Theme Of Sight And Blindness In Oedipus - 797 Words

Sophocles certainly wasnt shy about the motif of sight vs. blindness. If youve got way too much time on your hands, go through the play and highlight words like see, sight, vision, eyes, and blind. Since this motif is symbolic of the pursuit of knowledge, you can go ahead add that word, along with terms like oracle, truth, prophecy, and Apollo, since hes the god that represents all these ideas. The Oracle of Shmoop predicts that your highlighter will run out of ink, and your script will end up looking like a neon patchwork quilt.Though this motif of seeing and not seeing is laced throughout the beginning of the play, it first becomes crystal clear when the prophet Teiresias hobbles on stage. If one of Sophocless†¦show more content†¦They highlight the fact that he has been marked for suffering from the moment of his birth. This expounds upon Sophocless idea that humans have no power in face of the gods. For some mysterious reason, Oedipus has always been damned, and theres n ot much he can do about it. The scars also highlight the irony of Oedipuss ignorance. Although his name blatantly points attention to his scarred feet (which are the keys to discovering his identity), Oedipus doesn’t realize his true identity until it’s too late. This ones on Jocasta as well. Youd think she might she might have clued in to Oedipuss name long ago and asked him how he got it. The Crossroads Oedipus killed his father, Laius, at a place where three roads meet. A fateful decision made at a crossroads, huh? We detect symbolism. Oedipus couldve run into his father anywhere along the Theban Way, but instead Sophocles specifically places the confrontation at a three-way intersection.Crossroads are a traditional symbol of choice in literature. Makes sense, right? You come to an intersection and you have to decide which way to go. Its probably pretty easy to see how such a place could represent all the moments of choice in our life. In a way, every second in ones life is a tiny little crossroad. Every small choice we make affects our future in someway.Of course, Oedipuss fate has been predetermined from birth. For their own mysterious reasons the gods have decided that its necessary for Oedipus to haveShow MoreRelatedOedipus Rex: Imagery of Blindness and Sight as a Medium to the Themes1218 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, an honourable and ad mirable Greek king named Oedipus rules the town of Thebes. He is left in mental turmoil and decay as his unknown, corrupt and immoral past is slowly revealed during his quest to find the culprit who murdered King Laius. The newly exposed past suddenly transforms his glory and respect into shame and humiliation. After he learns about his wicked past he stabs his eyes, which lead to his blindness. During the course of the play, referencesRead MoreOedipus Rex Is A Greek Tragedy Written By Sophocles1177 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Sophocles, through writing this work along with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus, became a legendary tragedian, and went off to produce several other works. This classic tragedy held great influence over Aristotle’s six components in his work, the Poetics, more specifically, over the component of plot and character. The birth of Oedipus Rex since spurred countless famous interpretations, including ones by th e father of psychoanalysis himself, SigmundRead More The Role of Teiresias in Sophocles Oedipus Rex Essay1410 Words   |  6 Pagesdestruction that Oedipus will encounter after he learns the truths of his life. Teiresias is also responsible for further developing the theme of blindness by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his mental blindness. Lastly, Teiresias is ultimately responsible for imposing dramatic irony because of his great knowledge of the truth of Oedipus. In the play, Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, the minor character of Teiresias is responsible for foreshadowing Oedipus’ fate, developing the theme of blindnessRead MoreThroughout most famous Greek literature, a great hero usually saves the day. In the story of900 Words   |  4 Pagesusually saves the day. In the story of Oedipus though, the good man with one minor flaw goes through great pain. This pain in the play Oedipus Rex is the focal point for the whole play. Almost every aspect of th e play builds up and foreshadows Oedipus’ fall from power, and entry into pain. Sophocles in his tragedy Oedipus Rex creates a mood of dramatic irony using the dualities of sight and blindness, and light and darkness. This dramatic irony highlights Oedipus’ hamartia and in doing so SophoclesRead MoreEssay on Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex1311 Words   |  6 PagesIn the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the themes of sight and blindness are developed in a way to communicate to the reader that it is not eyesight itself, but insight that holds the key to truth and, without it, no amount of knowledge can help uncover that truth. Some may define insight as the ability to intuitively know what is going to happen, or simply as the capacity to understand the true nature of a situation. Both definitions hold a significant role in the play, not only for more obviousRead MoreThe True Vision of Blindness in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Essay959 Words   |  4 Pagesthey are blind to it. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles it is easy to see how blindness affects the transition of the story. It is said that blind people see â€Å"in a different manner† because they sense the world in a totally diferent way, such as Teiresias in the play. Oedipus Rex is a tragedy due to the content the Sophocles, the playwright, decided to include, first, murdering his father, king Laius, then marrying his mother, Jocasta, and ending by blinding himself. Oedipus has been blinded to the truthRead MoreOedipus The King Theme Essay1076 Words   |  5 Pages Oedipus the King: Themes of Blindness and Sight in the Sophocles Oedipus the King What does it mean to truly see? Do those blessed with normal vision really see? Oedipus the King by Sophocles’ is intertwined with many powerful themes and messages, establishing what real vision and real sight are. Sophocles’ play also demonstrates that sometimes in life we have to experience great loss in order to rediscover our true selves. 