make some time to take a full practice test to gauge your current score level and percentile. The absolute best way to assess your current level is to simply take the ACT as if it were real, keeping strict timing and working straight through (we know- not the most thrilling way to spend four hours, but it will help tremendously in the long run). So print off one of the free ACT practice tests available online and then sit down to take it all at once. Once you’ve got a good idea of your current level and percentile ranking, you can set milestones and goals for your ultimate ACT score. If you’re currently scoring in the 0-16 or 17-24 range, your best best is to first check out our guides on using the key math strategies of plugging in numbers and plugging in answers to help get your score up to where you want it to. Only once you've practiced and successfully improved your scores on questions 1-40 should you start in trying to tackle the most difficult math problems on the test. If, however, you are already scoring a 25 or above and want to test your mettle for the real ACT, then definitely proceed to the rest of this guide. If you’re aiming for perfect (or close to), then you’ll need to know what the most difficult ACT math questions look like and how to solve them. And luckily, that’s exactly what we’re here for. Ready, set... 21 Hardest ACT Math Questions Now that you're positive that you should be trying out these difficult math questions, let’s get right to it! The answers to these questions are in a separate section below, so you can go through them all at once without getting spoiled. #1: #2: #3: #4: #5: #6: #7: #8: #9: #10: #11: #12: #13: #14: #15: #16: #17: #18: #19: #20: #21: Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Answers: 1. K, 2. E, 3. J, 4. K, 5. B, 6. H, 7. A, 8. J, 9. F, 10. E, 11. D, 12. F, 13. D, 14. F, 15. C, 16. C, 17. D, 18. G, 19. H, 20. A, 21. K Answer Explanations #1: The equation we are given ($−at^2+bt+c$) is a parabola and we are told to describe what happens when we change c (the y-intercept). From what we know about functions and function translations, we know that changing the value of c will shift the entire parabola upwards or downwards, which will change not only the y-intercept (in this case called the "h intercept"), but also the maximum height of the parabola as well as its x-intercept (in this case called the t intercept). You can see this in action when we raise the value of the y-intercept of our parabola. Options I, II, and III are all correct. Our final answer is K, I, II, and III #2: First let us set up the equation we are told- that the product of $c$ and $3$ is $b$. $3c=b$ Now we must isolate c so that we can add its value to 3. $3c=b$ $c=b/3$ Finally, let us add this value to 3. $c+3={b/3}+3$ Our final answer is E, $b/3+3$ [Note: Because this problem uses variables in both the problem and in the answer choices- a key feature of a PIN question- you can always use the strategy of plugging in numbers to solve the question.] #3: Because this question uses variables in both the problem and in the answer choices, you can always use PIN to solve it. Simply assign a value for x and then find the corresponding answer in the answer choices. For this explanation, however, we’ll be using algebra. First, distribute out one of your x’s in the denominator. ${x+1}/{(x)(x^2−1)}$ Now we can see that the $(x^2−1)$ can be further factored. ${x+1}/{(x)(x−1)(x+1)}$ We now have two expressions of $(x+1)$, one on the numerator and one on the denominator, which means we can cancel them out and simply put 1 in the numerator. $1/{x(x−1)}$ And once we distribute the x back in the denominator, we will have: $1/{x^2−x}$ Our final answer is J, $1/{x^2−x}$. #4: Before doing anything else, make sure you convert all your measurements into the same scale. Because we are working mainly with inches, convert the table with a 3 foot diameter into a table with a $(3)(12)=(36)$ inch diameter. Now, we know that the tablecloth must hang an additional $5+1$ inches on every side, so our full length of the tablecloth, in any straight line, will be: $1+5+36+5+1=48$ inches. Our final answer is K, 48. #5: The position of the a values (in front of the sine and cosine) means that they determine the amplitude (height) of the graphs. The larger the a value, the taller the amplitude. Since each graph has a height larger than 0, we can eliminate answer choices C, D, and E. Because $y_1$ is taller than $y_2$, it means that $y_1$ will have the larger amplitude. The $y_1$ graph has an amplitude of $a_1$ and the $y_2$ graph has an amplitude of $a_2$, which means that $a_1$ will be larger than $a_2$. Our final answer is B, $0 a_2 a_1$. #6: If you remember your trigonometry shortcuts, you know that $1−{cos^2}x+{cos^2}x=1$. This