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An example of this occurs during the scene whereRead More Blindness In Oedipus The King Essay725 Words   |  3 Pages Blindness plays a two-fold part in Sophoclesamp;#8217; tragedy amp;#8220;Oedipus the King.; First, Sophocles presents blindness as a physical disability affecting the auger Teiresias, and later Oedipus; but later, blindness comes to mean an inability to see the evil in oneamp;#8217;s actions and the consequences that ensue. The irony in this lies in the fact that Oedipus, while gifted with sight, is blind to himself, in contrast to Teiresias, blind physically, but able to see the evil to whichRead MoreFree Oedipus Essays : Forms Of Light And Darkness1600 Words   |  7 Pages FORMS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS IN OEDIPUS REX As a key theme in Greek literature, it has been mentioned that truly the only ones who can see are blind. Specifically in the play â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, Sophocles has focused on nurturing the idea that there is no requirement of eyes for having a real sight, as there requires an ability for seeing beyond the dimension of elements. As per Sophocles, one should not have the ability of seeing something, but one must have the ability of understanding it (Eskin,

The Importance of Organization in a Police Department free essay sample

The organization of a police department plays a vital role in the effectiveness of the police department. There are three major concepts you should consider when organizing a police department. They are as follows: area, time, and purpose. I will briefly discuss each concept as it relates to the organization and effectiveness of the police department. The area that any given police department is responsible for plays a huge part in it organization. For example, if a police department is responsible for patrolling twenty four square miles, then you might only have one precinct or division. A precinct, as stated in the text, is simply the entire collection of beats and sectors in a given geographic area (Dempsey Forst, 2005). One precinct may work for a police department that is responsible for twenty four square miles, but it would not be effective it if had to cover a bigger city, such as New York or Los Angeles. It would be ineffective and cause strain on the police force if they were to have one precinct responsible for a huge city. It would mean that officers would possibly take longer respond to emergency calls and there would be a lack of organization. This is why it is vital to split up the police department into different precincts, divided up by geographical areas. It allows the police officers to become familiar with the area it is patrolling. They would also have a better chance of becoming acquainted with the business owners and residents of the area, which will allow for better communication between society and the police department. Another major concept that one must think about when organizing a police department is time. This entails the scheduling of the officers, their days off, tour conditions, steady or fixed tours, and the common three tour system. The three tour system allows a police department to break up the twenty four hour day into three separate eight hour watches. It is the most common because the officers will only work eight hours, just like the rest of the society, and will not cause fatigue or ineffectiveness (Dempsey Forst, 2005). This is important because if you have officers working twelve hour shifts for five or six days of the week, they will become tired, thus losing their effectiveness. They may not have a willingness to go out there and stop crime if they do not have proper rest. Police department schedules and shifts may very depending on each police department’s responsibilities and personnel. For example, the Los Angeles Police Department employs officers on a twelve hour shift for 3 days a week. That give the officers four consecutive days off to keep morale high and an effective police force at it’s best. Today, more and more police departments are experimenting with a twelve hour for three days or a ten hour for four days shifts. Tour conditions also play a key part in how shifts are made up and assigned. If the majority of crimes occur during the evening or night watch, then a police department will probably have more officers assigned to the night watch. This will allow for officers to respond to emergency cars in a much quicker manner. The manpower in the days and swing shifts will take a hit, but fewer crimes occur during those hours so it will offset itself. Another factor or concept that plays an important role in the organization of a police department is the purpose or function of the police. What this means is that all members of a police department that are assigned to a patrol unit will be placed in the same division or bureau (Dempsey Forst, 2005). This also applies for detectives, special operation services, support services, administration services, and so on. Organizing a police department by function or purpose is important because you want to clearly define a police officer’s responsibilities within the police force. You do not want the same officer that responded to a domestic violence call to also lead the investigation on a homicide case. You want your police officer’s to focus on their respective tasks and responsibilities so that they will become more effective and comfortable doing their job as time passes. You make sure that the detectives do detective work and the patrol officers do patrol work. Also, when you place all the administrative and support personnel in separate divisions, you allow officers to perform their jobs without having to worry about training, budgets, finance issues, legal issues, clerical duties, internal affairs, or maintenance.

Organizational Behavior †Motivation Essay Example Essay Example

Organizational Behavior – Motivation Essay Example Paper Organizational Behavior – Motivation Essay Introduction MGMT 2008 – Organisational Behaviour Motivation Theory Throughout the Caribbean, managers are continually challenged to motivate a workforce to do two things: work towards helping the organization achieve its goals, and to work towards achieving their own personal goals. In order to successfully do this, they must first properly understand the concept of motivation. The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines a motive as â€Å"something (a need or desire) that causes a person to act. Motivation, in turn, is defined as the act or process of providing a motive that causes a person to take some action. In most cases motivation comes from some need that leads to behavior that results in some type of reward when the need is fulfilled. Thus, managers have the responsibility of making employees willing to exert high levels of effort, sufficient to achieve their personal needs as well as the organisation’s goals. Psychologists have studied human motivation extensive ly and have derived a variety of theories about what motivates people. These include theories that focus on motivation being a function of 1) employee needs of various types, 2) extrinsic factors, and 3) intrinsic factors. One major needs-based theory was that of Abraham Maslow which focused on satisfying the needs of employees to keep them motivated. Maslow (1954) proposed a hierarchy of needs that progresses from the lowest, subsistence-level needs to the highest level of self- actualization. Once each level has been met, the theory is that an individual will be motivated by and strive to progress to satisfy the next higher level of need. Basically this hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. This hierarchy is most often isplayed as a pyramid with the most basic needs at the lowest levels of the pyramid, while the more complex needs are located at the top. Those needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security. Organizational Behavior – Motivation Essay Body Paragraphs As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Soon, the need for love, friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the eed for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential, located at the tip of the pyramid. Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in motivating behavior. Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are referred to as deficiency needs (also known as D-needs), meaning that these needs arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences. The highest-level of the pyramid was termed as growth needs (also known as being-needs or a-needs). Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person. Frederick Herzberg (2003) and his ‘Two Factor Theory further modified MasloWs needs theory and consolidated down to two areas of needs that motivated that deal with Job context and lead to Job dissatisfaction (company policy and administration, supervision, interpersonal relationships, working conditions, salary, status, and security); while motivators are those factors that deal with Job content nd lead to Job satisfaction (achievement, recognition for achievement, the work itself, responsibility and growth or advancement). Herzberg’s findings revealed that certain characteristics of a Job are consistently related to Job satisfaction, while different factors are associated with Job dissatisfaction. The conclusion he drew is that Job satisfaction and Job dissatisfaction are not opposites. The opposite of satisfaction is no satisfaction and the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction. Remedying the causes of dissatisfaction will not create satisfacti on. Nor will adding the factors of Job satisfaction eliminate Job dissatisfaction. In order to adequately motivate employees, managers must first removed the sources of Job dissatisfaction and subsequently and those of satisfaction. The search for needs- based motivation theories also leads to McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory, which surrounds the idea that needs are acquired throughout life. That is, needs are not genetic, but are learned or developed as a result of one’s life experiences (McClelland, 1985). This theory stipulates that there are three major types of needs, hich are the need for achievement (which emphasizes the desires for success, for mastering tasks, and for attaining goals); the need for affiliation (which focuses on the desire for relationships and associations with others); and, the need for power (which relates to the desires for responsibility for, control of, and authority over others). All of these theories approach needs from a somewhat dif ferent perspective and are helpful in understanding employee motivation on the basis of needs. However, other theories of motivation also have been posited and require consideration by managers in compiling motivational strategies. Another approach to understanding motivation focuses on external factors and their role in understanding employee motivation. Best known for this is B. F. Skinner’s (1953) Reinforcement Theory which studied human behavior and proposed that individuals are motivated when their behaviors are reinforced. His theory is comprised of four types of reinforcement. The first two are associated with achieving desirable behaviors, while the last two address undesirable behaviors. Positive reinforcement’ relates to taking action that rewards positive behaviors; ‘avoidance learning’ occurs hen actions are taken to reward behaviors that avoid undesirable or negative behaviors. This is sometimes referred to as negative reinforcement. ‘Pu nishment’ includes actions designed to reduce undesirable behaviors by creating negative consequences for the individual; and, ‘extinction’ represents the removal of positive rewards for undesirable behaviors. Theories that are based on intrinsic factors focus on internal thought processes and perceptions about motivation. Examples of these kinds of theories include Adam’s Equity Theory which proposes that individuals are otivated when they perceive that they are treated equitably in comparison to others within the organization (Adams, 1963); Vroom’s Expectancy Theory which addresses the expectations of individuals and hypothesizes that they are motivated by performance and the expected outcomes of their own behaviors (Vroom, 1964); and, Locke’s Goal Setting Theory which hypothesizes that by establishing goals individuals each of these theories deals with a particular aspect of motivation, studies have found it unrealistic to address them in isolation, since these factors often do come nto play in and are important to employee motivation at one time or another. Other approaches to motivation are driven by aspects of management, such as