means, then, that ${sin^2}x=1−{cos^2}x$ (and that ${cos^2}x=1−{sin^2}x$). So we can replace our $1−{cos^2}x$ in our first numerator with ${sin^2}x$. We can also replace our $1−{sin^2}x$ in our second numerator with ${cos^2}x$. Now our expression will look like this: ${√{sin^2}x}/{sinx}+{√{cos^2}x}/{cosx}$ We also know that the square root of a value squared will cancel out to be the original value alone (for example,$√{2^2}=2$), so our expression will end up as: $={sinx}/{sinx}+{cosx}/{cosx}$ Or, in other words: $=1+1$ $=2$ Our final answer is H, 2. #7: We know from working with nested functions that we must work inside out. So we must use the equation for the function g(x) as our input value for function $f(x)$. $f(g(x))=7x+b$ Now we know that this function passes through coordinates (4, 6), so let us replace our x and y values for these givens. (Remember: the name of the function- in this case $f(g(x))$- acts as our y value). $6=7(4)+b$ $36=7(4)+b$ $36=28+b$ $8=b$ Our final answer is A, b=8. #8: If you’ve brushed up on your log basics, you know that $log_b(m/n)=log_b(m)−log_b(n)$. This means that we can work this backwards and convert our first expression into: $log_2(24)-log_2(3)=log_2(24/3)$ $=log_2(8)$ We also know that a log is essentially asking: "To what power does the base need to raised in order to achieve this certain value?" In this particular case, we are asking: "To which power must 2 be raised to equal 8?" To which the answer is 3. $(2^3=8)$, so $log_2(8)=3$ Now this expression is equal to $log_5(x)$, which means that we must also raise our 5 to the power of 3 in order to achieve x. So: $3=log_5(x)$ $5^3=x$ $125=x$ Our final answer is J, 125. #9: Once we’ve slogged through the text of this question, we can see that we are essentially being asked to find the largest value of the square root of the sum of the squares of our coordinate points $√(x^2+y^2)$. So let us estimate what the coordinate points are of our $z$s. Because we are working with squares, negatives are not a factor- we are looking for whichever point has the largest combination of coordinate point, since a negative square will be a positive. At a glance, the two points with the largest coordinates are $z_1$ and $z_5$. Let us estimate and say that $z_1$ looks to be close to coordinates $(-4, 5)$, which would give us a modulus value of: $√{−4^2+5^2}$ $√{16+25}$ 6.4 Point $z_5$ looks to be a similar distance along the x-axis in the opposite direction, but is considerably lower than point $z_1$. This would probably put it around $(4, 2)$, which would give us a modulus value of: $√{4^2+2^2}$ $√{16+4}$ 4.5 The larger (and indeed largest) modulus value is at point $z_1$ Our final answer is F, $z_1$. #10: For a problem like this, you may not know what a rational number is, but you may still be able to solve it just by looking at whatever answer seems to fit with the others the least. Answer choices A, B, C, and D all produce non-integer values when we take their square root, but answer choice E is the exception. $√{64/49}$ Becomes: $√{64}/√{49}$ $8/7$ A rational number is any number that can be expressed as the fraction of two integers, and this is the only option that fits the definition. Or, if you don’t know what a rational number is, you can simply see that this is the only answer that produces integer values once we have taken the root, which makes it stand out from the crowd. Our final answer is E, $√{64/49}$ #11: Because we are working with numbers in the triple digits, our numbers with at least one 0 will have that 0 in either the units digit or the tens digit (or both, though they will only be counted once). We know that our numbers are inclusive, so our first number will be 100, and will include every number from 100 though 109. That gives us 10 numbers so far. From here, we can see that the first 10 numbers of 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 will be included as well, giving us a total of: $10*9$ 90 so far. Now we also must include every number that ends in 0. For the first 100 (not including 100, which we have already counted!), we would have: 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190 This gives us 9 more numbers, which we can also expand to include 9 more in the 200’s, 300’s, 400’s, 500’s, 600’s, 700’s, 800’s, and 900’s. This gives us a total of: $9*9$ 81 Now, let us add our totals (all the numbers with a units digit of 0 and all the numbers with a tens digit of 0) together: $90+81$ 171 There are a total of 900 numbers between 100 and 999, inclusive, so our final probability will be: $171/900$ Our final answer is D, $171/900$ #12: First, turn our given equation for line q into proper slope-intercept form. $−2x+y=1$ $y=2x+1$ Now, we are told that the angles the lines form are congruent. This means that the slopes of the lines will be opposites of one another [Note: perpendicular lines have opposite reciprocal slopes, so do NOT get these concepts confused!]