productivity, human resources, and other considerations. The most famous theory in this regard is McGregor’s Theory X and Theory. Created by Douglas McGregor, this approach again draws upon the work of Herzberg and develops a human resources management approach to motivation. This theory first classifies managers into one of two groups. Theory X managers adopt an authoritarian style and generally believe that the verage person dislikes work and will avoid it he/she can; therefore most people must be forced with the threat of punishment to work towards organisational objectives; and the average person prefers to be directed, to avoid responsibility, is relatively unambitious, and wants security above all else. Theory Y managers, on the other hand, take a participative management app roach and believe that effort in work is as natural as work and play; people will apply self-control and self-direction in the pursuit of organisational objectives, without external control or the threat of unishment; commitment to objectives is a function of rewards associated with their achievement; and people usually accept and often seek responsibility. Altogether, whilst all of the aforementioned theories are helpful in understanding management and motivation from a conceptual perspective, it is important to recognize that most managers draw upon a combination of needs, extrinsic factors, and intrinsic factors in an effort to help motivate employees, to help employees meet their own personal needs and goals, and ultimately to achieve effectiveness and balance within the rganization. Managers should take into account most of the aspects upon which these theories focus, namely expectancy, goal setting, performance, feedback, equity, satisfaction, and commitment for example, when they are developing a motivational strategy for their employees. The literature which surrounds motivation theory suggest a wide range of strategies for managers to implement in seeking to help motivate employees. First off, managers should expect the best from their employees as persons tend to live up to the expectations they and others have of them. (Manton, 2005, p. 292). They should also seek to reward desired behaviours and ensure that rewards are not given for undesirable behaviors and be sure to use many different types of rewards to achieve the desired outcomes (Manton, 2005, p. 295). Allowing subordinates to take responsibility for their own motivation is another strategy. This can be achieved by managers taking steps to deal with problem employees, to understand employees’ needs, to determine what motivates their employees, to engage employees in the problem-solving process, and to really work hard at resolving, rather than ignoring, difficult employee problems (Ni cholson, 2003). Additionally managers show seek to play to the employees’ strengths, promote high performance, and focus on how they learn. This requires them to know what their employees’ strengths and weaknesses are, to find out what will be required to get specific employees to perform, and to understand how to capitalize on the ways those employees learn as an alternative method of encouraging and motivating them (Buckingham, 2005). Motivating an employee is a delicate task. Caribbean managers effectively put them in practice. Should these managers place more focus on roviding their employees with sufficient extrinsic rewards for desired performances, there is an increased likelihood that said employees will become motivated. However, creating an environment which facilitates employees’ satisfaction of intrinsic needs, is equally as important in motivating employees and keeping them motivated. References The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary Herzber g, F. (2003, January). One more time: how do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Review. Locke, E. A. , Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Maslow, A. H. 1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper Row. McClelland, D. C. (1985). Human motivation. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman. Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillan. Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and motivation. New York: Wiley. Adams, J. S. (1963, November). Towards an understanding of inequity. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. Manton, J. (2005). From management to leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Nicholson, N. (2003, January). How to motivate your problem people. Harvard Business Review. Buckingham, M. (2005, March). What great managers do. Harvard Business Review. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior – Motivation Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior – Motivation Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior – Motivation Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Analysis of Mayor Cory Booker essays

Analysis of Mayor Cory Booker essays The most intriguing metropolitan mayoral race occurred May 14, 2002, when incumbent Sharpe James was sought an unprecedented fifth term. However, James would not be vying against the typical candidate. The 66-year-old James was about to face the fight of his political life thanks to freshmen City Councilman Cory Booker. Booker grew up in the wealthy suburb of Bergen County, New Jersey. He was named Mr. Football of New Jersey in 1987 and attended Stanford University on an athletic scholarship. In 1992, he traveled to Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship. Upon his return to the U.S. he attended Yale Law School. Instead of embarking on a high paying law career Booker decided to move to Newark, New Jersey and become an activist for black residents whom he believed were being supplanted by the inadequate administration of Mayor Sharpe James. In 1999, Booker gained national attention by fasting and camping out next to a series of abject housing projects for ten days. He was attempting to draw the publics attention to the lack of police protection for the law-abiding tenants from gang members and drug dealers (Booker, 2002). Soon afterwards, Booker lived in a trailer for five months where each night he parked on street corners thus obstructing the normal routine of drug dealers (Booker, 2002). After seeing much Bookers activism on Fox News, 60 Minutes and CNN I, along with several political commentators and political strategist, believed Cory Booker would be the next Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. To my utter chagrin, my predictions were wide of the mark, about negative seven percent wide to be exact. To understand why my chosen candidate failed I decided to analyze the vital elements of his campaign. The first thing that came to mind was Corys age. Cory at the time was 32 years old and was challenging a 66-year-old incumbent. Sharpe and his cronies began to plant seeds of doubt and apprehension in the older African Am...