. Since we have already established that the slope of line $q$ is 2, line $r$ must have a slope of -2. Our final answer is F, -2 #13: If you remember your trigonometry rules, you know that $tan^{−1}(a/b)$ is the same as saying $tanÃŽËœ=a/b$. Knowing our mnemonic device SOH, CAH, TOA, we know that $tan ÃŽËœ = \opposite/\adjacent$. If $a$ is our opposite and $b$ is our adjacent, this means that $ÃŽËœ$ will be our right-most angle. Knowing that, we can find the $cos$ of $ÃŽËœ$ as well. The cosine will be the adjacent over the hypotenuse, the adjacent still being $b$ and the hypotenuse being $√{a^2+b^2}$. So $cos[tan{−1}(a/b)] $will be: $b/{√{a^2+b^2}}$ Our final answer is D, $b/{√{a^2+b^2}}$ #14: By far the easiest way to solve this question is to use PIN and simply pick a number for our $x$ and find its corresponding $y$ value. After which, we can test out our answer choices to find the right one. So if we said $x$ was 24, (Why 24? Why not!), then our $t$ value would be 2, our $u$ value would be 4, and our y value would be $42$. And $x−y$ would be $24−42=−18$ Now let us test out our answer choices. At a glance, we can see that answer choices H and J would be positive and answer choice K is 0. We can therefore eliminate them all. We can also see that $(t−u)$ would be negative, but $(u−t)$ would not be, so it is likely that F is our answer. Let us test it fully to be sure. $9(t−u)$ $9(2−4)$ $9(−2)$ $−18$ Success! Our final answer is F, $9(t−u)$ #15: In a question like this, the only way to answer it is to go through our answer choices one by one. Answer choice A would never be true, since $y−1$. Since $x$ is positive, the fraction would always be $\positive/\negative$, which would give us a negative value. Answer choice B is not always correct, since we might have a small $x$ value (e.g., $x=3$) and a very large negative value for $y$ (e.g., $y=−100$). In this case, ${|x|}/2$ would be less than $|y|$. Answer choice C is indeed always true, since ${\a \positive \number}/3−5$ may or may not be a positive number, but it will still always be larger than ${\a \negative \number}/3−5$, which will only get more and more negative. For example, if $x=3$ and $y=−3$, we will have: $3/3−5=−4$ and $−3/3−5=−6$ $−4−6$ We have found our answer and can stop here. Our final answer is C, $x/3−5y/3−5$ #16: We are told that there is only one possible value for $x$ in our quadratic equation $x^2+mx+n=0$, which means that, when we factor our equation, we must produce a square. We also know that our values for $x$ will always be the opposite of the values inside the factor. (For example, if our factoring gave us $(x+2)(x−5)$, our values for $x$ would be $-2$ and $+5$). So, given that our only possible value for $x$ is $-3$, our factoring must look like this: $(x+3)(x+3)$ Which, once we FOIL it out, will give us: $x^2+3x+3x+9$ $x^2+6x+9$ The $m$ in our equation stands in place of the 6, which means that $m=6$. Our final answer is C, 6. #17: The simplest way to solve this problem (and the key way to avoid making mistakes with the algebra) is to simply plug in your own numbers for $a$, $r$ and $y$. If we keep it simple, let us say that the loan amount $a$ is 100 dollars, the interest rate $r$ is 0.1, and the length of the loan $y$ is 2 years. Now we can find our initial $p$. $p={0.5ary+a}/12y$ $p={0.5(100)(0.1)(2)+100}/{12(2)}$ $p=110/24$ $p=4.58$ Now if we leave everything else intact, but double our loan amount ($a$ value), we get: $p={0.5ary+a}/12y$ $p={0.5(200)(0.1)(2)+200}/{12(2)}$ $p=220/24$ $p=9.16$ When we doubled our $a$ value, our $p$ value also doubled. Our final answer is D, $p$ is multiplied by 2. #18: If we were to make a right triangle out of our diagram, we can see that we would have a triangle with leg lengths of 8 and 8, making this an isosceles right triangle. This means that the full length of $\ov {EF}$ (the hypotenuse of our right triangle) would be $8√2$. Now $\ov {ED}$ is $1/4$ the length of $\ov {EF}$, which means that $\ov {ED}$ is: ${8√2}/4$ And the legs of the smaller right triangle will also be $1/4$ the size of the legs of the larger triangle. So our smaller triangle will have leg lengths of $8/4=2$ If we add 2 to both our x-coordinate and our y-coordinate from point E, we will get: $(6+2,4+2)$ $(8,6)$ Our final answer is G, $(8,6)$ #19: First, to solve the inequality, we must approach it like a single variable equation and subtract the 1 from both sides of the expression $−51−3x10$ $−6−3x9$ Now, we must divide each side by $-3$. Remember, though, whenever we multiply or divide an inequality by a negative, the inequality signs REVERSE. So we will now get: $2x−3$ And if we put it in proper order, we will have: $−3x2$ Our final answer is H, $−3x2$ #20: The only difference between our function graphs is a horizontal shift, which means that our b value (which would determine the vertical shift of a sine graph) must be 0. Just by using this information, we can eliminate every answer choice but A, as that is the only answer with $b=0$. For expediency's sake, we can stop here. Our final answer is A, $a0$ and $b=0$ Advanced ACT Math note: An important word in ACT Math questions is "must", as in "]something] must be true." If a question doesn't have this word, then the answer only has to be true for a particular instance (that is, itcould be true.) In this case, the majority of the time, for a graph to shift horizontally to the left requires $a0$. However, because $sin(x)$ is a periodic graph, $sin(x+a)$would shift horizontally to the left if $a=-Ï€/2$, which means that for at least one value of the constant $a$ where $a0$, answer A is true. In contrast, there are no circumstances under which the graphs could have the same maximum value (as stated in the question text) but have the constant $b≠ 0$. As we state above, though, on the real ACT, once you reach the conclusion that $b=0$ and note that only one answer choice has that as part of it, you should stop there. Don't get distracted into wasting more time on this question by the bait of $a0$! #21: You may be tempted to solve this absolute value inequality question as normal, by making two calculations and then solving as a single variable equation. (For more information on this, check out our guide covering absolute value equations). In this case, however, pay attention to the fact that our absolute value must supposedly be less than a negative number. An absolute value will always be positive (as it is a measure of distance and there is no such thing as a negative distance). This means it would be literally impossible to have an absolute value equation be less than -1. Our final answer is K, the empty set, as no number fulfills this equation. Whoo! You made it to the finish line- go you! What Do the Hardest ACT Math Questions Have in Common? Now, lastly, before we get to the questions themselves, it is important to understand what makes these hard questions â€Å"hard.† By doing so, you will be able to both understand and solve similar questions when you see them on test day, as well as have a better strategy for identifying and correcting your previous ACT math errors. In this section, we will look at what these questions have in common and give examples for each type. In the next section, we will give you all 21 of the most difficult questions as well as answer explanations for each question, including the ones we use as examples here. Some of the reasons why the hardest math questions are the hardest math questions are because the questions do the following: #1: Test Several Mathematical Concepts at Once As you can see, this question deals with a combination of functions and coordinate geometry points. #2: Require Multiple Steps Many of the most difficult ACT Math questions primarily test just one basic mathematical concept. What makes them difficult is that you have to work through multiple steps in order to solve the problem. (Remember: the more steps you need to take, the easier it is to mess up somewhere along the line!) Though it may sound like a simple probability question, you must run through a long list of numbers with 0 as a digit. This leaves room for calculation errors along the way. #3: Use Concepts You're Less Familiar With Another reason the questions we picked are so difficult for many students is that they focus on subjects you likely have limited familiarity with. For example, many students are less familiar with algebraic and/or trigonometric functions than they are with fractions and percentages, so most function questions are considered â€Å"high difficulty† problems. Many students get intimidated with function problems because they lack familiarity with these types of questions. #4: Give You Convoluted or Wordy Scenarios to Work Through Some of the most difficult ACT questions are not so much mathematically difficult as they are simply tough to decode. Especially as you near the end of the math section, it can be easy to get tired and misread or misunderstand exactly what the question is even asking you to find. This question presents students with a completely foreign mathematical concept and can eat up the limited available time. #5: Appear Deceptively Easy Remember- if a question is located at the very end of the math section, it means that a lot of students will likely make mistakes on it. Look out for these questions, which may give a false appearance of being easy in order to lure you into falling