Administrative and Constitutional Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Administrative and Constitutional Law - Essay Example It is one of the most important components of the UK constitution. Generally, UK is known to have unwritten constitution like in USA and Germany. However, much of the law passed in parliament are always in writing. This type of law is known as statue law. The principle or policy of UK’s parliamentary sovereignty is frequently presented to be a unique legal arrangement with no parallels in the comparative constitutional law. 2Parliamentary sovereignty gives unconditional authority to the Westminster parliament. Thus, it seems to rule out the comparison between the US Congress or the German Bundestag, whose authorities are limited by their constitutions and the Westminster parliament. Therefore, it is seen as unique and a product of the unwritten constitution. Constitutions are very important in countries organisation and development. They organise, regulate and distribute the state power. Constitutions set out most of the state institutions, the state’s structure and the principles that govern their relations with the citizens and the other states. In Britain, the constitution differs with other countries3. For instance, most countries have well written constitutions while Britain has accumulation of conventions, treaties, statues and judicial decisions, which collectively makes the British Constitutions. Therefore, the constitution is more of â€Å"uncodified† than â€Å"unwritten.† Parliamentary sovereignty is mostly considered as a defining principle of British constitution4. It is the final principle that makes and can abolish any law. Other major principles in the British constitution include legislative and judicial branches, rule of law, and separation of government into executive and the presence of a unitary state. Some of the principles are mythical or in doubt. The uncodified British constitution therefore has two main problems. For instance, it makes it hard to know the state of the constitution. Secondly, it is makes it s impler to make changes in the UK’s Constitution than in other countries. 5The flexibility of the constitution resulted into a number of reforms since 1997. The reforms include devolution to Wales, North Ireland and Scotland, elimination of most of the heritable peers in the House of Lords, and the introduction of individuals’ codified rights in 1998 Human Rights Act. The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty was demonstrated in the case Jackson and others (appellants) v. Her Majesty's Attorney General where the plaintiffs challenged the validity of the Hunting Act 2004, which criminalised hunting of wild animals with dogs6. This Act was enacted pursuant to section 2 of the parliament Act 1911. Both the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed the issue regarding the validity of Hunting Act 2004 because it was not an Act of the parliament. Various developments affect parliamentary sovereignty. Parliament has been passing laws that limit parliamentary sovereign ty application7. The laws mainly reflect the political growth in and outside UK. The laws include The Human Rights Act 1998, the entry of UK to the European Union in 1972. The developments however, do not undermine parliamentary sovereignty because the parliament could abolish each law implementing the changes8. 2. The limits that the Human Rights Act place on the public bodies and Parliament? Human Rights Act 1998 is also referred to as the Act of the HRA. It came into existence in the United Kingdom in 2000. It mainly consists of a channel of parts that consists of effects that codify safety in the European Convention on Human Rights in the law of UK. The public bodies such as the police, hospitals, publicly funded

Comparative politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparative politics - Essay Example The focus of Green political theory â€Å"is usually on two themes: on the role of anthropocentric ethics in reducing the non-human world to merely being of instrumental value to humans; and on the question of limits to growth.† (Paterson, 2001:35). Eckersley (1992) suggests that the defining characteristic of Green politics is ecocentrism, or the rejection of an anthropocentric thought which places value only on humans in favor of one which also places value on ecosystems and all other living organisms. Ecocentrism recognizes the full range of human interests in the non-human world- and not merely the instrumental value of particular parts of nature-, the interests of the non-human world, as well as the interests of future generations of humans and non-humans. Finally, ecocentrism â€Å"adopts a holistic rather than an atomistic perspective†, valuing populations, species, ecosystems and the ecosphere as a whole as well as valuing them individually. Dobson (1990) specifies another defining characteristic of Green politics- the limits to growth argument about the nature of the environmental crisis. Paterson says that Greens suggest that â€Å"it is the exponential growth experienced during the last two centuries† which is the main reason behind the current environmental crisis. (2001:36) Dobson suggests that there are three arguments which are important in this context: first, that technological solutions will just postpone the crisis, but cannot prevent it from happening altogether; second, that the exponential nature of growth means that dangers which have been accumulating over a period of time may suddenly have a catastrophic effect; and third, that the problems associated with growth