for bait answers. Be careful! This question may seem easy, but, because of how it is presented, many students will fall for one of the bait answers. #6: Involve Multiple Variables or Hypotheticals The more difficult ACT Math questions tend to use many different variables- both in the question and in the answer choices- or present hypotheticals. (Note: The best way to solve these types of questions- questions that use multiple integers in both the problem and in the answer choices- is to use the strategy of plugging in numbers.) Working with hypothetical scenarios and variables is almost always more challenging than working with numbers. Now picture something delicious and sooth your mind as a reward for all that hard work. The Take-Aways Taking the ACT is a long journey; the more you get acclimated to it ahead of time, the better you'll feel on test day. And knowing how to handle the hardest questions the test-makers have ever given will make taking your ACT seem a lot less daunting. If you felt that these questions were easy, make sure not underestimate the effect of adrenaline and fatigue on your ability to solve your math problems. As you study, try to follow the timing guidelines (an average of one minute per ACT math question) and try to take full tests whenever possible. This is the best way to recreate the actual testing environment so that you can prepare for the real deal. If you felt these questions were challenging, be sure to strengthen your math knowledge by checking out our individual math topic guides for the ACT. There, you'll see more detailed explanations of the topics in question as well as more detailed answer breakdowns. What’s Next? Felt that these questions were harder than you were expecting? Take a look at all the topics covered on the ACT math section and then note which sections you had particular difficulty in. Next, take a look at our individual math guides to help you strengthen any of those weak areas. Running out of time on the ACT math section? Our guide to helping you beat the clock will help you finish those math questions on time. Aiming for a perfect score? Check out our guide on how to get a perfect 36 on the ACT math section, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Virtual Perceptorship Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virtual Perceptorship Nursing - Essay Example From the study, notable findings were that; over the study period, women above 35 years increased their rate of delivery by over 84 % while for women above 40 years, their deliveries increased by over 100%; The prevalence of smoking in women decreased from 32.7% in 1988 to below 25.1% in 2001; prevalence of women below 20 years remained almost the same during the study period at 50%; there was an increase in the proportion of women with a pre pregnancy weight gain of over 90 kilograms over the study period; There was a also an increase in proportion of women with a pregnancy weight gain over the study period. Finally, nulliparity increased significantly over the study period. From the study, the research team concluded that, dramatic changes have occurred in maternal characteristics in Nova Scotia, over the years between 1988 and 2001. From the foreseen changes, it is evident that these changes are on-going. The research team also concluded that, if these maternal characteristics con tinue changing into the future, it is going to affect perinatal health and obstetric practice. This is because; maternal characteristics are known indices of obstetric practice, perinatal mortality and morbidity (Bianco, 1996). Research Critique This research has been done proficiently and effectively. The time period that the research team used was sufficient enough to attain the necessary results and possible conclusions. The study was conducted on Nova Scotia women in a time period of 14 years. This long period of time chosen has made the research proficient in the sense that it gave the research team sufficient time to analyze the chosen maternal characteristics which are useful indices of obstetric practice and perinatal care. Another factor that has made the research proficient is that women chosen were of varying age groups. This has enabled the research team to avoid bias in their findings since one finding may be characteristic of a particular age group and not the other. For example, smoking prevalence was assessed in women below 20 years and those above 35 years. It was found that the prevalence did not change much over the 14 year period in women below 20 years while it increase d tremendously in women above 35 years. The data of the study is reliable and this has ensured that the findings are consistent with the available data. The representative sample chosen was women in Nova Scotia who had