Thermodynamics Lab Essay Example for Free

Thermodynamics Lab Essay Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to determine the identity of an unknown metal, and to prove whether the laws of thermodynamics hold when determining this identity. Using the accepted specific heat of water (4186 J/kg  · oC), heat flow between two different sets of water though the conduction of an unknown metal can provide useful data in determining the identity. The heat transfers can be calculated to approximate the specific heat of the unknown metal. When heat is transferred to an object, the temperature of the object increases. When heat is removed from an object, the temperature of the object decreases. The relationship between the heat (q) that is transferred and the change in temperature (DT) is: q = mCDT = mC  · (Tf Ti). After the specific heat of the metal is found, it can then be compared to known specific heat values of various metals, which in turn will allow for a probable identity of the unknown metal to arise. Hypothesis: The identity of the unknown metal is aluminum. This can be inferred from the unknown metals appearance, which resembles aluminum it its color, light weight, and luster. The laws of thermodynamics will hold when determining the unknown metal. The laws of thermodynamics must apply in order for heat flow to occur during the experimentation. Materials: The materials used in the lab were two calorimeters (insulated, Styrofoam containers), an unknown metal in the shape of a wide horseshoe, two thermometers, a balance, water, a beaker, and a Bunsen burner. Procedure: 1.Measure the weight of the Pyrex beaker, and then pour 200 mL into the beaker. Weigh the beaker filled with water. Record both weights to find the weight of the water by itself. Let this mass of water be labeled 1. Next, pour the water into one of the calorimeters and take the temperature of it. This temperature should be the room temperature and the same as the unknown metals temperature. 2.Pour 200 mL of water into the beaker and weigh the beaker filled with water. Record the weight. Let this mass of water be labeled 2. 3.Use the Bunsen burner to heat up the 200 mL of water in the beaker to 75o C. Then pour the hot water into the other calorimeter. 4.Set-up the calorimeters by placing the thermometers and the unknown metal in their specific places. 5.Record temperatures of both calorimeters every minute until thermal equilibrium is reached. 6.Clean and return all materials and dispose of any waste. Conclusion: The graph indicates that heat flow did undergo during the experimentation. The cold water increased in temperature, while the hot water decreased. The two liquids underwent changes in temperature until they both reached thermal equilibrium. This thermodynamics law is called the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics. This law basically states that two bodies will naturally reach thermal equilibrium when in contact. The First Law of Thermodynamics was obeyed as well. Only heat from the warmer body went to the colder body. Heat only travels in one direction, from the hot to the cold, as can be seen from the graph. My hypothesis of the unknown metal being aluminum was correct. The results of my lab showed that the unknown metal was aluminum, and later it was said that the metal had in fact been aluminum. The lab calculations went well. The values were somewhat disparate however. For example, the specific heat was found to be 1200  ± 110 J/kg  · oC, but the actual specific heat of aluminum is 900 J/kg  · oC. This difference can be attributed to the imperfect insulation of the calorimeters. Some heat must have been lost during the experiment, which may have caused a distortion in values as a result. Also, the metal was exposed to the outside air, and likely lost some heat to the air. Overall, the lab was a success. The only improvements I would suggest are to have better insulators and more precise instruments. Better insulation would yield improved results. The metal, which was transferring the heat, should have been insulated so that heat could not escape during the heat transfer. More pr ecise instruments would cut down on the uncertainties, which then would allow for better and more accurate results.