given birth between 1988 and 2001. The data was obtained from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database (NSAPD), a reputable organization that has for years collected accurate data on births in Nova Scotia since 1988. Its personnel are well trained so that there are no errors during data collection exercises. As a result of this, findings on the study are highly accurate and up to date, and they represent the reality on the ground. The reported findings from the study in Nova Scotia are consistent with information available on the subject matter. More recently, studies in western countries indicate that maternal characteristics are changing, and this trend is worrying health care experts (Edwards, 1996). For example, pre pregnancy weight gain has been observed to incre ase in various women, and this is worrying because adverse weight gains in pregnancy are associated with adverse birth outcomes. Recent findings assert that

Beck Depression Scale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Beck Depression Scale - Essay Example One final goal of assessment is to get a clear understanding of the structure and functioning of the family. The MFT has specific information that he is looking to obtain during the assessment process. First and foremost, the MFT wants to gather as much information as possible on the problem the family is faced with. This includes the length of the current problem, the family's history of conflict, the family's history of solutions, and the family's motivation to rectify the current problem. The MFT also wants information about the structure of the family, such as any cultural or religious influences, socioeconomic status, and the hierarchy of the family. At the same time, the MFT wants to understand how the family functions; their conflict resolution strategies, how well they communicate with one another, each member's role in the family, and individual and collective goals. Finally, the MFT is interested in finding out what the family's goals are for therapy. There are many different ways in which the MFT can gather this assessment information, but they all fall into two broad categories: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative assessment allows the therapist to make inferences about certain behaviors and reactions of family members during an assessment task, whereas quantitative assessment is in the form of a standardized instrument, usually a pencil-and-paper questionnaire or scale. There are many advantages of using qualitative assessments. The family plays a larger, more important role in the assessment process, the assessment becomes part of the treatment process since this type of assessment tends to be therapeutic in and of itself, the therapist can pick and choose different techinques that fit nicely with his specific theoretical orientation, it allows the therapist and family to work together in assessing the information obtained, the family is often more committed to therapy because of the vital role they play in the assessment process, individual family members learn from one another and can learn how each member is affected by the family as a whole, allows the family to be viewed in a three-dimensional context, and it can be used with families from various cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds (Deacon & Piercy, 2001). There are many qualitative techniques available for the MFT. Qualitative assessments include the use of art, guided imagery, photographs, role playing, sculptures, free association, metaphors, and circular questioning. The idea behind this type of assessment is that it takes the focus off of the individual, and places it on the task at hand, often making the clients less defensive and more emotive (Deacon &Piercy, 2001). While there are many advantages to qualitative assessment, it is not for everyone. Some therapists and clients may not feel comfortable with such exercises, and these exercises may in fact exacerbate any anxiety felt towards therapy instead of relieving it (Deacon & Piercy, 2001). In such a case, these exercises should not be pushed. If these activities are forced, the information gathered will most likely be scarce. Deacon and Piercy also note that while qualitative assessments can provide the therapist with a wealth of information, it cannot provide certain informa tion that can only be obtained through quantitative asse

Buddism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Buddism - Essay Example Buddhism is considered a philosophy and a religion at the same time, due to various reasons. First, it is a philosophy since it is a way of life. People have to adhere to the set standards of the way of life to be connected to the religion. Without focusing on this, one cannot be considered to be a Buddhist. In its philosophy or way of life, it is stated that people allied to Buddhism should have acceptable standards of behavior. This means that all the people in the religion have to adhere to the set standards to be considered as followers of the religion and philosophy. In many instance, the people have to connect their way of life to an awakening call. They have to change their way of life as they have been â€Å"awaken† from their previous lifestyle. This shows that when a person is joining Buddhism, they have to change their way of life to fit the religion. This will go a long way in ensuring the religious norms are observed to utter optimum. Buddhism as a philosophy in t he world has been elaborated to mean love for wisdom. The people in Buddhism must have unending love for wisdom to develop as straight and obedient followers of the religion. Since this is the vital element of the religion, anyone wishing to join the religion must adhere to the philosophy of awakening, and elaborate on unending need for wisdom. In the Buddhism teaching, people with freedom have to lead a better way of life due to their decisions on matters in the world (Keown, 6). With their increasing wisdom, they are able to make decisions that are for the benefit of their life and the religion as a whole. As a Buddhist, the immortal love for wisdom is a practical lesson that should be adhered to and protected. Since this is the core element in the religion, the love for wisdom was split into three main parts. Simplifying the love for wisdom was a practical element that ensured the people allied to the religion understood the message to core. In the first presumed path of the love for wisdom, a person allied to the Buddhism religion should lead a moral way of life. This is an acceptable standard that has been highlighted by the Buddhism culture. All the people that are in the religion should have a connection to other people that lead a moral life. As such, there is a need to have universal way of life, which is moral. This is by avoiding any activities that may be deemed mortal to the Buddhism culture. As such, leading a universal way of life that is moral is an element that needs to be achieved in the Buddhism culture. According to the Buddhism philosophy, people have to consider their away of life as sacred and only attempt activities that are acceptable. This is both in the society and the normal way of life (Keown, 7). With such in mind, the Buddhism culture will have a dominant society that initiates morality in the society. When a person leads a moral life, it creates a scenario where people accept the religion and its philosophical grounds. In bringi ng up the Buddhism culture, the prince, Buddha had been distracted in his early life. He was raised in the loyal life as a prince and had loyal life of ease. This was a life that would shield him from the miseries and cruelties of the world, which made the prince, live lavishly. However, he was often distracted by sensual pleasures and this led to luxurious living. With such a living, he had never encountered any form of

Parents Should not be Punished for Their Childrens Crimes Essay - 7

Parents Should not be Punished for Their Childrens Crimes - Essay Example They believe that the behavior that children have comes from many sources such as school, friends, media and neighborhood (Rude 1). These groups of people argue that parents are not to blame, children learn from each other and they tend to have more influence on each other compared to the influence that parents may have on them (Rude 2). For instance, my 8 year old nephew had a problem in school. He broke a glass in the school’s restroom and when 8-year-old kid him ‘why did you do that?’ he said, ‘my friend told me to do that!’ Therefore, he acted according to what his friend told him and not what his parents might have taught him. This is an indication that children may not always follow what their parents teach them, they have a lot of influence from other sources (Rude 2). Although Children do not have sufficient knowledge on what is good or harmful for them, it is the responsibility of the parents to adequately guide them. For example, most of the time, children will say what they hear, regardless of whether it is good or bad. However, older people know what is good or bad and should offer guidance. If a child knows that they are likely to be punished for saying or doing certain things, they will not do them. Although it may be hard for them to know the difference between right and wrong, parents are old enough to evaluate everything and they should guide them. Thus, parents should not be totally blamed for their children’s mistakes, even though they remain the most influential people in a child’s life (Rude 1).